Summary
They say the suit makes the man, but when it comes toMonster Hunter Wilds, it’s the skills that make the hunter. Skills are one of the most important aspects of any good Monster Hunter build. The more effort you put into choosing complimentary and synergistic skills, the faster and easier your hunts will be.
This is easier said than done, of course. Between armor, weapons, talismans, and decorations, there are dozens of skills to choose from and an infinite number of ways to build your character. If you’re looking for some help choosing which skills to prioritize, these are the best skills to choose.
10Attack Boost
Good old Attack Boost is one of the first skills hunters tend to equip, and the last one they’d ever take off. Who doesn’t want to do more damage?
This is the only completely unconditional way to increase your strength with skills, so while it isn’t the most exciting one, it’s definitely the most useful. You don’t necessarily need to max out this skill, but the more Attack Boost you have, the better. There are no universal skills, but this one is the closest.
Your attack stat isn’t everything. It’s important to consider the strengths of your build and the target you’re hunting. Sometimes affinity or elemental damage are worth more than attack damage.
9Critical Boost
Critical Boost increases the damage of critical hits by up to a whopping 40 percent. If you’re usinga high-affinity weaponand focusing your build around crits, this skill will be the centerpiece of your loadout.
You don’t even necessarily need all five stacks of Critical Boost to see a huge benefit, as just two levels of this skill increases your crit damage by 31 percent. Some builds don’t rely on critting at all, but in most cases - especially when using weapons with high affinity - Critical Boost is going to be your best friend.
8Critical Eye
Of course, you can’t mention Critical Boost without also giving a shoutout to its partner in crime, Critical Eye. A max-level Critical Eye skill increases your Affinity by 20 percent, which is enough to push some builds pretty close to permanent critics.
Seeing small white numbers turn into big orange numbers is one of the most satisfying things in Monster Hunter Wilds. The amount of Critical Eye you need will fluctuate as you make adjustments to your build, but this is always a good one to have.
7Protective Polish
For a lot weapons, Protective Polish isn’t very useful at all, but for some, it’s the most important skill in the game. Protective Polish prevents your weapon from losing sharpness for a set amount of time, up to 90 seconds. If your weapon has a tiny amount of blue or white sharpness, using this skill will increase your damage output immensely.
Not only are you doing more damage with a sharp weapon, but you’re increasing your overall DPS because you don’t have to stop fighting to sharpen your weapon as frequently. This is a weapon-specific skill, but it’s highly valuable.
6Mind’s Eye
Mind’s Eye prevents your weapon from getting deflected and increases damage against hard parts. This skill becomes more or less useful depending on the monster you’re currently hunting, butit’s most useful against the hardest monsters, so it’s definitely one to prioritize.
If you want to sink your blade deep into a monster’s flesh, this skill can instantly turn a frustrating fight into a piece of cake. If your attacks are glancing off the monster, Mind’s Eye fixes that problem instantly.
5Shock Absorber
If you’re playing Wilds online with other people - especially people who like to swing their hammer in the air like they just don’t care - then Shock Absorber is a must-have. When a monster gets knocked down, you only have a small window to take advantage, and the last thing you want to do is spend those precious seconds getting knocked around by your teammates' giant weapons.
Ranged players may not need this, but everyone else will be glad they have it. Your teammates will thank you too, because this skill saves them from getting knocked around as well.
4Wide-Range
The problem with Wide-Range is that it technically doesn’t make you stronger, so it can be hard to find space for it in your build. But if you may afford to be a little selfless, Wide-Range is an incredibly powerful skill that lets your teammates receive the benefits of any consumable you use.
Your teammates won’t get the full effect of Wide-Range until the skill is at level five, which is a tall order when there are so many skills competing for slots. But the bottom line is this: Wide-Range saves lives. Be a hunter’s hero today.
Wide-Range is especially useful forSword & Shield players, since they don’t have to put their weapons away to consume items.
3Divine Blessing
Divine Blessing is a skill long-time Monster Hunter players swear by, and for good reason. It’s a simple one: Divine Blessing has a pre-determined chance to reduce the damage you take, up to 50 percent.
This is a skill that keeps you in the fight longer, which means you may spend more time walloping a beasty rather than running away to heal. It can negate big nasty hits almost completely sometimes. Yes, it’s a crutch, but it’s a good crutch.
2Evade Window
Evade Window is another potent crutch, and while we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a highly-skilled Monster Hunter grinder, it’s a very useful skill to have when you’re just learning the game.
This skill increases your evade window - hence the name - which makes it easier to avoid taking damage. Carting less means hunting more, so don’t be afraid to use a little extra help when you need it.
1Recovery Speed
Recovery Speed is useless if you never get hit. Maybe you’re a gamer god, but then why are you reading this article, huh? Look, mistakes happen, and Recovery Speed helps you get back on your feet faster.
All that red stuff on your health bar can get turned back into green health lickity-split with Recovery Speed. A living hunter is a useful hunter, so throw on some recovery speed and pretend like you never got hit in the first place.
