Verified against Title Update 5 (Ver.1.041.00.00, February 2026) — the game’s final major update. Values and mechanics may shift if Capcom releases additional patches.
The Monster Hunter Wilds upgrade tree looks deceptively simple at the Smithy: tap one button, spend some parts, watch the attack number go up. Then you hit the first real branch — fire path or raw path? — and the decision paralysis starts. Now multiply that by 14 weapon types, add the Artian reinforcement layer on top, and it’s easy to spend more time second-guessing upgrades than actually hunting.
This guide gives you a concrete decision framework: which branch to take for your specific weapon type, why the raw vs. elemental split plays out differently across weapon categories, and exactly when switching to Artian weapons pays off more than continuing to upgrade standard gear. Every recommendation is grounded in the mechanics, not vibes.
Quick Start: Weapon Upgrade Checklist
- Start Bone Tree — craft a Bone weapon for your type immediately. ~100 higher attack than starting gear, costs just 2 Mystery Bones + 500z [2].
- Follow story progression — new rarity tiers unlock through main quests: R4 in Low Rank, R7 after the final High Rank story quest.
- Check Smithy after every new monster kill — each monster you defeat unlocks new branch recipes automatically.
- Pick one weapon type and one primary branch — don’t spread materials thin across multiple weapons before R7.
- Re-craft base weapons to explore branches — you don’t lose progress on your main weapon; just craft the base again and upgrade it down the other path.
- Read the built-in skills on each weapon — Critical Element means go elemental; Critical Draw or raw-damage skills mean the weapon was designed for a raw path.
- Pivot to Artian after “Wyvern Sparks and Rose Thorns” — that quest unlocks the Artian system; see Section 4 for the decision tree.
How Weapon Upgrade Trees Work
Every weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds starts from one of two base lines: the Bone Tree (raw damage, lower sharpness, easily crafted from Bonepile materials) or the Expedition/Metal Tree (more balanced stats, higher sharpness potential). Both lines branch as you defeat new monsters — each creature’s materials unlock new recipes tied specifically to that monster’s resistances, stats, and lore [1].
The Smithy’s Gemma handles all upgrades and is available at every base camp across all regions, so there’s no need to trek back to a specific location. When you confirm an upgrade, the game executes it immediately — no preview-then-commit step, so make sure your materials are lined up in advance [1].
One mechanic that trips up new players: you never need to abandon a weapon to explore a different branch. If you’ve upgraded a Bone Sword to Tier 4 down the fire path and want to try the ice branch instead, you craft a fresh base Bone Sword and upgrade it independently. Your fire weapon stays exactly as it was. This means branching exploration costs materials, not progress [1].
Monster Hunter Wilds introduced a significant change from previous entries: weapons now carry built-in Equipment Skills as part of their stat block. A sword with Critical Element Lv2 baked in is actively pushing you toward elemental play. A weapon with Master’s Touch rewards maintaining white sharpness through raw-heavy builds. These built-in skills are one of the clearest signals about which upgrade branch a weapon was designed for — read them before committing [5][6].
The Raw vs. Elemental Decision
Before getting into per-weapon specifics, the big-picture split matters. Raw damage weapons deal consistent output against every monster. Elemental weapons deal 5–10% more damage when the element matches a monster’s weak point — but that bonus requires carrying multiple weapons, one per element you plan to exploit [2].
Title Update 4 (December 2025) increased the elemental cap significantly: the ceiling for elemental values is now either 400 higher than the weapon’s base element or 2.3× the base element, whichever is higher [8]. That change made properly-built elemental weapons meaningfully stronger than they were at launch. Whether that tips the scale depends entirely on your weapon type — and that’s where the framework below comes in.
The key insight most guides miss: the raw vs. elemental tradeoff plays out completely differently depending on weapon attack speed. Slow weapons like Great Sword land 2–3 hits per engagement window; fast weapons like Dual Blades land 10–15. Element is applied per hit, so a Dual Blades with 300 fire element hitting 12 times in a Demon Mode burst is doing radically more elemental work than a Great Sword swinging twice in the same window. That’s why raw is almost universally correct for Great Sword and almost universally wrong for Dual Blades — not because of arbitrary design, but because of the math.
| Player Type | Upgrade Strategy | Raw or Elemental? | Artian Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Player | One Bone Tree weapon → first R7 | Raw only — simpler, covers everything | After story completion |
| Casual | Bone Tree → 1 Artian endgame weapon | Raw unless weapon demands elemental (DB, Bow) | Main weapon only |
| Hardcore | 3+ elemental variants + Artian per weapon | Per-weapon framework below; optimize each | Immediately after unlock, seed reroll |
| Completionist | All 14 weapon types, full elemental coverage | Both — full element sets per weapon type | Full Artian coverage across weapon types |
Branch Decisions for All 14 Weapons
Organized by playstyle archetype rather than alphabetically — weapons in the same archetype face the same core branch decision.
Heavy Raw Strikers: Great Sword, Hammer, Lance, Gunlance
Great Sword is the clearest raw-damage case in the game. Charged attacks — the weapon’s primary damage source — scale primarily with raw attack, and the long wind-up between hits means element is applied too infrequently to accumulate meaningful bonus damage. The raw Ravager Blade line reaches 1,056 attack at Rarity 8, which is your endgame standard-tree ceiling [5]. For elemental flex, the Precipice Metallam ice branch (1,008 attack, 600 ice) is the best-performing option because ice weakness is common and the high base element compensates for low hit frequency. The Artian Great Sword reinforcement target is Attack ×4 + Affinity ×1, or Attack ×3 + Affinity ×2 if you’re running affinity-heavy armor [4].
Hammer is raw-only — no exceptions. Stun (KO) damage is a separate hidden damage type that bypasses elemental entirely, and stun is Hammer’s defining contribution to hunts. Elemental Hammer builds sacrifice KO potential without gaining enough from element application to compensate (slow hits + KO being raw-based = no upside). The optimal Artian Hammer reinforcement is Affinity ×3 + Attack ×2, hitting the affinity ceiling most endgame Hammer builds target [4].
Lance plays similarly: the counter-heavy playstyle rewards consistency over burst, and raw damage makes counters predictable in output. Lance hits are moderately slow and elemental scaling per counter is low. Artian Lance: Attack ×5 — the simplest endgame optimization in the game [4].
Gunlance is the clearest case of weapon mechanics overriding the raw vs. elemental debate entirely: shell damage — the shelling and Wyvern’s Fire bursts that define GL’s damage profile — deals fixed, raw-only values regardless of what element the weapon has. Element on a Gunlance is cosmetic for the shelling component. Upgrade the raw attack line and never look back.
Fast Elemental Weapons: Dual Blades, Sword & Shield, Insect Glaive
Dual Blades is the strongest elemental case in the game. In Demon Mode, you’re landing 10–15 hits in a few seconds, and each hit applies elemental damage independently. A water Dual Blades against a monster with 40+ water weakness is doing damage numbers that a raw DB simply cannot match — the math isn’t close once you’re in late High Rank. The practical implication: build separate Dual Blades per element. You need a fire set, a water set, a thunder set at minimum. The Ajara Twin Edges blast branch is a strong all-rounder for monsters without clear elemental weaknesses [7].
The Artian Dual Blades reinforcement is Element ×4 + Sharpness ×1. Note that Dual Blades receive the smallest elemental boost per reinforcement level (+20) of any melee weapon — so getting high base element on the weapon itself through parts selection matters more for DBs than any other weapon type [4].
Sword & Shield is the most flexible of the three. It deals moderate hits at moderate speed — fast enough that elemental is viable, slow enough that raw holds its own. New and casual players should run raw SnS (simpler build, universal coverage); optimisers who want to match elemental weaknesses will find elemental SnS competitive at endgame. Artian SnS parts: Blade + Tube + Disc [3].
Insect Glaive sits at the midpoint. Aerial attacks and extracts benefit from faster move patterns, and elemental builds are viable. But the Kinsect — which deals its own separate damage — scales with raw, partially anchoring IG into mixed territory. Elemental IG is recommended for optimisers who micromanage their extract timings; casual players do fine on raw. Artian IG: Blade + Tube + Device, with Element ×4 + Sharpness ×1 as the reinforcement target for elemental builds [3][4].
Spirit and Counter Hybrids: Long Sword, Switch Axe, Charge Blade
Long Sword has the most weapon-specific nuance of any category. The Spirit Gauge in Wilds runs on a timer — it resets on certain hits rather than depleting with each attack — which means your rotation revolves around reaching and maintaining Spirit Gauge red level for Spirit Helm Breaker. Slow, charge-based builds that maximize Spirit Helm Breaker damage should run raw (the Keen Edge raw line). Fast-rotation builds that chain Foresight Slash more frequently benefit from elemental — the Gore Magala Stahlfakt line (dragon element + natural affinity bonus) is excellent here, especially with its built-in affinity contribution making critical hits more consistent [6].
The Wyvern Blade Maple includes Critical Boost Lv3 built-in — that’s a tier-3 decoration equivalent baked directly into the weapon. If you’re running a fire LS build, that skill should anchor your build decisions [6].
