Monster Hunter Wilds: Azure Bolt Skill, Explained
Description
Azure Bolt is an electrifying armor set bonus in Monster Hunter Wilds that can give players the edge they need in fights. It’s extremely helpful against certain monsters, and it’s a good effect to have too if you’re looking for different ways to boost your weapon’s Affinity.
Whether you’re looking for something that can smite Thunder-weak monsters or a way to increase your crit chance in MH WIlds, Azure Bolt is worth considering for your build. If you’re unsure as to how exactly this skill works, here’s a guide to help shed some light on things.
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How Does Azure Bolt Work in MH Wilds?
Azure Bolt is the armor skill players get from the Leviathan’s Fury set bonus from the Lagiacrus set, and in a way, it’s similar to Whiteflame Torrent (minus the random chance part). This skill causes Thunder damage to burst from your weapon after hitting a monster enough times, and when that damage burst triggers, you gain 15 Affinity for 20–30 seconds based on skill level.
This damage proc will always deal Thunder damage regardless of what weapon you’re using, but it does act a bit weird. The in-game tooltip says that Azure Bolt does not work on some weapon attacks — the attacks themselves aren’t specified, but based on how skills like these worked in previous Monster Hunter games, it’s safe to assume that moves like Long Sword’s Helm Breaker aren’t ideal for triggering Azure Bolt.
In our test, Helm Breaker and its follow-up attack were not able to trigger Azure Bolt after three attempts. The skill does trigger on Dual Blades’ Blade Dance, though.
Is Azure Bolt Good in MH Wilds?
Absolutely, but it’s far from being a best-in-slot set bonus like Black Eclipse from Gore Magala. The extra Thunder damage from Azure Bolt is nice to have, but it won’t be as good if the monster you’re hunting is resistant or immune to Thunder. Azure Bolt II deals roughly ~120 damage when it procs (~50 for Azure Bolt I).
However, it’s worth noting that not many monsters are resistant to Thunder, and the majority are either neutral or weak to it, making Azure Bolt a good generalist option for players who don’t want to pay much attention to their loadout.
Apart from the Thunder damage proc, players should also pay attention to the Affinity bonus. Having 15 extra Affinity for 30 seconds is always useful, but it might be a little annoying to take advantage of since there’s no telling when Azure Bolt is going to activate.
Perhaphs the most important part of the Azure Bolt set effect, though, is the Lagiacrus set itself. It has awesome armor skills (Weakness Exploit, Stamina Surge, Maximum Might, and Latent Power) with Decoration Slots that are just as stellar. Gore Magal armor with Black Eclipse will likely remain as the speed runner’s choice, but if all you want is a set that’s universally useful, then this one is a good option too.
