These are the best High Rank Sword & Shield (SNS) builds in Monster Hunter Wilds. Learn about all the builds for climbing Hunter Ranks, tips for building in High Rank, and the best Skills and Armor pieces to use with the Sword & Shield while in High Rank.

Sword & Shield Builds Progression (High Rank)

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.

Endgame High Rank Build (HR 50++)

Max Critical Agitator Sword & Shield

Effective Raw

259.33

Effective Element

54.09

Raw Crit Damage

1.34x

Element Crit Damage

1.05x

Attack

266

Element

468

Affinity

10%

Sharpness

Defense

323

vs. Fire

-6

vs. Water

10

vs. Thunder

1

vs. Ice

4

vs. Dragon

-14

Weapon Skills

Critical BoostLv.3

Fire AttackLv.3

Offensive GuardLv.3

Critical ElementLv.1

HandicraftLv.1

Armor Skills

AgitatorLv.5

ConstitutionLv.5

Weakness ExploitLv.5

AntivirusLv.3

CoalescenceLv.2

Recovery SpeedLv.2

BurstLv.1

Flinch FreeLv.1

Set Skills

Gore Magala's TyrannyLv.1

Zoh Shia's PulseLv.1

Group Skills

Guardian's Protection

Best Artian Weapon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Verdoloto	8	296	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③③③	340	10%

Weapon Decorations	Guardian/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Critical Jewel III【3】 x1 Any Element/Crit Elem Jewel【3】x1

For forging this Artian weapon, three materials that share an element and Attack Infusion are recommended to synergize with the armor set of the build.

Critical Jewel will occupy one decoration slot of the build since the armor set will take care of the affinity. Note that the Hybrid Guardian Decoration for Handicraft is an optional skill, and players can choose to use another Hybrid Decoration or the basic Guardian III Decoration instead.

Best Non-Artian Elemental Swords & Shields

Fire

Water

Thunder

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Corona	8	280	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	250	10%
Skills	Critical Boost Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Blaze Jewel II【2】 x1 Blaze Jewel【1】 x1

The Corona is the Fire weapon of choice as it has good Affinity and access to Critical Element, buffing its own damage even before Decorations get added to the weapon.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Sandsea Katduva	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	200	10%
Skills	Offensive Guard Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Stream Jewel II【2】 x1 Stream Jewel【1】 x1

The Sandsea Katduva is the recommended Water weapon, as it has great element, as well as Affinity for Crits, and a conditional damage-boosting skill in Offensive Guard.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Fulgursword Guardiana	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	250	15%
Skills	Critical Element Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Handicraft Jwl III【3】 x1 Bolt Jewel II【2】 x1 Bolt Jewel【1】 x1

The Fulgursword Guardiana is the Thunder Sword & Shield of choice. It needs some Handicraft to hit White Sharpness, but compensates with its great Affinity and Element and access to Critical Element.

Ice

Dragon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Precipice Mateptro	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	350	0%
Skills	Guard Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Frost Jewel II【2】 x1 Frost Jewel【1】 x1

The Ice weapon of choice is the Precipice Mateptro due to its massive 350 Element, allowing it to hit enemies weak to Ice extremely hard.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Jäger-Ankh	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	200	20%
Skills	Critical Element Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Critical Jewel III【3】 x1 Dragon Jewel II【2】 x1 Dragon Jewel【1】 x1

For Dragon, the Jäger-Ankh is the recommended option due to its great Sharpness, Affinity, and 200 Element, further supplemented by its access to Critical Element by default.

Max Critical Agitator Sword & Shield Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
Numinous Crown β		Recovery Speed Lv. 1 Agitator Lv. 1
Numinous Shroud β	ーー	Agitator Lv. 2
G. Arkveld Vambraces β		Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Gore Coil β	ー	Constitution Lv. 2
Gore Greaves β		Flinch Free Lv. 1 Antivirus Lv. 1
Charm	Challenger Charm II
Decorations List	Armor Deco: Tenderizer Jewel【3】 x3 Chain Jewel【3】 x1 Phoenix Jewel【2】 x2 Physique Jewel【1】 x3 Sane Jewel【1】 x2 Recovery Jewel【1】 x1

Builds Summary and Explanation

The skill summary above takes note of all the skills if you use the Artian Weapon.

This build focuses on maxing out the hunter's affinity, similar to the HR 36++ Critical Burst Sword & Shield. With skills such as Agitator, Weakness Exploit, and Antivirus, the armor set alone gives you 70% affinity when the mentioned skills are active.

This provides a substantial improvement from the HR36++ build, as this build gives a 15% increase in affinity with an additional +20 on your raw attack since this build has Agitator. Due to this, the player has the option to improve upon the foundation laid by the HR36++ build.

It is recommended to use an elemental weapon with this build since Coalescence will activate once Frenzy is cured. Burst will further assist in ensuring a high elemental damage output. Recovery Speed and Flinch Free are incidental additions that add comfort to the build.

Best Mantles to Use

Best Mantles	Explanation
Corrupted Mantle	•　Provides more damage when active, adding even more offensive power. •　Note that this constantly drains HP if you aren't attacking while it's on.

The Corrupted Mantle is a high-risk, high-reward Mantle that boosts damage when you attack constantly, but will drain your HP if you aren't hitting anything.

