Here are the best Long Sword Builds in Monster Hunter Now. Check out the best early game build, the best elemental Long Sword builds, and the best Long Sword build progression against large monsters in this guide!

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Best Long Sword Builds

Long Sword Build Selection

Jump to a Long Sword Build
Early Game Build			Raw Build
Water Build		Fire Build		Thunder Build
Ice Build			Dragon Build

Early Game Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
First Dance	100	5%	None
Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 2)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1
Jagras Mail (Grade 2)	▸ Rising Tide Lv.1
Girros Vambraces (Grade 2)	▸ Sneak Attack Lv.1
Leather Belt (Grade 2)	▸ Health Boost Lv.1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 2)	▸ Critical Eye Lv.1

The Kulu-Ya-Ku Long Sword, First Dance, is a good starting Long Sword you can get. While it has no element, it makes up for its 5% Affinity. Pairing this with the Critical Eye skill from the Kulu Greaves, you can expect critical hits in your Long Sword combos!

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Raw Long Sword Build

Midgame Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
First Dance At least Grade 5	430	15%	None
Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 5)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Critical Eye Lv. 1
Jagras Mail (Grade 5)	▸ Rising Tide Lv. 1
Lumu Vambraces (Grade 5)	▸ Concentration Lv. 1 ▸ Divine Blessing Lv. 1
Jagras Coil (Grade 5)	▸ Fortify Lv. 1 ▸ Rising Tide Lv. 1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 5)	▸ Critical Eye Lv. 1

With Kulu-Ya-Ku being fairly easy to hunt down for materials, the First Dance Long Sword can be your weapon even until endgame! The raw values are high enough to take down monsters and its affinity on higher grades can reach until 30%. If you choose to hunt monsters with a non-elemental Long Sword, this weapon should be in your inventory.

Endgame Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Mammoth Longblade At least Grade 5	486	0%	None
Wyvern Blade "Leaf" At least Grade 5	409	0%	298
Wyvern Blade "Blossom" At least Grade 5	473	0%	188
Armor	Skills
Rathalos Helm (Grade 5)	▸ Attack Boost Lv. 2
Rathalos Mail (Grade 6)	▸ Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Burst Lv. 2
Banbaro Coil (Grade 6)	▸ Attack Boost Lv. 2 ▸ Firm Foothold Lv. 1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Critical Eye Lv. 2

With the addition of the Mammoth Longblade, this raw build should last throughout the endgame. It's possible to keep using an upgraded First Dance, but Banbaro's weapon will deal more damage on average. The Poison weapons also work well with this set.

Another option is to use the Rathian Coil for another point of Burst, which can help out at higher grades if you can consistently hit monsters.

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Water Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Kakaru Kumo Naki (at least Grade 5)	335	10%	230
Alternative: Jyura Shotel (at least Grade 5)	370	0%	181
Armor	Skills
Pukei Lagoon Hat (Grade 8)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Jyura Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Water Attack Lv. 1 ▸ Last Stand Lv. 1
Jyura Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Water Attack Lv. 2
Rathalos Coil (Grade 5)	▸ Focus Lv. 1
Jagras Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Water Attack Lv. 2

You can replace the Pukei Lagoon Hat with the Kulu Headpiece if you don't have the materials.

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Fire Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Wyvern Blade "Fall" (at least Grade 5)	361	0%	232
Armor	Skills
Anja Helm (Grade 4)	▸ Fire Attack Lv. 2
Pukei Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Poison Resistance Lv. 1 ▸ Focus Lv. 1
Anja Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Fire Attack Lv. 2
Diablos Nero Coil (Grade 5) Rathalos Coil (Grade 6)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Focus Lv. 1 ▸ Fire Attack Lv. 1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Critical Eye Lv. 2

If Black Diablos isn't available, an alternative would be to use the Rathalos Coil. This will let you let you max out Fire Attack at the cost of Lock On. If you want to keep Lock On, you should also use the Kulu Headpiece or Pukei Lagoon Hat instead, but your Fire Attack will only be at Lv. 3.

