Lance High Rank and Endgame Builds for Monster Hunter Wilds
If you are looking to hold the line and poke your way through Monster Hunter Wilds with the Lance, this guide is for you! From good early High Rank builds to top-tier endgame setups, we break down the best weapons, armor, skills, and decoration options to help you stay strong and keep pressure on your targets.
If you are looking to charge into Monster Hunter Wilds with the Lance, this guide has everything you need. From early High Rank to full endgame builds, we cover the best weapons, armor pieces, skills, and decoration options to help you stay tanky and deal a good amount of damage throughout your hunts.
To skip straight to the endgame builds, please click the button below.
Lance Changes in Title Update 2
Title update 2, released on June 30th brought two additional monsters to hunt in High Rank - Lagiacrus and Seregios, each with standard and tempered versions available. These both come with new weapons and armor sets to craft, and are available to hunt after HR31.
A quick breakdown of Lance changes on this page as of the title update are as follows:
- The ideal armor set has been switched to a combination of Rey Dau Gamma and Gore Magala pieces due to the comfort and power of Lord's Soul.
- The Lagiacrus weapon is a powerful option against monsters weak to Thunder due to Convert Thunder Resistance, but doesn't beat out Artian offerings currently. The armor set has some efficient skills that can be incorporated into older builds and may have future use, but isn't currently included in endgame meta builds.
- The Seregios weapon unfortunately is far too difficult to get good use out of due to the low number of hits provided by special sharpness. The Armor Set is also focused heavily around Adrenaline Rush, which is generally a less efficient skill for the Lance's playstyle focus on Guarding.
Arch-Tempered Monsters and Gamma Sets
Traditionally the most powerful armor sets available in Monster Hunter, in Wilds the Gamma sets are being released with each Title Update. These grant access to the Lord's Soul 3-set bonus - a powerful additional cheat death effect - while coming with a slightly higher budget for strong skills. The sets currently released are:
- Rey Dau - this set focuses on Latent Power, which while generally not desirable for the Lance, is still included in the endgame set due to efficient skill pairings and Lord's Soul.
- Uth Duna - this set is unknown, and will be releasing later into Title Update 2.
Lance HR10 Armor Set
As you move into High Rank, it's time to start shifting builds toward more tailored skills for the Lance. In particular, Offensive Guard from weapons becomes premium as it grants a consistent attack boost whenever you successfully Guard, which you'll be doing a lot.
As your access to decorations will still be quite limited, while appealing it's not worth the time to go out of your way to farm them. It is better to just slot any you have access to that provide some extra comfort, as much of the set has limited access to high value slots.
| Gear | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Balahara Lance III | N/A |
| Head | G. Ebony Helm | N/A |
| Chest | Chatacabra Mail α | N/A |
| Gloves | G. Ebony Braces | N/A |
| Waist | Ingot Coil α | N/A |
| Legs | Chatacabra Greaves β | N/A |
| Talisman | Exploiter Charm I | N/A |
This set provides a great springboard to get through the early parts of high rank and start unlocking more monsters. Balahara Lance III gets you started with Blue Sharpness while maintaining 2 points in Offensive Guard, which should last for quite a while.
Early Armor sets are lacking in strong offensive skills, so sticking to the efficient Guardian Ebony Odogaron 2-piece with some Burst skills remains a good choice. Mix this in with Chatacabra pieces to grab some early points in Weakness Exploit to match a Talisman craft that can be made with Rathian parts, and you have a solid core to start climbing in HR.
HR 10 Armor Set Skills and Set Bonuses
- Offensive Guard - Level 2
- Burst - Level 2
- Weakness Exploit - Level 2
- Evade Extender - Level 2
- Speed Eating - Level 1
- Divine Blessing - Level 1
- Resentment - Level 1
- Ebony Odogaron's Power - 2-piece
Lance Mid-Game Armor Sets - HR 20-40+
As you progress through High Rank and unlock stronger monsters, we can start to to form a build closer to the final endgame sets. Your first priority is to cut out the Low Rank armor pieces, and the second is to start streamlining your skills toward offense. This comes in two stages, with the first being available as you reach 6 star hunts opening up more Alpha and Beta sets, and the second with access to Gore Magala at 40+.
