Monster Hunter Wilds has truly delivered some unique and exhilarating monster encounters, but the Xu Wu stands out as one of the most challenging and fascinating creatures you’ll face. This predatory cephalopod is a menacing foe with its unpredictable moves, deadly tentacle attacks, and the ability to devour even large prey. To ensure you survive your encounter with this fearsome beast, we’ve crafted a comprehensive guide to the best loadout for hunting Xu Wu. This guide covers essential gear, optimal skills, strategies, and tips to help you take down this formidable monster.

Understanding Xu Wu

Before diving into your loadout, let’s quickly recap what makes Xu Wu so dangerous. This monster is a cephalopod, capable of quick movements, precise strikes, and powerful grabs. Xu Wu is known as the “Piercing Assassin” due to its bladed tentacles, which it swings and thrusts with deadly accuracy. It has no eyes, but its heightened senses mean it can detect you easily, making stealth less effective. Its most vulnerable spot is its mouth, which is exposed during certain attacks. Xu Wu is weak to Ice element attacks and resistant to Dragon element.

Best Weapon Choices for Xu Wu

Recommended Weapon Types:

• Great Sword: With its heavy hits and powerful charge attacks, the Great Sword is excellent for exploiting Xu Wu’s vulnerabilities, especially when its mouth is exposed.
• Hammer: Stun damage from the Hammer allows you to immobilize Xu Wu momentarily, creating opportunities for significant damage.
• Bow: For hunters who prefer ranged attacks, the Bow’s Ice coatings and ability to target Xu Wu’s mouth make it a strong choice.

Recommended Xu Wu Weapons:

• Prinvrilo’s Dissolution (Great Sword):

  • Attack: 1056
  • Element: Ice 300
  • Slots: ③②①
  • Skill: Critical Draw Lv.3

• Zaccio’s Execution (Hammer):

  • Attack: 1144
  • Element: Ice 250
  • Slots: ③②①
  • Skill: Focus Lv.3

• Bookwilthe’s Punisher (Bow):

  • Attack: 276
  • Element: Ice 150
  • Slots: ③②①
  • Skill: Focus Lv.3
  • Coatings: Power, Exhaust

These weapons are crafted from Xu Wu’s own materials, making them ideal for exploiting its weakness to Ice and capitalizing on the monster’s vulnerabilities.

Best Armor Set Against Xu Wu

Xu Wu’s own armor set provides powerful defensive and offensive skills perfectly suited to battling this monster.

Xu Wu Alpha Set

• Xu Wu Helm α
• Xu Wu Mail α
• Xu Wu Vambraces α
• Xu Wu Coil α
• Xu Wu Greaves α

Armor Set Skills:

• Weakness Exploit Lv.3 (Increased affinity when hitting weak points)
• Critical Eye Lv.4 (Increases affinity, improving DPS)
• Focus Lv.3 (Improves charge speed for Great Sword and Hammer, excellent for landing powerful attacks)
• Evade Extender Lv.2 (Enhanced mobility to dodge Xu Wu’s quick strikes)
• Recovery Up Lv.3 (Increases healing effects, providing better survivability)

Recommended Decorations:

• Tenderizer Jewel (Enhances Weakness Exploit)
• Critical Jewel (Boosts Critical Eye)
• Charger Jewel (Enhances Focus)
• Jumping Jewel (Boosts Evade Extender)

Combine these decorations with your Xu Wu Alpha Set to maximize your offensive potential while maintaining strong defensive options.

Recommended Skills for Xu Wu

• Weakness Exploit: Xu Wu’s mouth is its major weak point. This skill significantly boosts your damage output.
• Critical Eye: Higher affinity means more critical hits, maximizing your damage per strike.
• Focus: Vital for Great Sword and Hammer users, helping you land charged attacks during brief vulnerability windows.
• Evade Extender: Xu Wu moves swiftly and unpredictably; extra mobility can save you from its deadly grabs and slams.
• Recovery Up: Staying alive is critical; this skill enhances your healing items’ effectiveness.

Recommended Consumables & Items

Before heading out, ensure you have these items ready:

• Mega Potions & Max Potions: Keep your health topped off.
• Shock Traps & Pitfall Traps: Useful for immobilizing Xu Wu momentarily.
• Flash Pods & Smoke Bombs: Great for escaping tough situations or interrupting attacks.
• Ice Attack Food buffs: Don’t forget to grab a meal with Ice Attack buffs before your hunt!

Combat Strategy & Tips Against Xu Wu

Know When to Strike

Xu Wu exposes its mouth during certain moves, such as its Dig Attack. Watch for this vulnerability and deliver your most powerful blows at these moments. Using the Great Sword or Hammer, a well-timed charged strike can topple the monster and set you up for follow-up hits.

Evade, Don’t Block

Xu Wu’s tentacle attacks, especially the Piercing Tentacle and Tentacle Sweep, can quickly drain your stamina if you rely too much on blocking. Utilize Evade Extender to dodge these attacks consistently, positioning yourself for counterattacks.

Utilize Traps & Environment

Shock and Pitfall Traps are invaluable against Xu Wu. Use traps to interrupt its combos and create openings. Additionally, leverage the environment—Great Thunderbugs can paralyze Xu Wu briefly, giving you time to dish out damage.

Managing the Grab Attack

Xu Wu’s grab attack can be devastating. Keep slinger ammo on hand and use it immediately if grabbed to break free and avoid severe damage.

Conclusion & Final Advice

Xu Wu is undoubtedly a challenging monster, but with this carefully tailored loadout, you’ll have the tools you need to take it down. Remember to exploit its weaknesses to Ice, capitalize on its vulnerabilities, and stay mobile to avoid its deadly tentacle attacks. With practice and patience, the Piercing Assassin will fall before your might.

Good luck, Hunter!