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Thunder Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Usurper's Boltslicer At least Grade 6	461	0%	320
Armor	Skills
Pukei Lagoon Hat (Grade 8)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Kadachi Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Evade Extender Lv. 1 ▸ Thunder Attack Lv. 1
Zinogre Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv. 2
Kadachi Coil (Grade 6)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv. 2
Jyura Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Focus Lv. 2

This Thunder Great Sword build requires Zinogre materials. You can hunt the Thunder Wolf down in Hunt-a-thons. You can replace the Pukei Lagoon Hat with the Kulu Headpiece if you don't have the materials.

Alternative Thunder Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Pulsar Shotel (at least Grade 5)	370	0%	181
Armor	Skills
Pukei Hood (Grade 6)	▸ Focus Lv. 1 ▸ Health Boost Lv. 2
Kadachi Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Evade Extender Lv. 1 ▸ Thunder Attack Lv. 1
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Burst Lv. 2
Kadachi Coil (Grade 6)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv. 2
Kulu Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Critical Eye Lv. 2

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Ice Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Glacial Shotel (at least Grade 5)	361	0%	232
Armor	Skills
Pukei Lagoon Hat (Grade 8)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Barioth Mail (Grade 6)	▸ Ice Resistance Lv. 1 ▸ Ice Attack Lv. 1
Barioth Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Ice Attack Lv. 2
Legiana Coil (Grade 5)	▸ Ice Attack Lv. 2
Jyura Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Focus Lv. 2

This Ice Long Sword build requires Barioth materials, which can be done in Hunt-a-Thons. You can also replace the Pukei Lagoon Hat with the Kulu Headpiece if you don't have the materials.

Alternative Ice Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Glacial Shotel (at least Grade 5)	361	0%	232
Armor	Skills
Legiana Helm (Grade 6)	▸ Divine Blessing Lv. 1 ▸ Ice Attack Lv. 1
Pukei Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Poison Resistance Lv. 1 ▸ Focus Lv. 1
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 6)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Burst Lv. 2
Legiana Coil (Grade 5)	▸ Ice Attack Lv. 2
Kulu Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Critical Eye Lv. 2

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Dragon Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Reaver "Cruelty" (at least Grade 5)	368	-30%	292
Armor	Skills
Pukei Lagoon Hat (Grade 8)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1 ▸ Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Rath Heart Mail (Grade 6)	▸ Focus Lv. 1 ▸ Dragon Attack Lv. 1
Vangis Vambraces (Grade 5)	▸ Dragon Attack Lv. 1 ▸ Peak Performance Lv. 1
Vangis Coil (Grade 6)	▸ Dragon Attack Lv. 2 ▸ Tremor Resistance Lv. 1
Rath Heart Greaves (Grade 6)	▸ Special Boost Lv. 2 ▸ Dragon Attack Lv. 1

You can replace the Pukei Lagoon Hat with the Kulu Headpiece if you don't have the materials.

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Best Long Sword Skills

Recommended Skills to Equip

Skill	Explanation / Recommended Level
Elemental Attack	Take advantage of a monster's elemental weakness by equipping this stat! Priority: ★★★
Attack Boost	This skill increases your raw attack value, improving your DPS. Priority: ★★☆
Critical Eye	This skill will increase your critical hit rate, which will directly increase your DPS. Priority: ★★☆
Lock On	Target a monster's weak spots easily with this skill! Priority: ★★☆
Focus	This skill will fill up the spirit gauge quicker. However, don't prioritze it since you'll be attacking a lot with the Long Sword anyway, so filling up the gauge will not be that hard. Priority: ★☆☆

Long Sword Builds Against Monsters

Best Jyuratodus Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Pulsar Shotel	128	0%	47
Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 2)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1
Jagras Mail (Grade 2)	▸ Rising Tide Lv.1
Girros Vambraces (Grade 2)	▸ Sneak Attack Lv.1
Kadachi Coil (Grade 2)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv.1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 2)	▸ Critical Eye Lv.1

Craft Pulsar Shotel 1 from Tobi-Kadachi materials. Slice away at Jyuratodus with this powerful Thunder Long Sword! Forge the Kadachi Coil for the Thunder Attack skill to increase damage.

