Lance vs. Gunlance

Just a quick question. Sorry if it's been asked before.

My first MH game was Tri, and now I'm looking forward to 3G, but from what I've seen of the Gunlance in MHP3, it doesn't look like there's any reason to use the lance at all once you have access to them. Is there something I'm not seeing or is this the case?

Thanks for answering!

The Lance I guess is a bit more flexible compared to the GL. From what I know of the Gunlance in MHFU, it can only evade once (backhop, long backhop or sidestep) compared to the Lance's 3 steps, which makes it a little unsuitable for Evade Lancing. I guess you could say it's a little faster on its feet and more flexible in comparison to the Gunlance.

As for the Gunlance, it's a pretty technical weapon and as I said can only sidestep/backhop once at a time, but due to its new Autoguard-any-time ability (not including mid-Wyvern Fire, blows from behind or when the weapon is sheathed) it's incredible with Guard-related skills. You could say it's the ultimate in taking EVERYTHING a monster could possibly throw at it. And you can really get greedy on attacks, as it will guard mid-attack with the Autoguard skill. I guess you could Evade Gunlance, but it seems a bit tricky TBH.


In a nutshell:
Lance: Simple and flexible, can Evade, Guard or Hybrid Lance.
Gunlance: Complex and more rigid, it can pretty much only Guard Lance but is the ultimate tanker

Mr Stark wrote:

The Lance I guess is a bit more flexible compared to the GL. From what I know of the Gunlance in MHFU, it can only evade once (backhop, long backhop or sidestep) compared to the Lance's 3 steps, which makes it a little unsuitable for Evade Lancing. I guess you could say it's a little faster on its feet and more flexible in comparison to the Gunlance.

As for the Gunlance, it's a pretty technical weapon and as I said can only sidestep/backhop once at a time, but due to its new Autoguard-any-time ability (not including mid-Wyvern Fire, blows from behind or when the weapon is sheathed) it's incredible with Guard-related skills. You could say it's the ultimate in taking EVERYTHING a monster could possibly throw at it. And you can really get greedy on attacks, as it will guard mid-attack with the Autoguard skill. I guess you could Evade Gunlance, but it seems a bit tricky TBH.


In a nutshell:
Lance: Simple and flexible, can Evade, Guard or Hybrid Lance.
Gunlance: Complex and more rigid, it can pretty much only Guard Lance but is the ultimate tanker

Gunlance is almost completely different from MHFU. There's a new attack where you can slam down the weapon for good damage and detonate all the ammo in addition to being able to do the basic attack endlessly because of quick reload. Also the auto-guard thing, known as Auto-guard gunlance or AGGL was a bug in portable 3rd that utilized the free +10 auto-guard talisman that caused the weapon to auto-guard during the basic attack when you otherwise would not be able to block.

In regards to dodging, it's identical to the lance dodge.
Edit: After doing some quick testing in P3, it seems the lance dodge is a bit easier to chain multiple dodges, something I never do anyways.

The gunlance cannot lance charge or counter, the latter of which is almost reason enough to prefer Lance over GL

Lance is great, but the Gunlance's wyvern fire?..there's nothing like doing a Kamehameha to a monster's face ;)

The lance is definitely a more mobile weapon, with great tools-of-use in most situations. Advancing block and counter are the shining beacons of this class, allowing you to push through and retaliate against a lot of attacks. I.E. Wyvern screams. You can predict when most screams are going to happen, but without earplugs, your options are limited. You can either a) get stunned by the scream, b) evade or c) block. With the lance, you now have the opportunity to block the roar and counter immediately after using one of the abilities mentioned above…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Not to mention Mega Dash Juice + Lance Charge = a bad day for larger monsters or monsters that have been knocked down/trapped.

On the other hand, the gunlance is an extremely powerful weapon with great offensive power. Gunlance shells ignore armor, so those gunlance shots you’ll be pumping out will definitely put that Uragaan on edge. And as mentioned, Wyvern fire has extremely powerful burst damage, useful for breaking monster parts during traps or paralyze. Uragaan’s chin is child’s play with a gunlance and a few bombs! As for those pesky flying wyverns that like to fly to different zones? Just combo the upslash and fire a few rounds in the air. I’ve shot down several Los and Ian (in MHP3) as they fled, causing them to crash back to the ground.

So as you can see, the differences are enormous in both weapons, but each one has an immense amount of use. I’m still warming up to the GL myself, as I still take the lance to fights that I’ve never done before (I just feel a lot more comfortable). But the GL is definitely a fun change of pace while still maintaining that “front-line” feel of the fight.

Saisei wrote:

The lance is definitely a more mobile weapon, with great tools-of-use in most situations. Advancing block and counter are the shining beacons of this class, allowing you to push through and retaliate against a lot of attacks. I.E. Wyvern screams. You can predict when most screams are going to happen, but without earplugs, your options are limited. You can either a) get stunned by the scream, b) evade or c) block. With the lance, you now have the opportunity to block the roar and counter immediately after using one of the abilities mentioned above…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Not to mention Mega Dash Juice + Lance Charge = a bad day for larger monsters or monsters that have been knocked down/trapped.

On the other hand, the gunlance is an extremely powerful weapon with great offensive power. Gunlance shells ignore armor, so those gunlance shots you’ll be pumping out will definitely put that Uragaan on edge. And as mentioned, Wyvern fire has extremely powerful burst damage, useful for breaking monster parts during traps or paralyze. Uragaan’s chin is child’s play with a gunlance and a few bombs! As for those pesky flying wyverns that like to fly to different zones? Just combo the upslash and fire a few rounds in the air. I’ve shot down several Los and Ian (in MHP3) as they fled, causing them to crash back to the ground.

So as you can see, the differences are enormous in both weapons, but each one has an immense amount of use. I’m still warming up to the GL myself, as I still take the lance to fights that I’ve never done before (I just feel a lot more comfortable). But the GL is definitely a fun change of pace while still maintaining that “front-line” feel of the fight.

^Agreed with above

4 man GL burst squad on a monster = OP.