In Monster Hunter Outlanders, weapons are one of the most important parts of your kit. As with previous games in the series, your weapon type can drastically alter your experience out in the field, offering a wide range of different abilities, combos, and attacks.
In this guide, we dive into all confirmed MHO weapons so far, explaining their different playstyles, along with their strengths and weaknesses. We've also included which Monster Hunter Outlanders character wields each of the weapons, so you can work out who you want to main when the Monster Hunter Outlanders release date finally arrives.
Here are all of the Monster Hunter Outlanders weapons so far:
Bow
First introduced in Monster Hunter 2, the bow is a tactical weapon that allows for a fast, highly mobile playstyle. It traditionally relies on you being very familiar with a monster's weak spots and elemental weaknesses, as you use consecutive attacks with different coatings to exploit those vulnerabilities and quickly take down your target.
While TiMi Studio hasn't released a video overview for the bow like most of the other weapons, we've seen it in pre-release builds of the game, and it's listed on the official website as Madelyn's weapon of choice. The official Monster Hunter Outlanders X account also listed it as one of the confirmed weapons in this post.
Dual Blades
A rapid, short-ranged weapon, dual blades (previously known as dual swords) first appeared in the Western version of the original Monster Hunter. While they generally have quite low attack and can't block incoming attacks, their high attack speed and extreme agility make them a powerful choice, especially when it comes to quickly applying elemental damage and status effects.
Dual blades also offer the unique ability to empower yourself with Demon Mode, strengthening your attacks and filling the Demon Gauge. Once that gauge is full, you can enter Archdemon Mode, enhancing your attacks even further for a period of time. The dual blades are Raya's weapon of choice, and you can check out the video above to see a brief overview of how they work in Monster Hunter Outlanders.
Great Sword
Arguably one of the most iconic in the series, the great sword is a classic weapon that first appeared in the original Monster Hunter game. Its sheer weight and size make it very slow to wield, but it's capable of delivering massive amounts of damage based on its charge level.
While it can take some practice to master, you can also utilize a combination of evasive, guarding, and hit-and-run tactics to counteract its low attack speed. For example, as shown in the overview video above, you can execute perfect evades to maintain your charge without sheathing, and even switch skills while charging to chain follow-up attacks. Currently, the Great Sword is the only MHO weapon that isn't tied to a specific adventurer.
Heavy Bowgun
The heavy bowgun is a ranged weapon with the highest firepower in the series, allowing you to use a variety of ammo types to inflict different status ailments. While slower than the bow and light and medium bowguns, it makes up for its reduced mobility with its devastating damage. In previous games, it was the only ranged weapon that allowed you to attach a shield to it for increased guard capabilities.
The heavy bowgun's special ammo is limited, but replenishes over time or when you land shots. You can also instantly reload your ammo by pulling off perfect guards, and increase your mobility or unleash counter follow-ups when you execute perfect evades. On top of this, you can switch to Wyvernheart mode to unleash a devastating barrage of bullets, which is especially effective if you focus on a monster's weak spots. The heavy bowgun is Pepper's weapon of choice.
Lance
Introduced to Outlanders during the closed beta that ran from November 27 until December 4, 2025, the lance is a long, powerful weapon that allows you to strike from a distance, while using a large shield that grants high defense against monster attacks. It's traditionally quite slow, and moving around while wielding it can be pretty tricky, but it's historically the only weapon that can attack and block at the same time.
During the beta and the post-beta Adventurer's Digest video (shown above), we saw that the lance in Monster Hunter Outlanders keeps classic moves from previous games like the dash attack, but also comes with a few new attacks like spiral thrust, which allows you to dash forward and spin, slashing then thrusting at your target. The lance is Ouyang Varen's weapon of choice.
Long Sword
A cross between the great sword and the katana, the long sword first appeared as an independent weapon class in Monster Hunter 2. With its swift, fluid attacks, solid damage potential, and high mobility, it's a brilliant weapon for hunters who prefer a more aggressive playstyle, but its lack of block and guard capabilities means you must rely on well-timed dodges to stay alive.
In addition to its wide variety of combos and moves, the long sword also utilizes a Spirit system, which allows you to use the Spirit Gauge levels to power up your attacks. As you can see in the overview video above, well-timed counterattacks can increase the level of your Spirit Gauge more quickly. The long sword is Midori's weapon of choice.
Will there be more Monster Hunter Outlanders weapons in the future?
While TiMi Studio Group is yet to confirm any others beyond the ones listed above, it's likely that we'll see more weapons arrive in Monster Hunter Outlanders in the future.
During a Discord call prior to Monster Hunter Outlanders' TGS appearance, TiMi Studio Group told us "there are some fantastic weapons in the series and we won't be ignoring them, and we'll be aiming to introduce them to enrich your experience", while also implying that there's a chance we may even see some new weapon types.
The devs further confirmed this in the Adventurer's Digest video and Developer Update X post following the conclusion of the first beta, with the post's Future Content Additions section stating "we are hard at work developing new weapon types not yet available in Monster Hunter Outlanders, along with the Adventurers who wield them." Of course, whenever we learn about any new or upcoming weapons, we'll be sure to add them to this guide.