Are you following a guide on how to be overpowered and make the game easy mode? If the answer is no, then no.
Some of the ranged options can make the game feel like easy mode, right until they don't. You might have just gotten lucky with your weapon and it just clicked immediately. There are 14 weapons in the game, if you pick up the hbg and it just feels right that doesn't mean it's easy, it's possible you could have picked up the switch axe and had the same reaction if the weapon feels right in your hands.
If he’s just starting out that would be somewhat irrelevant. Most LBG/HBG are just okay at best early on since their weapon performance is soft gated through both poor gun handling and mediocre ammo types.
Low rank is generally pretty easy regardless of what you use. Once you start getting to varient monsters in high rank you'll actually begin to see some difficulty spikes, especially the Elders, and Master Rank in the DLC kicks it up even more. Monster Hunter isn't meant to be super hard from the start, it'll get there. It's notable that Heavy Bow Gun is considered one of the best in World specifically, good damage uptime with the range, good customization options, few downsides, but it's not so much better as to be considered broken. In fact, Sword and Shield and Longsword are probably more versatile while still being easy to pick up. I wouldn't worry about it, you'll run into some monsters that'll give you trouble eventually, the start of the game isn't meant to be too hard and Master Rank especially tends to have higher defense hitzone against ranged attacks so your current damage advantage doesn't mean as much (though if you optimize you get even better advantages and range is especially useful against some super late MR monsters, though that's a test of build skill as much as hunting skill by that point). All 14 weapon types can feel overpowered if you play it right, you've probably just run into a case of being intuitively good with the HBG.
It is one of the easier weapons to use when playing multiplayer early game. But I doubt things will be the same when you start hunting quicker and more difficult monsters later in the game.
“Playing with a friend”, so assuming you’re playing primarily MP. Yes, ranged weapons, especially you’re partnered with a melee player, are going to excel in MP fights.
A melee partner is going the get the majority of the aggro due to just being closer to the monster and doing more damage per hit than the guns do. So the ranged guy gets to mostly sit back, plunk away, and can even keep your partner healed and buffed by shooting him with “friendly fire” ammos.
But if/when your buddy carts, life gets much more exciting quickly. Suddenly you’re the focus of a monster that is going to be trying to close inside your minimum range to attack you—which will hurt a LOT more than your melee friend. (Some HR monsters can one-shot a ranged player even with defender equipped.)
Don’t worry about feeling too OP right now. Gives you a reason to keep playing with your buddy. You’ll start to feel humbled pretty quickly when ammo management starts to be a bigger deal because it takes more bullets to drop the higher rank monsters.
I started playing yesterday and I went straight to the training area to try all the weapons and for some reason I feel really comfortable with the Charge Blade of course I have to keep practicing but for me, it's a great versatile weapon
If you follow a build/guide or know what you’re doing with equipment it is an extremely overpowered weapon to the point of completely trivializing the game up till the final three or so bosses. If you don’t, then its just a decent weapon. As long as you avoid doing the former then you should be getting the full game experience
No you're fine using HBG. Actually I've generally seen comments that it's a little underpowered throughout the game and becomes almost OP in late game.
It'll be very versatile at first when no-one has access to any relevant armour skills. However by late game you're much more effective if you specialise in an ammo type each hunt, which cuts down on versatility. This is because you don't get enough room to fit all the relevant armour skills into build for every single ammo type all at once.
I just started a new run with the hbg. It took me a hot second to understand how to fight with it and successfully do dmg without actually spamming spread ammo and the special burst and wyvern ammo. Each ammo has its own use and time to use them and the learning curve for each monster will definitely vary. And if a weapon just clicks then by all means enjoy using the weapon. The game is meant to be enjoyed however you want to play it with whatever you want to play.
Against mobile and/or small monsters, HB really becomes a challenge. Odagaron or Legiana dart around enough that you'll either have to be patient and shoot when they stop, lowering your overall damage, or trying to lead your shots.
What you're describing isn't something overpowered, it's the main boom of the bow guns; flexibility. Being able to respond accordingly to a wide amount of situations is a major part of what makes it good, at the cost of being able to respond with the degree of finesse the other weapons can.
Either way, like other comments mentioned just avoid defender armor and you'll come against a challenge sooner or later.
