TU4 Meta Builds Guide - Monster Hunter Wilds

Title Update 4 brought some serious shake-ups to the Monster Hunter Wilds meta. New monsters mean new gear, and boy, did Capcom deliver. Whether you're a raw damage purist, an elemental enthusiast, or someone who just doesn't want to cart, there's something here for everyone.

Let's break down what's good, what's great, and what's now obsolete.

Table of Contents

• What's New in TU4
• Gore Magala Gear - Black Eclipse Build
• Zoh Shia Gear - Elemental King
• Gogmazios Artian Weapons
• Gamma Armor Sets
• Best Builds by Weapon Type
• Comfort vs Meta - Finding Your Balance
• Skill Priority Rankings

What's New in TU4

TU4 introduced three major gear sources:

Additionally, we got Gamma (γ) versions of existing armor with improved skills and slots.

Gore Magala Gear

Gore Magala's return brought back the fan-favorite Frenzy mechanic through the Black Eclipse skill.

Black Eclipse + Antivirus Explained

Gore Magala armor actually provides TWO linked skills: Black Eclipse and Antivirus.

How it works:

1. You start with a "Frenzy buildup" when facing large monsters
2. Attack monsters to fill the gauge
3. If you fill it before timeout (cure the frenzy):
   • Antivirus triggers: Recovery speed and affinity boost
   • Coalescence triggers: Element damage and status buildup boost
4. If you don't: You take chip damage and lose recovery

This creates a powerful skill chain - curing the frenzy triggers multiple damage buffs simultaneously. It's high risk, high reward - and absolutely cracked when you're playing aggressively.

Gore Magala Armor Pieces

Set Bonus: Black Eclipse (requires 3 pieces)

When to Use Gore Magala

• Fast, aggressive weapons: Dual Blades, Long Sword, Sword & Shield
• Players who stay on the monster: The affinity buff requires consistent attacking
• Speedrunners: The damage ceiling is massive
• NOT recommended for: Ranged weapons (harder to maintain), cautious playstyles

The Optimal Combo: 4-Piece Gore + Zoh Shia Chest

The current meta uses 4 pieces of Gore Magala with the Zoh Shia chest. This gives you:

• Black Eclipse II + Antivirus from 4-piece Gore
• Super Recovery and Coalescence synergy from Zoh Shia chest
• When you cure frenzy, Coalescence boosts element and status alongside Antivirus buffs

Sample Black Eclipse Build (Long Sword)

Head: Gore Magala
Chest: Zoh Shia (Super Recovery + Coalescence synergy)
Arms: Gore Magala
Waist: Gore Magala
Legs: Gore Magala

Skills:
- Attack Boost 5+
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Critical Boost 3
- Black Eclipse II (4-piece set bonus)
- Agitator 5
- Coalescence (triggers when curing frenzy)

Monster enraged affinity: Up to 85% with Agitator Lv5

Alternative: Replace some pieces with Rathalos γ or Kaiser γ for more Critical Eye if needed.

Zoh Shia Gear

Zoh Shia armor is for the elemental weapon mains and players who want serious sustain.

Super Recovery

The Zoh Shia set bonus, Super Recovery, gives you:

• Passive HP regeneration over time
• Increased healing from all sources
• Synergizes with Health Augments

This sounds defensive, but it actually lets you play MORE aggressively because you don't need to sheath and heal as often.

Zoh Shia Armor Pieces

Set Bonus: Super Recovery (requires 2 pieces)

When to Use Zoh Shia

• Elemental weapons: Bow, Dual Blades, Charge Blade, Sword & Shield
• Players who want comfort: Super Recovery is incredibly forgiving
• Long fights: Gogmazios, Zoh Shia itself, endurance hunts
• NOT ideal for: Pure raw damage builds

Sample Elemental Build (Bow)

Head: Zoh Shia
Chest: Zoh Shia
Arms: Rathalos (Crit Element)
Waist: Zoh Shia
Legs: Gore Magala (Agitator)

Skills:
- [Element] Attack 5+
- Critical Element 3
- Element Exploit 2
- Super Recovery (set bonus)
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Stamina Surge 3

Element Damage: Massively boosted on weak points
Sustain: Never need to heal during openings

Gogmazios Artian Weapons

Here's the big one. Gogmazios materials let you craft new Artian weapons that push the raw damage ceiling even higher.

What Are Artian Weapons?

Artian weapons are a special crafting line that uses Elder Dragon materials. They typically have:

• Highest raw damage in their category
• No element (or very low)
• Decent slots
• Neutral affinity (usually 0%)

With TU4, Gogmazios materials unlock the final upgrades for many Artian weapons.

Top Artian Weapons by Category

Are Artian Weapons Still Meta?

Yes, absolutely. For raw-focused playstyles, Artian weapons remain the top choice. The pure raw damage combined with good sharpness makes them optimal for:

• Great Sword (wake-up/charged attacks)
• Hammer (KO builds)
• Heavy Bowgun (Spread/Pierce)
• Switch Axe (Power Phial)

For elemental weapons, you'll want monster-specific elemental weapons instead.

Cool Detail: Element-Based Glow

Community discovery: The Gogma Artian weapons' glow effect changes color based on the weapon's element! This is a purely cosmetic detail, but it makes the weapons look incredible when paired with different element augments.

