Monster Hunter Outlanders launches globally on October 29, 2026, and brings the series’ classic weapons to iOS and Android. The official store listing names seven weapon types, and producer Dong Huang has separately confirmed that the Charge Blade will also be available at launch, bringing the total to eight. Each weapon has its own rhythm, gauges, and defensive options, and the Adventurer you pair it with changes how it plays even further. This guide explains how every weapon works, which Adventurers use it, and how to choose one that suits you. Details are based on official weapon overviews and pre-launch test builds, so some specifics may shift after release.

How Weapons Work in Monster Hunter Outlanders

Your customizable Fated Adventurer can use every weapon type, which makes this character the best way to test the full arsenal. Story Adventurers are different, since each is locked to a single weapon and class. The official description says each Adventurer and weapon pairing unlocks all-new Follow-up moves, so the same weapon can feel noticeably different from one character to the next. Pre-launch reports also indicate that recruitment applies only to characters, while weapons themselves are crafted through regular play.

Several techniques appear across the official weapon overviews and are worth learning early, because they shape how most weapons are played:

• Perfect Evade is a precisely timed dodge that, depending on the weapon, preserves a charge, repositions you, or opens a counter.
• Perfect Guard is a precisely timed block, and on the Heavy Bowgun it instantly reloads special ammo.
• Follow-up moves are extra attacks unlocked by specific Adventurer and weapon pairings, building on each weapon’s core moveset.

The table below summarizes each weapon type alongside the Adventurers currently shown on the official site.

Great Sword

The Great Sword is very slow to swing, but its damage climbs with the charge level of each attack, so landing a fully charged strike is the whole point of the weapon. The official overview shows how Outlanders makes this easier to manage. A Perfect Evade lets you keep charging without sheathing, and you can switch skills while charging to chain into follow-up attacks. Because the weapon is so slow, evasive, guarding, and hit-and-run tactics are what keep you safe between big hits.

Pyro is the Great Sword Adventurer on the official site, and his kit leans into that patience. He is built to endure attacks and convert that punishment into earth-shattering blows with heavy burst damage. Freya, another Great Sword Adventurer, was also available to recruit during the third closed beta. If you enjoy reading a monster’s movements and committing to one decisive hit, this is the weapon to try first.

Long Sword

The Long Sword offers swift, fluid attacks, solid damage, and good mobility. It has no block or guard, so survival depends entirely on well-timed dodges. Its signature system is the Spirit Gauge, whose levels power up your attacks, and well-timed counterattacks fill that gauge faster. The weapon rewards players who learn when a monster is about to strike and answer it with a counter rather than simply backing away.

Midori is the Long Sword Adventurer, wielding a blade hidden inside her shamisen. Her official description highlights graceful evasion and skills that build her Spirit Gauge faster. Hands-on coverage from Tokyo Game Show 2026 adds that she has an exclusive skill that replaces standard Spirit Blade strikes with timed iai draw attacks, which gives her a distinct feel compared with the Long Sword in your Fated Adventurer’s hands.

Dual Blades

Dual Blades trade raw power per hit for very high attack speed and agility. Individual hits are generally weak and the blades cannot block, but the constant stream of strikes makes them well suited to quickly applying elemental damage and status effects. Their core system has two stages. Demon Mode strengthens your attacks and fills the Demon Gauge, and once the gauge is full you can enter Archdemon Mode for a period of time, which enhances your attacks further while draining the gauge.

Two Adventurers on the official site use Dual Blades, and both belong to the Disruptor class. Keres chains rapid strikes into relentless combos, with some skills unlocking enhanced follow-ups for a near-endless flurry of slashes. Raya relies on fluid, dance-like evasion, and some of her skills consume stamina to build her Demon Gauge faster. Since Raya is the 10 million pre-registration milestone reward, Dual Blades are likely to be one of the first weapons many players try on a story Adventurer.

Hammer

The Hammer is a heavy, blunt weapon built around charged attacks. An official post describes it as unable to guard, but you can keep moving while charging, which lets you reposition and line up a strike at the same time. Its main appeal is creating openings by stunning a monster with hits to the head, so it suits players who like to fight up close and take control of a hunt through well-placed blows.

