A perpendicular magnetic recording writer has a main pole (MP) with a first flux guiding (FG) device in a write gap between the MP trailing side and a trailing shield, and a second FG device in the leading gap (LG) and each side gap (SG). The SG angle is reduced to 15° to 45° to enable conformal and more uniform FG device layers to be formed in the SG and LG. As a result, the MP shape and write field are more reproducible. To compensate for a thinner MP thickness at the air bearing surface that results from maintaining the track width at a shallower SG angle, an upper MP tip may be formed on the lower MP tip thereby generating a hexagonal shape for the combined MP tip. In this case, the second FG device conforms to the shape of the two upper MP tip sides and trailing side.