We've separated these two stages into the tabs below depending on what gear you currently have access to:
Lance Mid-Game HR Sets
Lance HR20-39 Build
| Gear | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Balahara Lance IV | N/A |
| Head | G. Fulgur Helm β | N/A |
| Chest | G. Fulgur Mail β | N/A |
| Gloves | G. Fulgur Vambraces α | Sheath |
| Waist | G. Fulgur Coil α | N/A |
| Legs | Mizutsune Greaves β | N/A |
| Talisman | Exploiter Charm I | N/A |
Your weapon is covered by simply upgrading to Balahara Lance IV when possible, upgrading to White Sharpness and Offensive Guard III. For Armor, this set quickly pivots to the 2-piece of Guardian Fulgur Anjanath and transitioning to the 4-piece after unlocking Mizutsune for the additional Stamina gauges provided by Fulgur Anjanath's Will. While this isn't strictly an offensive skill, the extra flexibility it provides with your Stamina management when paired with Maximum Might (present on the set) adds a lot of efficient Affinity into your build. Add onto this the points of Agitator and the build can cover any hunts deeper into HR with a surprisingly strong offense.
Initially when starting, you should prioritize crafting Guardian Ebony Odogaron Waist and Guardian Rathalos Legs until you unlock Mizutsune. After this, switch to the full 4-piece and wear the Mizutsune Legs. This is to make sure you maintain efficient points in Burst at all times. Your Talisman option is mostly up to you, with Exploiter for Weakness Exploit, Challenger for Agitator or Chain for Burst depending on preference.
HR 20-39 Armor Set Skills and Set Bonuses
- Offensive Guard - Level 3
- Agitator - Level 3
- Maximum Might - Level 3
- Burst - Level 2
- Stamina Surge - Level 1
- Weakness Exploit - Level 1
- Fulgur Anjanath's Will - 4-piece
Lance HR 40+ Mid-game Build
After unlocking Gore Magala and High Rank Arkveld you can start gathering Hunter Symbol III, opening up crafts to move toward a much more focused offensive setup. At this stage, you should have access to a good amount of Decorations which can now start to be included to round out builds closer to Endgame setups.
| Gear | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Fieberschild |
|
| Head | G. Fulgur Helm β |
|
| Chest | Arkvulcan Mail β |
|
| Gloves | G. Fulgur Vambraces α |
|
| Waist | Gore Coil β |
|
| Legs | Gore Greaves β |
|
| Talisman | Exploiter Charm II | N/A |
As soon as Gore Magala becomes available, builds actively want to pivot toward activating at least the 2-piece bonus, and in some cases the 4-piece. This paired with Sane decorations give consistent access to a high amount of Attack and Affinity when recovering from Frenzy, making it extremely efficient relative to other skills. Ideally you use the Waist and Legs, alongside two 1-slot decorations.
It pairs this with the 2-piece Guardian Fulgur Anjanath 2-piece to maintain the comfort of extra Stamina, and giving more room to play around Maximum Might which fills out your 2-slot decorations. The Guardian Arkveld chest is used to pick up Weakness Exploit, which is finished to level 5 with your Talisman and any 3-slot decorations. Your final 3-slot is then spent on the ever-efficient Burst as a one-of.
The Gore Magala weapon Fieberschild is also your best monster-related craft, giving a high amount of raw, white sharpness and affinity. It also comes with Dragon element which is a more universal counter. You really want to be looking for any combination of Offensive Guard and Critical Boost here, and can be split between a level 3 and then both your 2 and 1 slots. Alternatives to consider if you don't have these are:
- Expert - Adds more consistent Affinity, but with the build you should be close to 100% with Maximum Might and Antivirus.
- Attack - really needs you to reach 4-5 points to get the full value out of it, but is a solid offensive alternative.
- Razor Sharp - simplest way of extending your sharpness bar, but needs 3 points to really feel it.
- Master's Touch - provides very consistent Sharpness retention due to the high Affinity on the build, but takes up your 3-slot.
- Ironwall - this can give a lot of extra defensive power if you're struggling to deal with certain attacks, but by this point in the game offense to keep monsters locked down should be your goal rather than just survival.
