Heavybowgun Build Guide [Pre & Post Fatalis Meta]

Looking for a Heavy Bowgun build to counter Alatreon? You come to the right place

Heavy Bowgun Build | Armor Set

Brachydium Armor

Raging Brachydios with Agitator secret is the meta now. The ability to max out Agitator while equipping Level 4 jewel has made the Raging Brachydios earning it’s title as one of the best meta monsters

Raging Brachydios + Safi’jiiva Armor

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Dragonvein Akwakening turn out to be a very effetive DPS boost with the right playstyle. With three pieces of Safi’jiiva Armor, you can activate this skill.

Combine this with Raging Brachydios Agitator Secret, you got yourself the meta armor set for almost all weapons

Nargacuga + Raging Brachydios Armor

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This mixed set has lower defense compare to Safi’jiiva or full Raging Brachydios set, however, it provides Spare Shot – which can increase your DPS by adding more ammo for the HBG.

This mixed set is often used with Sticky Ammo Build – which has lower ammo compare to other ammo type.

Full Safi’jiiva Armor Set

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True Dragonvein Awakening is the main reason Safi’jiiva armor set is used in almost all build. This skill increase your attack, elemental damage & affinity while attacking.

This come with a setback though, your HP will be drained during attack, however, this can be recover if you keep staying on the offensive side.

For Heavy Bowgun, Safi’jiiva armor set provides a direct boost to DPS.

Fatalis Armor Set

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The mother of all meta.

Fatalis Armor is currently the best armor in MHW period. The beta variance of this armor set provide you all level 4 decoration, you also get True Razor Sharp/ Spare Shot by equipping the full armor set.

If you are already at the end game, getting this armor set should be your main goal (Either by dying enough times, or beating Fatalis)

MHW Fatalis Guide

MHW Heavy Bowgun Builds

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Similar to Light Bowgun builds, Heavy Bowgun builds can be divided base on the ammo type you prefer to use (Spread, Sticky, Elemental, Pierce)

Heavy Bowgun builds type

TYPES	CHARACTERISTIC
– Spread Heavy Bowgun builds	– Reliable High Damage, often used with Close Range & Recoil Mods – Easy to use. – Require good dodging skills (Evade Extender are often used)
– Sticky Heavy Bowgun Builds	– Great for monsters knockdown and breaking part. – Good build for Multiplay –
– Elemental Heavy Bowgun builds	– Alatreon! – Good for general play – Kind of boring to play after a while
– Pierce Heavy Bowgun Builds	– Generally high damage HBG build – Require some skills in positioning to get the most of – Can be tricky for new players

Spread Heavy Bowgun Builds

For Heavy Bowgun, Spread Build is pretty common. This is mostly because of the easy to use and customization

Safi’s Burstcannon still remains a good choice for Spread HBG build. This build utilizes both Agitator Secret and Dragonvein Awakening – A simple DPS HBG build. Good for general play and Guiding Land.

If you prefer damage, go all out with Close Range mod and one Special to boost Wyvern Snipe. For more survivalbility, Iron Wall Decoration can be used with some Shields mods.

Sticky Ammo Heavy Bowgun Build

Currently, no Heavy Bowgun can beat Magda Gemitus Vulcan when it come to Sticky and Cluster Ammo. Sticky HBG build is often used when you prefer a more classic Bowgun playstyle, when your job is to stay afar and raining down bomb and heavy blast onto the monster.

This build requires Artillery max out to increase the damage of Sticky Ammo. You will also need Spare Shot and Ammo Up as both Cluster and Sticky Ammo has lower ammo capacity.

This build is not the best DPS HBG build, but is pretty easy to get during your Master Rank journey. Due to the ability to shoot a lot of Sticky & Cluster Bomb in short time, most of your hunt will be pretty comfortable (Until those Tempered Elder Dragons)

With Fatalis, you can now use Sticky Ammo HBG Build to it’s fullest potential! See below for an update Sticky Ammo Build with Fatalis Armor!

Pierce Heavy Bowgun Builds

Safi’s Snipecannon comes with Wyvern Heart, but is currently the best HBG for Pierce Ammo.

This build is generally the same as the Spread HBG build. You swap out Spread Decoration for Pierce Jewel 3, adding Pierce Capacity III as Awaken Skill and you are good to go.

