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

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Last updated on: 07/13/2021 4:51 AM

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★ Update 3.0 Guide
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★ Best Builds for Each Weapon

Monster Hunter Rise - Sword and Shield Builds and Best Equipment Guide.png

This is a guide to the best builds and equipment for Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise (MH Rise) for the Nintendo Switch. Learn about the best Swords and Shields for Update 3.0, and the best Skills and Armor pieces to use with the Swords and Shields for Low Rank, High Rank, and Endgame.

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

List of Contents

Endgame Build (Update 3.0): HR 100+
High Rank Build (Update 2.0): HR 40 to 99
Endgame Build (Update 2.0): HR 8 to 40
High Rank Build: HR 6 and 7
High Rank Build: HR 4 and 5
Low Rank Build: Village Quest 4★ to 6★
Recommended Skills for Sword and Shield
Monster Hunter Rise Related Links

If you have any suggestions or additional information, please comment them below!

Endgame Build (Update 3.0): HR 100+

Raw Damage Build

Dragon Slayer Build

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Flash in the Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	30%	-

Armor	Slots	Skills
Valstrax Helm	②①ー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Mail	③①ー	Resuscitate Lv. 2 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Braces	②ーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Coil	②ーー	Resentment Lv. 2 Resuscitate Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Greaves	③①ー	Resentment Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Talisman Skill	Attack Boost Lv. 3
Decorations
Attack Jewel 2 x3 Critical Jewel 2 x3 Grinder Jewel 1 x2 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 6 \| Dragonheart Lv. 5 Resentment Lv. 3 \| Resuscitate Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 3 \| Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 Speed Sharpening Lv. 2 \| Flinch Free Lv. 1

Build Merits	This build pumps as much damage as possible through the full Valstrax Set, Attack Boost, and Critical Boost. Flinch Free is included to negate flinches in multiplayer but you can swap it out for another level of Speed Sharpening whenever you're hunting solo.

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Vermilion Orgul	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	34

Armor	Slots	Skills
Valstrax Helm	②①ー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Mail	③①ー	Resuscitate Lv. 2 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Braces	②ーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Coil	②ーー	Resentment Lv. 2 Resuscitate Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax Greaves	③①ー	Resentment Lv. 1 Dragonheart Lv. 1
Talisman Skill	Attack Boost Lv. 1 with two additional ① slots
Decorations
Attack Jewel 2 x3 Critical Jewel 2 x3 Dragon Jewel 1 x5

Skills
Dragon Attack Lv. 5 \| Dragonheart Lv. 5 Attack Boost Lv. 4 \| Resentment Lv. 3 Resuscitate Lv. 3 \| Critical Boost Lv. 3 Weakness Exploit Lv. 3

Build Merits	This build cranks as much Dragon Element as possible while increasing base attack and critical damage through the amazing synergy between the full Valstrax Set and Vermilion Orgul's Valstrax Soul ramp up skill. This set makes quick work of any monster that is vulnerable to Dragon Element.

High Rank Build (Update 2.0): HR 40 to 99

Hi Ninja Build

Mind's Eye Bludgeoner

Master's Touch Build

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Hi Ninja Sword	①①①	200	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	100%	-

The Hi Ninja Sword boasts a whopping 200 Attack and 100% Affinity Rating. This means we can forget about the usual challenge of pumping affinity into weapons for increased damage and just focus on pumping overall damage directly instead!

Armor	Slots	Skills
Death Stench Brain S	②ーー	Protective Polish Lv. 1
Damascus Mail	①①ー	Handicraft Lv. 1 Tremor Resistance Lv. 1
Rathalos Braces S	②ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Anjanath Coil S	②①①	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Golden Hakama	①①ー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 2
Talisman Skill	Slugger Lv. 3
Decorations
Sharp Jewel 2 x2 Critical Jewel 2 x1 Steadfast Jewel 1 x3 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Hungerless Jewel 1 x2 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 4 \| Critical Boost Lv. 3 Protective Polish Lv. 3 \| Slugger Lv. 3 Stun Resistance Lv. 3 \| Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 Hunger Resistance Lv. 2 \| Latent Power Lv. 1 Handicraft Lv. 1 \| Tremor Resistance Lv. 1 Flinch Free Lv. 1

Build Merits	Built around the Hi Ninja Sword, this build allows the Sword and Shield to reach a touch of Blue Sharpness by using Lv. 1 Handicraft but maintains it through Grinder and Protective Polish. Damage is improved through Critical and Attack Boost while the addition of Slugger drastically improve the Sword and Shield's KO potential through its various shield bash attacks.This set is also flexible in terms of utility. Aside from your static Brace Jewel to prevent flinches and trips, you still have enough slots for either maxed out Stun Resistance or Elemental Resistances.

