Sword and Shield Builds and Best Equipment | Monster Hunter Rise | MHR (MH Rise)

This is a guide to the best builds and equipment for Sword and Shield (SNS) in Monster Hunter Rise (MH Rise) for the Nintendo Switch. Learn about the best Sword and Shields, and the best Skills and Armor pieces to use with the Sword and Shield for Low Rank, High Rank, and endgame.

All Sword and Shield Guides
Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds

This is a developing guide for Best Sword and Shield Builds & Equipment. If you have any suggestions or additional information, please comment them below!

High Rank Build: Post-Game (Hub Quest 7★ Completed)

Best Sword and Shield

Flash in the Night
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	6	180	30	- -
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	②ーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost III Affinity Boost II Master Rider

Flash in the Night remains as the best End Game Sword and Shield weapon. Its high affinity and blue sharpness makes it the best SnS to equip for the game's current end game content.

Best Armor

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Zinogre Helm S	62	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Torso	Zinogre Mail S	62	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Arms	Anjanath Vambraces S	60	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Slugger Lv. 2
Waist	Golden Obi	70	Heroics Lv. 1 Maximum Might Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Legs	Golden Hakama	70	Latent Power Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 2
Talisman		Weakness Exploit
Decorations		Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Steadfast Jewel 1 x3 KO Jewel 2 x1

Best Build Explanation

With the Flash in the Night together with Weakness Exploit and Latent Power, you can easily reach 100% affinity. This is further amplified with Critical boost and with max slugger, you'll also be able to stun monsters with Shield Bashes. An optimized damage dealing set that can deal stun damage as well!

High Rank Build: Late Game (Hub Quest 6★ to 7★)

Best Sword and Shields

Nargacuga's Flash in the Night is highly recommended

Flash in the Night
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	6	180	30	- -
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	②ーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost III Affinity Boost II Master Rider

Flash in the Night is a great rarity 6 weapon that has a white sharpness and 30% affinity. To top it off, it has a base attack stat of 180 making it the best raw Sword and Shield you can craft at this stage of the game.

Best Elemental Sword and Shields

Late Game Elemental Sword and Shield Stats

Fire Element

Djinn II
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	5	190	0	Fire 23
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Poison Boost I Element Exploit

Water Element

Master Odyssey
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	6	170	0	Water 33
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	③ーー
Rampage Skills
Defense Boost III Dragon Exploit Element Exploit

Thunder Element

Thunderbolt Sword I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	6	180	0	Thunder 33
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Anti-Aerial Species ?

Ice Element

Nardebosche
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	5	160	35	Ice 20
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	②①ー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost IV Affinity Boost II Iceblight Exploit

Best Armour

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Zinogre Helm S	62	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Torso	Zinogre Mail S	62	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Arms	Anjanath Vambraces S	60	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Slugger Lv. 2
Waist	Barioth Coil S	58	Critical Draw Lv. 1 Critical Eye Lv. 2
Legs	Ingot Greaves S	40	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Critical Eye Lv. 2

Set Involves Arounds Raw and Critical Strikes

This set build utilizes damage boosting skills like Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Weakness Exploit. If Latent Power and Weakness Exploit are both applied, this build can easily reach 100% affinity. This is a decent affinity build you can use for the late stages of the game. Slugger is also added for the Sliding Dash -> Falling Bash combo so do give this build a try!

Best Talisman

For talimans, we highly suggest going for Razor Sharp as your affinity maxes out if both Latent Power and Weakness Exploit trigger. If you want to not rely on Latent Power, getting a talisman for Weakness Exploit is ok but you lose out on the Latent Power's affinity bonus when it triggers.

How to Use the Melding Pot and Success Rates

High Rank Build: Late Game (Hub Quest 4★ to 5★)

Best Sword and Shields

Princess Rapier 1 Is a Decent Poison Sword and Shield

Princess Rapier I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	5	180	10	Poison 14
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Poison Boost I Small Monster Exploit

There aren't many great Sword and Shields at 4 to 5 star hub quests. With the Princess Rapier 1, you'll be able to get a poison attribute for your weapon which can deal decent DPS to the enemy Large Monster while having a base attack stat of 180.

Best Armor

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Izuchi Helm S	36	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Torso	Izuchi Mail S	36	Critical Eye Lv. 2 Recovery Speed Lv. 1
Arms	Kamura Braces S	30	Critical Eye Lv. 2 Heroics Lv. 1
Waist	Baggi Coil S	36	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Sleep Resistance Lv. 1
Legs	Ingot Greaves S	40	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Critical Eye Lv. 2

Focused on Raw Damage

This set build utilizes the Critical Eye's potential and is coupled by a level 4 attack boost for some raw damage. It's a great setup to carry you to the next ranks in the Hub Quest.

