Great Hammers

Learn to master the Great Hammer weapon in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Discover its strengths, weaknesses, and how to perform devastating combos like the Whirlwind Smash.

Great Hammers are a straightforward weapon choice for beginners in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, offering significant damage and interesting combat possibilities. Even for experienced players, the Great Hammer remains a viable option, with some combinations proving both fun and efficient. A notable move is the sliding Whirlwind Smash, where players can slide, leap into the air, and spin the hammer for massive damage.

For new players, the Great Hammer is a good starting point if you enjoy melee combat. While it can be slow, it's manageable. Holding down the R2 button charges the Great Hammer, and releasing it at full charge unleashes a whirlwind ground attack. Holding R2 also unlocks additional maneuvers and allows for chaining into Combination Attacks.

The Great Hammer is also suitable for players who enjoy button-mashing, particularly in the early stages. However, mastering it requires more skill and game knowledge to effectively progress and grind.

Iron Hammer

This is the first hammer craftable from the game's Ore Tree. All other Ore-based hammers derive from this weapon and its three Tiers. Each Tier level branches off to other weapon trees; for example, a Tier II Hammer can branch to the Jagras tree, while a Tier III Hammer cannot branch to Jagras but will branch to another tree. Keeping all Tiers I, II, and III hammers allows branching to any tree as long as you have the materials, though this can consume inventory space and time.

Bone Bludgeon

The first Bone Hammer from the Bone Tree, all other Bone weapons derive from it after being Forged. This weapon also has three Tiers of power. Bone weapons are generally more powerful than Iron weapons at the first level. The Bone Bludgeon deals an extra 100 damage compared to the Iron Hammer's starting damage of 416. At Tier III, the Bone Bludgeon deals 624 damage.

Kulu Beak

The Great Hammer is one of the easiest weapons to use, ideal for new players. On the hardcore side, it can still be challenging to master. A skilled Great Hammer player can be devastating. The Kulu Beak derives from the Bone Tree and can be crafted after hunting a Kulu-Ya-Ku multiple times. Investigations offer more rewards than hunting Kulu-Ya-Ku on expeditions or in repeated Optional Quests. Checking the Resource Center for Kulu-Ya-Ku investigations (Hunts or Captures) is a great way to farm in Monster Hunter World, with bonus rewards of bronze, silver, or gold.

The Kulu-Beak is quite powerful at Tier III, dealing 728 base damage and having 15% Affinity across all three Tier levels. Advancing this weapon to Tier III requires more advanced parts from other monsters, specifically the Boulder Bone, Radobaan Scale, and Odogaron Claw.