Heavy Bowgun

The

Heavy Bowgun (HBG) is the most powerful of the three ranged weapons but is also the slowest in terms of mobility and firing rate. Its gameplay is similar to that of MHFU, with enhancements like Power Barrels and Shields, and most available can be leveled up to boost attack power.

Critical Distance is a key mechanic for all ranged weapons, defining the optimal range for different ammo types.

Here’s a general breakdown:

Ammo
Normal Shots : Close to Mid Range
Ammo
Pierce Shots : Mid to Far Range
Ammo
Pellet Shots : Short Range
Other Shots: Fixed damage regardless of distance

The game provides a visual cue for Critical Distance: when a shot discards its casing, an expanding circle appears. This visual indicator helps you learn proper spacing and positioning.

Hitting within the first half of Critical Distance is crucial for maximizing DPS with the

Heavy Bowgun . In this range, the applies a 2.3x damage modifier, while the second half applies a 2.0x modifier. You’ll know you’re in the right range when the hit animation intensifies significantly.

Heavy Bowguns can be equipped with Shields or Power Barrels. Shields allow for guarding but do not benefit from the skill or trigger any guard-related abilities (e.g., , ) and are generally not recommended as they can become a crutch.

For an explanation on element damage, see our Elements page

. For more information on motion values, see the Damage Calculator

Earth Style

Earth Style is the basic

Heavy Bowgun style, providing a straightforward experience without much variation.

Heaven Style

Heaven Style is a slight upgrade from Earth Style, adding the ability to side-step. While it’s generally preferable to Earth Style, the improvement is minimal.

Storm Style

Storm Style introduces the ability to charge your shots. At Level 0, charged shots do slightly less damage than uncharged shots in Heaven Style, but higher charge levels offer greater damage. The charge multipliers are 0.95x/1.15x/1.30x/1.5x from Level 0 to Level 3.

Extreme Style

Extreme Style builds on Storm Style, retaining all its features while removing the damage penalty for Level 0 shots, which now deal 1.0x damage instead of 0.95x.

As with other Extreme Styles, this style allows you to run with your weapon unsheathed, significantly increasing

Heavy Bowgun's mobility. You can also reload while running, which is a major advantage since reloading typically immobilizes you for a while. Firing cancels the running state, and you can use the charge shot to adjust your aim if needed.

Extreme Style introduces a Heat Gauge meter for all

Heavy Bowguns that doesn't require a sigil to use. This meter fills as you fire and lets you use the Blue Heat Cannon and Blast Avoidance. The meter is fully extended by default and doesn’t need Oils to increase its capacity.

The Blue Heat Cannon is an enhanced version found on various Gou

Heavy Bowguns , also obtainable through a sigil. It’s incredibly powerful and can take out a large portion of a standard G Rank monster’s HP. However, it locks you into a lengthy animation with a forced backward movement, leaving you vulnerable, so timing is critical.

Blast Avoidance uses a small portion of the same meter as the Blue Heat Cannon to launch you in a manner similar to

Tonfa . It grants extensive iframes and lets you evade many dangerous attacks, but it also leaves you vulnerable afterward, as you can only run or roll immediately upon landing. You're always launched in the opposite direction to where you’re facing, so if you want to face the monster afterward, you'll need to perform a 180° turn before using this ability.

It’s worth noting that you can have both versions of the Heat Cannon active simultaneously if you use a Sigil or weapon with the standard Heat Cannon, with both gauges appearing side by side.


HBG Tech Master	Twin Hiden, 30	Attack increased by x1.4 when using HBG Tech 【Gun Sage】.
HBG Tech 【Gun Sage】	30	Gives Super High-Grade Earplugs, Attack x1.3 when wielding a Heavy Bowgun, Power (value) of Element/Status ammo x1.2 and Evade Distance Up. Melee attacks and Crag/Clust shots all do 15 KO damage, while Heat Beam does x1.2 damage. Perfectly-timed compression will result in more attack power for that one salvo.
HBG Tech Kaiden	20	Increases attack power by 1.1x and grants Evade Extender when wielding a Heavy Bowgun.
HBG Tech Expert	10	Grants Evade Extender when wielding a Heavy Bowgun.
HBG Tech Novice	-10	Attack x0.8 when wielding Heavy Bowgun.

Skill Interactions


	Adjusts the element hitzones by +5. Determination applies the effects of Dissolver without the need for hitzone requirements, effectively forcing elemental damage or reducing/negating negative hitzones.
	+4 True Raw per hit. Up to 80 True Raw can be gained through leeching.
	25 seconds uptime. The duration can be refreshed by successfully using i-frames again.
	40 seconds duration and +0.15x multiplier increase. The meter is hidden and only enhances attacks within critical distance.
	1/12/26 hits to reach stage 1/2/3 respectively. All weapons share the same stage decay timer; Ice Age Up only affects the third stage’s decay rate.
	400/20000/? total Motion Value to reach stage 1/2/3 respectively. The third stage, exclusive to Rush Up, has a limited duration.
	13 seconds decay window. 28/76/93 hits required to reach stage 1/2/3 respectively (21/57/93 with Ceaseless Up). The third stage is also exclusive to Ceaseless Up, which decays by stages rather than all at once.
	45 seconds duration. 8/5 hits to reach stages 1/2 respectively. The previously hit hitzone is more vulnerable at Stage 2.
	1/2/5 evasions to reach stage 1/2/3 respectively. These effects apply to both successful evasions and perfect guards (where applicable), but attacking is necessary to advance stages.

Sigils Usability Ratings


		Adds a Heat Cannon to a Heavy Bowgun. (HBG Only). Can be used alongside a shield. Provides an additional beam for Extreme Style.	Tech Boost
		Changes Pellet Shots to have Impact properties and deal KO damage.	Other
		Grants Cluster Shots a low chance to detonate into a giant explosion.	Other

Tips and Tricks

As a Gunner weapon, the
Weapon
Heavy Bowgun can quickly meet the requirements for various skills.
Compressed shots are useful against fast-moving targets, but mitigating recoil requires extra effort.
Extreme style’s heat gauge doesn’t require item management. Blast dodges use the meter, offering extensive i-frames, and can transition into a run or roll after landing.
Charging shots helps conserve ammo, particularly effective with compressed Normal 3 and Element shots.
Proper spacing increases the size of
Armor Skill
Heavy Bowgun Hiden's 'perfect' window for compression shots when the buff is active.
Armor Skill
Bullet Saver considers every shot in a single compression shot salvo, with all saved ammo retained in the clip for future use.
Weapon
Raviente Heavy Bowgun bomb shots are generally ineffective; players use them for their strong stat lines instead.
The shield addon does not benefit from
Armor Skill
Obscurity .

Weapons: Light Bowgun

Weapons: Bow