It has now become my first reaction when considering a new weapon to "See what gaijin hunter has to say about it"

I'd say the Bow's melee attacks' biggest purpose is actually assisting in applying status. If you have a status coating equipped, the melee attacks apply the status *without* consuming a coating. Therefore, you can get more out of every coating you have, as an actual arrow shot will consume the coating. This technically applies to all coatings, but obviously you benefit the most from applying more status (guaranteed on the attacks IIRC) than, say, a power coating. It's still not super amazing or anything, but it's nice to know.

Gaijin Hunter you are now officially my Favorite KZfaqr. Keep the Monster Hunter Community alive sir.

So I just watched this tutorial after I realized I should branch out to Gunner weapons, and decided to try the Bow for myself. All I have to say is; THANK YOU SO MUCH seriously, this tutorial was a big help, and all the practice I got in-game also worked once I knew what to do. I really feel like I could make good use of a Bow now, so again, thank you.

by far best weapon tutorials ive seen!

I have to say, your channel is pretty awesome in terms of comprehensive guides and advanced tips for MH. It's a pretty neat ressource that saves a lot of time by breaking down all the mechanics behind the game. You did a very good job.

i always come back to these tutorials whenever i need a refresher of a concept of a weapon i'm trying to learn/use. thanks gaijin hunter.

This is amazing. Thank you. I really appreciate Capcom putting in the screen shake to help people get used to the optimal range.

"the bow is the most melee-weapon friendly gunner weapon to jump to." Me: laughs in blast arcshot*

The melee atk is not useless, it does cutting damage and can cut some tails, i've soloed every single quest in MH3U with bow and cutted almost every tail with that "useless" atk. Initially it's hard but when you become used to it becomes easy. Happy Hunting!!

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This is very simple and easy to learn. I've always been a blademaster and now this really helps in understanding coatings and distance, Thanks a lot!

Well I just wasted a bunch of time. But I believe his armor set for the rapid Seregios bow is.... Regios Cap X (Loading +3 Jewel) Kushala Vise X (Fast Charge +1, Normal Up +1) Guards of Rage/Black Belt Guards from high rank (Torso Up) Kushala Wind Wrap X (Loading +3 Jewel) Kushala Shank X (Evasion +3 Jewel and Fast Charge +1) Charm is +10 Attack and 3 slots w/+4 Normal Up Jewel in it. This setup gives you Evasion +2 Fast Charge Normal Up Load up Heat Resist Attack up (S) Works VERY well with the Seregios Bow.

Thank You for your tutorials. Even after over 1700 hours of MH between MH Tri, MHp3rd, and MHFU I was able to learn a lot about the game.

Like the elf needs food badly, I needed this tutorial, badly!

So glad they made the hit sparks WAY more noticeable in 4U. I had a friend that had apparently been bowing for 2 weeks and never knew the proper ranges.

Gaijin Hunter I just started watching your tutorials and I'm very impressed of how you explain them in depth and very easy to understand, keep up the good videos

My bowgun sense is tingling *sniff sniff*, their tutorials are close >_>

I recently made the switch from Lance to bow, your videos were invaluable to help teach me the ropes! Thank you!

I like your videos very much. They are clear, complete and concise. I actually use them to experiment in MH3U, thanks to you I converted to bow, hunting horn and gunlance, weapons i never thought i'd use. Thank you and keep'em coming

After seeing this I really wanna try a rapid bow. I really like the distance you have to stay in with that bow. And btw. I really enjoy your videos. They are a great help for people like me that are pretty much a newbie to the game. Keep the good work up :D

Ahh the bow. My go to weapon in every single monster hunter game. The diversity is so amazing with it not to mention the damage you can rack up is great.

Thank you so much for making this video. I recently started playing mh4u, and I couldn't figure out how to use the bow for the life of me. I must have spend like 20 minutes desperately trying to make the bow in the tutorial quest do a power shot until this video explained that it's not possible on an arc-type bow. Given how noob-friendly Capcom made the series in this installment, I'm surprised they did such a piss-poor job of explaining bow mechanics to players who've never used it before.