Low Rank Build: Mid Game (Village Quest 4★ to 6★)

Best Sword and Shield

Sinister Sword I is a Blast-Powered All-Rounder

Sinister Sword I Stats

Sinister Sword I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	130	0	Blast 13
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Blast Boost I Magnamalo Soul

Magnamalo's Sinister Sword I has great stats across the board and has Blast, making it a great weapon for most hunts at this stage of the game.

Hidden Edge I has Incredibly High Affinity

Hidden Edge I Stats

Hidden Edge I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	120	30	- -
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Affinity Boost I Master Rider

Nargacuga's Hidden Edge I is a great choice for Sword and Shield.

Although its Attack is a modest 120, it has a long bar of Green Sharpness and a high Affinity of 30%. As Sword and Shield frequently executes multi-hit attacks, its sharpness will wear down quickly, making a weapon with a solid degree of Green Sharpness highly coveted for the midgame.

Studded Club I is a Raw Damage monster!

Studded Club I Stats

Studded Club I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	160	-5	- -
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Affinity Boost I Defense Boost II Small Monster Exploit

Diablos' Studded Club I offers high base damage (160) and a generous green sharpness bar at the minor cost of -5% affinity. Consider crafting this raw damage monster if you're looking for an all-purpose Sword and Shield.

Best Elemental Sword and Shields

Mid Game Elemental Sword and Shields Stats

Fire Element

Djinn I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	120	0	Fire 18
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Fire Boost I Element Exploit

Water Element

Cunning Riposte II
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	150	0	Water 11
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	10	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Defense Boost I Water Boost II Dulling Strike

Thunder Element

Usurper's Firebolt I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	120	0	Thunder 15
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost I Thunder Boost I Anti-Aquatic Species

Ice Element

Icicle Spike II
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	3	120	30	Ice 15
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost III Affinity Boost II Iceblight Exploit

Best Armor

Max Guard

Catered to those who prefer to block with the Sword and Shield, this particular armor combination ensures minimal knock back, chip damage, and stamina cost when blocking most attacks!

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Diablos Helm	30	Guard Lv. 1 Stamina Surge Lv. 1
Torso	Diablos Mail	30	Guard Lv. 1
Arms	Basarios Vambraces	22	Guard Lv. 1 Speed Sharpening Lv. 1
Waist	Barroth Coil	18	Guard Lv. 1
Legs	Barroth Greaves	18	Guard Lv. 1

Affinity Powerhouse

This relatively straight-forward armor combination prioritizes pumping as much Affinity as possible. It's also important to note that this set synergizes well with all of the Sword and Shields listed above.

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Zinogre Helm	28	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Latent Power Lv. 1
Torso	Zinogre Mail	28	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Latent Power Lv. 1
Arms	Barioth Vambraces	20	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Waist	Barioth Coil	20	Critical Eye Lv. 2
Legs	Aelucanth Crura / Rhopessa Crura	24	Critical Eye Lv. 2

Low Rank Build: Early Game (Village Quest 1★ to 4★)

Best Sword and Shields

Fighter Sword is Nice Starter Weapon

Fighter Sword Stats

Fighter Sword
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	2	110	0	- -
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Affinity Boost I Defense Boost II

The Fighter Sword offers solid stats against the monsters on the first two hunter ranks. Consider investing in the Sword and Shield's Ore Tree to eventually get this weapon.

Pukei Sword I is a Great All-Rounder

Pukei Sword I Stats

Pukei Sword I
	Rarity	Attack	Affinity	Elem.
	2	110	0	Poison 15
	Defense	Slots	Sharpness
	-	ーーー
Rampage Skills
Attack Boost II Defense Boost I Poison Boost I

Pukei Sword I boasts great stats at this stage of the game with the added benefit of having Poison ailment. These factors make this particular Sword and Shield an excellent choice for almost all hunts in the early game.

Best Armor

Starter Set

At this stage in the game, the default Armor is sufficient for the Sword and Shield, but the following are our recommendations if you do decide to upgrade.

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Izuchi Helm	10	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Torso	Izuchi Mail	10	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Recovery Speed Lv. 1
Arms	Alloy Vambraces	10	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Waist	Barroth Coil	18	Guard Lv. 1
Legs	Barroth Greaves	18	Guard Lv. 1

Barroth Set is Also Viable

Consider going for the full Barroth Set if you prefer a more defensive build for the early game.

Piece	Armor	Base Defense	Skills
Head	Barroth Helm	18	Attack Boost Lv. 1
Torso	Barroth Mail	18	Attack Boost Lv. 1 Defense Boost Lv. 1
Arms	Jaggi Gauntlets	14	Attack Boost Lv. 1
Waist	Barroth Coil	18	Guard Lv. 1
Legs	Barroth Greaves	18	Guard Lv. 1

Recommended Skills for Sword and Shield

Monster Hunter Rise Related Links

All Builds and Best Equipment

Builds for Each Weapon

All Weapon Build Guides
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Best All-Purpose Builds

Best Builds for High Rank

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