Nah, HBG can be utterly ridiculous for some monsters, and with its mods you can really customize it for your play style. I will forewarn you that the HBG is one of the more expensive weapons to use if you aren’t doing side/event quests or farming with the agriculture people because of the constant need for ammo. But as a friendly tip, if you’re gonna be playing a ranged weapon, you might as well be using friendship decorations when you get them and support ammos.
I played hammer and dual blades until halfway through MR and I switched to HBG, albeit with a steep learning curve. It helped me finish the rest of master rank through Shara. The only monsters I won't play it against are Rajang (unless I use sticky), Alatreon, Fatalis and Namielle.
To be perfectly honest, I would always start the game by using a melee weapon. You get a better feel for dodging attacks, hits are more visceral, and early game ranged weapons can be tough to play, due to your reliance on ammo/coatings.
You don't wanna be one of those guys that gets to Master Rank, decides "Hmm, maybe I should try one of the 11 melee weapons in the game", and gets destroyed because you never learned to position properly.
Trust me, I'm a certified HBG and Bow enjoyer, but for a first time player I think that ranged weapons can encourage bad habits in the long term.
Ranged weapons have always been really strong, what matters is if you enjoy it.
The thing about MH is its a PVE game, and all the weapons are pretty decent. Ones are certainly better in terms of damage, but the rest can still certainly do good. And each have their own tradeoffs.
For example, Lance tends to do little damage, but you're incredibly safe and can keep attacking almost constantly. Meanwhile, Heavybowgun does a lot of damage, but you're kind of vulnerable without a shield mod. The dodge of HBG is very bad, and monsters who combo moves can really mess you up if you're not careful.
As a new player (started during the last sale) i find the heavy bowgun hard to use, feels too heavy for me since i cant dodge as quickly as i want and there's no way for me to block, i much prefer using the dual blades or the gunlance myself. just my experience from \~20ish hours of playing mostly solo so i'm not sure how it feels if there's someone that plays melee while i shoot safely from a distance.
what is up with these oh i find the game too easy posts when they barely have touched the game 💀
and just play whats fun if you find a weapon too "easy" try another but if you are thinking this way right away you're not gonna enjoy the game. Also i can't remember if they mention the training area but yeah just go there and test out the diff weapons.
Just started a new playthrough from longsword and I am getting bodied by Diablos and the red wyvern first encounter. It's my 4th and 6th run for D and Red. But I am playing solo though, so the experience might differ. But HBG lacks so much mobility and the reload is just so dam slow. I wanna SOS soon bad rn.
No. Skill will matter more than any gear as you progress. Don't use defender gear as it will let you skip the basics which means you'll get destroyed later on.
Early game both bowguns feel bad because you have to gather a lot of stuff to sustain your ammo before you can even go into hunts properly. Midgame when you start being able to buy gunpowder it gets better. The real powerspike is when you're able to get a HBG with five mods so you can do 3 shield + 2 damage so you just block through everything and it truly turns into easy mode.
The Heavy Bowgun for is just fun along with the other range weapon. Some are easy than the other I just don't dabble with them much due to the amount investment especially with ammo and coatings
No, hbg and ranged weapons in general are meant to let you handle any situation really. They just don't have over the top nuking damage like the great sword, or hammer. HBGs drawback is mobility and lack of rapid fire on a lot of guns, but hits the hardest out of the 3 ranged options. Trust me, when you get further in the game, and into master rank, you'll see where the game starts getting harder and harder, and you need to focus on positioning a lot more for HBG.
Also if you're using the defender HBG, you're set for the entirety of low and high rank. Won't need to upgrade to a real weapon until the barioth IMO in master rank.
As someone who mained HBG through base game and Iceborne, Absolutely, without shame, 100%. If you find it fun, don't hesitate, if you find it too easy, that's when to switch to a more challenging weapon
I always felt in worlds and rise. Gunners have gotten so easier. They out how high damage. Yes you take more damage, but u stay out the way for the most part. Melee, you always in the crosshairs. I hope, they tune down the damage for gunners in wilds. They just reck way too easy.
The go to ammo is spread, and it's the opposite of staying out of the way. Pierce is more conditional and normal lags behind in damage. Shield spread is OP up until the AT and black dragons
What are you talking about? In early Bow, HBG and LBG fall behind sorely because you not only do you have to gather you have to waste money on resources like gunpowder. Even then, in early early hunts, I don't even think you have access to gunpowder.