Bow is the only thing in the Gunner category that I've ever had an interest in, and this just strengthened it!

as i put more time into 4U, ive started branching out and experimenting with more and more weapons. i like getting my hands on a weapon, and learning it for myself first, but your tutorials serve as a nice solidifier. ya know, that little extra help to go from 'good' to 'great'. keep up the good work, man!

Your guide is soo good. Everytime I want to start learning a new weapon I use your guide. You didn't say a word yet the video still very understandable, especially for non English speaker like me! Good work!

It amazes how much depth there is to each weapon. I used to primarily run with the long sword but thanks to these vids Im getting a better experience with the game. Still hoping for a new console version of MH. Maybe MH5

thank you so much for making these weapon tutorial! I especially like where you point out the moves that affect co-op plays. THANK YOU!!

First 3ds game I'm so hook up with ! And your videos are making my gaming experience so much better ! Hope I can get pro enough to use the bow seems really fun ! Keep the good work mate

I strongly disagree with the melee being useless. Apply a C.Range Coat and you have a valuable tail cutting tool. I also strongly disagree with not using blast shots online. Just don't aim them when allies are near the boss. I even more strongly disagree with power shots being a requirement, especially online. Sometimes status up with a bow that emphasizes statuses is a better idea for online hunting. The bow requires a bit more finesse than most people assume it would, as you demonstrated, but not using every tool available (blast arcs, melee) is taking out a lot of that finesse and making it into an arguably worse bowgun. This guide seems to be coming from a point of damage optimization which isn't bad, inherently, but missing a lot of the usefulness of bow hunting. Still a solid 8/10 guide though.

You helped me not tear my hair out while trying out the bow for the first time on mh4u. Consider yourself duly subbed to, keep up the good work!

Very well done sir! I have and only ever used the bow in 3U and loved all 500+ hours of it. Decided to check your tutorial vid to see if I mighta missed out in the bow's full potential but glad to know that I was actually using it right. Great tutorials btw! ^_^

Thanks for the simple and clear tutorial. I thought i knew the ins and outs of my bow, but I was quite mistaken. I'll manage better now that I have a handle on power and arc shots.

This is great, i just tried bow out in the demo, to see what changed. aside from the awful camera change, the screen shaking is a freaking awesome and visceral way to show you're at perfect range. I'm wondering if there's any reason people would use the arc shots over the new power shots though. Personally, i did really like the wide shot in particular- scoring KOs, but the power shots seem so much simpler and more immediately effective.

I love these tutorials so much! They give so much detail, the only thing that would make them better would be if someone read what you put on the screen:P

This is fantastic. I had seen a few text guides in 3U and just felt lost when it came to ranged weapons so I didn't bother, but now I'm really excited to give this a try for online. Thanks! (and thanks to the GFaqs user who linked this)

I am literally watching this just to know what changes...Nice video and thanks and letting me know how to change my play styles

At 2:13 Change LV -> Charge LV. Really nice tut. Like always!

Really useful tutorial, could never get the hang of the bow but i wanna give it a try now. Good videos as always gaijin. Thanks :)

Ive never played monster hunter until the 4U demo, and i like the bow, thanks for this video it let me see how awesome the bow is in the game :D (when used correctly)

Something that might be worth noting is that the 4th shot can be powerful if you have a Power-type bow. Due the fact that Power shots add 1 more charge level, the access to 4th shot will essentially add 20% raw and 12% elemental on your Power shots, even if you're only charging to level 3. Not only that, but there are many instances in group hunts where you have to hold on to your charge well beyond the 3rd level due to the monster being too far. In these cases, access to the 4th shot will increase your damage. This is all assuming that the 3rd and 4th charges have comparable arrow types.

