Monster Hunter Wilds: Hammer Guide

Despite the fact that ranged weapons are also available in Monster Hunter Wilds and they have their fans, the majority of weapon types in the game are built around getting in close with the enemies and dealing devastating damage to them, though each weapon requires different tactics and suits certain playstyles.

Hammer is one of the heavy-hitting melee weapons that can be quite effective if the player knows when to dodge and when to swing their weapon. Hammer is quite useful when it comes to battling it out while riding with Seikret. This weapon comes in different varieties, and each upgrade makes it deadlier than before.

Suitable Playstyle For Hammer

While the hammer is not as weighted as the Heavy Bowgun to completely affect the player’s mobility, it is still nothing like Dual Blades or Insect Glaive to allow for faster movement while holding the weapon in hand. So, if we were to set a location for the hammer in the mobility diagram, it would be placed closer to weapons with less mobility but high damage output.

Positioning is still quite important when using the hammer because when the weapon is equipped, the player cannot move fast enough. So, timing the dodges and the hits is important, as you don’t want to start a combo while your enemy is preparing for a lethal attack. Monster Hunter Wilds does not allow you to cancel an attack move in favor of a dodge.

However, if you can live with that limited mobility, the weapon is quite effective against any monster, especially during the campaign when the bosses are not too difficult to beat. The weapon features multiple combos, and some of them have impressive damage output. It’s also worth noting that most of the combos are quite easy to perform and can drain a big chunk of a monster’s health, especially when they are down.

How To Effectively Use Hammer

There are a few tips that can help every hunter use the hammer more effectively against monsters. First of all, never be afraid to lurk around the monster’s feet. This is a melee weapon, and you are expected to remain as close as possible to the enemy, but there are also some exceptions.

Depending on the monster’s attacking pattern, you can always land two or three regular hits before performing a dodge. If the monster is crawling or it is difficult to dodge around it quickly, then you can use Seikret. Just mount it and then start swinging the hammer by spamming X / Y / LMB and try to get close to the enemy, hit, and then move away. Almost like a zig-zag pattern around the boss. This will be effective against monsters like Uth Duna.

A better way to benefit from the hammer and Seikret combination, however, is to ram toward the monster and then hold Triangle+Circle / Y+B / LMB+RMB when close to it to perform a Dismount Attack. This will have the hunter swinging the hammer in the air multiple times while also landing 3 to 4 hits. Sometimes, this also has a chance of landing on top of the monster, which enables the ability to knife it and then perform a heavy-hitting finisher.

Last but not least, using the Big Bang combo while the monster is down also deals a massive amount of damage. Every monster will go down during a battle a few times, and they will remain vulnerable for around five seconds or so. This provides a golden opportunity to perform the Big Bang combo, which lands 7 hits on the monster in quick succession, with fourth and seventh hits dealing the highest damage.

Hammer Combos

There are multiple available combos and special moves that can be performed with the hammer, and most of them deal a significant amount of damage.

• Basic Combo
  • Press Triangle / Y / LMB three times consecutively.
• Big Bang Combo
  • Press Circle / B / RMB five times consecutively, or just spam it until the finisher is performed.
• Charged Side Blow Combo
  • Before getting into the combo, there is something to learn about charging the hammer. When you hold down R2 / RT / R to charge the hammer, your character’s body will flash three times. If you leave the charge button after the first flash, it’s Charge Lv.1, and leaving after the second or third flash will result in Charge Lv.2 or Charge Lv.3, respectively.
  • Hold R2 / RT / R for a Charge Lv.1, then leave it and press Triangle / Y / LMB two times.
• Charged Upswing Combo
  • Hold R2 / RT / R for a Charge Lv.2, then leave it and press Triangle / Y / LMB once.
• Mighty Charge Combo
  • Hold R2 / RT / R for a Charge Lv.3, then hold Triangle+Circle / Y+B / LMB+RMB. This will again charge your character with two extra flashes while they are swinging the hammer in the air. Now, leave R2 / RT / R to perform the combo.

Aside from the combos above, there are a few special moves that the player can perform with the hammer.

• Charged Big Bang
  • Hold R2 / RT / R for a Charge Lv.3 and then leave it.
• Focus Blow: Earthquake
  • The real version of this move consists of 4 consecutive hits and only performs when targeting a wound in Focus Mode; Otherwise, it will just be a single swing.
  • Hold down L2 / LT / Side Mouse Button to enter Focus Mode, then target a wound and press R1 / RB / Shift.
• Side Smash
  • Press Triangle / Y / LMB once while moving forward.

Among all the weapon types in Monster Hunter Wilds, the hammer comes with the highest raw damage output, which is why using it is recommended in almost every battle. Even monsters like Hirabami that might not seem ideal targets for a melee weapon are quite vulnerable to the hammer, thanks to its high swings that cover a good portion of the space above the hunter’s head.

Released

February 28, 2025

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty