Bow | Monster Hunter World Wiki

The bow in Monster Hunter World is a ranged weapon suitable for players who prefer attacking from a distance. The Bow is ranged weapon capable of unleashing a never ending barrage of arrows on the target. While simple to use, its mastery requires a detailed knowledge of the best combinations of attacks, coatings, and distance from the monster. Bows do not use ammo in a conventional sense, so hunters will never run out arrows to fire. Instead they use coatings, which apply special effects to the arrows. A list of coatings and their effects can be found below. Lastly, the bow has an optimal range for firing. Being too far away from the target will cause shots to do less damage. The optimal range will vary based on coating, and the crosshair will glow orange when the monster is in the optimal range.

Charge Bow Tips

Bows are at their most powerful when you charge up arrows before shooting them. You can shoot Charged Shots by holding down the fire button or by shooting arrows in quick succession. The Bow Charge Plus skill (available on a level 2 decoration) increases the maximum charge of your bow by 1 level; this is how you reach the higher damage tiers listed in the controls below.

Bow Dancing

Once you have reached a high charge level, you can maintain it by dodging between shots. One high-damage attack rotation is Charge Shot - Power Shot - Dodge - Repeat (often called "bow dancing"). When you dodge, if you are holding the aim button but do not touch the camera controls, your next shot will auto-aim at the last spot you hit, so you don't need to adjust the camera constantly to keep firing. Charging, firing a shot, and dodging all consume stamina, and once you run out, your attack rotation stops and you are unable to dodge any attacks until enough stamina regenerates to dodge. Thus, it is important to keep an eye on your stamina meter. Because the amounts of stamina consumed by the attacks and the dodge are fixed, the Constitution skill, which reduces such stamina consumption, is highly beneficial if you are using this "bow dancing" attack style. You can also consume Dash Juice or use a Wiggly Litchi (found in the field, sitting on logs) to give yourself a 25% reduction to all stamina consumption for 4 minutes. Be aware that stamina consumption reduction is capped at 50%, so if you are using Dash Juice, you only need Constitution level 3 to hit the 50% cap; additional levels of Constitution will go to waste.

Lunging Melee Attack

You can perform a Lunging Melee Attack after performing a Charging Sidestep. This attack can be used to mount monsters.

Basic Controls:

• Use L2 to aim and R2 to fire.
• Hold R2 to charge up arrow tiers for increased damage (watch stamina).
• Press Circle for a special shot (varies by bow).
• Press Circle + Triangle for Dragon Piercer (powerful but immobile).

Special Mechanics:

• Consecutive shots or dodging after a shot increases arrow tiers for higher DPS.
• Power Shot after a regular charge shot or Dragon Piercer for unique attacks.

Coatings:

• Hit up or down on the D-pad, then press Triangle to apply coatings.
  Coatings have diverse effects, varying by bow. Learn the specific coatings available for each bow.

Optimal Range:

• Crosshairs glow orange when at the proper firing range.
• Coatings affect the firing range, so be mindful of applied coatings for positioning.

Monster Knowledge:

• Swap coatings based on the monster's weaknesses to maximize DPS.
• Target weak spots for effective damage output.

Advantages:

• No need for sharpness maintenance, allowing continuous attacks.
• Unique properties and coatings make each bow distinctive.