The Boost Bracer is the headline combat addition in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, and it touches every weapon in the game. Rather than handing one or two weapons a new gimmick, it layers a temporary power state on top of all 14 movesets, with its own resource to build and spend. Capcom has started rolling out per-weapon breakdowns, beginning with the Great Sword.
Quick answer: Attack aggressively to fill Boost Bracer energy, spend one of up to three charges with a Boost Driver attack (or a weapon-specific activation move) to enter the Boosted state, then keep hitting the monster to hold that state open while your enhanced attacks and combos are available.
Boost Bracer charges, Boost Drivers, and the Boosted state
The bracer runs on two separate meters, and it helps to think of them that way. The first is a bank of charges shown in the UI, up to three at a time, filled by staying on the offensive. The second is the active boost gauge, which only exists while you are in the Boosted state and drains on a timer.
Spending a charge is done through a Boost Driver, a heavy weapon-specific attack that flips you into Boost. Some weapons also have their own unique activation actions. Importantly, Boost Drivers can be woven straight into an existing combo instead of requiring you to reset to neutral, so activation does not cost you a whole opening.
| Rule | What happens |
|---|---|
| Building energy | Aggressive attacking fills the bracer, up to three stored charges |
| Activating Boost | A Boost Driver attack (or a weapon-specific action) spends one charge |
| Combo entry | Boost Drivers chain out of normal combos, no neutral stance needed |
| Staying boosted | Landing hits on a monster temporarily pauses the boost gauge draining |
| Clashes | A successful clash partially refills charges and fully refills the active boost gauge |
| While boosted | Specific attacks are swapped for enhanced versions and new combo routes open |
Note: because attacking pauses the drain, the state rewards pressure rather than a cautious hit-and-run pattern. Backing off to heal or reposition is what burns your Boost, not the monster.
Great Sword Boosted Actions
The Great Sword is the first weapon with a full breakdown, and Capcom sums its Boosted Actions up in three points. The Boost Driver flings you forward, charged slashes become explosive, and offset attacks can be chained together.
In practice, the biggest change is charge speed. While boosted, the Great Sword can skip charge levels and reach a True Charged Slash far faster than normal, which cuts down the long commitment that usually defines the weapon. It also gains a leaping wide slash for closing gaps, plus a new offset attack that moves you as you swing rather than locking you in place.
Boosted Actions for all 14 weapon types
Every weapon gets something different out of Boost. Some lean into defense, some into mobility, and a few simply get a big damage button back. Here is what each one has shown so far.
| Weapon | Boosted Action |
|---|---|
| Great Sword | Leaping wide slash, skipped charge levels into True Charged Slash, moving offset attack |
| Long Sword | Attacks that fire projectile-like slashes from the blade |
| Sword and Shield | Enhanced guard that guarantees a perfect guard, with counters and a charged chop cancelled into a spin |
| Dual Blades | Faster, more mobile Demon Mode combo |
| Hammer | Meteor Strike returns as a boosted attack |
| Hunting Horn | Mobility dash attack followed by a heavy slam |
| Lance | High-speed dash attack ending in a flinching lunge |
| Gunlance | Enhanced guard leading into a counter slash |
| Switch Axe | Rising slash into a multi-hit grinding attack, then a release slash |
| Charge Blade | Boosted guard that transitions straight into a Super Amped Element Discharge |
| Insect Glaive | Descending slash that triggers an offset attack, plus a boosted rising slash |
| Bow | New follow-up attack after a Power Volley |
| Light Bowgun | Run and fire at the same time |
| Heavy Bowgun | Rapid-fire turret mode |
The defensive weapons are the clearest winners on paper. Sword and Shield turns its boosted guard into a guaranteed perfect guard, complete with its own visual and audio cue, and Charge Blade can convert a block directly into an SAED without the usual setup. Gunlance follows the same pattern with a guard that feeds into a counter slash.
Ranged options go the other way and buy uptime instead. Light Bowgun users can move and shoot at once while boosted, Heavy Bowgun locks into a rapid-fire turret stance, and Bow adds a follow-up swing after a Power Volley.
When the remaining weapon breakdowns arrive
Capcom is releasing one Boosted Action Breakdown video per weapon, on a daily cadence, starting with the Great Sword. That leaves 13 more to go, each showing the specific activation and enhanced moves for that weapon. Individual dates for each weapon have not been published, so the practical approach is to check the official Ascendance channels each day.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is the Master Rank expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds, due in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, with details listed on the official Ascendance site. The Boost Bracer arrives alongside Master Rank difficulty and returning Elder Dragons, which is the context worth keeping in mind: the extra speed, guards, and combo routes are being handed out because the monsters on the other side are meant to be tougher.