None of the nine Adventurers on the official site uses the Hammer yet, but a trailer shown at Tokyo Game Show 2026 features the main Adventurer wielding one against an Azure Rathalos. That makes your Fated Adventurer the way to try it at launch. Because it lacks a guard, the Hammer pairs best with players who are comfortable dodging, or who would rather avoid damage through positioning than block it.

Lance

The Lance is the defensive anchor of the arsenal. It combines long reach and quick thrusts with a large shield, letting you attack and defend in the same rhythm. The official overview describes several guard options and counterattacks. Outlanders keeps classic moves such as the dash attack and adds a new spiral thrust, which dashes forward and spins into a slash followed by a thrust. The tradeoff is mobility, since the Lance is slow and moving with it takes practice.

Two Adventurers show how differently the same weapon can play. Ouyang Varen is an Assault Lance user who deflects attacks with his shield and builds Impetus to power up his thrusts. Arkaya is a Support Lance user who builds Resolve through a steady stream of attacks, then spends all of it on a devastating blow that also grants a massive shield. Players who find constant dodging stressful will appreciate the Lance’s ability to hold ground.

Heavy Bowgun

The Heavy Bowgun is known in the series for heavy firepower, and it supports multiple ammo types that inflict different status ailments. It is slower than the Bow, so positioning matters. Special ammo is limited, but it replenishes over time or when your shots hit, and a Perfect Guard instantly reloads it. Perfect Evades either boost your mobility or unleash counter follow-ups, and Wyvernheart mode fires a barrage of bullets that is especially effective against weak spots.

Pepper is the Heavy Bowgun Adventurer, and her kit adds a vertical element. Some of her skills send her airborne so she can fire rapidly from midair. A Tokyo Game Show hands-on report played as Pepper and found that the ranged weapon, along with lock-on and party support, made a hunt against Odogaron manageable, which makes the Heavy Bowgun a reasonable option for players who want to keep some distance from a monster’s attacks.

Bow

The Bow is a fast, highly mobile ranged weapon that rewards staying on the move. Its charge gauge powers your shots, and weapon guides note that evasion and Perfect Evades help build that charge, so dodging is part of your offense rather than just a way to survive. Because you fire from range, you have more room to read a monster’s attacks and reposition than you would with most melee weapons.

The two Bow Adventurers fill completely different roles. Luka is an Assault archer with unmatched mobility, and precise casts power up the Thunder Coating on his arrows, letting them unleash crackling arcs that pierce clean through targets. Madelyn is a Support archer who aids allies with medicines and Spores, which she can detonate to deal damage while boosting herself and nearby allies. Choosing between them comes down to whether your party needs damage or support.

Charge Blade

The Charge Blade is the newest confirmed addition. It was not part of the official store’s seven listed weapon types, but producer Dong Huang confirmed that it will be available at launch. In the mainline series, the Charge Blade switches between a sword and shield form and a heavier axe form. How Outlanders adapts it, along with which Adventurers will use it, has not been shown yet, so expect full details once the game is live.

Choosing Your First Weapon

There is no single best weapon for everyone, and pre-launch guides have largely avoided ranking them until the live game can be tested. The better approach is to match a weapon to how you like to play, then refine your choice on your Fated Adventurer before spending recruitment items on story Adventurers. These pairings are a sensible starting point:

• Choose the Lance if you want a shield and prefer holding your ground over constant dodging.
• Choose the Bow or Heavy Bowgun if you want distance from a monster while you learn its attacks.
• Choose the Dual Blades if you enjoy fast, constant action and managing a gauge.
• Choose the Long Sword if you want to master counter timing.
• Choose the Great Sword or Hammer if you prefer patient, heavy strikes that punish openings.

Keep the Adventurer roster in mind as well. A weapon you enjoy on your Fated Adventurer may play quite differently on a story Adventurer because of their class and Follow-up moves, so read each character’s kit before committing.

Monster Hunter Outlanders offers eight weapon types at launch, each with its own gauge, defensive tools, and Adventurer pairings that add new Follow-up moves. Use your Fated Adventurer to try the full arsenal, learn Perfect Evade and Perfect Guard timing on the weapons that use them, and pick story Adventurers whose weapons match the way you want to hunt. For the best gaming experience, play Monster Hunter Outlanders on BlueStacks!