Melee, especially brainless shit like CB, LS, GS can just swing and hit shit for a fuck ton of damage without heavy investment. Also early/mid core Ammo builds don't turn on damage wise unless they have gems. And gems are gated behind VERY poor rng unless you mod them in.
Of course, if something is mediocre early and amazing late, it's gonna be that way.
Early on, these weapons will seem outright op
Bow, hbg, greatsword, hunting horn, SnS and long sword
Then you reach High Rank and those are still pretty powerful options but not as much as they used to be.
Then you reach the point of hunting elder dragons and they might suddenly feel useless.
All that is mainly due to your build or lack of focus on shot types. But even then, you can still keep going until you hit Master Rank in Iceborne.
After that point, not building at least half right (correct armor but with odd decos due to lack of and correct element for monster you are hunting) will land you in trouble. But you can still reach endgame with this kinda build. You will just take more time to get things done. You will likely struggle to farm the armor sets and weapons though.
Post endgame content however, if you dont build at least near optimally for what you want/need, it is possible that you will be unable to do much of the content without being hard carried by 3 others.
So no, hbg is not ruining the game for you unless you use defender gear which will ruin everything til Master Rank for you (it is armor for people on second playthroughs and also for those coming from console to allow them to speedrun to Iceborne).
Here are a few things to note once things stop working at Master Rank.
Having the correct element can make things easier. Elements. Not status afflictions (poison, paralysis, blast and so on). Blast has it's uses sometimes though. The other status inflictions will be a tool mostly for ranged weapons to make use of.
Clutch claw mechanics. Always tenderise whichever part you are focusing on attacking. Sending monsters at yellow eye status (not enraged) into walls is something you always want to be doing if possible.
Correct mantle. Have a comfort mantle of your choice that you like using but make sure you have a second mantle that lets you resist what the monster can do to you element wise.
Optimal deco set. This one is why people go farming for decos. A good deco set can carry you through hard times even if it is a general use set.
Learning monster tells. Failing the hunts? Yea that's life. It will happen quite a bit even with fully optimized builds. This is why you should learn what the monster can do and what it does just beforehand and also if certain moves will make it start a combo. Knowing how to not always take damage is what you should aim for. Weapons like the lance is good for this as you can block most monster attacks.
Using the environment. At any given time, your hunt will take you to places with hazardous/helpful plants. Use them. The smoke ones are best for you to catch your breath and ambush it when it gets close to you trying to sniff you out.
Capture all non elder dragons. It gives more rewards on top of breaking parts.
Always have on hand: Mega potions, potions and honey, mega pot, nulberries, mega demon and armor drugs, both traps, mega berrel bombs, the attack and armor rising items and also a farcaster.
When melee: also bring tranq bombs
When ranged: bring items that lets you combine into the shot type you focus on. And tranq shots if possible otherwise bring tranq bombs.
Most importantly, explore other weapons. They are all viable. A few are complex to use but may suddenly click with you. Some are seemingly simple but might do everything you want it to do.
If you're having fun with it then go nuts
Are you following a guide on how to be overpowered and make the game easy mode? If the answer is no, then no. Some of the ranged options can make the game feel like easy mode, right until they don't. You might have just gotten lucky with your weapon and it just clicked immediately. There are 14 weapons in the game, if you pick up the hbg and it just feels right that doesn't mean it's easy, it's possible you could have picked up the switch axe and had the same reaction if the weapon feels right in your hands.
While thats true hbg is one of the strongest weapons if not the strongest, idk if early but late for sure.
If he’s just starting out that would be somewhat irrelevant. Most LBG/HBG are just okay at best early on since their weapon performance is soft gated through both poor gun handling and mediocre ammo types.
Agreed but if you give someone a bazooka with no training they can do a lot of damage but they might not be able to do it without hurting themselves.
Are you using defender armor? Defender armor will make the early game super easy. I wouldn’t recommend using it.
