Before monster hunters in Wild Hearts can get at their prey with cool tech gadgets, they first have to hold their own with conventional weapons. We have played through the initial phase, and can now give you a definite weapon recommendation.
Which weapon is best in the beginning? The Monster Hunter alternative Wild Hearts may emulate the original in many areas. However, it also has a great unique selling point with the Karakuri; ancient, technical devices that were specifically designed for monster hunting. Still, Wild Hearts starts out like an older edition of Capcom’s hunting game series, as it thrusts semi-standard weapons into your hands for the time being.
With that comes a problem: You’ll hunt down considerably tough monsters early on, which are only partially manageable in close combat. And by the time you reach your third target, the Kingtusk, you can basically throw your melee weapon(s) away; they’re only good for grave digging. Instead, you should definitely use a ranged weapon, preferably from the very first hunt. This guide will tell you which one it is, and what you can do with it.
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This Weapon Will Give You the Best Start in Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts, just like Monster Hunter, is a sometimes grind-heavy game, which means that from second one you should bag everything that isn’t nailed down: crystals, plants, wood, threads, simply everything. This way you’ll be able to build your first forge quickly, which is what you need most, besides a campfire and a tent.
Via the forge you can create the perfect start weapon, and it is indeed… a bow. This weapon may not look like much at first glance, but it’s surprisingly powerful even without upgrades. It also allows you to keep your distance from your prey, which you’ll appreciate at the latest in the company of the hyper-aggressive Kingtusk.
Why the bow is so strong: Regular single shots from the bow (arrow ammo is unlimited by the way) don’t cause any significant damage to large monsters. However, you can charge the bow by pressing the corresponding button, and not just once, but twice in a row. This way, extremely powerful special shots become available.
If you hold the bow vertically (also by pressing the button), the charged bow fires a powerful explosive arrow that can even hurt large prey. If you hold the weapon horizontally, on the other hand, you’ll shoot a whole volley of arrows that get stuck in the monster’s skin and cause additional damage there. The only drawback here is that you may have to practice aiming a bit. The arrows can easily miss the target in this case, especially if the shooting distance is too short.
Always Enhance Your Weapons
Once you have successfully completed your first two hunts for larger monsters, you would have enough materials to increase the damage dealt or the critical rate of the bow. You’ll also do that in the forge. There are also various upgrade paths available, whereby weapons basically have “inherent” as well as “inherited” abilities.
If you play Wild Hearts in co-op mode with three other hunters, it may make sense to divide the group into melee and ranged fighters. However, in the case of a duo, bows would also be the weapons of choice in the beginning.
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