Build Merits

Built around the Hi Ninja Sword, this build allows the Sword and Shield to reach a touch of Blue Sharpness by using Lv. 1 Handicraft but maintains it through Grinder and Protective Polish. Damage is improved through Critical and Attack Boost while the addition of Slugger drastically improve the Sword and Shield's KO potential through its various shield bash attacks.This set is also flexible in terms of utility. Aside from your static Brace Jewel to prevent flinches and trips, you still have enough slots for either maxed out Stun Resistance or Elemental Resistances.

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Hi Ninja Sword	①①①	200	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	100%	-

Armor	Slots	Skills
Mizuha Cap	①ーー	Evade Window Lv. 2 Mind's Eye Lv. 2 Ballistics Lv. 2
Vaik Mail S	③②①
Rathalos Braces S	②ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Anjanath Coil S	②①①	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Hunter's Greaves S	②ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Stun Resistance Lv. 1
Talisman Skill	Bludgeoner Lv. 1 with an additional ② slot
Decorations
Critical Jewel 2 x3 Blunt Jewel 2 x2 Attack Jewel 2 x1 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Hungerless Jewel 1 x3 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 7 \| Critical Boost Lv. 3 Bludgeoner Lv. 3 \| Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 Hunger Resistance Lv. 3 \| Mind's Eye Lv. 2 Ballistics Lv. 2 \| Evade Window Lv. 2 Stun Resistance Lv. 1 \| Flinch Free Lv. 1

Build Merits	A mix up build from our first Hi Ninja Sword build. Instead of amping up its damage via an increase in Sharpness Level, we instead embrace the large green bar and combine it with Bludgeoner and Mind's Eye. While the damage numbers may be near identical, the QoL skill of Mind's Eye makes it easier to use against enemy monsters like the Basarios, Almudron (front leg), and other tough monster parts!

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Flash in the Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	30%	-

Armor	Slots	Skills
Kaiser Crown	①ーー	Critical Eye Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Vaik Mail S	③②①
Rathalos Braces S	②ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Anjanath Coil S	②①①	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Hunter's Greaves S	②ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Stun Resistance Lv. 1
Talisman Skill	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Decorations
Mastery Jewel 2 x3 Critical Jewel 2 x2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 x1 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 6 \| Critical Eye Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 3 \| Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 Master's Touch Lv. 3 \| Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 Stun Resistance Lv. 1 \| Flinch Free Lv. 1

Build Merits	Master's Touch prevents sharpness loss 80% of the time everytime you hit with a critical strike. By maxing out our affinity, we can maintain a quasi-permanent white sharpness value which will greatly amp up our damage throughout the entire hunt! Flash in the Night, when using it's Affinity Boost II ramp up skill, allows us to reach 101% total affinity on weak spots.

Endgame Build (Update 2.0): HR 8 to 40

Critical Slugger

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Flash in the Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	30%	-

Flash in the Night's great stats and white sharpness make it a great weapon to climb the early stages uncapped High Rank.

Armor	Slots	Skills
Zinogre Helm S	①ーー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Zinogre Mail S	①ーー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Anjanath Vambraces S	①ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Slugger Lv. 2
Golden Obi	①ーー	Heroics Lv. 1 Maximum Might Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Golden Hakama	①①ー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 2
Talisman Skill	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Decorations
KO Jewel 2 x1 Steadfast Jewel 1 x3 Grinder Jewel 1 x3

Skills
Latent Power Lv. 3 \| Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 3 \| Slugger Lv. 3 Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 \| Stun Resistance Lv. 3 Attack Boost Lv. 2 \| Heroics Lv. 1 Maximum Might Lv. 1

Build Merits	Flash in the Night, when combined with Weakness Exploit and Latent Power, can easily reach 100% affinity. The damage is further amplified with Critical Boost while Slugger allows you to KO monsters more efficiently. This is an optimized damage dealing set build that can efficiently stun monsters as well!

High Rank Build: HR 6 and 7

Raw Critical Build

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Flash in the Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	30%	-

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 perfect weapon to reach the very end of Hub 7★ Quests.

