One of the best aspects of Dauntless is trying to figure out which weapons and gear sets suit you the best. As we know, there are six different types of weapon: Axe, Hammer, Chain Blades, Sword, Ostian Repeaters, and War Pike. Even though there’s a very limited number of different weapon classes (as opposed to the much wider variety offered by, say, Monster Hunter Rise), there are still a lot of gear combinations to choose from that will change the way your Slayer approaches battle.

This can make it hard and confusing sometimes, as you don’t know if your character really is as optimal as they can be or if there are better gear sets available that you might have missed. Well, if you’re using a War Pike, you’re in luck: there are a lot of fun and very effective ways to go about equipping your character.

The Spin2win Inferno Build: You Spin Me Right Round

The name of this build is quite self-explanatory. “Spin2win” is a meta in Dauntless where your main attack strategy is to constantly utilize spinning attacks. The Aetheric Attunement cells are in place to charge the Drask’s Eye, so you can use it more frequently. Its instant ability increases your damage by 30% for eight seconds. That’s when you spin, spin, and win.

  • Inferno’s Arrow with Overpower Cell & Ragehunter Cell Savage Wellspring Munitions Amplifier Hellplate Casque & Cunning Cell Mantle of Thorns & Conduit Cell Light’s Refuge & Cunning Cell Stride of Thorns & Aetheric Attunement Cell Drask’s Eye & Aetheric Attunement Cell

The Agarus Shield Build: Who Says War Pikes Can’t Crit?

This build has one single focus: to build shield. It does this mainly because it runs Tenacious Cell, which makes you gain more damage based on your extra HP. At higher levels, you gain bonus critical strike chance the more shield you have. The incredible thing with this build is that it’s possible to reach 100% critical chance if you have enough shield for it. Those who enjoy shielding-based weapons such as Monster Hunter’s Lance will love this build.

  • Parasitic Curse with Tenacious Cell & Savagery Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Skarn’s Spite Quillspike Mask & Guardian Cell Agaric Bole & Conduit Cell Targadoro’s Brawn & Tenacious Cell Feet of Ice & Guardian Cell Drask’s Eye & Conduit Cell

The Torgadoro Flawless Build: A Build For The Rich

This build is quite expensive, but it’s nice to have something to strive for. After all, Dauntless is a great game to sink your time into, much like these other free-to-play games on the Nintendo Switch. If you do choose to grind for this build, Drask’s Eye’s hold ability shoots a lightning bolt that deals 150 damage to the Behemoth it passes. This ability is accompanied by the Cascade perk, which gives you either healing, stamina, or power buffs each time you use the lantern ability. It’s a very fun build that will make your hunting even more enjoyable.

  • Pyroclastic Envoy with Savagery Cell & Wild Frenzy Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Bond: Inferno’s Arrow Dark Watch & Overpower Cell Malkarion’s Grasp & Savagery Cell Stride of Thorns & Cascade Cell Drask’s Eye & Cascade Cell

The Torgadoro Inferno Build: The Urska Slayer

With this build, it is supposedly possible to finish Frost Escalation in under five minutes and defeat Urska in under 12 seconds. Pangar’s Shine will keep you safe from the smaller mobs, and you can deal a lot of wound damage. If you’re interested in speed-running Frost Escalation for lots of loot, this is definitely the build you should target. The Conduit Cells boost the attack speed of your whole party, so make sure you bring a team.

  • The Conductor with Savagery Cell & Berserker Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Thundering Spear Dark Watch & Discipline Cell Mantle of Thorns & Conduit Cell Malkarion’s Grasp & Savagery Cell Thrax’s Guile & Cunning Cell Pangar’s Shine & Conduit Cell

The Pyroclastic Envoy Build: Just The Tonic

This build focuses a lot on the use of Tonic bottles. The Catalyst Cell increases their effectiveness and, at a higher level, their duration. This can be great for all sorts of things, as there are a great variety of different potions available. There’s the Insight Tonic which grants a 60% increase in wound damage, the Lifedrain Tonic which heals your party members depending on how much damage you take, and many more besides. If your playstyle revolves around adding a lot of utility to the team while inflicting great wound damage, this build is a perfect fit!

