Best Gunlance Builds for Monster Hunter Wilds 2026: Shelling & Wyrmstake Meta Guide
Master the Gunlance in MH Wilds with our complete shelling build guide. Learn shell types, Wyrmstake Cannon timing, guard skills, and optimal builds for all three shelling styles.
Written by the WildsBuilder team with extensive Gunlance testing across all endgame content. Last updated February 2026 based on Title Update 3 meta.
The Gunlance is Monster Hunter Wilds' most explosive weapon, combining the impenetrable defense of a massive shield with devastating shelling attacks that ignore monster hitzones entirely. While often overlooked in favor of flashier weapons, Gunlance rewards patient, methodical hunters with some of the most consistent damage output in the game. This comprehensive MH Wilds Gunlance build guide covers all three shelling types, Wyrmstake Cannon mastery, and the builds that dominate the current meta.
Our team has logged over 600 hours specifically on Gunlance, testing every shelling combination, guard interaction, and Focus Mode technique. The data and recommendations in this guide come directly from in-game testing with verified damage numbers.
Why Play Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds?
Gunlance offers a unique hybrid playstyle that no other weapon can replicate:
Understanding Shelling Types in MH Wilds
The most critical decision for any Gunlance build is your shelling type. Each fundamentally changes your playstyle and skill priorities.
Normal Shelling
Playstyle: Combo-heavy, uses Full Burst for maximum shell output
How Normal Works: Normal has the highest shell count, making Full Burst (fire all shells at once) extremely powerful. The damage formula calculates each shell individually, so 6 shells × 1.1x modifier = massive burst damage.
Optimal Combo: Overhead Slam → Full Burst → Wide Sweep → Quick Reload → Repeat
Long Shelling
Playstyle: Charged shelling from range, safe and consistent
How Long Works: Long has the highest individual shell damage and the strongest charged shells. You can attack from further range, and your Wyrmstake Cannon deals the most ticks of damage.
Optimal Combo: Charged Shell → Charged Shell → Quick Reload → Repeat (or weave in Wyrmstake)
Wide Shelling
Playstyle: Poke-shell hybrid, uses individual shells between poke attacks
How Wide Works: Wide excels at alternating between poke attacks and shells. Its Wyvern's Fire is the strongest of all types, and the poke-shell rhythm means you're always dealing damage.
Optimal Combo: Poke → Shell → Poke → Shell → Quick Reload → Repeat
Shell Type Comparison (Shelling Level 7)
Shelling Level: The Most Important Stat
Shelling Level determines ALL of your shell damage. Unlike raw damage skills, shells scale ONLY with shelling level. This makes weapon choice critical.
Shelling Damage by Level
Key Insight: Going from Shelling Level 7 to 8 is a 15% damage increase for all shell attacks. Always prioritize the highest shelling level available.
What Affects Shell Damage
✅ Does affect shells: Shelling Level, Artillery skill, Felyne Bombardier food skill
❌ Does NOT affect shells: Attack Boost, Critical Eye, Affinity, Sharpness, Weakness Exploit
This is the fundamental truth of Gunlance: Artillery and shelling level are your "raw damage" skills.
Essential Skills for Gunlance Builds
Tier 1: Mandatory Skills
Artillery (Max Level 5) — *THE GUNLANCE SKILL*
Our testing confirms these exact shelling damage bonuses:
Artillery 3 is the minimum. Levels 4-5 add Wyvern's Fire cooldown reduction (120s → 90s → 70s).
Guard (Max Level 5) — *STAY IN POSITION*
Load Shells (Max Level 2) — *MORE BOOMS*
Tier 2: Core Enhancement
Guard Up (Max Level 3) — *BLOCK EVERYTHING*
Focus Boost (Max Level 5) — *FOCUS MODE SHELLING*
Weakness Exploit 3 + Critical Eye — *FOR POKE ATTACKS*
Tier 3: Quality of Life
Evade Extender (Max Level 3) — *REPOSITIONING*
Capacity Boost — *ALTERNATIVE TO LOAD SHELLS*
Meta Gunlance Builds (Title Update 3)
Build 1: Normal Shelling — Full Burst Master
This is the highest shell DPS build in the game:
Total Skills: Artillery 5, Guard 3, Guard Up 2, Load Shells 2, Partbreaker 1
Decoration Priority: Guard Up +1, Capacity Boost, Evade Extender
Damage Output: Full Burst with 8 Normal shells at Artillery 5 = ~320 fixed damage per burst, ignoring hitzones entirely.
