The insect glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds is a unique weapon for hunters who want to do most of their attacking in the air.
While it’s possible to perform jumping attacks by leaping off a ledge or your Seikret, the insect glaive is the only weapon type that allows you to vault into the air at any time. But it’s only one aspect of its appeal, as you can also pair it with kinsects to gain extra buffs in combat.
This guide will explain the insect glaives’ changes and new abilities in Monster Hunter Wilds, as well as how kinsects work and which insect glaive combos to take advantage of.
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How the insect glaive and kinsects work in Monster Hunter Wilds
The insect glaive is a Monster Hunter Wilds weapon with serious air superiority. It allows you to vault in the air with R2+X (on PlayStation) or RT+A (on Xbox), and you bounce in the the air up to three more times when you successfully connect an advancing slash attack, which can also result in you mounting the monster if you’re lucky.
Kinsects are special insects that work with the insect glaive to provide buffs by harvesting monster extracts. They can also attack monsters with severing or blunt damage, depending on the type of kinsect you’ve equipped.
There are three ways to harvest extracts:
* Up close, hold R2/RT and then Triangle/Y, which can also be held so that the kinsect pierces the target to harvest multiple extracts.
* Alternatively, hold R2/RT while aiming and then R1/RB to fire the kinsect from a distance at the monster. (This requires more accuracy on your part.)
* The third is by using focus mode, where your kinsect will attack alongside your focus attacks. When firing the kinsect from afar, you can receive the extract buff by pressing R2+circle/RT+Y to recall your kinsect.
When holding the right trigger, you’ll also see a tiny colored crosshair indicating what extract you will get from that part of the monster. There are four different colors — red, white, orange, and green — which provide different extract effects, more so when you have multiple extracts.
What’s changed for the insect glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds?
With a variety of new mechanics introduced in Monster Hunter Wilds, this also means changes for the insect glaive, mostly for the better. For one, there’s a greater incentive to use kinsects to collect all three buffing colored monster extracts, which will give you an enhanced status as well as new moves.
In an enhanced state, when you use advancing slash while vaulting, you’ll spin the glaive like a propeller, keeping you in the air for a bit longer. These blows can also count as additional hits.
On the ground, the enhanced state will let you use a new powerful attack called Rising Spiral Slash. It will result in you losing the enhanced status right away, but it’s a devastating combo that can also gain new monster extracts depending on where you hit, so you can regain that status quite quickly while also having the chance to mount the monster.
Like the other weapons, the insect glaive also has a focus strike for damaging exposed monster wounds — but if you’re really skilled, you can also perform this move while airborne. Better yet, if you successfully damage the monster’s wound, your kinsect will follow this attack up by piercing through the monster and collecting all three colored extracts, instantly powering you up.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, while your kinsect doesn’t level up, you are able to nurture them to become new kinsects. Their power will otherwise be based on the rarity and elemental affinities of your insect glaive.
All kinsect buffs and bonuses in Monster Hunter Wilds
Kinsects are able to harvest monster extracts in four colors. Certain combinations will also grant additional buffs. Here are the buffs you’ll get from each color and color combo:
* Red: Allows you to charge attacks when holding circle/B
* White: Increases movement speed and jump height
* Orange: Negates knockback when weapon is drawn
* Green: Recovers health (as such, this is something you gain immediately rather than as a buff that sticks around)
* Red and white: Increases your attack
* White and orange: Increases your defense
* Red, white, and orange: Further increases and enhances your attacks, reduces wind pressure, tremors and roars.
When attacking and harvesting monsters, kinsects also leave behind colored clouds of dust called kinsect powder that can be attacked to trigger different effects. These effects depend on the type of kinsect you have equipped and come in the following colors of clouds:
* Green: Slightly recovers your health
* Purple: Builds up poison
* Yellow: Builds up paralysis
* Orange: builds up blast
Kinsects also have their own stats, which will vary depending on the kinsect. Powder effect indicates the effectiveness of the kinsect powder they leave behind, power indicates their attack power, speed indicates how fast they can harvest extracts for you, and stamina indicates how long they can remain flying and attacking for before you need to recall them. Furthermore, each kinsect will also provide additional bonuses, such as a boost in extracts, or a faster charge.
How to upgrade and unlock new kinsects in Monster Hunter Wilds
Kinsects can be bought from Gemma the Smithy. When speaking to her, go to Manage Kinsects menu, which gives you options for raising kinsects and buying kinsects.
You only have two kinsects to choose from — the Mauldrone or Culldrone — and both cost 100z each. They can then be nurtured into new kinsects by selecting the Raising Kinsects menu, which works similar to weapon trees with different branches requiring different materials. There are currently a total of 12 kinsects you can fully upgrade to; you can obtain each one by buying more of the basic kinsects and then raising them along a different nurturing path.
If you want to get the most out of buffs from monster extracts, the Pseudocath is the best kinsect for this, as it has increased speed and a fast charge. It also leaves behind blast powder, which also has an attack boost bonus.
Nurturing a Pseudocath requires buying a Culldrone and then upgrading it to a Windchopper with three Dragonite Ore, two Monster Fluid, and two Wingdrake Hide, as well as paying 500z. You can then nurture a Pseudocath once you have three Carbalite Ore, two Monster Broth and two Kut-ku Wing, plus 3,000z. Note that you can only obtain these materials after completing the story and unlocking high rank quests.
Best insect glaive combos in Monster Hunter Wilds
The best way to make use of the insect glaive is to stay in the air by vaulting.
When in the air, you can perform a midair evade with X/A, a jumping slash with circle/B or an advancing slash with Triangle/Y. If the advancing slash connects, you will bounce in the air again and can follow up with another attack, which also incrementally increases in power. To help with maneuvering, you can also perform a midair evade before executing the advancing slash.
Another vaulting combo consists of vaulting backwards by pressing R2 and X/RT and A while holding the left stick down, which also makes you invulnerable to attacks. If you hold R2/RT while performing this move, you’ll also mark your target for your kinsect to attack. You can then leap back in with an advancing slash, which will also detonate the kinsect powder left behind by your kinsect.
If you’re looking for a powerful combo to perform on the ground, then make sure you have all three buff extracts. Perform a leaping slash by pressing forward/up and circle/B, then hold circle/B to perform a tornado slash, then release to perform a strong descending slash, and as you land on the ground press L2 and circle/LT and B to perform the rising spiral slash, which takes you to the air again but also consumes all three extracts. From here, you can still continue the combo by vaulting in the air with advancing slash.
To get the most out of combat in Monster Hunter Wilds, learn how to mount, create wounds, capture monsters, cut tails and get fangs, and work around the “your item pouch is full” warning.
