Read this Monster Hunter World: Iceborne guide to learn how to augment Master Rank weapons. Including changes, new features and augment skills, and more.
Table of Contents
Check Out What To Do After Beating Iceborne!- This is a complete guide on how the Guiding Lands work within Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, which is essentially the end game. The Guiding Lands contains exclusive monsters and materials that.
- Augmentations in Monster Hunter World (MHW) are enhancements that can change the way an equipment build performs by boosting offensive power, survivability, or utility. Upgrades bring an Armor piece or Weapon to the next level or stage, permanently boosting their stats. Both Augmentations and Upgrades can be applied at the Smithy.
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How To Augment Master Rank Weapons
Fill Up Master Rank Weapon Augment Slots
The way you can augment weapons & armor has been changed in Iceborne. It will now cost a number of slot & will fill these up when you augment your weapon.
Augmentation Slots Per Weapon Rarity
| Rarity | No. Of Slots |
|---|---|
| Rarity 10 | 5 Slots |
| Rarity 11 | 4 Slots |
| Rarity 12 | 3 Slots |
Only Fully Upgraded Weapons Can Be Augmented
The same way it works in MHW, augmentation on weapons can only be done when they are fully upgraded. This means having the weapon at the end of its weapon tree.
Augmentations Now Have Augment Slot Cost
In Iceborne, all available augmentations will now have slot costs. The more augment slots your weapons have, the more augmentations you can put into it.
Master Rank Weapon Augment Slot Costs
| Augment | Effects | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Extra Slots | Adds more augment slots on weapon | - |
| Attack Increase | Slightly increases attack power of weapon | 3 |
| Health Regen | Slightly recovers health when damaging monsters | 3 |
| Slot Upgrade | Adds a Level 1 slot into weapon | 3 |
| Affinity Increase | Slightly increases affinity rate of weapon | 2 |
| Defense Increase | Defense is slightly increased with chance of reducing damage | 1 |
| Element/Status Effect Up | Slightly increases power of elements & status effects | 1 |
Extra Slots Adds 2 More Augment Slots
When you augment your weapon with Extra Slots, you'll get 2 additional augment slots. This doesn't fill up any augment slot but costs rare materials & some Research Points.
Strengthen Master Rank Weapons With Custom Upgrades
Another new feature of Iceborne, weapons now have custom upgrades. Using specific mods, you can slightly increase specific stats of your weapon & also change their appearance. More mods are unlocked when you keep upgrading a weapon.
Custom Upgrades List
| Mod | Effect |
|---|---|
| Kulu-Ya-Ku Mod | Slightly increases affinity |
| Pukei-Pukei Mod | Slightly increases elemental or status effect damage |
| Barroth Mod | Slightly increase attack |
| Hornetaur Mod | Slightly increases defense |
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Recommended Master Rank Weapon Augments
Best Master Rank Weapon Augment Chart
| Elements | Description |
|---|---|
| Health Regen | ★★★- Recovers health when damaging monsters - Reduces need to use recovery items, therefore increasing time to attack monsters |
| Affinity Increase | ★★・- Increases affinity by 10% - 2nd augment increases by 5% - Best for weapons with low affinity |
| Attack Increase | ★★・- Increases weapon attack power - Increase depends on weapon type - Recommended for weapons with high affinity |
| Slot Upgrade | ★・・- Adds 1 decoration slot - Best for weapons lacking slots |
| Defense Increase | ★・・- Increases defense and has chance to reduce damage - Low priority augment as defense should be armor-focused |
Focus On Health & Affinity Augments
It's best to augment weapons with Health Regen & Affinity Increase as these work make hunting more efficient. If your chosen weapon already has a high affinity rate, it's best to use Attack Increase instead.
Choosing Between Attack Or Affinity Increase
Prioritize Weapons With Low Affinity
Having a weapon with high affinity will increase your chance of dealing critical hits & doing heavy damage so it's best to raise the affinity rate of your weapons. However, note that Affinity Increase augments have diminishing returns.
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Use Attack Increase With High Affinity Weapons
If your weapon of choice already has a high affinity or cannot be augmented with Health Regen, you can opt to augment it with Attack Increase. This will strengthen your raw attack stat, making each hit more powerful!
Check Out Best Endgame Loadouts Here!About Iceborne Master Rank Weapon Augmentation
Unlocks After Main Story Of Iceborne
Augmenting Master Rank weapons will be unlocked when you complete Iceborne's main story quests. You'll gain access to the Guiding Lands after, the area where you can find most of the materials for Master Rank weapon upgrading.
Check Out Master Rank Quest Guide Here!WARNING! High Rank Augments Will Disappear
If you've already augmented your weapon in Monster Hunter World and decide to upgrade and augment in Master Rank, your augments will disappear. You'll get your materials back, however, augments from High Rank may be crucial in early game Master Rank.
Augments Use Monster Materials From Guiding Lands
Master Rank weapon augments don't use Streamstones anymore, however, they do cost valuable Research Points and need rare materials from the Guiding Lands - the end-game endless hunting area in Iceborne.
Check Out Guiding Lands Features Here!