Best Anjanath Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Jyura Shotel	182	0%	75
Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 2)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1
Jyura Mail (Grade 3)	▸ Water Attack Lv.1
Jyura Vambraces (Grade 3)	▸ Water Attack Lv.1
Leather Belt (Grade 2)	▸ Health Boost Lv.1
Jagras Greaves (Grade 2)	▸ Water Attack Lv.1

The Jyura Shotel 1 from the Jyuratodus tree will be the best Long Sword against Anjanath. Farm Jyuratodus for its materials to craft its chest and arms pieces, which will increase your Water element damage with the skill, Water Attack.

Best Rathian Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Pulsar Shotel	128	0%	47
Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 4)	▸ Lock On Lv. 1
Anja Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Special Boost Lv.1
Girros Vambraces (Grade 3)	▸ Sneak Attack Lv.1
Kadachi Coil (Grade 3)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv.1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 3)	▸ Critical Eye Lv.1

Use the Pulsar Shotel 1 Long Sword again for Rathian. Increase this weapon's damage with the Thunder Attack skill from the Kadachi Coil. Then, craft the Anjanath chest armor for the Special Boost skill to increase the damage of your Spirit Helm Breaker.

Best Legiana Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Blazing Shotel	260	0%	117
Armor	Skills
Anja Helm (Grade 4)	▸ Fire Attack Lv. 2
Anja Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Special Boost Lv.1
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 4)	▸ Lock On Lv.1 ▸ Burst Lv.1
Lumu Coil (Grade 3)	▸ Divine Blessing Lv.1
Anja Greaves (Grade 4)	▸ Peak Performance Lv.1

The Blazing Shotel Long Sword takes advantage of Legiana's weakness to Fire, so craft it as soon as possible. The Fire Attack skill from the Anja Helm will increase your elemental damage, increasing your DPS.

Best Diablos Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Glacial Shotel	361	0%	232
Armor	Skills
Pukei Hood (Grade 2)	▸ Focus Lv. 1
Anja Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Special Boost Lv.1
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 4)	▸ Lock On Lv.1 ▸ Burst Lv.1
Legiana Coil (Grade 5)	▸ Ice Attack Lv.2
Kulu Greaves (Grade 4)	▸ Critical Eye Lv.1

Glacial Shotel is the best Long Sword against Diablos because of its weakness to Ice. The Burst and Ice Attack skills in the vambraces and coil, respectively, increase the damage you can do with your Spirit Blade Combo. To top it off, Special Boost increases your Spirit Helm Breaker damage.

Best Rathalos Long Sword Build

Weapon	ATK	AFF	ELE
Pulsar Shotel (at least Grade 5)	370	0%	181
Armor	Skills
Pukei Hood (Grade 4)	▸ Focus Lv. 1
Anja Mail (Grade 4)	▸ Special Boost Lv.1
Rathian Vambraces (Grade 4)	▸ Lock On Lv.1 ▸ Burst Lv.1
Kadachi Coil (Grade 3)	▸ Thunder Attack Lv.1
Kulu Greaves (Grade 4)	▸ Critical Eye Lv.1

It's recommended to upgrade your Pulsar Shotel to at least Grade 5 before hunting down Rathalos. The Special Boost skill from the Anja Mail increases the damage your Spirit Helm Breaker will do, but if you want more elemental damage, equip the Kadachi Mail and upgrade it until you unlock the Thunder Attack Lv.1 that comes with it.

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