Armor	Slots	Skills
Zinogre Helm S	①ーー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Zinogre Mail S	①ーー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Anjanath Vambraces S	①ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Slugger Lv. 2
Golden Obi	①ーー	Heroics Lv. 1 Maximum Might Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Golden Hakama	①①ー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 2

Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 4 \| Critical Eye Lv. 4 Latent Power Lv. 2 \| Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 Slugger Lv. 2 \| Critical Draw Lv. 1

Build Merits	This set build utilizes damage boosting skills like Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Weakness Exploit. This build can easily reach 100% affinity whenever Latent Power is active. Lastly, Slugger is added to improve the Sword and Shield's KO potential during hunts.

High Rank Build: HR 4 and 5

Critical Starter

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Dirty Marquis	①①ー	140	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	34

Dirty Marquis is an excellent High Rank starter due to its decent stats and Poison Element.

Armor	Slots	Skills
Izuchi Helm S	①①ー	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Izuchi Mail S	①ーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2 Recovery Speed Lv. 1
Kamura Braces S	②ーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2 Heroics Lv. 1
Baggi Coil S	①ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Sleep Resistance Lv. 1
Ingot Greaves S	①ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Critical Eye Lv. 2

Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 7 \| Attack Boost Lv. 4 Heroics Lv. 1 \| Recovery Speed Lv. 1 Sleep Resistance Lv. 1

Build Merits	This straightforward build that prioritizes affinity and attack, this is a great setup to start your High Rank adventures with.

Low Rank Build: Village Quest 4★ to 6★

4★ to 6★

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Hidden Edge I	ーーー	120	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	30%	-

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 this stage of the game.

Alternative Sword and Shield: Sinister Sword I

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Sinister Sword I	ーーー	130	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	13

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.

Armor	Slots	Skills
Zinogre Helm	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Latent Power Lv. 1
Zinogre Mail	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Latent Power Lv. 1
Barioth Vambraces	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Barioth Coil	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2
Aelucanth Crura / Rhopessa Crura	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2

Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 7 \| Latent Power Lv. 2

Build Merits	This relatively straightforward build 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.

1★ to 4★

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Pukei Sword I	ーーー	110	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	15

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.

Alternative Sword and Shield: Fighter Sword

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Fighter Sword	ーーー	110	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	-

Fighter Sword offers solid stats for relatively cheap materials. This particular Sword and Shield is also effective against monsters in the earliest stages of the game.

Armor	Slots	Skills
Izuchi Helm	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Izuchi Mail	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Recovery Speed Lv. 1
Alloy Vambraces	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Barroth Coil	ーーー	Guard Lv. 1
Barroth Greaves	ーーー	Guard Lv. 1

Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 3 \| Guard Lv. 2 Recovery Speed Lv. 1

Build Merits	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.

Recommended Skills for Sword and Shield

Skills	Effect
Critical Eye ★★★	Critical Eye is a near necessity for critical builds.
Critical Boost ★★★	Amplifies critical damage by 5%/10%/15% (based on level). A must have skill for any affinity build.
Weakness Exploit ★★★	Increases affinity by 10/30/50% when hitting enemy weakspots. Easier to max out than critical eye and gives higher affinity if used properly. Goes well together with Critical Boost.
Attack Boost ★★★	More damage is always welcome. It gains a percentage bonus at rank 4 which is a good level to always aim for.
Razor Sharp ★★	Chance to negate sharpness loss when attacking.
Slugger ★★	Makes it easier to stun monsters. It works for the Sword and Shield thanks to its various shield bash moves.
Handicraft ★★	Some endgame Sword and Shields tend to have a lot of room for improvement regarding their sharpness. With that in mind, consider using Handicraft for your builds!
Guard ★	Guard reduces stamina depletion which makes the SnS a really tanky weapon.
Speed Sharpening ★	For those crucial times in the middle of fights where you need to raise your sharpness. Less value due to the ability to die palamutes.
Flinch Free ★	Great for multiplayer. Never get flinched by ally attacks again!

Monster Hunter Rise Related Links

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Great Sword	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
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Hunting Horn	Trees & Full List	How to Use (Melodies and Effects)	Best Builds
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Kinsects	Kinsect Tree and Complete Kinsect List

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Ranged Weapons
Light Bowguns	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Heavy Bowguns	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Bows	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds

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Suggestions Board | ...
13
Give us the ability to change our layered armor display. What I mean is, ya know how armor looks different on the male and female models? well, I wish there was the ability to change the appearance from the male models of armor, to the female models, and the reverse without changing the gender of your character itself. This would be really nice, as imo some armor pieces look better as the male model version.
Fashion Board: Best ...
12
>>[10]
Orange version
Head : default
Chest : 15,100,45
Arm : 11,80,40
Leg : 11,70,70

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