Monster Hunter World: Ranking Every Weapon From Worst To Best
5. Bow
Pros: Infinite ammo, ammo coatings, easy to use, mobile
Cons: No melee, no block
Sometimes you just can't beat the traditional weapons that have gone unchanged for millennia. The bow, simple as it is, will never surpass the damage of those newfangled Bowguns, but it never needs to - this ranged option is all about sustained damage.
Out of all of World's weapon types, the bow has the most uptime. Where melee users must dodge, reposition and chase their targets around like a Ratholos in heat, followers of the mythical Mr Hood can loose arrow after arrow indefinitely, thanks to the agility and infinite ammo it provides.
That inexhaustible quiver of ordinary arrows isn't going to do much against monsters with thick hides, of course, but that's where Coatings - paralysis, blast, sleep etc. - and the mighty Dragon Piercer come into play.
The only downside to all of this utility is that the bow has no block or melee options available to it. The former can be accounted for by keeping one well-trained eye on the opponent's attack patterns, but there's no remedy for the latter. You'll need teammates to perform mounting attacks in your stead.