Monster Hunter World: Ranking Every Weapon From Worst To Best

Pros: Highest damage, unique block, good range, staggering charge attacks, slow sharpness deterioration

Cons: Slow reactive times, requires practice

If it's raw power you're after, look no further than the Great Sword. Monster Hunter: World's de facto strongest weapon has the innate ability to register impressive damage numbers like no other, but don't be fooled by its seeming simplicity - skill, timing and spacing will dictate its usefulness more than any other available weapon. Wildly swinging away like a madman is a surefire way to get yourself carted off back to camp.

Thankfully, Capcom has accounted for the dangerous nature of its slow, ponderous swings by endowing the Great Sword with its own unique block ability. "Instant Guard" allows wielders to instantly draw the comically-large blade for a spontaneous block at the cost of sharpness, saving your Hunter's bacon from being roasted, or worse. It sounds counterproductive, but there's nothing else you'll be using that resource for. The Great Sword's sharpened edge takes an age to become blunt due to the unhurried nature of its attacks.

All of this power comes at the cost of utility, mind, so don't expect the Great Sword to bring anything to the table in co-op hunts besides big numbers.