Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Sword & Shield Builds and Armor

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Monster Hunter Wilds - Sword and Shield Builds and Best Armor

This is a full list of builds for the Sword & Shield (SNS) in Monster Hunter Wilds (MHWilds). Learn about the best Sword & Shield builds for High Rank and Low Rank, as well as the best Skill and Armor Pieces to use with the Sword & Shield!

Sword & Shield Guides
Weapon Guide Builds Tree

List of Contents

High Rank Sword & Shield Builds

High Rank Build Name
HR36++ Critical Burst Sword & Shield
HR21 - HR35 Elemental Crit Sword & Shield
HR9 - HR20 Foray WEX Sword & Shield

Note that if you are still comfortable with a previous build you're using, you can skip some builds. This is a suggested build progression that you can follow until endgame.

Critical Burst Sword & Shield

Loading equipment data...
VerdolotoVerdoloto
Gore Helm β Icon Gore Helm β
Arkvulcan Mail β Icon Arkvulcan Mail β
G. Arkveld Vambraces β Icon G. Arkveld Vambraces β
Arkvulcan Coil β Icon Arkvulcan Coil β
Gore Greaves β Icon Gore Greaves β
Chain Charm II Icon Chain Charm II
This is an endgame High Rank build that aims to stack Affinity through overcoming the Frenzy from Black Eclipse with Antivirus, alongside Weakness Exploit. Burst and several other damage skills continue to amplify damage.

Critical Burst SnS Build Details

Elemental Crit Sword & Shield

Artian Sword IArtian Sword I
G. Fulgur Helm β Icon G. Fulgur Helm β
G. Rathalos Mail β Icon G. Rathalos Mail β
G. Fulgur Vambraces α Icon G. Fulgur Vambraces α
G. Rathalos Coil α Icon G. Rathalos Coil α
G. Rathalos Greaves α Icon G. Rathalos Greaves α
Leaping Charm III Icon Leaping Charm III
This is a mid-High Rank build that uses a special tech between Second Wind and Maximum Might, as well as other Affinity-granting skills, to maximize Critical Hit output.

Elemental Crit SnS Build Details

Foray WEX Sword & Shield

Princess Rapier IPrincess Rapier I
Bulaqchi Specs α Icon Bulaqchi Specs α
Rathian Mail α Icon Rathian Mail α
Balahara Vambraces β Icon Balahara Vambraces β
Rathian Coil β Icon Rathian Coil β
Chatacabra Greaves β Icon Chatacabra Greaves β
Foray Charm I Icon Foray Charm I
An early High-Rank build that leverages Foray and Weakness Exploit for lots of Affinity and Raw Attack on Poisoned monsters.

Foray WEX SnS Build Details

Low Rank Sword & Shield Builds

Low Rank Build Name
HR6 - HR8 WEX Burst Sword & Shield
HR3 - HR5 Latent Partbreaker Sword & Shield
HR1 - HR3 Powerhouse Sword & Shield

WEX Burst Sword & Shield

Albirath Edge IAlbirath Edge I
G. Rathalos Helm Icon G. Rathalos Helm
G. Ebony Mail Icon G. Ebony Mail
G. Rathalos Vambraces Icon G. Rathalos Vambraces
G. Ebony Coil Icon G. Ebony Coil
G. Rathalos Greaves Icon G. Rathalos Greaves
Evasion Charm I Icon Evasion Charm I
An upgraded Low-Rank build that uses Weakness Exploit and Burst to deal lots of damage, alongside Critical Element, Burst, and Scorcher.

WEX Burst SnS Build Details

Latent Partbreaker Sword & Shield

Quematrice Cuchillo IIQuematrice Cuchillo II
Rey Sandhelm Icon Rey Sandhelm
Ajarakan Mail Icon Ajarakan Mail
Hirabami Vambraces Icon Hirabami Vambraces
Balahara Coil Icon Balahara Coil
Ajarakan Greaves Icon Ajarakan Greaves
Leaping Charm I Icon Leaping Charm I
An upgraded low rank build that uses Partbreaker and Latent Power to increase damage.

Latent Partbreaker SnS Build Details

Powerhouse Sword & Shield Build

Balahara Blade IBalahara Blade I
Doshaguma Helm Icon Doshaguma Helm
Doshaguma Mail Icon Doshaguma Mail
Doshaguma Braces Icon Doshaguma Braces
Bone Coil Icon Bone Coil
Doshaguma Greaves Icon Doshaguma Greaves
A starter Sword and Shield build that leverages Powerhouse for a big early-game attack spike.

Powerhouse SnS Build Details

Best Sword and Shield Skills

Best Damage Skills

These skills make it possible to deal extra damage! Aim for these skills for maximum DPS to defeat those monsters easier and finish those quests faster!

Best Skills Explanation
Weakness Exploit
★★★		 Even though it is slightly nerfed in Wilds, Weakness Exploit remains one of the most efficient ways to stack Affinity, which the Sword & Shield can take good advantage of.
Element Attack
★★★		 With its quick attacks, Elemental Attack skills of the proper type will massively benefit Elemental Sword & Shield builds.
Critical Element
★★★		 This skill grants more Elemental damage on Critical Hits, further boosting the Elemental Sword & Shield playstyle.
Offensive Guard
★★		 With the new Perfect Guard Sword & Shield has, Offensive Guard can provide a respectable Attack boost when properly guarding against enemy attacks.
Burst
★★		 Burst works excellently for the Sword & Shield, but note that it requires constant attacking to maintain its uptime.
Attack Boost
★		 This skill increases Attack, increasing the Sword & Shield's raw power across all its combos. But for damage, there are better Skills to slot in over this one, so prioritize them first.
Critical Boost
★		 This skill doubles down the power of Critical Hits by increasing the damage they deal. While the Sword & Shield does like to build Affinity, it also prefers Elemental damage, which cannot crit.
Critical Eye
★		 This skill grants flat Affinity, which the weapon appreciates. There are, however, more efficient sources of Affinity to draw from.

Best Comfort Skills

These are skills that make managing weapon mechanics a lot easier. Damage is only part of the equation - taking time to slot in comfort skills that increase consistency & comfort will also increase overall DPS!

Best Skills Explanation
Protective Polish
★★★		 Protective Polish is a recommended Sharpness management skill, as Sword & Shield are a fast-hitting weapon that lands a lot of hits.
Handicraft
★★★		 In the same vein, Handicraft is a great option for increasing the available Sharpness to use, or even hitting the next level of Sharpness.
Razor Sharp
★★		 Razor Sharp is an alternative skill for managing Sharpness, but is chance-based and can be inconsistent.
Master's Touch
★★		 Similarly, Master's Touch is another chance-based Sharpness-related skill that works best for high Affinity builds.
Evade Extender
★★		 The Sword & Shield tends to rely on dodging more to stay safe, and Evade Extender helps improve the distance of dodging.
Handicraft
★		 Handicraft extends the Sharpness bar, helping some weapons with Sharpness issues feel better to use.
Guard
★		 While the ideal form of blocking for this weapon is through Perfect Guard, running Guard can help shore its defenses up on non-Perfect blocks.

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Guides

MH Wilds - Builds Partial

List of Builds for Each Weapon

All Weapon Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

All Weapon Builds & Guides
Great SwordGreat Sword
Low Rank | High Rank 		Long SwordLong Sword
Low Rank | High Rank
Sword and ShieldSword and Shield
Low Rank | High Rank 		Dual BladesDual Blades
Low Rank | High Rank
HammerHammer
Low Rank | High Rank 		Hunting HornHunting Horn
Low Rank | High Rank
LanceLance
Low Rank | High Rank 		GunlanceGunlance
Low Rank | High Rank
Switch AxeSwitch Axe
Low Rank | High Rank 		Charge BladeCharge Blade
Low Rank | High Rank
Insect GlaiveInsect Glaive
Low Rank | High Rank 		BowBow
Low Rank | High Rank
Light BowgunLight Bowgun
Low Rank | High Rank 		Heavy BowgunHeavy Bowgun
Low Rank | High Rank

Non-Meta Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

Non-Meta Builds & Guides
Immortal Build Support Build
Best Gathering Sets How to Make a Good Build

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