The Bow is arguably one of the best weapons in Monster Hunter Rise right now. Meaning all you ranged players out there probably want to know how best to take advantage of all that power. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to the very best Bows in Monster Hunter Rise (or best Bow in Monster Hunter Rise, as the case may be). Let’s take a look at these rapid-fire powerhouses!

Just as a note: we’ll need to kick things off a little differently in this list. One of the very best Bows in Monster Hunter Rise is a Rampage weapon. And the Rampage Bow V has a grand total of six Rampage Slots to customize in order to actually create the weapon I’m discussing here today. This first entry is gonna be a little bit of a doozy as a result, with suggestions on how to Ramp-Up the weapon into the real meat grinder it can become. Make sure to pay careful attention if you’re not super familiar with the Bow archetype!

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1. Rampage Bow V – The Best Bow in Monster Hunter Rise

This one has gotten a lot of attention in the Monster Hunter Rise community. There are a lot of reasons why this is the definitive bow in the game right now, but mostly it comes down to consistent shot types. Monster Hunter Rise returns to the Bow style of older games — where different Bows have different shot patterns at different levels of charge. That’s tricky. It means you need to line up your shots differently for Spread, Pierce, or Rapid hits. Mid-combo. Not to mention these different attack types have different associated skills. If you want to maximize your damage, comfort, and utility, focusing on just one shot type is the way to go.

The Rampage Bow is highly customizable. That includes the kinds of shots you fire. The weapon’s third Rampage Slot (out of a whopping six on the Bow) allows you to choose between damage, Affinity, or better shot types. Though most players will lean on Firing: Rapid. This is a very simple, consistent shot type that basically fires normal arrows. Whereas Spread works a bit like a shotgun (and loses damage if you don’t land all the hits) and Pierce cuts through a monster’s body (requiring constant repositioning to hit creatures down the lengths of their bodies).

Of course you should play with whatever you prefer. The other firing types can reach greater damage numbers. It’s just a matter of consistency and ease-of-use — especially now that decorations to upgrade all three shot types can be crafted at the smithy.

Next, you can essentially boost your damage for free by adding Exhaust Coating. I don’t mean applying the coating to your weapon. I mean using a Rampage Slot to unlock Exhaust Coating for the Bow at all. This comes with the semi-hidden benefit of adding 10 raw damage to the weapon. Forever. Exhaust Coating isn’t the most useful item in the game; not to mention it doesn’t work on Elder Dragons at all. So this might be a method of balancing that out and encouraging players to try it. You can also select a second coating type in another slot. Most players select Power Coating (again, it’s just more consistent across all monster matchups).

From there you need to select whether you want raw damage or elemental bonuses. Except against monsters that are especially resistant to the elements, you’ll probably want to pick an elemental damage type over Non-elemental Boost. Then you can grab Attack Boost III. This ought to give you a damn fine Bow.

That super steady shot type is the key. The Anjanath Bow, for instance, beats out the Rampage weapon in terms of raw damage and slots. Yet it only reaches Rapid Level 4 instead of 5, compared to the easier-to-craft option. Plus there’s no negative Affinity to wrangle and you do a respectable amount of elemental damage — depending on your choice. If you need a different element, you can simply craft multiple of the same bow with different stats. That makes the Rampage Bow V the all-around best option for the time being.

2. Araknatorch – MH Rise Best Bow Tier List

With the release of Monster Hunter Rise 2.0, this Rakna-Kadaki Bow got a nice boost. Its raw damage is still nothing to write home about on the surface. Though it reaches Pierce Level 5 quite easily and consistently. The first Title Update also gave us the ability to craft our own Pierce Jewels — meaning Pierce is itself a more viable damage type overall on a wider variety of builds. Add to this 40 percent Affinity, healthy Fire damage, and a plethora of support and damage coatings. You’ve got yourself one deadly elemental bow that isn’t totally useless as a raw weapon, either.

3. Genie’s Grimoire I – MH Rise Best Bow Tier List

If you want an interesting alternative, there’s also the Chameleos Bow, added in the Monster Hunter Rise 2.0 update. This weapon comes with well above-average raw, that wonderful Power Coating, Para Coating for utility, and upgraded Poison Coating. That last option works well with Chameleos armor, which can grant you double duration on Poison procs. There’s even a Level 3 gem slot built in and Recovery powder on your Arc Shot for healing allies.

One downside, of course, is the lack of any element at all (that’s where the Poison comes in, if you bring the coating and materials to restock it). Plus you’ll no longer reach Rapid Level 5. Instead you’ll hit Level 4 Spread, which isn’t the end of the world! Rapid and Spread work pretty well together at close range. The end result isn’t quite as damaging as the Rampage Bow V, but it has some unique support abilities in addition to its raw power. Just make sure to use it against monsters susceptible to Poison.

4. Sinister Soulpiercer – MH Rise Best Bow Tier List

This Magnamalo Bow comes with inconsistent shot types. On the bright side, they start strong and end strong. It reaches Rapid Level 5 just like the Rampage Bow V. There’s also above-average raw damage, Blast status built into the normal shots, two decoration slots, Power Coating, and Blast Coating for even more status oomph. Upgraded Close-range Coating is also interesting; it doesn’t require crafting materials to reload and combos well with your spread shots. One stain on this weapon is the Brace Arc Shot. I generally prefer Affinity and Recovery for a ranged weapon like this.

Hopefully this helped you on your way to the best Bow in Monster Hunter Rise for you! We’ll be sure to update this guide as new monsters and weapons appear. Until then, happy hunting!

Monster Hunter Rise Best Bow – Weapon Tier List (May 2021)

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