Gunlance Guide
Gunlance is patience with an explosive answer. A short gap holds a guard or a single attack; when the target will stay still, commit to a Normal-shelling Full Burst. Reading that timing correctly turns a lance slam into a magazine of explosions before the monster closes the opening.
Shells ignore your Attack, affinity, and critical-hit bonuses, while the lance hits still use them. The shield protects you between committed attacks, but it cannot cancel their recovery. Load slinger ammo into the weapon and lodge Wyrmstake Blast in the monster so nearby shells trigger a second explosion. Keep at least green sharpness to preserve shell damage; white also raises the loop's melee damage and reduces the chance that its slams bounce.
This guide covers Iceborne's final balance. Use the in-game Hunter's Notes for weapon controls; the official manual covers general controls. Combat Mechanics explains why the same swing can deal different damage. Shells ignore most of those calculations. See Motion Values for the weapon's complete move list.
If this weapon is new to you, try it in the Training Area first. Use the in-game Hunter's Notes to practice its basic attacks; this guide explains how to connect them into a hunt.
Shelling
Each Gunlance has Normal, Long, or Wide shelling. The weapon determines its shelling type and level; decorations cannot change either one. When comparing weapons for a shell-focused style, a higher shelling level means stronger shell damage.
- Normal has the largest magazine and favors Full Burst. Slam, fire every loaded shell, and reload.
- Long favors Charged Shelling. It has the longest shell reach and the highest damage per charged shell.
- Wide alternates thrusts and individual shells. It has high damage per shell and the strongest Wyrmstake Cannon and Wyvern's Fire.
and the meal skill Felyne Bombardier raise shell damage. , , and do not. adds one shell to the magazine, so it adds another explosion to Full Burst.
Shells do not bounce, but yellow sharpness reduces their damage, and red sharpness prevents them from firing. A Normal or Long shell consumes two sharpness units; a Wide shell consumes three. Full Burst applies that cost to every loaded shell, so Normal's larger magazine consumes more sharpness per burst than a one-shell pattern. Keep green or better for the shells. Because the slams still use ordinary melee hitzones and sharpness modifiers, white sharpness also raises their damage and can prevent a bounce on a part that green cannot penetrate.
Once you commit to Full Burst or Wyvern's Fire, the shield cannot interrupt the move or its recovery.
Full Burst
Normal shelling turns a long opening into this loop: Overhead Smash → Full Burst → Wide Sweep → Quick Reload → Overhead Smash. The high-damage Wide Sweep follows the burst, and Quick Reload restores the magazine while returning the sequence to Overhead Smash.
Quick Reload restores shells but does not restore a spent stake; a full reload restores both. Wide Sweep also sets up a stake attack by placing you close to the target. Plant the stake only when the monster will remain in place long enough for you to finish the animation.
If a roar or attack will arrive before the sequence ends, stop and guard instead of beginning Full Burst. Both Overhead Smash and Wide Sweep are melee hits, so and apply to the slam and sweep when their conditions are met, but not to the explosions.
shortens charged shells. It does not empty a Normal magazine faster.
Wyrmstake and Wyvern's Fire
Wyrmstake Cannon plants the standard stake in the monster. The stake deals repeated hits, then explodes on its own.
Wyrmstake Blast is Iceborne's loaded stake. Load slinger ammo into the gun, then fire the stake. While it is lodged, every shell that hits near it, as well as Wyvern's Fire, triggers a second explosion. Its duration depends on the ammo type and the amount you loaded. can extend that duration, but it does not increase the damage of each shell or triggered explosion.
Wyvern's Fire has its own cooldown. Raising the shield before firing does not protect you throughout the recovery. You can aim while it charges because the barrel follows the camera, including upward and behind you. Wide has the strongest version, but every shelling type can use it when a long opening makes the charge and recovery safe.
Fight loop
For Normal shelling, use Overhead Smash → Full Burst → Wide Sweep → Quick Reload → Overhead Smash, then repeat the sequence. Whenever the monster gives you the full opening, your goal is to empty the loaded magazine. Load slinger ammo, then use Wide Sweep → Wyrmstake Blast when the monster will remain still. When the monster starts an attack, stop before committing to another long action and raise the shield. Blocking does not consume the magazine, so your next Overhead Smash can still open Full Burst.