HR 40+ Armor Set Skills and Set Bonuses
- Weakness Exploit - Level 5
- Offensive Guard - Level 3
- Critical Boost - Level 3
- Critical Element - Level 3
- Maximum Might - Level 3
- Agitator - Level 3
- Constitution - Level 3
- Antivirus - Level 3
- Burst - Level 1
- Counterstrike - Level 1
- Flinch Free - Level 1
- Gore Magala's Tyranny - 2-piece
- Fulgur Anjanath's Will - 2-piece
Lance HR 50+ Endgame Armor Sets
After reaching Hunter Rank 50, you unlock access to the entire suite of current endgame monsters as well as any event quests that appear throughout each title update. Currently we have a curated endgame build to strive for that incorporates items from AT Rey Dau, and a secondary standard build using Gore Magala parts that can be crafted regardless of current event quest availability.
Lance Endgame Sets
Lance HR 50+ AT Rey Dau Endgame Armor Set
The current strongest set available to the Lance still makes use of previously strong pieces found from AT Rey Dau to activate Lord's Soul, mixed with the 2-piece of Gore Magala to cover Affinity needs.
| Gear | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Blazing Sital |
|
| Head | Rey Sandhelm γ |
|
| Chest | Gore Mail β |
|
| Gloves | Rey Sandbraces γ |
|
| Waist | Rey Sandcoil γ |
|
| Legs | Gore Greaves β |
|
| Talisman | Challenger Charm II | N/A |
Due to the efficient allocation of skills on Gamma sets, even though the Rey Dau set tends to give Latent Power, it still allows for a nice spread of strong Lance options. Only 3 pieces are used to activate Lord's Soul (as you don't really need to maximize enhancements to a less powerful skill with the 4-piece), and leaves room to still grab the 2-piece Gore Magala bonus. This is paired with Sane in the 1-slot decorations, covering most of your Affinity needs.
It prioritizes maxing out Agitator using your Talisman and 3-slot decorations, while grabbing the most valuable single point in Burst and the leftover being spent on Weakness Exploit. You have one floating 1-slot decoration available, which we've opted for Constitution to help with Stamina management.
Although Stamina is often used with the Lance, the sheer efficiency of Maximum Might when played well makes it a nice bonus when completing the set as well, without needing decorations to support it. It also comes with 2 points in both Evade Extender and Evade Window as well, helping you to keep up with Monsters using sidesteps.
The Zoh Shia weapon is a great all-rounder as a non-Artian craft, although the Lagiacrus weapon has extra power with the set's high base Thunder Resistance, making it especially potent against monsters weak to Thunder. Artian weapons are still your go to if you have a decent roll however, due to the value of 3-slot decorations. This is covered in the Artian section underneath this.
Decorations are fairly locked in though, with Offensive Guard being a high value pickup due to the amount of time spent Guarding and the high payoff. The remaining 2 slots are used on Critical II and Critical I respectively.
Arch Tempered Rey Dau Armor Set Skills and Set Bonuses
- Agitator - Level 5
- Offensive Guard - Level 3
- Critical Boost - Level 3
- Maximum Might - Level 3
- Antivirus - Level 3
- Weakness Exploit - Level 2
- Latent Power - Level 2
- Evade Extender - Level 2
- Evade Window - Level 2
- Whiteflame Torrent - Level 1
- Burst - Level 1
- Handicraft - Level 1
- Stamina Surge - Level 1
- Flinch Free - Level 1
- Constitution - Level 1
- Lord's Soul - 3-piece
- Gore Magala's Tyranny - 2-piece
- Rey Dau's Votltage - 2-piece
Lance HR 50+ Standard Endgame Armor Set
This set provides a strong all-rounder option that can be accessed as soon as you reach the endgame to set you up for efficient hunts. It relies on the extremely efficient Gore Magala 4-piece paired with Antivirus to build around your stat requirements.
| Gear | Decorations | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Blazing Sital |
|
| Head | Gore Helm β |
|
| Chest | Gore Mail β |
|
| Gloves | Numinous Shroud β |
|
| Waist | Gore Coil β |
|
| Legs | Gore Greaves β |
|
| Talisman | Challenger Charm II | N/A |
The core of the set focuses around the Gore Magala 4-piece Black Eclipse bonus, granting guaranteed access to Frenzy that can be cured to trigger Antivirus, gained via Sane decorations in 1-slots. This pairing provides a consistent amount of both Affinity and Attack so long as you can clear the virus by attacking. While the individual pieces aren't too exciting, this skill on its own provides so much up-front power that the set hinges on it.