Great video. Really helping with these tutorials for when i start playing mh4u. For the piercing shots it would've been good to have used black gravios just because a poor shot at his head with a good piercing charge can go through most of his body and a well aimed shot can go from head to tail. Love these videos. Im really looking for a Sword and shield tutorial though. Some of the basic attack movements have changed and im curious if they are more fluent or choppy. Keep at it. This really helps toward the MH community.

Nice tutorial! Also remember to put those hammer users in shame by ko-ing a monster with the arc shots ;)

Awesome tutorial! Today I'll focus on making a nice bow set to start hunting with bow.

useful hint for other bow users : in mh4u we now have screen shake for critical distance, note that everytime you do critical distance, the screen goes shaking while you're too far/close the screens are not shaking

feels like pierce bows could be very large monsters killers. I'll use one on the Mohran next time I do it. Excellent guide by the way :D

For addition the melee attack in bow is one of the most important attack for cutting tails that is. Without that attack we can't cut tails with bow. To cut tails easily, apply close range coating for increased sharpness and slicing damage. And I don't think assisting in applying status is the biggest purpose cause you'll run out of time before the status is actually applied on the monster by melee attack because it barely inflict status damage, well it does but in a very small amount.. Happy hunting!

*BOW CORRECTIONS:* *Spread* lvl1 and 2 are *3 arrows*, the difference is in power of individual arrows. Lvl3 and up are *5 arrows*, again the difference is in power of the individual arrows. Spread is best best for Element and Status. *Rapid* lvl1 - 4 adds arrows 1 - 4, capping at 4, even with Rapid lvl5. Rapid is best for pinpoint damage to a weakness. *Pierce* lvl1 has 3 hits, lvl2 has 4 hits, and lvl 3 and up have 5 hits. Best for lengthier monsters to hit with raw and element combined for weaknesses throughout the monster. Great for hitting weaknesses that aren't normally exposed right away. *Slash* is great for cutting tails. Power coatings multiply all damage, even slash, by x1.5, where Close range only applies a higher sharpness to cut through tougher tails, which is not equal to the boost of Power Coats, but is roughly a x1.2 boost. Slash and boomerangs are great when combined as a bow user. Always use Power coats for best results, unless the tail has higher defense, which then requires the smaller boost of Close Range coatings.

"Know your distance" should be the motto for bows. I've seen too many scrubs shooting from a mile away and they ain't using pierce.

Thanks for the tutorial ! I got MH4U recently and main Dual Blades. But with Kushala Daora and others big monsters like Akantor, it's too difficult to defeat them in a close battle. So, i was looking which ranged weapon to use and i think i made my choice. Thanks again !

I'm in love with your tutorials! :)

I've been using these tutorials for my MH3U play and I really learned a lot about bows from this. I had no idea about critical distance but I noticed stronger "impact" flashes when I was closer with certain bows, and I didn't have any idea about Arc Shots. Thanks a ton :) Your SnS Tutorial was neat as well, does the jump back part still apply in 3U? (Jumping back and then closing in again with a powerful slam?)

That screen shake will be helpful :O Wasn't in 3U IIRC, so I never knew about critical distance and thus was a failure as a gunner.... So thanks for the info :P

One of the most useful youtube vids I've seen in a loooong time! Thnx!

I like the new control scheme. The old scheme in MH3U was the reason why I never use the Bow or Bowgun.

an amazing guide explained everything perfectly thumbs up m8 new fave youtuber

Absolutely amazing guide, I plan on using bow a LOT more in this game than I have in previous games, and the tips you presented are very helpful for maximum damage output. However, I am curious, what armor set are you using for the Seregios bow? As I plan on making that armor set and it appears your set has all the skills I originally wanted in the set and then some.

Love your guides man, keep them up.

