Despite all weapon types’ purpose is dealing damage, the Hunting Horn is the stick to pick if you want to play support. While it might not look have combos as flashy as Dual Blades or Long Sword, the Hunting Horn brings something crucial to every hunt: teamwide protection. One of said protection is called Sonic Barrier. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Sonic Barrier buff is a clutch defensive tool that can change the flow of a battle — if timed right. Let’s see how the buff supposed to work.
Sonic Barrier Buff Explanation
Sonic Barrier is a Melody that grants a temporary shield to you and teammates in the same area. When it’s active, it blocks one instance of a roar, tremor, or strong wind pressure. If you got hit instead, it will reduce the damage by around 45%. Do note that it only works once per performance, so you’ll need to refresh it often.
If not triggered by a roar or attack, the buff lasts for 45 seconds, or up to 90 seconds with an Encore. Horn Maestro has no effect on this Melody.
Some players might notice that in Wilds, Sonic Barrier works differently than in Rise/Sunbreak. In the previous game, it makes you immune to any knockback effect once with a small damage reduction. It was somewhat similar to using a Rocksteady Mantle that instantly breaks after getting hit.
How to Activate Sonic Barrier with a Monster Hunter Wilds Hunting Horn
Sonic Barrier is part of Melodies, combos that, once activated will give buff to everyone nearby. Different Hunting Horns need different button combination to perform a Melody. This time, we’ll use Guardian Rathalos Horn or G. Rathalos Feroce as an example.
For G. Rathalos Feroce, Sonic Barrier requires you to play the Blue > Purple > Red notes. It’s an equivalent to performing Overhead Smash (Triangle+Circle/Y+B/Left+Right Mouse) > Left Swing (Triangle/Y/Left Mouse) > Right Swing (Circle/B/Right Mouse). You can also perform a faster note attack during a combo by using the Hilt Stab (Backward+Note button) move.
Once you’ve hit those notes, press R2/RT/R to perform the Melody and cast the buff. You should see ‘Sonic Barrier’ notifications pop-up below your stamina and on the right side of your screen. Encore can then be used right after with R2/RT/R again to extend the song’s duration and acts as a bonus attack.
Not every Hunting Horn can perform Sonic Barrier, however. Make sure you check the Melody list before you start crafting them. As of now, there are only three Hunting Horn trees that come with Sonic Barrier:
- Guardian Rathalos Tree.
- Albirath Feroce > G. Rathalos Feroce.
- Bone Tree.
- Bone Horn > Hardened Bone Horn.
- Doshaguma Tree.
- Dosha Farsounder > Farsounder Honga.
