Introduction to the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds
The Long Sword is one of the most beloved and versatile weapons in the Monster Hunter franchise. It’s user-friendly enough for beginners to pick up and enjoy, yet it offers a high skill ceiling that keeps enthusiasts engaged. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Long Sword has been refined to offer a more balanced and rewarding experience. Whether you’re just starting your hunting journey or looking to refine your skills, this guide will help you understand the best Long Sword builds, armor sets, and the ideal progression from low to high rank.
Mastering the Basics of the Long Sword
The key to effective Long Sword usage lies in understanding its mechanics and making the most of its Spirit Gauge meter. The Spirit Gauge is divided into three levels, each of which enhances your damage output and enables different special attacks. To build up this gauge, focus on using the Fade Slash attack, which can be performed by pressing both the thrust and slash buttons. This combo not only builds a significant amount of your Spirit Gauge but also allows you to skip to Spirit Slash III, bypassing intermediate levels. The Foresight Slash, another essential move, grants you invincibility frames (i-frames) as long as you successfully land the dodge and follow-up attack. Missing it will deplete your gauge, but landing it will boost your level, making it a critical tool for managing your Spirit Gauge. The Special Sheathe abilities, including the quick double slash and the parry ability, are also crucial. The parry can negate damage and raise your Spirit Gauge level, while the quick double slash provides passive regeneration.
Utilizing the Red Spirit Gauge
Once you reach the Red Spirit Gauge level, which is the third and final level, you unlock your most powerful attack: the Spirit Release Slash. This move consumes all three levels of your gauge but deals devastating damage, making it your go-to finisher. However, don’t just save it for the end. The Red Spirit Gauge state itself is significantly more potent than in previous entries. Use your standard Spirit Slash combos and regular Slash combo strings while in this state to maximize damage output. The Iai Spirit Slash, a counter move that can negate a single instance of damage and boost your Spirit Gauge by one level, is another valuable technique. Timing this move perfectly can turn the tide of battle. The Quick Sheathe skill is vital for this build, allowing you to access your Iai Slash and Iai Spirit Slash more quickly. Without it, the Long Sword can feel clunky to use, so prioritize getting this skill at Level 3 for smoother gameplay.
Best Low Rank Long Swords for Early Progression
In the early stages of Monster Hunter Wilds, you’ll need to upgrade your Long Sword regularly to keep up with the increasing difficulty. Here are the best longswords for early-game progression, listed by rarity:
- Dosha Fatecleaver I (Rarity 2): A solid starter weapon with decent stats.
- Uth Khlunda I (Rarity 3): Offers a bit more power and a slightly better element.
- Wyvern Blade Ash I (Rarity 4): Provides a significant boost in damage and sharper edges.
- Wyvern Blade Verde I (Rarity 5): One of the best weapons available at this stage, offering a good balance of power and elements.
- Windclaw Blade II (Rarity 5): Excellent for its rarity, with high raw damage and sharpness.
As long as you have a strong grasp of the Long Sword’s fundamentals and can effectively maximize your damage output, you should be able to handle the main story content and progress smoothly to the more challenging High Rank hunts.
Long Sword Crit Build for High Damage Output
For players who enjoy the thrill of landing critical hits, the Long Sword Crit build is a perfect fit. This build aims to maximize your Affinity, increasing the likelihood and impact of critical strikes. The recommended weapon is the Stahlrecht from the Gore Magala tree, which boasts a base Affinity of 20%. However, if you find a better Artian Long Sword, it can outperform the Stahlrecht.
Here’s the recommended armor set:
- Helm: Gore Helm β
- Mail: Arcvulvan Mail β
- Braces: Gore Vambraces β
- Coil: Arkvulcan Coil β
- Greaves: Arkvulkan Greaves Alpha
The Gore Magala and Arkvulcan armors provide the Weakness Exploit skill, which increases your Affinity by 30% for weak point attacks and an additional 20% for wounds. The Gore Magala’s Tyranny buff inflicts you with Frenzy, but overcoming it grants you a 15% Affinity boost, combining with your weapon’s base Affinity to give you a significant edge. The alpha and beta versions of the armor pieces ensure you have extra slots for decorations, which are essential for fine-tuning your build.
Long Sword Paralysis Sleep Combo Build for Effective Ailments
If you prefer a more strategic approach, the Paralysis Sleep combo build is a great choice. This build focuses on continuously applying status effects to monsters, leaving them stunned and vulnerable. The recommended weapon is the Lala Barina Rarity 8 weapon, Lala Ornithocton, which can quickly inflict paralysis. Alternatively, you can use a Paralysis element Artian weapon.
The preferred armor set is the Guardian Arkveld armor:
- Helm: G. Arkveld Helm β
- Mail: G. Arcvulvan Mail β
- Braces: G. Arkveld Vambraces β
- Coil: G. Arkveld Coil β
- Greaves: G. Arkveld Greaves β
This set provides Flayer and Weakness Exploit skills, making it easier to inflict wounds and deal non-elemental damage. The Vitality skill helps you sustain yourself during prolonged fights, which is crucial when dealing with status effects. The real strength of this build lies in your Palico. Equip your Palico with a powerful sleep weapon, such as the Felyne Nerscylla Wedge, which can be crafted using Nerscylla Claws. This setup, combined with your paralysis skills and the traps your Palico places, can often keep the monster in the first area, making hunts much more manageable.
Essential Skills and Decorations for Long Sword Builds
For both the Crit and Paralysis Sleep combo builds, certain skills and decorations are essential to maximize their effectiveness:
- Quick Sheathe: Reduces the sheath animation time, allowing for quicker use of the Iai Slash and Iai Spirit Slash.
- Critical Eye: Enhances your Affinity, increasing the rate of critical hits.
- Critical Boost: Increases the damage dealt by critical attacks.
- Critical Draw: Ensures your draw attacks have a 100% Affinity.
- Weakness Exploit: Boosts Affinity by 30% for weak point attacks and an additional 20% for wounds.
- Flayer: Eases the infliction of wounds and increases non-elemental damage.
- Paralysis Attack: Increases the rate of paralysis build-up.
- Divine Blessing: Reduces damage taken by 50%.
- Guardian Arkveld’s Vitality: Restores health while attacking and destroying wounds.
- Master’s Touch: Prevents critical hits from reducing weapon sharpness.
- Antivirus: Enables the Affinity bonus after recovering from Frenzy.
While the Crit build is designed for explosive damage output, the Paralysis Sleep combo build offers a more defensive and controlled approach, minimizing the risk of death and ensuring consistent damage through status effects. Both setups have their strengths and can be adapted to your playstyle, making the Long Sword a versatile and rewarding weapon choice in Monster Hunter Wilds.
For more guides and tips, check out our comprehensive list of all monsters and their weaknesses, as well as the best character design codes to enhance your hunting experience.