Hey! You forgot to mention that you can change the distance of where the arc shots will land by tilting up or down during aim-mode. It has a surpisingly long range, and it can be useful if a monster uses a move that causes it to be too far from critical distance. Like when you're using a spread bow with a focus arc shot, and the kut-ku you're fighting charges away to your palicos (or ally that's away from the group for some reason) and trips itself. You can hit the focus arc shot on its head instead of wasting stamina (and time) running towards it to get to critical distance. :)

I like so much your guides! Continue them! U r awesome! Very helpful. since i thought i was using some weapons right, but no... hehe. Thank you very much!

Best tutorials man very helpful.

I started today to prove bows and they are difficult (and more with the controls of 3ds) but with your tutorial i have more idea now, thanks. That Zinogre was high rank?

Bow is my new favourite weapon. Coming from a hammer user! Your tutorial helped me a lot. I'm considering moving onto LBG soon! I really don't like crouching fire of the HBG. :(

This explains a lot. Thanks for the very helpful guide!

Awesome tutorial as always, what will be the next weapon in your tutorial guides? Maybe the HBG? The DB? Anyway, thank you for this videos.

Hey Gaijin Hunter! Big fan. :D I've wanted to get into bow for awhile, I have a few q's about manual aiming. 1. is the D-pad the best aiming method amongst bow users? 2. how fast do you have aiming set to on the options? unrelated aiming question 3. How would you prioritize the spread vs rapid vs pierce shots? Do you use spread for status, rapid for dps, and pierce for higher dps on bigger monsters? 4. Arc shot

Bow controls amazingly on New 3DS. That c-stick is awesome

Hi, continue your videos, they are really amazing ! Btw, I have one question... What is the better armor set with the Seregios bow ? Same for the Seregios LBG ? Maybe Akantor, Monodevil or zinogre, other, Idk... Tell me, please :) Thanks !

I like that some tutorials have been updated, would this one ever be updated to have voice over as well? Rewatching today because I need to finally try out bow :)

Man, now I'm torn between Bow and Charge Blade lol... Thanks for the quick tip on mounting as well! Never got the hang of it till now.

this was pointed out, but the melee is far from useless. first, it is the ONLY gunner attack to NATURALLY have cut dmg, so no more coating of slice shots. second, melee will have the effect of any coat applied without spending, so you can apply poison, paralysis, sleep, or go blasting with a hit from the bow. power will boost melee, c. range applies sharpness to melee, all other statuses effect as named.

Another point on the melee in adition to the ability to cut tails with c.coat it can inflict poison/para/sleep without expending a use of the coat which can be useful

great tutorial!!! I understand everything even if it's complex!! thank you!!

I really do love how the ranged weapons almost make MH feel like a brand new game. For someone who never used any ranged weapons til 3U, it was a real shocker lol That being said, I do hope they come up with a new one for MH5. Maybe copy Pit's weapon from Kid Icarus, a DS/Bow combo. I have NO idea how that'd work, but this team made a SnS/Axe awesome, and even made Tonfa (still want those in MH4U too) into deadly weapons.

Hello Gaijin I just want to ask can you please tell me the name of the bow you using in this video, and btw AWESOME guide I'm switching from SnS to now because of you sir and thanks. You have 1 new subscriber 😉

Really useful information. Thanks. I just started playing with the Bow and I'm really liking it. Since I'm only beginning I only have The Hunter Stoutbow I and Heat Haze (from Seltas parts) Which one you recommend using?

i enjoy your tutorials thanks for the tip... do you have chart of monster parts and weak spots or do you just aim at the head and hope for the best? Also all arrows are pierce dmg rather than slice yes?

Dude thank you I was dying to learn bow

Thanks man you gave me everything I needed to know

Finally. Thank you for this.

Great guide! What are the best bows for each type of shot? And what are the best bow armor sets?

Awesome video man! Gunna learn to play bow for online, come on Feb 13th

I've been using the bow for awhile now (3 days) and I learned some things I had no idea about. SOmething I was curious about in the video was the control scheme that you changed. What's the difference? I'm assuming I already set it to what you're using since it's comfortable to maneuver it.

