Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide-Monster Hunter Wildsfeatures14 different weapons, the same as the previous installments with theHammerbeing one of them. In this Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide, we will be taking a look at how to use the new Offset Strikes, all the Hammer Combos and Movesets, as well as all the changes and additions. Whether you’re a new hunter looking to join the hunt or veterans looking for a quick refresher to help with the weapon, this MHWilds Hammer Guide is here to help you.
Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide to Combos & Changes
The Hammer is a great weapon of choice for hunters who want the monster to “feel” every impact of their strikes. As expected of being a huge weapon,the strikes of the hammer are slow compared to other smaller weapons,and as such new hunters starting out may experience a difficult time when choosing the Hammer as a starter weapon, making it not recommended for newcomers to the franchise. However, the Hammer is the go-to weapon for hunters who like to be methodical with their well-timed swings to the monster’s head.
Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Combos
Basic Combo
The combos with the Hammer are some of the simplest in the game and the first consists of two overhead smashes followed by an upswing.
Charged Side Blow Combo
The next combo comes from a tier 1 charge followed by two swings.
Charged Upswing Combo
The next combo is from a tier 2 charge followed by one strike.
The Hammer also has an amazing Big Bang Finisher that requires a “combo” to pull off: B, B, B, B, B (Xbox) or Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle (Playstation) but you cannot miss even one swing or the “combo” will end. Even though it has a high damage potential,the Big Bang Finisherrequiring all attacks to connect makes it one of the harder combos to reach the combo finisher unless the monster is in the downed state from either being toppled or stunned, so you will not use it as often as you want.
Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Changes & Moveset
Spinning Bludgeon Combo
TheSpinning Bludgeon: Y + B (Xbox) or Triangle + Circle (Playstation)attack is a very powerful move that can deal a decent amount of damage but one of the changes in Monster Hunter Wilds that makes the flow of hammer strikes feel better is the ability to enter the spinning bludgeon after most of its attacks. This is particularly easy to perform during the Basic Combo overhead smash and during any of the three attacks of the combo, you may go into a spinning bludgeon move to finish the combo.
TheSpinning Bludgeonattack spins the hammer a total of five times and it has a mechanic similar to a charging attack for each stage of the spin with the fifth spin attack like an overcharge will cause you to go out of the spin without the ability to perform a finishing strike.
The unique thing about the spinning bludgeon is that during each stage of the spin, there are multiple follow-up attacks that you may use which can be tracked by the indicator at the top right. The first strike is a spinning side smash, the second is a spinning follow-up and the third is the spinning strong upswing which is also an offset attack, like the Great Sword’s Offset Rising Slash.
Mighty Charge
Another awesome addition to the hammer inMonster Hunter Wildsis theMighty Charge- RT + Y + B (Xbox) or R2 + Triangle + Circle (Playstation). This is a strong charging attack that deals huge amounts of damage when you land it. The Mighty Charge functions the same way as the Spinning Bludgeon in that it has multiple attacks at different Charge levels with the first being aMighty Charge Upswing- RT or Y (Xbox), R2 or Triangle (Playstation) at 1st charge, with the second being theMighty Charge Slam- RT or Y (Xbox), R2 or Triangle (Playstation) at 2nd charge.
Monster Hunter Wildsprovides the Hammer with multiple options of combo flow to go into a Mighty Charge with the easiest beingholding the normal charge to level three and then transitioning into Mighty charge. The fourth spin of the Spinning Bludgeon Attack can also lead into the Mighty Charge and this is extremely useful because you can loop back into a spinning bludgeon attack after the Mighty Charge attack opening the possibility of an endless loop of spinning hammer strikes onto the monster.
Offset Strikes
Another great addition to the Hammer’s arsenal is the addition of Offset Strikes, providing the Hammer with a variety of ways to trigger them. Offset Attacks are a new type of attack that was added in Monster Hunter Wilds. These attacks fill up an invisible Offset meter on the monster, much like a status effect, and will topple the monster when you trigger the effect. And like status effects the subsequent triggers will get harder and harder to trigger after the first topple.
