The thrill of hunting in Monster Hunter Wilds goes far beyond slaying colossal beasts—gear customization is where the grind truly shines. Artian Weapons, the latest addition to the game’s endgame systems, introduce a complex but rewarding layer of progression. These customizable weapons aren’t just stylish—they’re designed to dominate, though mastering them takes time, patience, and strategic resource management.
Acquiring Artian Materials
Artian Weapons begin with a unique resource pool: Artian Materials. These items are primarily obtained by defeating Tempered Monsters—enhanced versions of standard enemies. After each successful hunt, you’ll receive Weapon Shards that are appraised into one of four possible materials:
- Broken Blade
- Cracked Disc
- Crushed Tube
- Rusted Device
Each material has a random elemental alignment and a specific bonus, either enhancing attack or affinity. The randomness doesn’t end there—rarity scales based on the strength of the monsters hunted. For greater chances at top-tier materials, it’s advisable to target higher-level Tempered Monsters or opt for missions involving multiple bosses to maximize your haul.
There’s also an alternative for players who prefer not to rely solely on RNG. By visiting the Melding Pot in Suja, you can exchange unwanted materials through a feature called Meld Relics. This system functions similarly to smelting: feeding materials into a point-based system to generate new random materials. After finishing the Chapter Five Storm-Cold Vortex quest and reaching Hunter Rank 100, you’ll unlock the ability to craft specific high-rarity items directly.
Forging Your Artian Weapon
Once the right materials are secured, it’s time to craft. Using the “Forge Artian Weapons” option at Gemma’s Smithy, players must combine three Artian Materials of matching rarity. Each weapon type has its own requirements, making the process highly specific and potentially grind-heavy.
If two materials share the same elemental type, the weapon inherits that element. Add a third of the same type, and it receives an elemental stat boost. This bonus isn’t applicable to Artian Heavy or Light Bowguns, but it does unlock the matching ammunition type instead.
Enhancing Power Through Reinforcements
Crafting is only the beginning—reinforcing these weapons unlocks their full potential. Using the “Reinforce/Dismantle Artian Weapons” option in the Smithy menu, players can add up to five reinforcement bonuses to each weapon. These enhancements are drawn randomly from a pool that includes:
- Affinity Boost
- Attack Boost
- Element Boost
- Sharpness Boost
- Ammo Capacity (specific to Bowguns)
While you can reforge endlessly to chase the perfect set of bonuses, the system includes a hidden mechanic: each forged weapon is assigned a seed determining its potential reinforcements. This means that finding the perfect combination might require trial-and-error crafting of several “test” versions before finalizing your ideal build.
For example, those aiming to build an optimized Charge Blade will need to experiment with multiple versions. If you discover that your sixth version includes the bonuses you want, simply reload a previous save, craft five filler weapons, and then forge your ideal version as the sixth one.