Elemental HBG Build | Anti Alatreon HBG Build

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With Alatreon’s update, you will need a decent elemental build to beat him. Kjárr Assault “Ice” or any Kjárr weapon, in general, is currently the easiest pick for Elemental Weapon build. This is all thanks to Critical Element.

Depend on the mission take on Alatreon, pick either Fire or Ice Build below

Fire HBG Build

Kjárr Assault “Rage” is used for this build.

Both Blaze Jewel 4 and Expert Jewel 4 is a little hard to find, so you may swap it up with some easier to access Jewel (Vitality + Expert Jewel …)

This build generally doesn’t have the comfortability of a high HP build, but it compensates things with it’s high damage.

Ice HBG Build

Basically the same with Fire HBG build with a focus on Frost Jewels

Awakening Charm III is used to increase more Ammo and increase your DPS.

Furor Jewel is used for Resentment – an attack increase skill that syncs with Safi’jiiva’s Dragonvein Awakening.

Finally, you will need to maximize your Affinity with Expert Jewel. This build is expensive with 3 Expert Jewel 4.

For other elemental, swap out the weapon and decoration and your are good to go. For Dragon consider Vor Buster (Fatalis HBG) as it has a focus on Dragon Ammo.

Fatalis Heavy Bowgun Build

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Vor Buster (Fatalis Heavy Bowgun) is currently the best Heavy Bowgun (except for element HBG) This bowgun comes with 510 Base Damage (Highest Damage on HBG tree) and comes with all level 3 Ammo Type (Pierce/Spread/Sticky/Cluster)

Combine this with the customization possibility of Fatalis Armor set and the Spare Shot bonus, you are at your top with Heavy Bowgun with the below builds.

The problem with these builds is the decoration issue, some of those level 4 jewels are pretty hard to come by. All of these builds will require a lot of grinding in the guiding land or from those tempered investigation to get the most out.

Vor Buster Spread Build

Spread Build base is generally the same as before, except this time you have more slot to add in those Quality of Life (QoL) skills you always dream for.

• Release/ Protection Jewel – Both Divine Blessing and Ammo Up can be achieved with these decorations.

• Critical/ Protection – To max out Critical Boost and Protection.

• Challenger Jewel 4 – To max out Agitator level 7

• Sheath/ Attack Jewel 4 – To shorten the most painful sheathing animation in MHW, significantly boots your chance of survival during those tight moments

Vor Buster Pierce Build

You can now add in Ballistics – which give you more range while firing those pierce shot from afar.

This build is generally the same as Spread Ammo HBG build, so it entirely depends on your liking to pick either of these builds

Vor Buster Normal Shot Build

Want to stick to the reliable Normal Ammo? Then pick this build. Normal Ammo tends to have more capacity compare to Spread and Pierce, with the help of Spare Shot & Ammo Up, this is almost like firing without reloading!

Normal Ammo also benefit from Ballistics.

If you haven’t beat Fatalis yet, you can gather the materials during your failed Fatalis hunts and make two pieces of Fatalis armor (most commonly Gloves & Leg) This can give you the Inheritance bonus, making skills with secret automatically unlock as long as you have one point. With this, you can mix and match other armor pieces for more bonuses.

Sticky Heavy Bowgun Builds (With Fatalis Armor Set Bonus)

This build uses the classic Magda Gemitus Vulcan – one of the best Heavy Bowgun since the beginning of MHW. Magda Gemitus Vulcan is mostly used for Sticky and Cluster Ammo Build.

With Inheritance from 2 pieces of Fatalis, you will unlock level 5 of skills like Artillery and Slugger. Both of these skills are a must for any Sticky/ Cluster Heavy Bowgun build.

Below is consider a pretty easy build to get build near the end game.

This build does not focus on DPS, but more on the stunning and breaking Monster’s part using Artillery and Cluster Ammo. With the help of Fatalis Dragonclaw and Dragonfeet, you can max out Slugger & Artillery. Artillery directly increase the damage of Sticky ammo, Slugger will help you net those Knockdown more easily.

Tool Specialist is also enhanced to level 5. This skill shorten the cooldown of powerful mantles (Rocksteady & Temporal)

Finally, Divine Blessing is maxed out every time you equip those Mantles, significantly increase your survivability.

This build can be enhanced with more part of Fatalis Armor.

Monster Hunter World Builds Compilation