Gamma Armor Sets

TU4 introduced Gamma (γ) versions of popular armor sets with improved skills.

Rey Dau γ (and Arch-Tempered Rey Dau)

The standout piece here is for the Guts (Tenacity) skill.

Guts: Survive a killing blow with 1 HP once per hunt (like Moxie/Guts from older games)

This is HUGE for Gogmazios and other one-shot mechanics. Running Rey Dau γ waist gives you Guts and excellent slots.

Arch-Tempered Rey Dau gear is an alternative source for:

• Attack boost skills
• Guts skill
• Better slots in some cases
• Great for challenging hunts like AT monsters and 9-star quests

Nu Udra γ

Another Guts option with different skill distribution. Mix and match with Rey Dau γ for:

• Guts 1 (minimum needed)
• Good decoration slots
• Defensive flexibility

Gamma Piece Recommendations

Best Builds by Weapon Type

Great Sword

Goal: Maximum raw damage for True Charged Slashes

Weapon: Artian Varianza+
Head: Kaiser γ (Crit Eye)
Chest: Gore Magala (Attack)
Arms: Rathalos (Attack)
Waist: Rey Dau γ (Guts)
Legs: Gore Magala (Agitator)

Key Skills:
- Attack Boost 7
- Critical Eye 7
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Critical Boost 3
- Focus 3
- Guts 1

Damage: Highest possible TCS crits

Long Sword

Goal: Sustained DPS with Black Eclipse

Weapon: Shagaru Magala LS (for Dragon matchups)
       OR Gore Magala LS (affinity boost)
Head: Gore Magala
Chest: Gore Magala
Arms: Gore Magala
Waist: Rathalos γ
Legs: Kaiser γ

Key Skills:
- Attack Boost 7
- Critical Eye 7
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Quick Sheath 3
- Black Eclipse (set bonus)

Playstyle: Aggressive counter-focused

Dual Blades (Elemental)

Goal: Element damage with sustain

Weapon: Match element to monster weakness
Head: Zoh Shia
Chest: Zoh Shia
Arms: Rathalos γ (Crit Element)
Waist: Zoh Shia
Legs: Any with element skill

Key Skills:
- [Element] Attack 5+
- Critical Element 3
- Marathon Runner 3
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Super Recovery (set bonus)

Note: Make 5 versions for each element

Heavy Bowgun (Spread)

Goal: Close-range burst damage

Weapon: Artian Obliterator+ OR Insurrection Cannon
Head: Any with Spread Up
Chest: Gore Magala
Arms: Any with Recoil Down
Waist: Any with Spread Up
Legs: Kaiser γ

Key Skills:
- Spread Up 3
- Attack Boost 7
- Critical Eye 7
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Evade Reload (weapon skill)

Playstyle: Stay close, shoot weak points, evade reload

Charge Blade

Goal: SAED spam or Savage Axe sustain

Weapon: Artian line (raw) or Element-specific
Head: Gore Magala
Chest: Any with Artillery
Arms: Gore Magala
Waist: Gore Magala
Legs: Any with Capacity Boost

Key Skills:
- Artillery 3 (Impact Phial) or [Element] Attack 5 (Element Phial)
- Capacity Boost 1
- Attack Boost 5+
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Focus 2-3

Choose your style: Impact for raw, Element for matching weaknesses

Comfort vs Meta - Finding Your Balance

Not everyone wants to run glass cannon builds. Here's how to add survivability without sacrificing too much damage:

Comfort Skills Worth Slotting

The "Safe but Strong" Template

Attack Boost 5 (not 7)
Critical Eye 5 (not 7)
Weakness Exploit 3
Critical Boost 3
Health Boost 3
Divine Blessing 3 OR Guts 1

DPS loss: ~10-15%
Survivability gain: Massive

For learning new monsters or hard content like Gogmazios, this trade-off is absolutely worth it.

Skill Priority Rankings

When building, prioritize skills in this order:

S-Tier (Always Max)

1. Weakness Exploit 3 - 50% affinity on weak points
2. Critical Boost 3 - 40% crit damage
3. Attack Boost 4+ - 5% affinity at level 4

A-Tier (Highly Recommended)

1. Critical Eye - Fill to 100% affinity
2. Agitator - Monster is enraged most of the time
3. Weapon-Specific - Artillery, Spread Up, Element Up, etc.

B-Tier (Nice to Have)

1. Health Boost - Comfort
2. Handicraft/Protective Polish - Sharpness management
3. Quick Sheath - Quality of life

C-Tier (Niche)

1. Partbreaker - Only for farming specific parts
2. Slugger - Only for Hammer/HH
3. Flinch Free - Only for multiplayer

Final Thoughts

TU4 didn't revolutionize the meta - it refined it. The core principles remain:

1. Stack affinity to 100%
2. Max Critical Boost
3. Add weapon-specific damage skills
4. Fill remaining slots with comfort or utility

The new gear gives us more ways to achieve this, with Gore Magala offering a high-skill-cap option and Zoh Shia providing consistent comfort. Artian weapons remain king for raw damage.

Experiment with different combinations. The "meta" build isn't always the best build for you. A build you can play confidently will out-damage a meta build you cart with every time.

Happy hunting!

Guide updated for TU4 (December 2025). Meta may shift with future balance patches.