Alongside the MH Wilds TU1 update, the game has introduced the Zoh Shia Armor Set which arguably changes the existing meta due to its exceptional perks. This armor set comes with health over time renewal, higher defensive thresholds, and even elemental absorption mechanics, which have completely altered the game for all weapon classes. This guide aims to formulate the best end game builds for each weapon starting from the Insect Glaive.

• Zoh Shia Armor Set: Advantages 
• Insect Glaive
• Blight 
• Great Sword
• Long Sword
• Bow
• Dual Blades
• Hammer/Hunting Horn
• Gunlance
• Sword & Shield/Lance
• Bowgun
• Closing Thoughts

↖ Zoh Shia Armor Set: Advantages 

Before constructing the build, let us look at the most remarkable characteristics of Zoh Shia set:

• Passive Health Regeneration: You are able to heal even when the red part of the health bar is visible.  
• Higher Defensive Threshold: Surviving tough encounters becomes more feasible.  
• Elemental Absorption: Increases the amount of damage that can be dealt through elemental weapons.  
• Coalescence: Status infliction and elemental damage is enhanced after blight recovery.  

These advantages allow the Zoh Shia armor set to be one of the most adaptable sets in the game for hunters.

↖ Insect Glaive

The Insect Glaive is a highly mobile weapon that thrives on aerial combat and elemental damage. This build takes full advantage of the Zoh Shia set's perks while optimizing critical hits and airborne attacks.

Core Mechanics

• Weapon: Dragon Element Insect Glaive (or any elemental glaive).
• Armor: Full Zoh Shia Armor Set (5 pieces).

Key Skills and Decorations

1. Airborne Expert Jewel: Improves crit chance for aerial attacks.
2. Critical Boost (Level 3): Maximizes damage output from critical hits.
3. Elemental Absorption (Level 3): Enhances elemental damage when using an elemental weapon.
4. Coalescence (Level 3): Boosts status effects and elemental damage after recovering from blights.

Alternative Setup for Non-Elemental Weapons

If you're using a non-elemental glaive (e.g., paralysis or raw damage): Swap out Zoh Shia Arms for Guardian Arcelt Vanbraces. Divine Blessing (Level 3) Reduces incoming damage. Additional slots for skills like Adrenaline Rush or Burst (Level 1) to enhance damage output and survivability.

↖ Blight 

Understanding blight mechanics is crucial for optimizing your Zoh Shia builds. Blights are elemental afflictions caused by specific monsters, and recovering from them can activate powerful perks like Coalescence and Elemental Absorption. 

Common Blights and Their Sources

Key Mechanics

• Coalescence Activation: Triggers when recovering from Frenzy or any elemental blight, boosting attack power temporarily.
• Elemental Absorption: Increases elemental attack when hit by or recovering from an elemental blight.

By utilizing Monsteredia, you can identify monsters that inflict blights and their elemental hit zones to maximize damage potential. Focus on targeting monster body parts with two-star susceptibility to elements for optimal results.

↖ Great Sword

The Great Sword thrives on raw power and precision, and with the Zoh Shia armor set, it becomes even more formidable. 

Key Mechanics:

• Weapon: Ardian Sleep Great Sword
• Armor: Zoh Shia Set (4 pieces) + Guardian Arc Vambraces
• Mantles: Rocksteady Mantle or Corrupt Mantle

Skills Breakdown:

Build Notes:

• Offensive Guard synergizes perfectly with Great Sword's Perfect Guard mechanic.
• Rocksteady Mantle is ideal for uninterrupted attacks during monster roars or stagger effects.
• Corrupt Mantle enhances damage output while maintaining comfort.

This build allows hunters to unleash devastating charged attacks while maintaining flexibility and survivability during hunts.

↖ Long Sword

The Long Sword's fluid combat style benefits greatly from the Zoh Shia armor's versatility.

Key Mechanics:

• Weapon: Zoh Weeb Blade (or similar high-affinity Long Sword)
• Armor: Zoh Shia Set (4 pieces) + Guardian Arc Vambraces
• Mantles: Corrupt Mantle or Evasion Mantle

Skills Breakdown:

Build Notes:

• Power Prolonger enhances your ability to stay in the red gauge phase longer, improving DPS during combos.
• Quick Sheath ensures seamless transitions between attacks and counters.
• Corrupt Mantle is recommended for maximizing damage output if running Maximum Might. Alternatively, Evasion Mantle works well with high affinity builds for effortless dodges during combos.