Perhaps the most straightforward way to achieve an Offset Attack with the Hammer is during the Spinning Bludgeon attack’s third spin, you may finish the combo with an upswing attack.Timing this upswing attack with a monster’s attack will deal a huge amount of offset damageand even if you miss this attack, you can immediately loop back into a spinning bludgeon making it possible to perform an infinite loop of spinning upswing if you wish to do so. Although the timing of this attack can be difficult to nail down, it is worth mastering because Offset Strikes are extremely effective at knocking down monsters and provides hunters with amazing windows of opportunity to deal massive amounts of damage.
Another great way to get an Offset Attack is with theBasic Combo- Y, Y, Y (Xbox) or Triangle, Triangle, Triangle (Playstation) as the third strike in the combo is an upswing, timing this strike with a monster’s attack will build up towards the monster’s topple and landing it perfectly also allows you to transition into a Mighty Charge without needing to go through the normal charging state.
Charged Step
The buff state from previous iterations “keeping sway” has been changed into aCharged Step- B (Xbox) or Circle (Playstation) while charging which is an amazing repositioning move where the hunter hooks the ground and moves in a specified direction to evade attacks or reposition all the while keeping the charge level. The great thing about the Charged Step is that it provides players with an i-frame allowing you to step out of massive attacks with a well-timed dodge.
Focus Blow: Earthquake
With the addition of the Focus Mode, the Hammer received theFocus Blow: Earthquake- RB (Xbox) or R1 (Playstation) while in focus mode. This move performs a relatively quick spinning attack that can destroy wounds but the advantage of using this attack is that, if you hold down your charge button while you are in the focus mode, after performing the focus strike, the hammer will retain the accumulated charges allowing players to follow up with another attack for more damage.
Final Tips
With the Hammerbeing the best weapon for dealing blunt damage, always attempt to position yourself at the head of the monster. The hunter with the Hammer is the most effective at that position because striking the monster’s head will deal high damage and with the addition of Offset damage,the hammer can open up huge windows of opportunity whether you are hunting by yourself or for the whole teamwhenever you knock down a monster.
The advantage of the Hammer’s Charge over theGreat Swordis that you can move while you are charging, which makes it a tad bit easier to use. Learn when to do this for best results.
Also,you cannot block with the hammerlike you can with theGreat Sword. Even though this is the case, the addition of the Charged Step provides hunters with an excellent tool to evade damage.
Another thing to note is that Hammers have a shorter range than one would expect with it being a huge two-handed weapon. Although series veterans are used to the hammer’s range, new hunters can be caught off guard by this fact.
Even with the added mobility to the Hammer in Monster Hunter Wilds, more often than not, it is useful to sheathe your weapon and reposition either to get into range of the monster’s head or dodge away from the more powerful attacks and out of harm’s way.
Lastly,the hammer’s spinning bludgeon and upward swings can send your teammates flying. Although this can help them mount the monster, more often than not, this will interrupt your fellow hunters’ attacks so be mindful of your positioning when using it.
Secondary Weapons
Since the Hammer dealsexclusively blunt damage,you can have a hard time severing the tail of the monsterjust using the Hammer alone. So, having a secondary weapon that excels at severing tails like theLanceor theLong Swordwill help greatly after you’ve stunned or toppled the monster for an easy sever.
Having aGreat Swordas a secondary weapon will allow you to focus on dealing the most possible amount of damage and be the main damage dealer of the hunt as the Hammer is the best for stunning and the Great Sword deals the most damage per strike in Monster Hunter Wilds.The Great Sword will also allow you to perform guards and perfect guardsproviding you with a similar flow of combat with some defensive capabilities.
That wraps up our Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide, and I hope you found it helpful, and be sure to check out our otherMonster Hunter Wilds Guides. If you have questions you can leave them in the comments or drop by ourDiscordand ask. We also have aMonster Hunter Wilds Wiki with all the information you could possibly need about the game.