  • Pyroclastic Envoy with Berserker Cell & Overpower Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Bond: Inferno’s Arrow Quillspike Jacket & Savagery Cell Malkarion’s Grasp & Wild Frenzy Cell Stride of Throns & Catalyst Cell Drask’s Eye & Catalyst Cell

The High DPS & Attack Speed Build: Gotta Go Fast

This War Pike build takes advantage of the Adrenaline, Overpower, Ragehunter, and Predator perks to increase attack damage. It combines this with the Conduit perk and the instant lantern ability of Embermane’s Rapture (which makes you attack 25% faster for 8 seconds) to increase your attack speed massively. The cherry on top is Aetheric Attunement, which will decrease the cooldown of the lantern ability and make your hunt go even faster.

  • Inferno’s Arrow with Overpower Cell & Ragehunter Cell Savage Wellspring Lightweight Shaft Hellplate Casque & Adrenaline Cell Mantle of Thorns & Conduit Cell Light’s Refuge & Adrenaline Cell Stride of Thorns & Aetheric Attunement Cell Embermane’s Rapture & Aetheric Attunement Cell

The Low HP Frenzy Build: High Risk, High Reward

If you’re not confident in your skills, you might want to choose another build or another free multiplayer game. This build features the Discipline perk, which cuts your max HP to 50% in return for a 2.5%-15% extra critical strike chance. It also includes the Berserker Cell, which lowers your max HP in exchange for more damage. The Rage Cell increases your damage when at low health, and the Wild Frenzy Cell increases your attack speed when at low health. This is a very dangerous build to play if you’re not careful, but it’s utterly devastating to foes.

  • Pyroclastic Envoy with Discipline Cell & Berserker Cell Special: Concussive Payload Mod: Executioner’s Spearhead Bond: Inferno’s Arrow Light’s Crown & Wild Frenzy Cell Boreal Resolve & Iceborne Cell Torgadoro’s Brawn & Rage Cell Boreal March & Wild Frenzy Cell Embermane’s Rapture & Conduit Cell

The Urska Flawless Build: Try To Bring Friends

If you prefer to play solo, this build might not be for you. It relies heavily on the Cascade Cell, which spawns boosts for both you and your allies. A blend of damage and support. However, if you do wish to play solo, you can replace them with the Tough Cell, which increases your max HP and your healing received from all sources.

  • Cold Hell with Savagery Cell & Overpower Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Bond: Pangar’s Tooth Dark Watch & Overpower Cell Dark Marrow & Discipline Cell Malkarion’s Grasp & Wild Frenzy Cell Stride of Thorns & Cascade Cell Drask’s Eye & Cascade Cell

The Reza Flawless Build: Versatile Without Excelling

There’s nothing that this build can’t do. It heals, it crits, it buffs, and it increases your damage in multiple scenarios. The Reza build is a jack of all trades but a master of none. If you don’t like switching your inventory a lot between missions, this setup can be all you need, but min-maxers will find it limited.

  • Spire of Dawn with Savagery Cell & Overpower Cell Concussive Payload Executioner’s Spearhead Dark Watch & Overpower Cell Dark Marrow & Discipline Cell Malkarion’s Grasp & Wild Frenzy Cell Stride of Thorns & Cascade Cell Drask’s Eye & Cascade Cell

The Instant Wounds Pike Build: Aim For The Brand

Pangar’s Tooth has an ability that can obliterate Behemoths. Once this ability is charged, the Slayer’s next attack creates a frost brand on the Behemoth that deals tremendous damage. It can be triggered early by attacks for even more power (a coordinated team really benefits). If you want a build mainly focused around a strong weapon ability, buffed by cells, you should definitely try this one.

  • Pangar’s Tooth with Predator Cell & Tough Cell Savage Wellspring Barbed Spearhead Dark Watch & Discipline Cell Quillspike Jacket & Savagery Cell Torgadoro’s Brawn & Overpower Cell Stride of Throns & Catalyst Cell Drask’s Eye & Catalyst Cell

NEXT: 10 Free Games To Play If You Love Monster Hunter World