Switch Axe is effectively two weapons in one, and the upgrade decision reflects that split: Sword Mode is where elemental shines (faster hits, phial discharge), while Axe Mode is slower and favors raw. The practical answer is to run elemental if you spend 60%+ of your hunt in Sword Mode (which most optimised SwAxe hunters do). Power phial SwAxe builds get the most out of elemental Artian weapons because phial discharge amplifies elemental output. Artian SwAxe: Blade + Blade + Device [3].
Charge Blade has a built-in decision fork: the phial type determines everything. Impact Phials deal raw-based explosion damage — always go raw on Impact CB. Elemental Phials convert phial damage to elemental — always go elemental on Elemental CB, with Element ×4 + Attack ×1 as the Artian reinforcement target [4]. Check the phial type before any upgrade decision; they don’t all behave the same.
Ranged Weapons: Bow, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun
Bow is elemental by design. Coating damage stacks multiplicatively with elemental damage, meaning a Bow’s elemental value gets amplified in a way other weapons don’t experience. An elemental Bow against a matching weakness significantly outperforms a raw Bow against the same target. Like Dual Blades, plan to build one Bow per element you frequently exploit. Artian Bow parts: Tube + Tube + Device, with Element ×4 + Sharpness ×1 for reinforcement [3][4].
Light Bowgun splits between two build philosophies: Rapid Fire elemental (fire or thunder ammo builds for burst damage in close range) or status ammo (paralysis/sleep for hunt control). Both are viable. The Artian LBG parts are Tube + Device + Device; for ammo-capacity builds, Capacity Boost ×2 is the priority reinforcement before Attack or Affinity [3][4].
Heavy Bowgun is raw siege-mode: Spread, Pierce, or Normal ammo at sustained range, all raw-based. Element on HBG is largely irrelevant for the ammo types that define its damage profile. Build for raw attack and ammo capacity. Artian HBG parts: Disc + Tube + Device; Capacity Boost ×2 + Attack reinforcement [3][4].
Support: Hunting Horn
Hunting Horn is raw — songs and melodies are the primary contribution, and those don’t interact with elemental stats. Raw attack affects the direct hits between song plays, but the horn’s value to a team comes from buff uptime, not individual hit damage. Optimize for the melody set you need for your hunt composition, then take the raw branch that supports that melody. Artian HH: Disc + Device + Device [3].
When to Pivot to Artian Weapons
The Artian system opens after completing the High Rank quest “Wyvern Sparks and Rose Thorns” — hunting Guardian Fulgur Anjanath and Tempered Lala Barina. Completing it awards a Damaged Weapon Shard, which signals the Smithy to unlock the Artian crafting menu [3].
The immediate question: should you drop your standard-tree weapon the moment Artian unlocks? Not necessarily. Use this decision tree:
- Not past “Wyvern Sparks”? Keep upgrading the standard tree. Artian materials are High Rank endgame drops — you won’t be farming them yet.
- Past the quest but standard weapon is below R7? Finish upgrading to R7 first. The cost-to-power ratio of standard upgrades is better until you hit the rarity ceiling.
- Standard weapon at R7+? Switch your main weapon to Artian. Use the standard tree to fill elemental variety slots (extra DB element sets, secondary Bow builds).
Crafting an Artian weapon requires selecting three Artian parts of the same rarity at the Smithy. The elemental property is determined by whichever element appears most among your three selected parts — using all three parts of the same element maximizes elemental output. Mixing different elements produces a weapon with no elemental properties at all [3].
Once crafted, you reinforce the weapon through five levels (0→5), each adding one random reinforcement bonus. The five possible bonuses are: Attack +5, Affinity +5, Sharpness +30 (or +20 for Insect Glaive), Elemental boost (varies by weapon — see table below), and Ammo Capacity +1 for Bowguns [4].
| Weapon | Elemental Boost per Reinforcement | Max Elemental Stacks | Primary Reinforcement Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Sword | +80 | ×4 | Attack ×4, Affinity ×1 |
| Long Sword, Hammer, HH, Lance, GL, CB | +50 | ×4 | Varies by weapon (see above) |
| SnS, Switch Axe, Insect Glaive, Bow | +30 | ×4 | Element ×4, Sharpness ×1 (elemental builds) |
| Dual Blades | +20 | ×4 | Element ×4, Sharpness ×1 |
| Bowguns (LBG/HBG) | N/A | — | Capacity ×2, then Attack/Affinity |
The Seed Trick: Getting Your God Roll Without Burning Materials
The most actionable optimization for Artian weapons that no standard guide covers: reinforcement bonuses are pre-determined at the point of weapon forging, not rolled randomly each time you reinforce. The game uses a seed system — the next weapon you forge always carries the same bonus sequence until you forge something else in between [3].