It pairs this with both the Zoh Shia Chest for its efficiency, Challenger 3-slot decorations and your Talisman to max out the Agitator skill. Alternatively, you can switch to a Weakness Exploit Talisman to max that out instead of leaving it at 3 points - the choice is up to you based on your consistency of hitting key monster parts.
The set also comes with a high amount of Consitution skills to help with stamina management, Evade Window 2 to increase your i-frames during rolls, and the standard efficient single point in Burst via a remaining 3-slot decoration. The 3 2-slots are used on Maximum Might which, while it can be awkward to maintain with Lance guarding, is so efficient for your Affinity that the payoff is worth it for your standard combos.
The Zoh Shia weapon is a great all-rounder as a non-Artian craft, although the Lagiacrus weapon has extra power with the set's high base Thunder Resistance, making it especially potent against monsters weak to Thunder. Artian weapons are still your go to if you have a decent roll however, due to the value of 3-slot decorations. This is covered in the Artian section underneath this.
Decorations are fairly locked in though, with Offensive Guard being a high value pickup due to the amount of time spent Guarding and the high payoff. The remaining 2 slots are used on Critical II and Critical I respectively.
Standard Endgame Lance Armor Set Skills and Set Bonuses
- Agitator - Level 5
- Constitution - Level 4
- Offensive Guard - Level 3
- Critical Boost - Level 3
- Maximum Might - Level 3
- Antivirus - Level 3
- Weakness Exploit - Level 2
- Evade Window - Level 2
- Whiteflame Torrent - Level 1
- Burst - Level 1
- Handicraft - Level 1
- Coalescence - Level 1
- Flinch Free - Level 1
- Gore Magala's Tyranny - 4-piece
- Scale Layering - 3-piece
Artian Weapons for the Lance
Artian Weapons are the strongest option available deep into the endgame for the Lance, and are worth the investment if you're willing to grind out the ideal rolls. While the Zoh Shia Blazing Sital weapon is competitive with Artian offerings, to truly complete your set a strong Skyscraper is the ultimate goal.
As the Lance is a fast attacking weapon with good Element scaling, a fully complete loadout requires you to have a separate Skyscraper for every situation, covering each elemental weakness. You should always aim to craft weapons with all 3 of the same element on your one Blade and two Disc selections to maximize the element value on the resulting weapon. Also aim to use 3 Attack infusions to maximize the raw throughput. Ideally, you want the following reinforcements:
- Attack Boost +5 / Element Boost +50
- Attack Boost +5 / Element Boost +50
- Attack Boost +5 / Element Boost +50
- Attack Boost +5 / Element Boost +50
- Sharpness Boost +30
The difference between Attack and Element is relatively small with the Lance moveset, and either are close enough they can be considered ideal. Alternatively, you can stick to a Raw focused Blast/Paralysis roll for a small damage loss, but make sure to only aim for Attack Boost reinforcements.
For the 3 decoration slots an ideal setup includes the following three, but until you have solid mixed decorations you may have to pick and choose how to fill out the weapon:
- Guardian/[Element] III
- Crit Elem/[Element] III or Critical III
- Rzr Sharp/[Element] III
You can also switch to Guard skills if you find you need additional defense, or Handicraft secondary rolls on each of the 3-slot decorations.
Element Counters
As the absolute strongest options available to the Lance involve using element counters to specific Monster weaknesses, you want to aim to cover all the bases. Ideally, you have a Lance for each element (although the Lagiacrus weapon High Acrus Lance can cover Thunder). Below are drop-down lists of which Monsters are countered by each element:
-
Fire - Click for Match-ups
-
Water - Click for Match-ups
-
Ice - Click for Match-ups
-
Dragon - Click for Match-ups
Changelog
- 09 Jul. 2025: Overhauled with smoother HR progression path, and adjusted Endgame builds to more appropriate Title Update 2 setups.
- 09 Apr. 2025: Updated for TU1.
- 16 Mar. 2025: Guide created.
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Written by Wordup, a veteran Hunter since all the way back in Generation 1 (with thousands of carts under his belt). Just like in MMOs he plays, he sticks to getting up close and personal with melee weapons, even if it doesn't always look as cool as he thinks it does.
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