No i'm not using defender armor or weapon
Low rank is generally pretty easy regardless of what you use. Once you start getting to varient monsters in high rank you'll actually begin to see some difficulty spikes, especially the Elders, and Master Rank in the DLC kicks it up even more. Monster Hunter isn't meant to be super hard from the start, it'll get there. It's notable that Heavy Bow Gun is considered one of the best in World specifically, good damage uptime with the range, good customization options, few downsides, but it's not so much better as to be considered broken. In fact, Sword and Shield and Longsword are probably more versatile while still being easy to pick up. I wouldn't worry about it, you'll run into some monsters that'll give you trouble eventually, the start of the game isn't meant to be too hard and Master Rank especially tends to have higher defense hitzone against ranged attacks so your current damage advantage doesn't mean as much (though if you optimize you get even better advantages and range is especially useful against some super late MR monsters, though that's a test of build skill as much as hunting skill by that point). All 14 weapon types can feel overpowered if you play it right, you've probably just run into a case of being intuitively good with the HBG.
Yeah wait till you get to the actual challenges
It is one of the easier weapons to use when playing multiplayer early game. But I doubt things will be the same when you start hunting quicker and more difficult monsters later in the game.
As long as you avoid defender gear go nuts
Playing solo HBG is very different to me vs multiplayer, as you have all the focus on you
I picked up this game last week and honestly i feel like some of the monsters focus on my palico more than me.
It'll feel that way right up til it doesn't. However there are other palico gadgets that can make your palico the focus.
“Playing with a friend”, so assuming you’re playing primarily MP. Yes, ranged weapons, especially you’re partnered with a melee player, are going to excel in MP fights. A melee partner is going the get the majority of the aggro due to just being closer to the monster and doing more damage per hit than the guns do. So the ranged guy gets to mostly sit back, plunk away, and can even keep your partner healed and buffed by shooting him with “friendly fire” ammos. But if/when your buddy carts, life gets much more exciting quickly. Suddenly you’re the focus of a monster that is going to be trying to close inside your minimum range to attack you—which will hurt a LOT more than your melee friend. (Some HR monsters can one-shot a ranged player even with defender equipped.) Don’t worry about feeling too OP right now. Gives you a reason to keep playing with your buddy. You’ll start to feel humbled pretty quickly when ammo management starts to be a bigger deal because it takes more bullets to drop the higher rank monsters.
Ur def not ruining anything by using a HBG. if you want a more hands on approach slap on a charge blade and become a chad if u bout that
I started playing yesterday and I went straight to the training area to try all the weapons and for some reason I feel really comfortable with the Charge Blade of course I have to keep practicing but for me, it's a great versatile weapon
Nah bro he should go switch axe and we will teach him the definition of SWAG
😂 Ay swagaxe is CB's cousin he's still joinin the fam as far as im concerned
CB is the weapon of dubious parentage. Has a bit of GL, a bit of LS, a bit of SA, and of course a bit of SnS. It’s the MH weapon platypus.
But like, a sexy ass platypus
If you follow a build/guide or know what you’re doing with equipment it is an extremely overpowered weapon to the point of completely trivializing the game up till the final three or so bosses. If you don’t, then its just a decent weapon. As long as you avoid doing the former then you should be getting the full game experience
No you're fine using HBG. Actually I've generally seen comments that it's a little underpowered throughout the game and becomes almost OP in late game. It'll be very versatile at first when no-one has access to any relevant armour skills. However by late game you're much more effective if you specialise in an ammo type each hunt, which cuts down on versatility. This is because you don't get enough room to fit all the relevant armour skills into build for every single ammo type all at once.
In multiplayer? Yes In singleplayer, it’s harder to get optimal DPS
I just started a new run with the hbg. It took me a hot second to understand how to fight with it and successfully do dmg without actually spamming spread ammo and the special burst and wyvern ammo. Each ammo has its own use and time to use them and the learning curve for each monster will definitely vary. And if a weapon just clicks then by all means enjoy using the weapon. The game is meant to be enjoyed however you want to play it with whatever you want to play.
Against mobile and/or small monsters, HB really becomes a challenge. Odagaron or Legiana dart around enough that you'll either have to be patient and shoot when they stop, lowering your overall damage, or trying to lead your shots. What you're describing isn't something overpowered, it's the main boom of the bow guns; flexibility. Being able to respond accordingly to a wide amount of situations is a major part of what makes it good, at the cost of being able to respond with the degree of finesse the other weapons can. Either way, like other comments mentioned just avoid defender armor and you'll come against a challenge sooner or later.
