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

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

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

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

Endgame Build (Update 3.0): HR 100+

Dragonheart Critical Build NEW

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Dark of Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	35%	-

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	Critical Eye Lv. 3
Decorations	Critical Jewel 2 x3 Charger Jewel 2 x 3 Steadfast Jewel 1 x 3

Skills
Dragonheart Lv.5 | Weakness Exploit Lv.3 Resuscitate Lv.3 | Critical Eye Lv.3 Focus Lv.3 | Stun Resistance Lv.3 Critical Boost Lv.3 | Resentment Lv. 3

Crimson Glow Valstrax Full Armor brings the Dark of Night Great Sword to even high heights with built in Weakness Exploit and the huge Raw damage boost from Dragonheart activation. With 3 Levels of Critical Eye, we can achieve 100% Affinity on weak points!

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

2.0 Raw Damage + Critical Build

Best Great Sword: Tigrex Great Sword

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Tigrex Great Sword	①ーー	210	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	-15%	-

Tigrex Great Sword boasts 210 attack and white sharpness. Its -15% affinity rating can be easily offset with three levels of Critical Eye, making it the best Great Sword of Update 2.0 in terms of raw damage.

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Kaiser Crown	①ーー	Critical Eye Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Vaik Mail S	③②①
Lagombi Vambraces S	②①ー	Critical Eye Lv. 2 Ice Attack Lv. 1
Anjanath Coil S	②①①	Attack Boost Lv. 2
Ingot Greaves S	①ーー	Attack Boost Lv. 2 Critical Eye Lv. 2
Talisman Skill	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Decorations	Tenderizer Jewel 2 x1 Critical Jewel 2 x2 Attack Jewel 2 x1 Steadfast Jewel 1 x3 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Defense	262
Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 7 | Attack Boost Lv. 5 Critical Boost Lv. 3 | Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 Stun Resistance Lv. 3 | Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 Ice Attack Lv. 1 | Flinch Free Lv. 1

A straightforward build that maximizes the Tigrex Great Sword's damage through pumping attack and affinity. This build reaches 81% affinity on weak spots with the aid of Tigrex Great Sword's Affinity Boost II ramp up skill.

100% Affinity Focus Build

Best Great Sword: Dark of Night

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Dark of Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	35%	-

While its attack is easily outclassed by other Great Swords at the top, Dark of Night's 35% affinity rating and white sharpness make it a viable weapon for Monster Hunter Rise's current endgame.

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Kaiser Crown	①ーー	Critical Eye Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 1
Anjanath Mail S	①①ー	Focus Lv. 2 Marathon Runner 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	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 two additional ② slots recommended but not required
Decorations	Tenderizer Jewel 2 x1 Charger Jewel 2 x1 Attack Jewel 2 x1 (Fit more if you have ② slots on talisman) Steadfast Jewel 1 x3 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Defense	326
Skills
Attack Boost Lv. 5-7 | Critical Eye Lv. 3 Critical Boost Lv. 3 | Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 Focus Lv. 3 | Stun Resistance Lv. 3 Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 | Latent Power Lv. 1 Marathon Runner Lv. 1 | Flinch Free Lv. 1

Using Dark of Night's high affinity rating as a base, this build reaches 100% affinity on weak spots via Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit Lv. 3. Focus is included to improve charge times, allowing you to sneak a few charged slashes in more frequently during hunts.

High Rank Build (Update 2.0): HR 8 to 40

Critical Climber

Best Great Sword: Dark of Night

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Dark of Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	35%	-

Dark of Night's high affinity rating and white sharpness makes it incredibly easy to build around. With these in mind, this particular Great Sword is a good choice to for the climb towards Monster Hunter Rise's current endgame.

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Anjanath Helm S	②ーー	Focus Lv. 1 Slugger Lv. 1
Vaik Mail S	③②①
Rathalos Braces S	②ーー	Attack Boost 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. 2 with one additional ② slot
Decorations	Expert Jewel 2 x3 Charger Jewel 2 x2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 x1 Grinder Jewel 1 x3 Brace Jewel 1 x1

Defense	314
Skills
Critical Boost Lv. 3 | Critical Eye Lv. 3 Weakness Exploit Lv. 3 | Focus Lv. 3 Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 | Attack Boost Lv. 2 Latent Power Lv. 1 | Maximum Might Lv. 1 Slugger Lv. 1 | Heroics Lv. 1 Flinch Free Lv. 1

This build reaches 100% on weak spots through Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit. Critical Boost is added to increase damage while Focus reduces the charge times of all of the Great Sword's charged slashes.

High Rank Build: Hub HR 6 and 7

Sheathing Great Sword

Best Great Sword: Dark of Night

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Dark of Night	②ーー	180	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	35%	-

Dark of Night is the perfect weapon to reach the end of 7★ Quests due to its high affinity and white sharpness.

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Barioth Helm S	①ーー	Critical Draw Lv. 2
Anjanath Mail S	①①ー	Focus Lv. 2 Marathon Runner Lv. 1
Goss Harag Braces S	②ーー	Critical Draw Lv. 1 Punishing Draw Lv. 1
Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S	ーーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Golden Hakama	①①ー	Latent Power Lv. 1 Critical Boost Lv. 2

Defense	284
Skills
Critical Draw Lv. 3 | Critical Boost Lv. 2 Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 | Focus Lv. 2 Punishing Draw Lv. 1 | Marathon Runner Lv. 1 Latent Power Lv. 1

Adopting a mobile playstyle, this build is primarily focused on maximizing the Great Sword's charged slash from its sheathed position. Affinity is raised to 105% on weak spots with the aid of Critical Draw and Weakness Exploit while Punishing Draw adds KO damage to your sheathed slash.