This build strikes a balance between comfort and high damage potential, making it ideal for hunters who enjoy precise and stylish gameplay.

↖ Bow

The Bow benefits immensely from the Zoh Shia armor, allowing for a balanced mix of stamina management and damage output. This build ensures you can maintain consistent DPS while leveraging key perks from the armor set.

Core Skills

• Constitution Lv3: Reduces stamina depletion when dodging or charging shots.
• Stamina Surge Lv3: Speeds up stamina recovery.
• Weakness Exploit Lv5: Maximizes damage on weak points.
• Agitator Lv5: Increases attack and affinity when monsters are enraged.
• Chargemaster Lv1: Boosts elemental damage when charging attacks (essential for elemental Bow builds).

Optional Skills

• Burst Lv1: Provides a slight boost in damage after consecutive hits.
• Adrenaline Lv1: Reduces stamina consumption when health is low.
• Counterstrike Lv1: Increases attack power after being knocked down.

Recommended Mantles

• Evasion Mantle: With its increased duration (105 seconds), it enhances the Bow's evade-oriented playstyle, allowing for aggressive positioning and higher uptime on DPS.
• Rocksteady Mantle: An alternative for players seeking comfort over evasion.

Notes: If you're using a raw-damage Bow instead of an elemental one, skip Chargemaster as it won't provide any benefit. The Zoh Shia armor's flexibility lets you customize for either comfort or maximum damage output based on your playstyle.

↖ Dual Blades

The Dual Blades share similarities with the Bow in terms of stamina management but require some adjustments to optimize their unique playstyle. This build focuses on sustaining power mode while maximizing DPS potential.

Core Skills

• Marathon Runner Lv3: Reduces stamina depletion during power mode, essential for prolonged attacks.
• Weakness Exploit Lv5: Increases critical hit chance on monster weak points.
• Agitator Lv5: Boosts attack and affinity when monsters are enraged.

Optional Skills

• Maximum Might Lv3: Enhances affinity when stamina is full, compensating for the lack of innate crit from the Zoh Shia set.
• Power Prolonger Lv3: Extends the duration of power mode, improving uptime on damage output.
• Critical Boost Lv3: Increases critical hit damage, synergizing well with Weakness Exploit and Maximum Might.

Recommended Mantles

• Evasion Mantle: Ideal for maximizing DPS by allowing you to dodge through attacks and maintain offensive pressure.
• Rocksteady Mantle: A more forgiving option for players who prefer stability during hunts.
• Corrupt Mantle (Optional): While nerfed, it can still be situationally useful depending on your preferences.

Notes: The Zoh Shia armor excels at balancing comfort and damage potential for Dual Blades users. For multiplayer hunts, consider adding flinch resistance or shockproof decorations to avoid interruptions from teammates during combos.

↖ Hammer/Hunting Horn

Both Hammer and Hunting Horn benefit greatly from earplugs, ensuring uninterrupted gameplay during monster roars. Divine Blessing adds a layer of comfort by reducing incoming damage. Focus and Stamina Surge further enhance performance by improving charge times and stamina recovery, making this build highly efficient.

For Hammer users, pairing this build with the Rock Steady Mantle ensures you can execute your attacks without being knocked back. Alternatively, the Evasion Mantle can be used for more aggressive playstyles. Hunting Horn players will also find Rock Steady invaluable for casting melodies without interruptions.

Key Features:

• Armor Pieces: Guardian Archville Vambraces
• Core Skills:
  • Divine Blessing: Enhanced survivability.
  • Earplugs: Essential for uninterrupted attacks and melodies.
  • Focus (Lv 3): Improves charge efficiency.
  • Stamina Surge (Lv 3): Boosts stamina recovery rate.
  • Slugger (Lv 2): Increased stun potential (can be upgraded to Lv 3 with specific decorations).
  • Elemental Absorption + Shock Absorber: Adds elemental adaptability and mitigates knockbacks.

Notes:

• Hammer: Pair with Rocksteady Mantle for uninterrupted combos and comfort during hunts. Evasion Mantle can be an alternative for advanced players seeking higher damage output through rolling mechanics.
• Hunting Horn: Rocksteady Mantle works exceptionally well, allowing seamless melody casting without interruptions.

↖ Gunlance

The Gunlance build focuses on maintaining offensive pressure while minimizing interruptions. Earplugs are critical for executing combos without being disrupted by monster roars. Agitator and Burst synergize well to enhance damage during high-action moments, while Counterstrike adds a significant boost after being hit.

Ambush is an optional skill that provides additional damage but may require sacrificing other skills such as Earplugs or Counterstrike based on your playstyle. The flexibility of Zoh Shia's armor slots allows you to adjust decorations to suit your preferences.

Core Skills:

• Earplugs (Lv 3): Ensures uninterrupted shelling attacks.
• Agitator: Boosts attack and affinity when monsters are enraged.
• Coalescence (Lv 1): Increases elemental damage after recovering from blights.
• Ambush (Optional): Provides extra damage; can be adjusted based on personal preference.
• Elemental Absorption: Adapts to elemental weaknesses of monsters.

Notes: Focus on chaining combos efficiently while utilizing Agitator and Burst to capitalize on damage windows. Consider using Rock Steady Mantle for comfort or Evasion Mantle for a more dynamic approach.

↖ Sword & Shield/Lance

The Sword & Shield (SNS) and Lance share identical builds due to their similar mechanics and compatibility with elemental strategies. This build is highly adaptable for both Sword & Shield and elemental Lances, ensuring optimal performance in any hunt scenario.

Core Skills:

• Offensive Guard: Boosts attack power after guarding successfully.
• Critical Boost: Enhances critical hit damage (Level 5 recommended).
• Maximum Might: Increases affinity when stamina is full—ideal for Sword & Shield users.
• Agitator: Raises attack power and affinity when monsters are enraged.
• Weakness Exploit: Increases affinity when hitting weak spots.
• Elemental Absorption: Amplifies elemental damage output.
• Coalescence: Temporarily boosts attack and affinity after recovering from a blight.

Optional Skills

• Guard Level 1: Provides basic guarding capabilities for defensive play.
• Counterstrike Level 1: Boosts attack power after being knocked down.
• Divine Blessing Level 1: Reduces damage taken occasionally.

Playstyle

Sword & Shield thrives on agility and elemental attacks; pair with Maximum Might for consistent high affinity during combos. Lance builds can utilize the same setup, especially with elemental lances, making them versatile and effective in hunts requiring high defense and offense balance.

Notes: Avoid using Critical Element, as it provides minimal value in this game compared to other options like Critical Boost. For elemental weapons (e.g., Thunder Sword & Shield or Lance), prioritize Elemental Absorption and Coalescence at Level 3 for maximum elemental efficacy.

↖ Bowgun

Bowguns are excluded from this guide due to their unique mechanics that require specialized ammo-based builds. Unlike other weapon classes, Bowguns rely heavily on ammo types such as Sticky Ammo, Cluster Ammo, Pierce Ammo, or Spread Ammo, which do not benefit from critical hit-related skills.

Key Considerations

• Focus on skills like Slugger for Sticky Ammo builds or Offensive Guard for Pierce Ammo setups.
• Tailor your build based on the specific ammo type you're using (e.g., Pierce or Spread).
• Bowgun builds demand meticulous planning to align with ammo compatibility, making them highly versatile but complex compared to other weapon classes.

While Bowgun builds are incredibly effective, their complexity makes them better suited for players willing to experiment and customize based on their preferred ammo types.

↖ Closing Thoughts

The Zoh Shia armor set has redefined endgame builds in Monster Hunter Wilds TU1, offering unmatched flexibility and power for hunters across all weapon classes. Whether you're wielding a Sword & Shield, Lance, or exploring Bowgun options, these builds will elevate your hunting experience to new heights.

Optimize your gameplay with these cutting-edge builds and take full advantage of the Zoh Shia armor set's potential. Stay tuned for future updates as new content arrives in Monster Hunter Wilds! Happy hunting!