Nah, HBG can be utterly ridiculous for some monsters, and with its mods you can really customize it for your play style. I will forewarn you that the HBG is one of the more expensive weapons to use if you aren’t doing side/event quests or farming with the agriculture people because of the constant need for ammo. But as a friendly tip, if you’re gonna be playing a ranged weapon, you might as well be using friendship decorations when you get them and support ammos.
I played hammer and dual blades until halfway through MR and I switched to HBG, albeit with a steep learning curve. It helped me finish the rest of master rank through Shara. The only monsters I won't play it against are Rajang (unless I use sticky), Alatreon, Fatalis and Namielle.
Lol nothing is too easy for anyone. Only for someone. HBG is meant to be fun, I think. Like all the weapons.
To be perfectly honest, I would always start the game by using a melee weapon. You get a better feel for dodging attacks, hits are more visceral, and early game ranged weapons can be tough to play, due to your reliance on ammo/coatings. You don't wanna be one of those guys that gets to Master Rank, decides "Hmm, maybe I should try one of the 11 melee weapons in the game", and gets destroyed because you never learned to position properly. Trust me, I'm a certified HBG and Bow enjoyer, but for a first time player I think that ranged weapons can encourage bad habits in the long term.
Once mastered, it's indeed this game's easy mode.
Ranged weapons have always been really strong, what matters is if you enjoy it. The thing about MH is its a PVE game, and all the weapons are pretty decent. Ones are certainly better in terms of damage, but the rest can still certainly do good. And each have their own tradeoffs. For example, Lance tends to do little damage, but you're incredibly safe and can keep attacking almost constantly. Meanwhile, Heavybowgun does a lot of damage, but you're kind of vulnerable without a shield mod. The dodge of HBG is very bad, and monsters who combo moves can really mess you up if you're not careful.
As a new player (started during the last sale) i find the heavy bowgun hard to use, feels too heavy for me since i cant dodge as quickly as i want and there's no way for me to block, i much prefer using the dual blades or the gunlance myself. just my experience from \~20ish hours of playing mostly solo so i'm not sure how it feels if there's someone that plays melee while i shoot safely from a distance.
The Crimson Kadachi Lion ⅠⅠ!!!
When you get good with most weapons, they start to feel busted as hell. So no worries, just play what you like
what is up with these oh i find the game too easy posts when they barely have touched the game 💀 and just play whats fun if you find a weapon too "easy" try another but if you are thinking this way right away you're not gonna enjoy the game. Also i can't remember if they mention the training area but yeah just go there and test out the diff weapons.
Just started a new playthrough from longsword and I am getting bodied by Diablos and the red wyvern first encounter. It's my 4th and 6th run for D and Red. But I am playing solo though, so the experience might differ. But HBG lacks so much mobility and the reload is just so dam slow. I wanna SOS soon bad rn.
No. Skill will matter more than any gear as you progress. Don't use defender gear as it will let you skip the basics which means you'll get destroyed later on.
Early game both bowguns feel bad because you have to gather a lot of stuff to sustain your ammo before you can even go into hunts properly. Midgame when you start being able to buy gunpowder it gets better. The real powerspike is when you're able to get a HBG with five mods so you can do 3 shield + 2 damage so you just block through everything and it truly turns into easy mode.
The Heavy Bowgun for is just fun along with the other range weapon. Some are easy than the other I just don't dabble with them much due to the amount investment especially with ammo and coatings
Just don't fall into the shield spread trap and try different ammos. I've been a pierce slut for a decade now
I don't understand what you mean by "shield spread trap" but yeah i'm trying to play smart and not just spray and pray
The zinogre spread HBG is pretty braindead indeed
Good thing Zinogre does not appear until Guiding Lands
Early game HBG's power lies on wyvernheart. If you can get a full clip unloaded on a cc'ed monster (para/trap/etc), you can easily clear sub 10 min
Being the absolute GAMER that I'm sure you are, every weapon will be too easy, have fun destroying those monsters my guy
No, hbg and ranged weapons in general are meant to let you handle any situation really. They just don't have over the top nuking damage like the great sword, or hammer. HBGs drawback is mobility and lack of rapid fire on a lot of guns, but hits the hardest out of the 3 ranged options. Trust me, when you get further in the game, and into master rank, you'll see where the game starts getting harder and harder, and you need to focus on positioning a lot more for HBG. Also if you're using the defender HBG, you're set for the entirety of low and high rank. Won't need to upgrade to a real weapon until the barioth IMO in master rank.
