Backup weapons are largely underestimated in the Monster Hunter world. They provide unique advantages like infinite stamina in demon mode or multiple status procs on powerful monsters. In this guide, we outlined the best options available so that no matter what your primary weapon is, there is always a corresponding secondary you can use.

• The Hunting Horn
• Hunting Horn: Tips & Tricks
• Hunting Horn: Best Buff Effects
• Best Backup Horns
• Hunting Horn Decorations
• Ammo Types & Recommendations
• All Backup Ammo Types
• Additional Considerations
• LBG vs HBG
• Best Backup HBG + Decorations
• Best Backup LBG + Decorations

↖ The Hunting Horn

The Hunting Horn is often underestimated as merely a tool for providing an attack up large buff. However, it offers far more as a secondary weapon.

The following are reasons why the Hunting Horn is an excellent backup choice:

1. Persistent Buffs: The buffs provided by the Hunting Horn remain active even after switching weapons. This includes the echo bubbles placed on the ground.
2. Team Benefits: The buffs not only apply to you but also extend to your teammates, providing valuable support during hunts.
3. Superior Effects: Some effects from the Hunting Horn surpass even powerful skills like agitator, offering benefits such as infinite stamina for dual blades and bow users.

↖ Hunting Horn: Tips & Tricks

• Understanding Notes: Each Hunting Horn has three notes corresponding to different attacks. Familiarize yourself with these notes to execute songs efficiently.
• Quick Performance: As a backup option, speed is essential. Utilize a jab note before performance to expedite the process, allowing for a special performance that is faster than usual.
• Encore for Enhanced Buffs: After performing a song, press the special weapon button again to encore and receive a more potent version of the buff. A purple color indicates this enhanced effect, whereas yellow signifies a lesser version.

↖ Hunting Horn: Best Buff Effects

The Hunting Horn is a versatile weapon that not only deals damage but also supports your team with a variety of buffs.

Attack Buffs:

• Attack Up Small: Provides a 2.7% or 4.5% increase in attack, depending on whether you use the anchor.
• Attack Up Large: Offers a 4.5% increase, with the encore version boosting it to 10%.
• Elemental Attack Boost: Grants a 10% increase for the element of your weapon.

Defense Buffs:

Defense Up Large: Enhances defense by 15% or 20% with an encore.

Status and Affinity Buffs:

• Status Attack Up: Increases status effects by 15% on encore affinity.
• Affinity Songs: Available on select horns, providing up to 15% more affinity.

Additional Buffs:

• Divine Protection Song: Mimics the divine protection skill, reducing incoming damage significantly for a duration.
• Wind Pressure and Tremor Resistance: Offers resistance against wind pressure and tremors.
• All Ailments and Blights Negated: Protects against various ailments and blights.
• Stamina Reduction (Small and Large): Minimally reduces stamina usage; however, its effect is minor.

Echo Bubble Effects:

The Hunting Horn's echo bubbles provide additional strategic advantages:

• Attack/Affinity Up Bubble: Adds an extra 10% attack power and 15% affinity. This effect stacks with song buffs for a total of 20% extra attack power and 30% affinity. Note that currently, only the Kungala Hunting Horn possesses this bubble effect.
• Stamina Recovery Bubble: Ensures constant stamina regeneration within its range, allowing for sustained demon mode or extensive dodging.

Each Hunting Horn can deploy up to three bubble echoes simultaneously, covering extensive areas of the battlefield. This feature enhances your team's combat effectiveness by maintaining crucial buffs throughout engagements.

↖ Best Backup Horns

↖ Hunting Horn Decorations

Quick Sheet Skill Sess: Although it claims to extend song duration, its effectiveness is limited once you switch weapons. Further research or community input may reveal better decoration options.

↖ Ammo Types & Recommendations

• Slicing Ammo: Ideal for those who wield blunt weapons but need to cut monster tails or wings quickly. Though only available at power level one, it can be effective in solo play. Recommended decorations include Crit Boost, Attack Boost, and Opening Shot Jewel for expedited reloads.
• Sticky Ammo: This ammo inflicts blunt damage capable of stunning monsters. It comes in three power levels, all providing consistent stun damage. Effective for solo hunts, it allows players to switch back to their main weapon for powerful combos. Recommended decorations are Slugger Jewel for increased stun damage, Opening Shot for faster reloads, and Artillery to boost damage.

↖ All Backup Ammo Types

Backup ammo types are crucial for diversifying combat strategies. Despite their simplicity, boguns can be powerful when equipped with the right ammo.

• Poison Ammo: Inflicts damage over time on monsters. Although it might seem like a fixed damage number, it steadily reduces monster health.
• Paralyze Ammo: Temporarily disables monsters, offering an opportunity for uninterrupted attacks.
• Sleep Ammo: Puts monsters to sleep, allowing players to set up barrel bombs for amplified damage upon the next attack.

Decoration Recommendations:

• Venom, Asleep, or Parajels: Enhance status damage.
• Opening Shot: For quicker reloads.
• Create a Status Jewel: Though not highly effective on boguns, it can reduce the number of ammos needed for status effects.

↖ Additional Considerations

While Demon Ammo and Armor Ammo offer benefits similar to consumable items like Hard Shell Powder and Demon Powder, they are not covered in detail here due to their overlapping effects. Similarly, Poison Ammo is more practical than Poisonous Smoke due to its range limitations.

↖ LBG vs HBG

The decision between Light Bowguns (LBG) and Heavy Bowguns (HBG) as a backup weapon can be challenging. Heavy Bowguns offer a superior combination of ammo types, especially for slicing, sticky, and status ammos. In contrast, Light Bowguns excel in rapid-fire capabilities, allowing for quick shots of specific ammo types, which is particularly beneficial for status effects like sleep or paralysis.

Key Considerations:

• Ammo Variety: HBGs generally provide a broader range of ammo options, making them versatile.
• Rapid Fire: LBGs support rapid fire for certain ammo types, enhancing their utility for specific scenarios.

↖ Best Backup HBG + Decorations

↖ Best Backup LBG + Decorations

Thoroughly researching and crafting the proper backup weapons and their accompanying decorations greatly improves your overall experience in Monster Hunter Wilds. Do not hesitate to try out some of these strategies and let us know what worked and what didn't in order to make our guides better. Your feedback goes a long way in enhancing the quality of our content.