Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate General Weapons Guide

Ranged Weapons 

Bow

Damage Type: Piercing, (A attack is Slashing), (Status effect coatings)
Required Armour: Gunner
Range: Medium
Weapon Speed: Fast
Move Speed: Fast
Dodge Roll: Yes

The bow is a great all-around ranged weapon. Hold R to initiate a charge attack that can be aimed by holding down X and moving the camera. Coatings can be applied to bows by pressing X + A to make their shots more effective. The bow is recommended for beginners, because it has great mobility and ease of use. If you don’t like the bow controls in MH4U, you can change the settings to be like MH3U by hitting START, going to Options, and hit right to go to Bow Controls. Using ranged weapons is a good way to learn monster tells and learn to dodge them.

Light Bowgun

Damage Type: Piercing, (Elemental bullets)
Required Armour: Gunner
Range: Long
Weapon Speed: Fast
Move Speed: Fast
Dodge Roll: Yes in targeting mode, No in Zoom mode

The Light Bowgun is a fun ranged weapon for beginners and pros alike. You can hold R to quickly aim the Light Bowgun, or tap R once to zoom in further. Be aware that when you are zoomed in you cannot dodge roll, instead performing a short sidestep. Light Bowguns can be loaded with special ammo and rapid fired if you have the appropriate ammo for the bowgun you are using. When your clip is out of bullets, you must reload by pressing X. Special Ammo is chosen by holding L and selecting using X and B then pressing X and A at the same time to load the ammo. Like with any ranged weapon, Gunner Armour leaves you susceptible to damage.

Heavy Bowgun

Damage Type: Piercing, (Elemental bullets)
Required Armour: Gunner
Range: Long
Weapon Speed: Fast
Move Speed: Slow
Dodge Roll: Yes

The Heavy Bowgun is the highest raw damage ranged weapon in the game. The Heavy Bowgun controls almost exactly the same as the Light Bowgun, except instead of rapid fire, if you press X and A at the same time, you will begin crouching fire. Crouching fire allows you to shoot far more rounds without having to reload. You walk much slower with the Heavy Bowgun out, so you may be dependant on dodge rolls to get out of harm’s way. Remember you have to hit B to cancel out of zoom mode and then hit B again to dodge out of the way. The Heavy Bowgun packs a punch, but it is the most advanced of the ranged weapon suite, and should only be attempted with players who are experienced at avoiding monster attacks.

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