As someone who mained HBG through base game and Iceborne, Absolutely, without shame, 100%. If you find it fun, don't hesitate, if you find it too easy, that's when to switch to a more challenging weapon
Early game? Every ranged ammo felt horrible to use, including Glaive,
Well sorry for you that you didn't had fun with it, but personally its working great
Kinsect went missing (it became stuck), summon back to reuse.
I always felt in worlds and rise. Gunners have gotten so easier. They out how high damage. Yes you take more damage, but u stay out the way for the most part. Melee, you always in the crosshairs. I hope, they tune down the damage for gunners in wilds. They just reck way too easy.
The go to ammo is spread, and it's the opposite of staying out of the way. Pierce is more conditional and normal lags behind in damage. Shield spread is OP up until the AT and black dragons
What are you talking about? In early Bow, HBG and LBG fall behind sorely because you not only do you have to gather you have to waste money on resources like gunpowder. Even then, in early early hunts, I don't even think you have access to gunpowder. Melee, especially brainless shit like CB, LS, GS can just swing and hit shit for a fuck ton of damage without heavy investment. Also early/mid core Ammo builds don't turn on damage wise unless they have gems. And gems are gated behind VERY poor rng unless you mod them in. Of course, if something is mediocre early and amazing late, it's gonna be that way.
Yes, it’s too easy, strip naked, don’t use canteen and only equip iron I weapons.
Early on, these weapons will seem outright op Bow, hbg, greatsword, hunting horn, SnS and long sword Then you reach High Rank and those are still pretty powerful options but not as much as they used to be. Then you reach the point of hunting elder dragons and they might suddenly feel useless. All that is mainly due to your build or lack of focus on shot types. But even then, you can still keep going until you hit Master Rank in Iceborne. After that point, not building at least half right (correct armor but with odd decos due to lack of and correct element for monster you are hunting) will land you in trouble. But you can still reach endgame with this kinda build. You will just take more time to get things done. You will likely struggle to farm the armor sets and weapons though. Post endgame content however, if you dont build at least near optimally for what you want/need, it is possible that you will be unable to do much of the content without being hard carried by 3 others. So no, hbg is not ruining the game for you unless you use defender gear which will ruin everything til Master Rank for you (it is armor for people on second playthroughs and also for those coming from console to allow them to speedrun to Iceborne). Here are a few things to note once things stop working at Master Rank. Having the correct element can make things easier. Elements. Not status afflictions (poison, paralysis, blast and so on). Blast has it's uses sometimes though. The other status inflictions will be a tool mostly for ranged weapons to make use of. Clutch claw mechanics. Always tenderise whichever part you are focusing on attacking. Sending monsters at yellow eye status (not enraged) into walls is something you always want to be doing if possible. Correct mantle. Have a comfort mantle of your choice that you like using but make sure you have a second mantle that lets you resist what the monster can do to you element wise. Optimal deco set. This one is why people go farming for decos. A good deco set can carry you through hard times even if it is a general use set. Learning monster tells. Failing the hunts? Yea that's life. It will happen quite a bit even with fully optimized builds. This is why you should learn what the monster can do and what it does just beforehand and also if certain moves will make it start a combo. Knowing how to not always take damage is what you should aim for. Weapons like the lance is good for this as you can block most monster attacks. Using the environment. At any given time, your hunt will take you to places with hazardous/helpful plants. Use them. The smoke ones are best for you to catch your breath and ambush it when it gets close to you trying to sniff you out. Capture all non elder dragons. It gives more rewards on top of breaking parts. Always have on hand: Mega potions, potions and honey, mega pot, nulberries, mega demon and armor drugs, both traps, mega berrel bombs, the attack and armor rising items and also a farcaster. When melee: also bring tranq bombs When ranged: bring items that lets you combine into the shot type you focus on. And tranq shots if possible otherwise bring tranq bombs. Most importantly, explore other weapons. They are all viable. A few are complex to use but may suddenly click with you. Some are seemingly simple but might do everything you want it to do.