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- Great Sword fighting style
- Controls
- Combos
- Switch Skills
- Silkbind Attacks
- Best Builds
- Best Skills
Considering that there are 14 weapons to choose from in Monster Hunter Rise, it can be hard to figure out which one works best with your play style. If you like taking on the role of a tank who smashes first and answers questions later, you'll love the Great Sword. It does the most damage out of any of the other weapons and can even block enemy attacks, but in exchange, you'll move rather slowly.
Monster Hunter Rise is one of the best Nintendo Switch games in existence. To prove that, let's dive into the various Great Sword attacks, skills, and builds that truly make this weapon great.
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword fighting style
The Great Sword is a heavy weapon that allows you to make powerful charge attacks and block enemy attacks at the expense of sharpness. It definitely can inflict the highest damage out of any of the other weapons, but it's also really slow.
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Controls
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Controls | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| X | Overhead Slash | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| A | Wide Sweep | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| X + A | Rising Slash | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| A (while charging) | Tackle | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| ZR (in midair) | Plunging Thrust | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| ZR | Guard | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
- Charged Slash: Hold X to charge the Overhead Slash's power. The longer it's held, the harder it hits. Release it at the right time to unleash a devastating Charged Slash.
- True Charged Slash (Power): If a true charged slash hits against a soft, weak point on a monster, the second attack will do much more damage.
- Leaping Wide Slash: This attack gains extra hits with each charge stage, making it easier to deal more status and elemental damage.
- Tackle: Fortifies the user, making them immune to flinching or being blown away by even the fiercest of attacks.
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Combos
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Combos | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hold X, left joystick + Hold X, A, Hold X | True Charged Slash Bombo: Charged Slash > Strong Charged Slash > Strong Wide Slash > True Charged Slash | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| A, A, A | Forward Lunging Attack Combo: Wide Sweep > Tackle > Leaping Wide Slash | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| A, X+A, A | Stationary Combo: Wide Sweep > Rising Slash > Wide Sweep | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Switch Skills
Monster Hunter weapons have their own attacks, and each attack can have one of two Switch Skills assigned to it. Here are the Switch Skills for the Great Sword.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Attack | Switch Skills |
|---|---|
| Silkbind Attack | ○ Adamant Charged Slash: Can withstand knockbacks and makes you dash forward with a Strong Charged Slash.○ Hunting Edge: Makes you attack by leaping forward. If you hit your enemy, you can followup with Charged Slash or Charged Plunging attack. |
| Regular Attack 1 | ○ Tackle: Makes you move forward and attack using the blade's flat side. Not as easy to use as a regular Tackle, but can allow you to Guard.○ Guard Tackle: A Charged Slash that strikes twice with a large swing and inflicts lots of damage. If you hit a weak spot on the first strike, the second strike will do more damage. |
| Regular Attack 2 | ○ True Charged Slash: A Charged Slash attack that strikes twice by making you spin. If you hit a weak spot on the first strike, the second one deals additional damage.○ Rage Slash: If a player takes damage while the weapon is drawn, it strengthens the user's attack. |
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Silkbind Attacks
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Silkbind Attacks | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| ZL + A | Power Sheathe: Makes you move forward quickly while you sheathe your weapon and temporarily boost your attack. | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| ZL + X | Hunting Edge: Makes you leap forward and attack. A successful hit can be followed with a Charged Slash or Charged Plunging Thrust in midair. Can be switched out with Adamant Charged Slash. | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| ZL + X | Adamant Charged Slash: With the help of a Wirebug, you lunge forward with a Strong Charged Slash. Since it hardens your body, you can withstand knockbacks. It can be switched out with Hunting Edge. | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Best builds
Every build you make will have some give and take. However, these are what we consider to be the best builds for the Great Sword.
Best build for 2 Star Quests
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Buster Sword I |
| Head | Izuchi Helm |
| Chest | Hunter's Mail |
| Arms | Alloy Vambraces |
| Waist | Bone Coil |
| Legs | Baggi Greaves |
Stats & Skills for this build:
- Defense: 44
- Fire: -3
- Water: -2
- Thunder: -4
- Ice: 0
- Dragon: 1
- Attack Boost Lvl 2
- Critical Eye Lvl 2
- Focus Lvl 1
Best build for 4 Star Quests
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Buster Blade |
| Head | Basarios Helm |
| Chest | Barroth Mail |
| Arms | Somnacanth Braces |
| Waist | Basarios Coil |
| Legs | Basarios Greaves |
Stats & Skills for this build:
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- Defense: 134
- Fire: 3
- Water: -3
- Thunder: 7
- Ice: 7
- Dragon: -4
- Attack Boost Lvl 1
- Defense Boost Lvl 5
- Speed Sharpening Lvl 1
- Free Elem/Ammo Up Lvl 1
- Bombardier Lvl 1
- Divine Blessing Lvl 1
Best Endgame build for Great Sword
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Abominable Great Sword |
| Head | Khezu Helm S |
| Chest | Anja Mail S |
| Arms | Rathalos Braces S |
| Waist | Rathalos Coil S |
| Legs | Ingot Greaves S |
Stats & Skills for this build:
- Defense: 263
- Fire: 4
- Water: -1
- Thunder: 0
- Ice: 3
- Dragon: -5
- Attack Boost Lvl 6
- Focus Lvl 3
- Critical Eye Lvl 2
- Marathon Runner Lvl 1
- Recovery Up Lvl 1
- Windproof Lvl 1
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword Best skills
I recommend you work on getting these skills leveled up as soon as you can. It'll greatly help you perform better with the Great Sword.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attack Boost | Increases attack power and, in higher levels, also increases Affinity. |
| Focus | Shortens the amount of time it takes for gauges to fill up so you can deal more combos faster. |
| Weakness Exploit | Your attacks do more damage when exploiting a monster's weakness. |
| Critical Eye | Increases the likelihood of landing critical hits. |
One of the greats
There's a reason why the Great Sword is such a popular choice when playing Monster Hunter Rise. With its powerful attacks and blocking ability, you can take down monsters with fewer swings and also protect yourself. Just note that it's slower than other weapons out there.
If you're not sure if the Great Sword is a good pick for you, check out one of the other 14 weapons.
More navigation links:
Monster Hunter Rise Great Sword
- Great Sword fighting style
- Controls
- Combos
- Switch Skills
- Silkbind Attacks
- Best Builds
- Best Skills
All Weapons
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- Long Sword
- Dual Blades
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- Lance
- Gunlance
- Switch Axe
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- Heavy Bowgun
- Bow
Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor
Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.
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