Lovely guide. My only concern is that at higher levels of the game, monsters won't die that fast. As such, you will run out of power coatings! Including mixtures to add more to your hunt, will the total (...80?) be enough for all hunts?

Hey boys and girls! Are you having trouble with your Gravios? Your melee weapons bounce off of every part! You get seared by fiery farts while smacking its rocky feet! And who could forget about that lightning-fast tail swing! Before you know it you've triple-carted after 30 minutes of trying to kill this thing! Well do I have a product for you! Introducing our Bowfish line of Water elemental bows! Sporting obscene amounts of water attack, these nifty bows will put a swift and successful end to all your Gravios hunts! Watch in awe as this bow easily breaks the Gravios' wings and head! Bet you never even knew you could break those huh? And oh my! Did you just see that Gravios flinch several times within a single minute on this hunt? And oh look! One of its legs just broke and it toppled, we weren't even trying! The amazing Bowfishes can be yours for the low-low price of a couple rare fish you can get in only a couple minutes of your time! But wait, there's more! If you visit your trusty blacksmith now, you can also craft this Royal Ludroth armor which you can gem for Water Atk+2! Now you'll show that Low-Rank Gravios who's boss! Oh but did we mention that the upgraded Bowfish works just as well against High and G rank Gravios as well? Call now for more information!

I also feel you forgot to mention that the Spread is best for flanking a large monster, and that Pierce is best for facing monsters head-on to send the arrows through the length of their body (if applicable).

Hey, Gaijin, wouldn't the other charge levels be useful depending on the monster you're fighting? I used Bows for a spell in MH3U, and I found using varying levels of charge depending on the situation very satisfying. It allowed me to keep at varying intervals and kept things from getting stale.

Thanks for another awesome video!

Oh man, this was super useful.

DO NOT USE SLASH FOR STATUS. One slash is half the coatings effect. A full two slashes apply 100% of that coating, which is the equivalent of a SINGLE arrow, at a FULL CHARGE. Spreadlvl3 and up is best for status, or arcs, as that is 100% x 5 arrows, or 100% x 7 from an arc. Even Rapid lvl4 is good, 100% x 4 arrows. Full inflictions are better than two slashes that take too long to apply enough status before the monster recovers/begins resisting the first two slashes, if it hasn't already recovered from the first slash. Slash is for tail cuts, and I MH4U is now good for heavy slash melee from jumping off ledges. Slash may save your precious coatings, but it does not save your precious quest time. smh

I like the new controls.

Very nice guide man! Keep that up. ;)

Hey Gajin, do you use circle pad pro or the regular 3DS?

Bows you upgrade and craft from the beginning when you hunt Kut-ku, nescylla and other monsters, the bow isnt so good. The damage output ranges from 100 to 130. It's really weak even when used correctly so I beg to differ! That's why the rathian bow and other strong bows that are maxed out on upgrades are being demonstrated because they're the most powerful. Bows are a joke in single player!

Thanks so much for the tutorial. Would you recommend bow for a solo hunter or is it more of a support/multiplayer weapon?

The bow and the hunting horn are the only weapons I just cannot work for the life of me. Bowguns are easy enough to work out and I love the rapid fire feature on the light bow gun, charge axes and insect glaives are child's play but bows and hunting horns still elude me.

Great tutorial! I might try the bow know, though I'm more of a switch axe guy

Amazing, you're great! Thanks a lot. I'm HH, but I rly wanna try the bow XD

well me personally I believe bows were nurfed, even though they were never really powerful in the first place. they are only decent in teams and good for knocking frenzied monsters out of it. I've made multiple sets used many rank 10 bows and even went guild questing for some good ones. but in the end using them solo offline seems to be very slow and useless at some points in the game. mh4u. I'd say a buff would be great to bring in more bow users. and maybe finally an ancient bow??? please

I have the feeling that the most Arc Shot Bows got pretty useless in MH4U. There are so many areas with nets or wines over your head, you can't hit with Arc Shots there.