At the start of the hunt, an unenraged monster and available slinger ammo create an opportunity for a Flinch Shot into a wall. Use the knockdown to wound the part you plan to attack or to plant Wyrmstake Blast if the gun is already loaded. Gunlance is a heavy weapon, so one clutch weapon attack creates the wound. Collect more slinger ammo before preparing the stake if the Flinch Shot spent your supply. Against Great Jagras, place the melee slams on the head or inflated belly.
When the monster is down, aim Full Burst near a lodged Wyrmstake Blast. If the stake is absent, use the long opening to plant it instead. Fire Wyvern's Fire only when enough of the opening remains for its charge and recovery, then reload before the monster stands if time permits.
End the combo early enough to raise the shield before the next hit. The shield cannot come up during Full Burst or Wyvern's Fire recovery; once movement is available, hop away from an attack that is outside the shield's facing.
Skills
Build enough health and defense to survive the target before spending every remaining slot on damage. Getting Started explains meals, the progression, and when to spend Armor Sphere. Combat Mechanics explains Defense and the benefit of reaching 20 elemental resistance. affects the slams, not the shells.
Damage priorities
This guide starts with Normal Full Burst. A shell-focused Iceborne set usually carries:
| Offensive | Why |
|---|---|
| Highest shell level | A higher level raises shell damage. Compare shelling level first among weapons that fit the same shell-focused style, then weigh sharpness and other weapon stats. |
| Raises shell damage. Reaching Lv 5 requires . | |
| Adds one shell to the magazine, and Full Burst fires every loaded shell. | |
| Keep green or better | Yellow sharpness reduces shell damage. White keeps Overhead Smash and Wide Sweep effective against harder hides. Use the options in Keep a color to maintain it. |
| Lv 3 | Adds affinity to Overhead Smash and Wide Sweep when its hitzone conditions are met. Shells do not crit. |
| Adds attack and affinity to the melee hits while the monster is enraged; it does not raise shell damage. Reaching Lv 7 requires . |
| Defensive | Why |
|---|---|
| Lv 3 | Raises the health cap to 200 after you also receive the meal's health increase. Chip damage still passes through the shield. |
| Armor Sphere | Raises Defense at the smithy. Spend them on armor you expect to keep when hits start to hurt. |
| 20 matching resistance | At 20 of a resistance you do not catch that blight. , , , , — or . |
| Reduces guard knockback and stamina loss. Add levels when the target's attacks push you too far back or consume too much stamina to hold position. | |
| Gives incoming damage a chance to be reduced. Reaching Lv 5 requires . | |
| Lv 3 | Prevents stun when an attack gets through the shield. |
In a group, add Lv 1 if teammates interrupt the loop.
Choose these skills for a specific shelling style, target, or remaining slot:
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Lets the shield block certain attacks that are normally unblockable. Those blocks can still deal chip damage. | |
| A precisely timed guard temporarily raises physical attack. That bonus strengthens the lance hits, not the shells. | |
| Shortens charged shells on Long. It does not empty a Normal magazine faster. | |
| Multiplies crits on Overhead Smash and Wide Sweep. Skip it on a shell-primary set. | |
| Extra affinity for the slams, not the explosions. | |
| Lv 4+ | Adds physical attack in remaining slots but does not raise shell damage. Lv 4 also adds 5% affinity. |
| Lv 1 | Slinger ammo drops from the clutch weapon attack. Gunlance already wounds in one clutch attack. |
| Loading more covered ammo extends Wyrmstake Blast duration, not each triggered explosion. Extra rounds do not increase Flinch Shot damage or wall-collision damage. Loading only the remainder after a Flinch Shot gives the stake the shorter duration for that smaller load. | |
| Extra physical at full health. Chip from a guard turns it off. | |
| Extra attack while recoverable (red) health is on the bar. Pair with or . | |
| Raises Attack, element, and status buildup after you recover from a blight or abnormal status. | |
| Raises part damage, helping breaks and tail cuts. It does not multiply the health damage dealt by a shell. | |
| Extra attack and defense after a faint, up to two times. Do not plan to faint. |
Keep a color
Keep at least green sharpness to preserve shell damage. White also helps the loop's melee hits remain effective against hard hides. Normal spends several sharpness units at once because Full Burst applies each loaded shell's two-unit cost. Choose a sharpness skill according to whether the weapon needs a longer gauge, protection for its current color, or a shorter sharpening animation.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Adds sharpness when the gauge is not already full. | |
| No sharpness loss on criticals. Helps slams once affinity is high. Shells do not crit. | |
| Prevents sharpness loss for a fixed time after you sharpen, including the cost of every loaded shell during Full Burst. | |
| Halves sharpness loss. | |
| The stronger set-bonus version. | |
| Removes cycles from the sharpening animation. |
Survival and mobility
Use these skills to solve a specific survival, healing, or positioning problem.
