Note that this guide is based on the MHW beta playtests, there may be updates upon release so be sure to check back.
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Two Weapon Combinations
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Weapons
Overview
For the first time in the series, Hunters can swap between a primary and a secondary weapon on the go in Monster Hunter Wilds. The Seikret, which acts as a mount and pouch, also carries a Secondary weapon.
This mechanic greatly expands the ability for Hunters to adapt to their hunts, swapping between weapon types on the go depending on the target or situation, or between different elemental weapons to match the monster’s weakness.
This article covers different combinations you can consider and how they work together. There is no ‘perfect’ weapon combination – it all depends on your playstyle and the weapons you enjoy using. That being said, we have put up a few weapon pairings that are especially interesting
Why change weapons in the middle of a hunt?
- Some monsters change their elemental weaknesses mid-fight. For example, Nerscylla is weak to the
Fire element, but after breaking its hide, it becomes weak to 
Thunder instead. - Monsters change their behavior and moves when enraged or powered up. Hunters may feel more at ease swapping to another weapon with a better matchup against the target.
- Not all weapons can sever or break all monster parts:
- Tails can only be severed with slicing weapons.
- Some specific body parts require blunt weapons to be broken.
- Ranged weapons have an easier time breaking body parts that are hard to reach for melee weapons – like the wings or back of Wyverns.
- When in multiplayer, adapting to the party’s weapon choices can greatly help with the hunt:
- The party will lose a handful of openings if no weapon can trigger a Power Clash or Offset Attack.
- Someone can aggro the monster for the rest of the party to focus on attacks by using a weapon with decent guarding capabilities and throwing a Lure Pod on the monster.
Primary Weapon + Heavy Bowgun
The Heavy Bowgun offers incredible utility as a secondary weapon. It can fire different types of ammo, inflicting status effects or granting AoE stat boosts.
With this setup, you want to use the Heavy Bowgun’s Demon and Armor Ammo right before the fight starts. These will boost your attack and defense by a considerable amount, and the buffs persist even after swapping back to your main weapon.
During the fight, you should only swap your main weapon to the Heavy Bowgun for utility:
- Using ammo that inflict status effects (
Poison, 
Paralysis, 
Sleep). - K.O’ing a monster by firing Sticky Ammo onto its head.
- Using Tranquil Ammo to capture a monster.
- Re-apply damage and defense boosts with Demon and Armor ammo.
Any Primary Weapon
Heavy Bowgun
Sword & Shield + Hunting Horn (Utility)
This pairing offers the most utility across all the weapons. By using the Sword & Shield and the Hunting Horn, you’ll bring a plethora of buffs and utility to the party.
The key of this weapon combination lies in its adaptability:
- The Sword & Shield hits fast and has a lot of mobility, while the Hunting Horn hits harder and is more stationary.
- Both of these weapons can K.O. a monster, creating openings for the team.
- The Sword & Shield can guard and trigger Power Clashes, while the Hunting Horn can offset attacks.
- You can break and sever all monster parts, too. This is especially important for part breaks that render monster attacks useless – for example, breaking Gypceros’s crest will make it unable to flash and K.O. hunters.
- With the Sword & Shield, you can use items while your weapon is drawn. This allows for quick AoE healing with items like
Lifepowder and 
Herbal Medicine, for setting up traps quickly, or using Slinger ammo –like Flash or Sonic pods– at the right time. - Conversely, the Hunting Horn has its own buffs, specific to each Hunting Horn, which can include Attack Boosts, Resistance Boosts, Healing, etc. The Echo Bubbles you leave behind can persist even after swapping to your other weapon, too.
Two of the Same Weapon Type
Using two weapons of the same type is great, as it allows you to keep the effectiveness of your specific armor Skills while bringing two different status effects or elements in the same hunt. Think two Dual Blades with different elements or status effets!
You can focus on building a set with Skills relevant to only one weapon. It also reduces your need to 
Whetstone since you can just switch to a sharp backup.
Two Hunting Horns
Using two different Hunting Horns is an especially great choice, as each one has its own melodies and buffs it can apply. By combining two, you can potentially apply up to 8 different buffs at the same time, making multiplayer hunts much easier.
NOTE: The same buffs don’t stack over (for example, two Earplug buffs don’t grant a stronger effect), but you can apply multiple different buffs, which persist after changing weapons.
Great Sword + Sleep Dual Blades
Waking up a sleeping monster with a Great Sword’s True Charged Slash is a staple of the Monster Hunter series, and it is now possible to do it all by yourself.
Dual Blades can apply status effects quickly while dishing out decent damage and not being too difficult or risky to use, while Great Sword excels at wake-up hits which deal double damage.
How to find a great weapon combination
The key about a weapon combination working is equipping Skills they can both use.
Certain Skills are important for weapons to use, and if both of your weapon can make use of the equipped Skills, your loadout will be much stronger. Certain skills to look out for are:
- Stamina Skills (Constitution, Stamina Surge): Weapons that consume stamina –like Dual Blades and Bow– will both benefit from these kinds of skills in your loadout.
- Focus: This Skill makes attacks that require charging do it faster. For example, the Great Sword’s charged slashes, the Hammer charged slams and the Lance’s charge counter.
- Artillery: This Skill not only boosts bomb damage, but also Gunlance’s shell damage and Charge Blade’s phial damage, making them an excellent pair. Artillery also boosts explosive Bowgun ammo like Sticky and Cluster.
- Slugger: If both of your weapon can K.O. monsters, Slugger will be a great Skill to slot in.
- Guard, Guard Up, Offensive Guard: As their name suggest, these Skills improve guarding capabilities, so make the most of them by having two weapons that can guard.
- Power Prolonger: Switch Axe, Insect Glaive and Charge Blade benefit the most from this Skill, because being powered up is essential to their play style.