Monster Hunter Wilds offers places a wide range of different weapon types to explore. Each of these weapons comes with its own unique mechanics and gameplay style. Some of these weapons will offer great range to stay a bit further from the danger, such as the Bow. Others can offer phenomenal defensive capabilities, such as the Lance.
However, there are players that want to see the largest damage numbers and fastest clearing times. These players will want heavy-hitting weapons such as the Hammer, or the Great Sword. The Great Sword can take some time to get used to due to players needing to time their hits, so beginners might want something a little different at first.
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How to Use the Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds
What makes the Great Sword such a monster of a weapon is its raw damage numbers. This weapon racks up numbers extremely fast. Ironically, it is a very slow weapon that relies on landing fully charged attacks. While combos will be players bread and butter for felling monsters. Players will need to understand some basic controls for the Great Sword first, and they can do this in the Training Area.
|
Control Name |
PS5 |
Xbox |
PC |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Charged Slash |
Triangle |
Y |
LMB |
|
Wide Slash |
O |
B |
RMB |
|
Guard |
R2 |
RT |
R |
|
Kick |
While Guarding: Triangle |
While Guarding: Y |
While Guarding: LMB |
|
Tackle |
While charging up an attack: O |
While charging up an attack: B |
While charging up an attack: RMB |
|
Rising Slash |
Triangle + O |
Y + B |
LMB + RMB |
|
Focus Slash: Perforate |
L2 + R1 |
LT + RB |
LMB + Shift |
The Tackle will grant players hyper armor to keep them in the face of danger without fear of losing chunks of their health. Timing tackles perfectly will allow players to keep the charges they have built up for their follow-up attack. Hyper armor is just one of the many things players should be aware of when playing Monster Hunter Wilds.
Great Sword Combos in Monster Hunter Wilds
To make up for the Great Sword’s slow charge times, players will want to maximize its DPS by using the right combos at the right times. New players should learn a lot about the game and its mechanics before diving into the Great Sword. Just knowing the Great Sword’s controls is not enough. When it comes to actual combat, players’ timing will make or break their ability to use this weapon.
|
Combo Name |
Description |
PS5 |
Xbox |
PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
True Charged Slash Combo |
This will be the combo players will make use of whenever they have the most time on their hands. Players will use their Charged Slash attack and hold the button down. This will cause player characters to pulse up to 3 times before automatically attacking. Releasing early means initiating an attack, but for less damage. The second attack in this combo will be the Strong Charged Slash, and the third will be the True Charged Slash. Both of these follow-up attacks can also be charged. Executing everything perfectly will be the driving force behind ending fights earlier rather than later. This combo is best used after a monster has been momentarily toppled. |
Triangle (charged), Triangle (charged), Triangle (charged) |
Y (charged), Y (charged), Y (charged) |
LMB (charged), LMB (charged), LMB (charged) |
|
Forward Lunging Attack Combo |
The Great Sword is slow, very slow. Sometimes monsters take a step back or begin an attack towards the player. This combo gives the players some mobility while they continue to deal out damage. This combo will not always be viable and will work against some monster patterns better than others. It’s all about reading the flow of combat. |
O, O, O |
B, B, B |
RMB, RMB, RMB |
|
Stationary Combo |
This combo will be the ideal option for players that have decided to try out the Great Sword after previously using the Lance. Players are able to charge up their Rising Slash attack. Players can use these charged instances to hold off on their attack until their enemy is about to hit them. When they release their Rising Slash, the screen will display this attack as the Offset Rising Slash. The Offset Rising Slash can be used to parry enemy attacks and keep pressing the advantage against them. This combo lets the player perform a Wide Slash that transitions into a Rising Slash. If the enemy is likely to attack soon, players can wait for the ideal moment to perform an Offset Rising Slash and parry it. |
O, Triangle + O, O, Triangle + O |
B, Y + B, B, Y + B |
RMB, LMB + RMB, RMB, LMB + RMB |
While the Stationary Combo only lists this twice, it can be repeated as many times as the player needs to create their openings to switch up their combo patterns.
Tips & Tricks for Using the Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds
There are many little nuggets of wisdom that can help turn a basic Great Sword player into an absolute legend. These can come in the form of getting your timing correct or understanding how it is more beneficial to not dodge certain attacks.
Players should familiarize themselves with the game’s Focus Mode. Not just for Great Swords, but for how Focus Mode can benefit every weapon in the game.
Perfectly Timed Charge Slashes
Players will use Charged Slashes as their primary means of pushing for damage. While players can just hold down the attack button until their character swings, this will actually result in a less powerful hit. As such, players will see their clear times being far greater than other Great Sword users. Players will want to release their attack on the third highlighted charge to unleash attacks that deal the most damage possible.
Exploit Wounds
Once a player opens a wound, they won’t want to waste this opportunity. Players will want to use their Focus Slash: Perforate ability on wounds to get some massive damage numbers while destroying this wound. Striking at this wound with any other attacks enough times will destroy it anyway, and this can be costly to one’s damage output. Staying in Focus Mode will reveal wounds to players once they appear, so it is best to make use of this mode frequently, even for the majority of fights.
Stand Your Ground
Many players will be used to running and dodging out of danger, or keeping their distance entirely when using weapons like the Bow. This is not the way of the Great Sword. Players will move incredibly slowly and are likely to take more damage trying to dodge monster attacks. Players will want to stand their ground against their foes and strike them down point blank. Pressing guard at the moment a monster’s attack connects will cause a Perfect Guard, mitigating all damage and allowing the player to follow up with an attack.
Use Offset Rising Slash
Be sure to familiarize yourself with Rising Slashes and make it a staple in your playstyle. The Offset Rising Slash is the ultimate weapon to fight monsters close up in their faces. Playing aggressively will pile on attacks and open enemies up to relentless assaults of high damage from True Charged Slash Combos.
After leaving the first base camp of the game, players can still access the Training Area by opening their map and viewing the World Map. Here, players can fast travel between base camps or go straight to the Training Area.
- Released
-
February 28, 2025
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty