How to Offset Attack in Monster Hunter Wilds

Want to know how to Offset Attack with any weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds? An Offset Attack is a type of parry which is new to Monster Hunter Wilds. Only certain attacks by certain weapons can "offset", and you have to time them just as a monster's attack lands, but the effects are fantastic. Zero damage for you, and a truckload of damage and flinch for any monster unfortunate enough to pick a fight with you.

As one of the defining pillars of combat in Monster Hunter Wilds along with the new Focus and Wounds system, you'll of course be interested in learning how to perform these immensely satisfying attacks. So in this guide, we explain everything you need to know about how to perform an Offset Attack, and all the weapon types and specific attacks which allow you to Offset an enemy monster's attack.

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How to Offset Attack in MH Wilds

An Offset Attack is a parrying attack which has the ability to counter a large monster's attack, allowing you to completely avoid any damage and deliver a punishing attack in response. To perform an Offset Attack, you must equip the correct weapon type and perform the right combo at the right time. Only certain weapons can Offset Attack, and for most of those weapons, it's only one specific attack or combo which allows you to Offset the enemy's strike.

An Offset Attack generally has a fairly long wind-up or charging animation which involves holding down the correct buttons until the time is right. To succeed at Offsetting the monster's attack, you must let go of the button(s) and unleash your strike just as the monster's attack lands, so that both your attack and the monster's attack connect at the same time. The timing for Offset Attacks is similar to parry timings in many games, most notably Soulslikes.

If you unleash your Offset Attack at the right time, then the monster will flinch and be knocked back, in some cases allowing you to perform a unique follow-up attack for massive damage. If you've timed it right, then your hunter will also enjoy a very brief period of invincibility (also known as hyper-armor), which allows them to avoid any damage they would otherwise have taken from the monster's attack.

Which weapons can Offset Attack?

The weapons which can Offset Attack in MH Wilds are:

• Insect Glaive
• Great Sword
• Hammer
• Hunting Horn
• Switch Axe
• Heavy Bowgun

Each of these weapon types has a single attack amid their many available combos which is classed as an Offset Attack, and each one must be performed differently, with different button inputs and timings involved to successfully counter the monster attacking you. Let's go over how to Offset Attack with each specific weapon below.

Insect Glaive Offset Attack: Descending Slash

To Offset Attack with the Insect Glaive, follow these steps:

1. Harvest Red Essence from a monster with R + LMB to unlock Descending Slash.
2. Hold RMB to charge Descending Slash.
3. Release as the monster attacks for an Offset Descending Slash.

The Insect Glaive is special even among Offset weapons, because you are also given access to an even more powerful version of its own Offset Attack. If you harvest all three types of Essence first, you can then perform a Strong Descending Slash in exactly the same way as above. The timing is the same, but the strength of your counterattack is much greater when you have all three Essence types!

Speaking of timing - once you let go of the button to actually unleash your Descending Slash, there's a slightly longer animation than with many other weapons before your hunter actually connects their attack, which makes the timing a bit trickier. So remember to unleash your attack a shade earlier than you would with, say, a Great Sword.

Great Sword Offset Attack: Offset Rising Slash

To Offset Attack with the Great Sword, follow these steps:

1. Hold LMB + RMB to start Charge Rising Slash.
2. Release as the monster attacks for an Offset Rising Slash.
3. Follow up with LMB for a Follow-Up Cross Slash.

The Great Sword's Offset Attack is incredibly simple, and easy to string into all sorts of situations. The animation after you release the Offset Rising Slash is quite brief, so it feels quite responsive. This makes the Great Sword an excellent weapon for getting used to Offset Attacks in general.

Hammer Offset Attack: Upswing

To Offset Attack with the Hammer, follow these steps:

1. Tap LMB to Side Smash or Overhead Smash I.
2. Tap LMB again to perform Overhead Smash II.
3. Hold LMB to charge up an Upswing.
4. Release as the monster attacks for an Offset Upswing.

The Hammer's Upswing is not the easiest Offset Attack to perform, because it comes at the end of a combo of fairly slow attacks. But it hits hard, and delivers a lot of stun damage to the monster if you hit them head-on.

Note also that there are variations on the Upswing in the Hammer's repertoire such as the Charged Upswing and Mighty Charge Upswing, but neither of these variations are Offset Attacks. The only way the Hammer can Offset is with a regular Upswing.

Hunting Horn Offset Attack: Offset Melody

To Offset Attack with the Hunting Horn, follow these steps:

1. Equip a Hunting Horn that has Offset Melody as its Special Performance.
2. Use attacks to input the correct colour notes, as shown in the top-right of your screen.
3. Hold R + LMB + RMB to charge up an Offset Melody.
4. Release as the monster attacks to perform the Offset Attack.

The Hunting Horn's Offset Attack takes a lot of setting up, so it's not the easiest to perform. The upside is that it's fairly fast-acting once you are able to actually perform the attack, so it's easy to time the attack right. You also have to ensure that your type of Hunting Horn is even capable of an Offset Melody - to check this before you craft one, select it in the Hunting Horn weapon tree and view the weapon's melody list.

The other thing to remember is that the notes needed for the Offset Melody differ between Hunting Horns too. For instance, an Offset Melody with the basic Hope Horn I requires Yellow-Red-Yellow-White notes, but an Offset Melody with the Metal Bagpipe I requires White-Red-Aqua-Aqua notes. So make sure you follow your specific Horn's melody!

Switch Axe Offset Attack: Offset Rising Slash

To Offset Attack with the Switch Axe, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your Switch Axe is in Axe mode.
2. Tap LMB + RMB shortly before a monster's attack to perform an Offset Rising Slash.
3. Follow up with LMB or RMB for a Follow-Up Heavy Slam, or R for a Follow-Up Morph Slash.

The Switch Axe uses an Offset Rising Slash just like the Great Sword does, but it's harder to use because you can't charge up this attack to unleash it at the right moment. So timing is slightly more finicky here. Still, you can follow up with either a powerful Follow-Up Heavy Slam or a Follow-Up Morph Slash which stylishly switches to Sword Mode with an extra-strong attack.

It's also worth noting that you can counterattack in Sword Mode with a Counter Rising Slash, but counters and Offset Attacks aren't the same thing, despite working in similar ways.

Heavy Bowgun Offset Attack: Wyverncounter Ignition

To Offset Attack with the Heavy Bowgun, follow these steps:

1. Tap F to switch to Ignition Mode.
2. Hold RMB to Aim/Focus.
3. Hold R to charge up Wyverncounter Ignition.
4. Release as the monster attacks to perform the Offset Attack.

The Heavy Bowgun's Offset Attack is close-range and very powerful, as you'd expect. It does require that you customize your Bowgun to ensure it has access to the Wyverncounter Ignition Special Ammo instead of Wyvernblast Ignition, but unlike the Hunting Horn's melodies, any Heavy Bowgun can Offset as long as you customize it.

Hopefully this guide has taught you just about everything there is to know about Offset Attacks in Monster Hunter Wilds, and how they work with each weapon. For more handy weaponry tips, check out our best MH Wilds weapon tier list, and our guides on the best starting weapon and the best solo weapon. You can also consult our Monster Hunter Wilds monster list for details of the adversaries you'll be hunting; and for everything else, check out our Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough.