Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

High Rank Great Sword Builds | Monster Hunter Rise

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

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Great Sword 1Trees & Full List Great Sword 2How to Use Great Sword 3Best Builds

Endgame Build (Update 3.0): HR 100+

Dragonheart Critical Build

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Dark of NightDark of Night
Dark of Night Great Sword Sharpness
②ーー 180 -
Affinity Element/Status
35%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Valstrax HelmValstrax Helm ②①ー
Valstrax MailValstrax Mail ③①ー
Resuscitate Lv. 2
Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax BracesValstrax Braces ②ーー
Valstrax Coil Valstrax Coil ②ーー
Resentment Lv. 2
Resuscitate Lv. 1
Dragonheart Lv. 1
Valstrax GreavesValstrax Greaves ③①ー
Resentment Lv. 1
Dragonheart Lv. 1
Talisman Critical Eye Lv. 3
Decorations
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
Build Merits 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

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Tigrex Great SwordTigrex Great Sword
Tigrex Great Sword Great Sword Sharpness
①ーー 210 -
Affinity Element/Status
-15%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Kaiser CrownKaiser Crown ①ーー
Vaik Mail SVaik Mail S ③②①
No Skills
Lagombi Vambraces SLagombi Vambraces S ②①ー
Critical Eye Lv. 2
Ice Attack Lv. 1
Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S ②①①
Attack Boost Lv. 2
Ingot Greaves SIngot Greaves S ①ーー
Talisman Skill Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Decorations
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
Build Merits This build reaches 81% affinity on weak spots with the aid of Tigrex Great Sword's Affinity Boost II ramp up skill. 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.

100% Affinity Focus Build

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Dark of NightDark of Night
Dark of Night Great Sword Sharpness
②ーー 180 -
Affinity Element/Status
35%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Kaiser CrownKaiser Crown ①ーー
Anjanath Mail SAnjanath Mail S ①①ー
Focus Lv. 2
Rathalos Braces SRathalos Braces S ②ーー
Attack Boost Lv. 2
Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S ②①①
Attack Boost Lv. 2
Golden HakamaGolden Hakama ①①ー
Talisman Skill Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
two additional ② slots recommended but not required
Decorations
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
Build Merits 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

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Dark of NightDark of Night
Dark of Night Great Sword Sharpness
②ーー 180 -
Affinity Element/Status
35%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Anjanath Helm SAnjanath Helm S ②ーー
Focus Lv. 1
Slugger Lv. 1
Vaik Mail SVaik Mail S ③②①
No Skills
Rathalos Braces SRathalos Braces S ②ーー
Attack Boost Lv. 2
Golden Obi Golden Obi ①ーー
Golden HakamaGolden Hakama ①①ー
Talisman Skill Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
with one additional ② slot
Decorations
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
Build Merits 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

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Dark of NightDark of Night
Dark of Night Great Sword Sharpness
②ーー 180 -
Affinity Element/Status
35%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Barioth Helm SBarioth Helm S ①ーー
Anjanath Mail SAnjanath Mail S ①①ー
Focus Lv. 2
Goss Harag Braces SGoss Harag Braces S ②ーー
Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S ーーー
Golden HakamaGolden Hakama ①①ー
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
Build Merits Dark of Night is the perfect weapon to reach the end of 7★ Quests due to its high affinity and white sharpness. 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

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Kamura Cleaver VKamura Cleaver V
Kamura Cleaver V Great Sword Sharpness
②ーー 150 -
Affinity Element/Status
0%
-
Armor Slots Skills
Khezu Helm SKhezu Helm S ①ーー
Focus Lv. 1
Recovery Up Lv. 1
Izuchi Mail SIzuchi Mail S ①ーー
Kamura Braces SKamura Braces S ②ーー
Critical Eye Lv. 2
Heroics Lv. 1
Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S Skalda Elytra S / Spio Elytra S ーーー
Bone Greaves SBone Greaves S ②①ー
Focus Lv. 1
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
Build Merits Kamura Cleaver V is 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! This build has vital skills such as Focus, Critical Eye, and Weakness Exploit — skills that improve Great Sword's general performance at the early stages of High Rank.

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.

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