High Rank Build: Hub HR 4 and 5

High Rank Starter

Best Great Sword: Kamura Cleaver V

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Kamura Cleaver V	②ーー	150	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	-

An easy to craft weapon with a decent 150 damage and a blue sharpness. This Great Sword is enough to carry you at the early stages of your High Rank adventures!

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Khezu Helm S	①ーー	Focus Lv. 1 Recovery Up 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
Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S	ーーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Bone Greaves S	②①ー	Focus Lv. 1 Muck Resistance Lv. 2

Defense	168
Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 4 | Weakness Exploit Lv. 2 Focus Lv. 2 | Muck Resistance Lv. 2 Recovery Speed Lv. 1 | Recovery Up Lv. 1 Heroics Lv. 1

This build has vital skills such as Focus, Critical Eye, and Weakness Exploit — Skills that improve the Great Sword's general performance at the early stages of High Rank.

Low Rank Build: Village Quest ★4 to ★6

Critical Draw + Critical Eye Combination

Best Great Sword: Gossblade I

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Gossblade I	ーーー	170	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	-15%	15

Gossblade I has a base attack rating of 170, one of the highest at this stage of the game. Its -15% affinity rating can be easily negated by three levels of Critical Eye as well to maximize the Gossblade's damage.

Alternative Great Sword: Buster Blade

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Buster Blade	ーーー	140	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	0%	-

Buster Blade a Great Sword with great stats across the board. It is also the next upgrade from the Buster Sword I, further solidifying the reliabilty of the Great Sword's Ore Tree.

Best Armor

Armor	Slots	Skills
Barioth Helm	ーーー	Critical Draw Lv. 1
Goss Harag Mail	ーーー	Critical Draw Lv. 1
Goss Harag Braces	ーーー	Critical Draw Lv. 1 Punishing Draw Lv. 1
Barioth Coil	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2
Aelucanth Crura / Rhopessa Crura	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2

Defense	168
Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 4 | Critical Draw Lv. 3 Punishing Draw Lv. 1

The armor combination we listed below re-introduces an old Great Sword playstyle with the help of the Critical Draw skill. This allows you to maximize your Great Sword's draw attacks by increasing the affinity of those particular attacks, improving overall mobility as well in the process!

Combined with Critical Eye, this offense-oriented set ensures that you dish out optimal damage across the board.

Low Rank Build: Village Quest ★1 to ★4

Damage-Oriented Starter

Best Great Sword: Buster Sword I

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

The Buster Sword I, along with the other Great Swords within the Ore Tree, provide great base attack damage, have neutral affinity ratings (0%) across the board, and are relatively cheap to craft compared to its peers.

These factors make these particular Great Swords one of the best and most reliable weapons at this stage of the game.

Alternative Great Sword: Carapace Sword II

Weapon	Slots	ATK	DEF
Carapace Sword II	ーーー	130	-
	Affinity	Element/Status
	-20%	-

Barroth's Carapace Sword II provides amazing attack damage (130) in the early stages of the game at the cost of its -20% affinity rating.

The negative affinity rating may seem off-putting at first, but this disadvantage can be easily negated when combined with our recommended armor combination for the early game.

Best Armor

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
Barioth Vambraces	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 1
Barioth Coil	ーーー	Critical Eye Lv. 2
Ingot Greaves	ーーー	Attack Boost Lv. 1 Critical Eye Lv. 1

Defense	78
Skills
Critical Eye Lv. 6 | Attack Boost Lv. 1 Recovery Speed Lv. 1

The Great Sword's strength lies in its ability to dish out insane amounts of damage with its slow, but strong attacks. In light of this, we want to make the most out of each swing of this behemoth of a weapon type!

The armor combination we recommend below prioritizes the Critical Eye skill to amplify the Great Sword's high base attack, providing its wearer the most bang for every buck.

You can start with the full Izuchi Set for starters since most of its pieces provide Critical Eye. Defense is not an issue in 1★ to 4★ quests so prioritize pumping out as much damage as possible!

Best Skills for Great Sword

Best Skills
Focus ★★★	Speeds up the Great Sword's charge attacks and is a must-have skill for any Great Sword player.
Weakness Exploit ★★★	Increases affinity when hitting weak spots. Something that a Great Sword user should always do.
Critical Boost ★★★	Further amplifies the Great Sword's high damage output.
Critical Eye ★★★	Always aim for 80-100% affinity to amplify the Great Sword's base damage efficiently!
Attack Boost ★★	Increasing base attack is always good for Great Swords!
Punishing Draw ★★	Adds a stun effect and bonus damage to your draw attacks
Critical Draw ★★	Adds affinity to your attacks for a short while after unsheathing your weapon.
Flinch Free ★	This skill makes it easier to perform attacks in multiplayer because It prevents other weapons from interrupting your charge attacks.
Speed Sharpening ★	Reduces a cycle for sharpening with each level. Useful for getting your sharpness level up mid-fight.

Monster Hunter Rise Related Links

Weapon Type Guides
Weapons and Weapon Types	Weapon Type Tier List	Builds for Each Weapon Type

Melee Weapon Guides

Melee Weapons
Great Sword	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Long Sword	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Sword and Shield	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Dual Blades	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Lance	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Gunlance	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Hammer	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Hunting Horn	Trees & Full List	How to Use (Melodies and Effects)	Best Builds
Switch Axe	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Charge Blade	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Insect Glaive	Trees & Full List	How to Use	Best Builds
Kinsects	Kinsect Tree and Complete Kinsect List

Ranged Weapon Guides

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