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Potions and other heals restore more. Chip still comes through the shield. A Health Regen augment pairs with it. | |
| Speeds up item consumption after you put the weapon away. | |
| The red (recoverable) part of the health bar returns faster. | |
| Adds more Defense after you have upgraded the armor with Armor Sphere. | |
| Lv 3 prevents elemental blights; lower levels shorten their duration. Use it when matching resistance cannot reach 20. | |
| Survives one otherwise fatal hit when health is above its activation threshold. The next hit can still faint you. | |
| Shortens the time until mantles can be used again. | |
| Prevents roars of the covered strength from interrupting Full Burst. Without it, face the roar and guard instead of starting the burst. | |
| Extends hop distance, helping you stay on the chosen part or move away when the shield faces the wrong direction. | |
| Longer invulnerability on rolls and hops, not on the guard. | |
| Reduces the fixed stamina costs of hops and similar actions. It does not reduce the continuous drain from sprinting or clutching. | |
| Reduces the continuous stamina drain from clutching and sprinting. | |
| Gives consumable items a chance not to be consumed when used. |
Styles
| Style | Skills |
|---|---|
| Long | Use to shorten charged shells and exploit Long's reach. adds one shell, but it does not add an explosion to each charged shot as it does to a full Normal burst. raises every shell. |
| Wide | Alternate thrusts and shells, and keep as the first damage priority. Use Wyvern's Fire during a knockdown when it is ready. |
| Melee | Prioritize physical attack and affinity skills such as and . Use only when the weapon can activate it. In this style, shells are a backup rather than the main source of damage. |
This hunt
These skills do not belong on every set. Against the right monster, take their slots from lower-priority or off-style skills, not from the skills that make your chosen shelling style work.
| Skill | When |
|---|---|
| Use it when the target has an ordinarily unblockable attack that you intend to block. It does not remove the attack's chip damage or knockback. | |
| Prevents tremors from interrupting Full Burst after you have already spent part of the magazine. | |
| Prevents wind from interrupting Full Burst after you have already spent part of the magazine. is not enough against some elder dragons. | |
| Greatly improves evasion invulnerability and reduces stamina depletion while a blight or status is active. It does not add Attack. | |
| Lv 3 prevents Defense Down; lower levels shorten its duration. Use it only when the target can inflict the ailment. | |
| or | While a mantle is active, grants protection from roars, wind pressure, tremors, and small knockbacks. Only the True version reaches the highest levels. |
| Makes a Dung Pod more likely to send a monster away. | |
| Increases Flash Pod range. The wider flash helps ground a flying monster for an opening. | |
| Sleep bombs hit harder. Fire Wyvern's Fire after the bombs wake it. | |
| Stronger elderseal on a dragon-element Gunlance. | |
| Increases the attention drawn by your attacks. In a group, use it only when this weapon benefits from holding the monster's attention. | |
| Stops the Rotten Vale draining health during a Full Burst. | |
| Environmental interactables such as Sporepuffs restore additional health. |
Skills that look better than they are
- Do not use to raise shell damage. Only and the meal skill Felyne Bombardier raise it.
- Skip on a build whose primary damage comes from shells.
- Do not use to increase the health damage from shells; it only helps you break parts faster.
- Do not use to raise shell damage.
- Shells already do not bounce, so does not make a hard hide a good target for the melee slam.
- does not speed up Normal Full Burst.
- requires a precisely timed guard, and its physical attack bonus does not raise shell damage.
- has no value on a melee build that never fires shells.
- is a poor fit because this weapon rarely slides.
- is a poor fit because this weapon rarely uses aerial attacks.
- requires 40% health before it reduces the stamina cost of hops, while Full Burst does not consume stamina.
- Hops consume stamina, so they work against the full-stamina condition of .
Settings
Set Automatic Sheathe to Manual. Guard follows the shield's facing, not the camera direction.
Before a long Wyvern's Fire, confirm the shield still faces the part you meant to shell. A camera turn during a guard step often leaves the blast pointed past the wound into open air.