The practical exploit: before committing materials to your intended Artian weapon, forge a cheap “dummy” weapon of the same type using low-rarity Artian parts. Reinforce the dummy all the way to level 5. Read its reinforcement bonuses. If they’re garbage, dismantle the dummy (you recover reinforcement materials), forge another dummy, and test again. Repeat until you see a bonus sequence that matches your target (e.g., Attack ×4 + Affinity ×1 for Great Sword). Then forge your real weapon — it will have that same sequence [3][4].
This saves you from spending Argecite (200 pts each, rare) and Oricalcite (300 pts each, very rare) on weapons with suboptimal reinforcement rolls [4].
The Gogmazios Tier: Endgame Ceiling as of Title Update 4
Title Update 4 (December 2025) added the Gogmazios Artian weapon tier — the highest ceiling in Monster Hunter Wilds [8]. To access it, you need a Rarity 8 Artian weapon (already reinforced or not) plus Gogmazios hunt materials. Upgrading to this tier adds one random Set Bonus Skill and one random Group Skill on top of the existing reinforcement bonuses [3].
The Set Bonus Skill and Group Skill are random at upgrade time, similar to reinforcement bonuses. Use the same seed testing logic: test on cheap weapons before committing Gogmazios materials to your main piece. For most builds, a Gogma Artian weapon with even mediocre Set Bonus Skill is still a step above a standard R8 Artian — the extra skill slot gives armor set building more flexibility when you no longer need to run specific armor pieces just for a skill [8].
As of the final update (TU5, February 2026), Gogmazios Artian weapons represent the gear ceiling. There’s no tier above this in the current version of the game.
Common Branch Decision Questions
Should I upgrade weapons I’m not actively using? Only if you’re farming for completionist coverage or building a second elemental variant. Spreading materials across unfamiliar weapon types in the early and mid game slows progression on your main weapon without giving you meaningful combat value from the secondary weapons. Get your main to R7 first, then diversify.
Can I undo an upgrade? No — confirmed upgrades are permanent. What you can do is craft the base weapon again and build it down a different branch, keeping your original weapon intact. The cost is materials and money, not lost progress [1].
Is raw or elemental better in the final TU5 state? TU4’s element cap increase made elemental meaningfully more competitive than at launch. For fast-hitting weapons (DB, Bow, SnS, IG), elemental wins against matching weaknesses. For slow strikers (GS, Hammer, GL, Lance), raw wins at all stages. The weapons in the middle (LS, CB, SwAxe) depend on build specifics. This guide’s per-weapon recommendations account for TU4 tuning and remain current as of TU5 [8].
How many elemental weapons should I maintain? For weapons that benefit from elemental (DB, Bow especially): one per element you actively exploit — fire, water, thunder, ice, and blast/dragon for completeness. That’s 5–6 weapons per type for optimised elemental hunters. For casual players, a raw main + one thunder weapon (thunder weakness is extremely common in Wilds’ roster) covers most situations.
Putting It Together
The upgrade system in Monster Hunter Wilds is built around one principle: know your weapon’s damage mechanics first, then let the branch decision follow. Great Sword’s charged swings don’t benefit from element at 2 hits per window. Dual Blades’ 12-hit Demon Mode bursts don’t benefit from ignoring element when you could be stacking 20 bonus points per hit. The tree isn’t confusing once you understand which category your weapon belongs to.
From there, the Artian pivot has a clean trigger — “Wyvern Sparks and Rose Thorns” completion, standard tree at R7 — and a clear optimization path through the seed trick and Gogmazios tier. The random reinforcement system sounds punishing, but the dummy weapon method makes optimal bonus selection deterministic rather than luck-dependent.
If you’re still working out which weapon type suits you before diving deep into an upgrade path, our Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner’s Guide 2026 covers each weapon’s fundamentals and recommends starting picks. For build-specific advice once you’ve locked in a weapon, check the individual build guides — Long Sword, Dual Blades, Great Sword, and the rest — for armor, decoration, and skill recommendations that match the branch direction this guide recommends.
Sources
- How Does Weapon Upgrades Work In Monster Hunter Wilds — GameRant
- Monster Hunter Wilds: The Best Weapon Tree To Invest In First — Screen Rant
- Artian Weapons — Monster Hunter Wilds Wiki (Fextralife)
- Artian Weapons Guide — Game8
- Great Sword — Monster Hunter Wilds Wiki (Fextralife)
- Long Sword — Monster Hunter Wilds Wiki (Fextralife)
- Dual Blades — Monster Hunter Wilds Wiki (Fextralife)
- Title Update 4 Patch Notes (Ver.1.040.00.00) — Game8
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.