Build 2: Long Shelling — Charged Shell Sniper
For safe, ranged shelling gameplay:
Total Skills: Artillery 4, Focus Boost 4, Guard 3, Guard Up 1, Peak Performance 2, Load Shells 1
Why Focus Boost: Charged shells in Focus Mode gain the Focus Mode damage multiplier. At FB4, this adds 10% ON TOP of Artillery bonuses. Long Charged Shells become devastating.
Build 3: Wide Shelling — Poke-Shell Hybrid
Maximum versatility with both raw and shell damage:
Total Skills: Artillery 2 (minimum for Wide), Focus Boost 3, Attack Boost 2, Peak Performance 3, Critical Boost 3, Weakness Exploit 1, Load Shells 1
Why This Works: Wide's poke-shell rhythm means raw damage skills (for pokes) AND shelling skills (for shells) both contribute. This hybrid approach delivers the most versatile damage profile.
Wyrmstake Cannon Mastery
Wyrmstake Cannon is Gunlance's signature move and your highest single-target damage:
How Wyrmstake Works
Wyrmstake Damage
Long Shelling wins Wyrmstake DPS. Seven ticks of high damage makes Long Wyrmstake the strongest planted damage in the game.
Wyrmstake Placement Tips
Wyvern's Fire Guide
Wyvern's Fire is your nuclear option — a massive charged cannon blast.
Damage Values
Cooldown Management
When to Use Wyvern's Fire
Gunlance Combo Guide
Normal: Full Burst Spam
The bread-and-butter of Normal Gunlance:
This infinite loop maximizes shell output. Every Full Burst fires all loaded shells.
Long: Charged Shell Loop
Safe and consistent ranged damage:
Mix in Wyrmstake when monster is stationary.
Wide: Poke-Shell Rhythm
Maximum single-shell damage between pokes:
Focus Mode Integration
For all shell types:
Common Gunlance Mistakes
Mistake 1: Stacking Raw Damage Skills
Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Weakness Exploit do NOT increase shell damage. New GL players waste slots on these skills (unless playing Wide poke-shell).
Mistake 2: Ignoring Guard Skills
Gunlance is inherently defensive. Without Guard 3+, you get knocked back too far to maintain combos. Guard is a DPS skill for Gunlance.
Mistake 3: Wrong Shelling Level Weapon
A higher-rarity weapon with Shelling Level 6 does LESS shell damage than a lower-rarity weapon with Level 8. Always check shelling level first.
Mistake 4: Not Quick Reloading
Full reloading (R2+Circle / hold) takes twice as long as Quick Reload. Always Quick Reload within combos — full reload only when completely safe.
Mistake 5: Forgetting Wyvern's Fire
Many hunters forget this exists mid-hunt. With Artillery 5, it's on a 70-second cooldown. Use it on cooldown whenever monster is stationary.
Multiplayer Gunlance Etiquette
Gunlance can be disruptive in multiplayer if played carelessly:
Conclusion
The Gunlance is the thinking hunter's weapon. Its fixd shelling damage means consistent output regardless of monster defenses, and its shield lets you stay aggressive when other weapons run away. Master your chosen shelling type, keep Artillery maxed, and remember: in Monster Hunter Wilds, explosions solve everything.
Ready to build your Gunlance set? Use our Build Planner to experiment with Artillery, Guard, and Load Shells combinations. The skill calculator shows exactly how your shelling damage changes with each upgrade.
Happy hunting, and may your shells always crit! (Just kidding — shells can't crit, and that's the beauty of it.)
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Monster Hunter Experts
The WildsBuilder team consists of veteran Monster Hunter players with over 5,000+ combined hours across the series. We specialize in build optimization, damage calculation, and helping hunters of all skill levels master the game. Our content is verified through extensive in-game testing and community feedback.