Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide (Combos, Moves, How To Play)
Of the myriad weapon types available to you in Monster Hunter Wilds, the Hammer is one of the easier ones to use. There's a fair bit of customization you can do in Monster Hunter, but as always, your choice of weapon is the primary factor that determines your playstyle. If you choose the Hammer, you're in for slow, measured swings with an incredibly powerful weapon. You can chain together simple combos, or pause to charge your weapon to deal more damage or inflict wounds using MH Wilds' new focus mode.
The basic conceit of the Hammer is that you trade speed and mobility for high damage and ease of use. That's right: the Hammer is, on average, one of the highest-damage weapon types available in Monster Hunter Wilds. It lacks some of the mobility of smaller weapons and the high skill curve of more complex ones, like the Insect Glaive. But it's very easy to pick up and learn if you're new to Monster Hunter, and its simplicity allows you to focus more on dodging while spamming easy combos for massive damage.
Best Hammer Combos
Basic Combo
For your basic Hammer combo, you'll just want to press Triangle/Y three times. That's literally it. This will cause you to perform two Overhead Slashes, followed by a bigger upswing for bigger damage. This should be your go-to combo most of the time - when you have a small opening, just spam Triangle/Y.
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The third attack of the basic Hammer combo is also its Offset Attack, a new mechanic introduced in Wilds. Every large monster has a hidden Offset meter; if you interrupt their attacks with certain attacks of their own, you'll fill the meter. Once it's full, the monster will be staggered and keel over. However, if you get the timing wrong, you risk taking the brunt of a massive monster attack. Talk to the Felyne in the Training Area to turn on the practice dummy's attack mode, and practice your timing before pulling this one off in the field.
Big Bang Combo
One of your most powerful moves as a Hammer user is the Big Bang, but it comes with a unique caveat that makes it difficult to trigger. The Big Bang Finisher can only be triggered at the end of an admittedly short combo, but you have to land every move in the combo to continue working towards the finisher. You'll have to press Circle/B five times in a row to trigger the Big Bang Finisher.
Charge Combos
You can also charge your Hammer by holding R2/RT. Charging expends Stamina, but also makes your weapon attacks more powerful. You can chain together many different moves while charged; feel free to experiment here and have fun. There are three levels of charge that you can build up to successively, each unlocking new stat bonuses and, at level three, unlocking a new move.
You can press Circle/B while charging to use a special dodge that doesn't interrupt your charge.
At charge level three, you can press Triangle + Circle/Y + B to perform a Mighty Charge Slam. This is effectively the ultimate move of your charge combo.
Spinning Bludgeon
After almost any attack in the Hammer's arsenal, you can press Triangle + Circle/Y + B in order to enter a Spinning Bludgeon. This is a spinning move that allows you to continuously perform attacks; the longer you spin, the more powerful your next attack will be. You make five total rotations, and can combo this into one of three different moves, depending on when you combo into your next attack. Practice your timing with this one in the Training Area on Monster Hunter Wilds' map to master the timing.
All Hammer Moves & How They Work
Triangle/Y Is Your Basic Attack
Again, Triangle/Y is the hammer's basic attack, like it is for most Monster Hunter weapons. You can either spam it to deal fair damage here and there, or combo it into a wide variety of other moves for even bigger damage numbers.
Circle/B Starts Your Big Bang Combo
Unlike other weapons, however, Circle/B is less of a distance closer, and instead starts your Big Bang combo when you have a Hammer equipped. Remember, you have to hit each successive Big Bang attack to use the finisher.
R2/RT To Charge & Close Distance
You already know that R2/RT can be used to charge your Hammer, but you should also know that it can be used to perform some handy distance-closing moves. You can use the left stick in tandem with a variety of different charged moves to move up while attacking; following these up with further Triangle/Y attacks will cause you to rush forward even more.
L2/LT Activates Focus Mode
As with all other weapons, you can now press L2/LT to enter Focus Mode and deal high amounts of damage to any particular part of a monster. Using your Triangle/Y or Circle/B attacks in Focus Mode primarily changes their timing, but you can also activate your ultimate Focus Mode attack by pressing L2 + R1/LT + RB to destroy wounds instantly.
Triangle + Circle/Y + B To Enter Spinning Bludgeon
Finally, Triangle + Circle/Y + B activates your Spinning Bludgeon, but only after performing an attack. This is probably the most important move to practice: keep an eye on the combo indicators in the top right corner to learn which moves can combo into Spinning Bludgeon, and which moves combo out of it at which times. You don't want to be caught spinning endlessly,
How To Play a Hammer Build
Crafting The Perfect Hammer
If you're just starting out with your hammer, you should always craft the Bone Bludgeon first. It's a member of Monster Hunter Wilds' Bone Tree, which means it's a high-power, easily-upgraded weapon that you can craft with abundant materials. Make sure you're searching Bonepiles whenever available to build up your stock.
Later in the game, the G Exultant Bedivere is the highest-damage Hammer you can craft before getting into Artian Weapons. Part of the Guardian Doshaguma Tree, you'll have to work your way up to this one, crafting a series of increasingly powerful Hammers until you finally gather enough materials to make it. The chart below explains the upgrade tree you'll need to follow to unlock it.
Weapon | Damage | Materials |
|---|---|---|
G Veldian Malleus I | 884 Blunt, 160 Dragon |
|
G Veldian Malleus II | 1092 Blunt, 210 Dragon |
|
G Exultant Bedivere | 1248 Blunt, 250 Dragon |
|
Unsurprisingly, you'll have to grind quite a few Guardian monsters to get the materials necessary for your ultimate Hammer upgrade. Still, it's worth the damage you'll eventually deal once you get it.
Using Your Hammer
Most of the time, you'll be using your basic Hammer combo. It's perfectly fine for short openings, and is easy enough to pull off, even if you're interrupted by a need to dodge. If the monster gets away from you, take the time to charge up your weapon before rushing back in. And if you ever feel you have a little more time to attack, try comboing into a Spinning Bludgeon.
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Use Offset or Focus Attacks to wound the monster, eventually knocking it down. While you have a longer opening, take the time to perform Big Bang Attacks, since you're basically guaranteed to land every move while the monster is immobilized. The same goes for trapping the monster; you'll have plenty of time to get to your Big Bang Finisher while it can't move.
For the most part, though, you can't go wrong with a Hammer. It's one of the easiest weapons to use, and even though it's not as mechanically deep as something like the Charge Blade, it can be a lot of fun to play. If you're just starting out on your Monster Hunter Wilds journey, the Hammer is an excellent choice.
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