Sharpness has always been a core mechanic for melee weapons in Monster Hunter, affecting damage, attack deflection, and weapon effectiveness. Monster Hunter Wilds introduces some key changes to how sharpness is displayed and maintained, making it more intuitive and easier to manage.
With that in mind, here is everything you need to know about sharpness levels, weapon sharpness stats, and how to keep your weapon at top performance!
What Is Sharpness, and Why Does It Matter?
Sharpness determines a weapon’s cutting power and damage output. Every melee weapon has a sharpness gauge, which depletes over time as you attack. Keeping your weapon sharpened helps with:
- More damage: Higher sharpness increases raw and elemental damage.
- Less deflection: Attacks are less likely to bounce off tough monster parts.
All weapons have their own sharpness stats, which determine the maximum sharpness level they can reach. You can check this by viewing a weapon’s sharpness bar in the equipment window; it shows how far you can sharpen a weapon before hitting its limit.
Sharpness Levels in Monster Hunter Wilds
There are six sharpness levels, each affecting damage and deflection:
Low-Level Sharpness (Poor Cutting Power & Low Damage)
- Red – The worst sharpness. Most attacks will bounce off.
- Orange – Slightly better but still causes frequent deflections.
- Yellow – Some hits will land, but still unreliable.
Medium-Level Sharpness (Balanced Cutting Power & Decent Damage)
- Green – Most attacks will land reliably.
- Blue – Even stronger, with less deflection on tough monster parts.
High-Level Sharpness (Best Cutting Power & Highest Damage)
- White – Attacks rarely deflect, except on tough parts on the highest rank monsters.
Sharpness Changes in Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom has made two key changes to how sharpness works in Wilds:
- A New Sharpness Gauge
- Older games had separate bars for each sharpness tier (e.g., Green fully depleting before switching to Yellow).
- In Wilds, the bar dynamically changes color as it depletes, making it easier to track.
- Improved Sharpening Mechanics
- Previous games had an all-or-nothing process; if you got interrupted before completing the full animation, you gained zero sharpness
- In Wilds, sharpening restores sharpness instantly per grind, so even if you get interrupted, you still keep the sharpness gained up to that point.
Sharpness-Related Skills
Again, keep in mind:
- To check your weapon’s sharpness potential, go to the Equipment window. Each weapon has a different max sharpness level, which determines how high you can sharpen it.
- If a weapon cannot reach White sharpness, no amount of sharpening will get it there; this is where skills like Handicraft come in.
On the topic of Handicraft, and since sharpening takes time, there are several skills that can increase your weapon’s efficiency and reduce the need to stop mid-fight.
- Speed Sharpening – Speeds up sharpening animations, letting you return to combat faster.
- Master’s Touch – Prevents sharpness loss on successful critical hits.
- Protective Polish – Keeps sharpness from depleting for a short time after sharpening.
- Handicraft – Increases the weapon’s max sharpness.
Tip: Using Master’s Touch & Protective Polish together lets you maintain peak sharpness for longer periods, reducing how often you need to sharpen.
Managing sharpness is very important for maintaining high damage and avoiding deflections. With Monster Hunter Wilds making the process of sharpening and improving the UI simpler, you will now have an even easier time keeping your weapons at peak performance!