Best starter Lance build in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Lance is routinely the least popular weapon in the Monster Hunter series despite being around since the very first game on the PS2. Don't hold that against it: I swear to you on my Palico that the Lance is not a bad weapon. Once you equip the best Lance build in Monster Hunter Wilds you’ll realise it’s satisfying as heck to play well, with a moveset built around a strong defensive core and punishing counterattacks. While the Lance isn’t as flashy as the Insect Glaive, Charge Blade, or its sibling the Gunlance, its defensive-minded moveset is an absolute joy to play with once you get into the groove.

With the Lance and its accompanying massive shield your attacks are mainly limited to two sets of thrusts at differing heights, but the key to this weapon is mixing in defensive maneuvers as you unlock more powerful abilities after performing guards or counters.

How to play Lance in Monster Hunter Wilds

Lance has two main combos, both of which are three consecutive stab attacks: Y for mid (at hunter level), and B for high (above your head), which is used for big and flying monsters. At the end of each of these you have access to two moves:

• Triple Thrust (Y) – A quick-hitting attack where you stab the opponent three times, best used when the enemy is stunned and there’s no risk of being knocked out of the animation.
• Charge Counter (B) – A held input that can eat an enemy attack and does a powerful stab when the input is released. If released as an enemy hits, it becomes the more powerful Double Counter-thrust. This move can also be done without using the combo beforehand by holding RT and B.

Your other main focus is using your shield to block attacks. Once you perform a guard, you’ll have access to three powerful moves: Return Thrust (Y), Retribution Thrust (Y + B), and Payback Thrust (B), all of which deal big damage to your enemies. You can also poke at enemies while your shield is up with the Guard Thrust, which is a quick and low damage attack that is extremely safe to throw out.

You can also access these moves through the Power Guard stance, which is accessed by holding RT and A while you are in the Charge Counter State.

• Power Guard will continuously drain your stamina, but it also blocks enemy attacks automatically.
• In Power Guard, Return Thrust (Y) is upgraded to the more powerful Leaping Thrust.

Lance may seem like a stodgy weapon, but it's not all blocking! The Dash attack (RT + Y + B) has you lift your shield and run with your lance out, skewering anything in your path. This is useful for getting yourself across the arena to a fast monster instead of relying on the Lance's slow dodge. This can be followed up with the powerful Finishing Thrust or the Reverse Attack, whipping you around quickly to slash at the area behind you, useful for when you overshoot.

Best Lance build for low rank

This build focuses on defensive skills like Offensive Guard and the Doshaguma’s Might group skill; these both reward you with attack power buffs for using the Lance’s shield effectively.

• First weapon: Balahara Lance I

The first Lance I’d recommend crafting is the Balahara Lance I, which becomes available after the fifth main hunt. This weapon comes with the Water element, handy against monsters like Rompopolo, Rey Dau, and Ajarakan. However, the real reason we want it is the Offensive Guard skill. This skill will give you an attack boost after performing a perfectly timed guard. Nail your defense and you'll basically always be buffed.

This skill is at level 1 at first, which gives you a +5% boost, but as you upgrade the weapon it goes to 10% and 15%. You’ll want to use this until you fight Nu Udra in the Oilwell basin.

• Second weapon: Nu Osminog I

This weapon is a Fire element Lance which will carry you right into the early hours of High Rank. It comes with a decoration slot and the Level 2 version of the Offensive Guard skill at its base form.

• First armor set: Hope Mask, Hope Mail, Hope Braces, Hope Coil, Hope Greaves

Yes, you read that right. The default starting armor in Monster Hunter Wilds is what I'd recommend for Lance users in the early hours. While it doesn’t have any group skills available, the skills that it does have work well with the Lance. Since you’ll be defending a lot, there’s a chance you’ll be knocked on your ass a fair few times as you practice the timing, and that makes Stun Resistance (Hope Mask, Hope Coil), which reduces the duration of the stun status effect, super useful.

The other three parts have Divine Blessing which has a chance to decrease the damage you take from enemy attacks.

• Second armor set: Ingot Helm, Doshaguma Mail, Doshaguma Braces, Doshaguma Coil, Doshaguma Greaves

The Doshaguma set's individual parts don’t have too much bearing on the Lance Build, with Free Meal, Item Extender, and Recovery Speed just being generally useful skills. However, it’s the Set Bonus Doshaguma’s Might that you want. This skill will give you a +10 attack buff after pulling off a successful Power Clash. This buff mixed with the Offensive Guard skill on your weapon will make you an absolute damage dealing machine. This skill activates with two pieces of Doshaguma Armour, but gets amped up with four. It also has the Fortifying Pelt group skill which gives you an attack and defense buff if you faint on a quest.

Once you beat Uth Duna and Rompopolo you’ll have access to the Ingot set. I’d recommend replacing the Doshaguma Helm with the Ingot Helm so that you can once again have Divine Blessing. The next upgrade I’d recommend is after you come face to face with the Guardian Doshaguma.

• Third armor set: Ingot Helm, G.Doshaguma Mail, G. Doshaguma Braces, G. Doshaguma Coil, G. Doshaguma Greaves

This one is a straight upgrade as you’ll once again be focusing on the Doshaguma's Might Set Bonus, which is present in this set too. It also features the Heroics skill, which increases your attack and defense when your health is at 35% or lower, once again adding to that attack buff. Marathon Runner slows down stamina depletion for actions that continuously drain stamina, which will be useful for the Lance’s dash attack and Power Guard.

This set should easily carry you through the rest of Low Rank and the early High Rank quests; just make sure you get your defensive timing down to fully take advantage of those damage buffs.