This can be used to further your attacks, at the cost of needing to go on the offensive to avoid the HP drain. Play smart when activating this Mantle to be rewarded with Affinity and Attack.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Hungerklauen (Dual Blades)	•　The Dual Blades can work with the builds skills as a faster weapon that will need careful Stamina management, but can maximize the offensive skills of the build. •　The Hungerklauen is recommended for this due to its good Sharpness, Affinity, and access to Critical Element.

Playstyle and Combos

Below is a short guide of general gameplay for the Sword & Shield while using this build.

1. At the start of a fight, use a Perfect Guard to activate Offensive Guard and nullify the monster's roar, or open with a Sneak Attack for a burst of damage.
2. Use quick combos, like the Lateral Slash Combo, to keep putting out damage quickly to activate Burst, alongside clearing Frenzy for Coalescence and Antivirus as soon as possible.
3. Reposition as needed by using Side Slash, Advancing Slash or Sliding Swipe to get around a monster. You can also dodge to cover ground.
4. Continue to negate monster attacks with Perfect Guard, or use the Sword & Shield's Backstep to avoid attacks too risky to block.
5. Weave in Shield Bashes whenever you can to rack up Stun damage and eventually knock down a monster.
6. Once the monster is down, stunned, or otherwise immobilized, go for a Perfect Rush to do a big burst of damage.

The Sword & Shield is at its best when constantly laying down attacks, while protecting itself with Perfect Guard to activate Offensive Guard and minimize offense downtime.

Using quick combo strings, such as the Chops, Lateral Slashes, or the spam combo of alternating two each of the former inputs, to land lots of hits on monsters. Charged Chop can also come in as a combo-ender if the window is big enough.

Also aim to stun the monster using Shield Bashes, to open up an even larger window for attacks. Whenever a monster is immobilized, you can use Perfect Rush for a big burst of damage.

Sword & Shield Weapon Guide

Endgame High Rank Build (HR 36++)

Critical Burst Sword & Shield

Best Artian Weapon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Verdoloto	8	266	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③③③	340	35%

Weapon Decorations	Guardian/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Critical Jewel III【3】 x1 Any Element/Crit Elem Jewel【3】x1

For forging this Artian weapon, three materials that share an element and have an Affinity Infusion are recommended, to synergize further with the Build's skills and land more Crits comfortably.

Note that the Hybrid Guardian Decoration for Handicraft is an optional skill, and players can choose to use another Hybrid Decoration or the basic Guardian III Decoration instead.

Best Non-Artian Elemental Swords & Shields

Fire

Water

Thunder

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Corona	8	280	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	250	10%
Skills	Critical Boost Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Blaze Jewel II【2】 x1 Blaze Jewel【1】 x1

The Corona is the Fire weapon of choice as it has good Affinity and access to Critical Element, buffing its own damage even before Decorations get added to the weapon.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Sandsea Katduva	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	200	10%
Skills	Offensive Guard Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Stream Jewel II【2】 x1 Stream Jewel【1】 x1

The Sandsea Katduva is the recommended Water weapon, as it has great element, as well as Affinity for Crits, and a conditional damage-boosting skill in Offensive Guard.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Fulgursword Guardiana	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	250	15%
Skills	Critical Element Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Handicraft Jwl III【3】 x1 Bolt Jewel II【2】 x1 Bolt Jewel【1】 x1

The Fulgursword Guardiana is the Thunder Sword & Shield of choice. It needs some Handicraft to hit White Sharpness, but compensates with its great Affinity and Element and access to Critical Element.

Ice

Dragon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Precipice Mateptro	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	350	0%
Skills	Guard Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Crit Elem/Handicraft Jwl【3】 x1 Frost Jewel II【2】 x1 Frost Jewel【1】 x1

The Ice weapon of choice is the Precipice Mateptro due to its massive 350 Element, allowing it to hit enemies weak to Ice extremely hard.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Jäger-Ankh	8	294	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③②①	200	20%
Skills	Critical Element Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Critical Jewel III【3】 x1 Dragon Jewel II【2】 x1 Dragon Jewel【1】 x1

For Dragon, the Jäger-Ankh is the recommended option due to its great Sharpness, Affinity, and 200 Element, further supplemented by its access to Critical Element by default.

Critical Burst Sword & Shield Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
Gore Helm β	ー	Evade Window Lv. 1 Coalescence Lv. 1
Arkvulcan Mail β	ー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
G. Arkveld Vambraces β		Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Arkvulcan Coil β	ー	Recovery Speed Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 2
Gore Greaves β		Flinch Free Lv. 1 Antivirus Lv. 1
Charm	Chain Charm II
Decorations List	Armor Deco: Chain Jewel【3】 x3 Phoenix Jewel【2】 x1 Physique Jewel【1】 x5 Sane Jewel【1】 x2 Shockproof Jewel【1】 x1

Builds Summary and Explanation

The skill summary above takes note of all the skills if you use the Artian Weapon.

This end-game build uses a fully-levelled Weakness Exploit, on top of further Affinity from overcoming Frenzy with Antivirus, to land lots of Critical Hits that are buffed by Critical Boost.

Overcoming Frenzy will also grant more Element due to Coalescence, with offenses being further boosted by the appropriate Element Attack, Burst, Offensive Guard, and Critical Element.

With this build, be sure to use the new Perfect Guard that the Sword & Shield was given. It's an excellent defensive move that greatly reduces damage, and will also activate Offensive Guard for more Attack.

Best Mantles to Use

Best Mantles	Explanation
Corrupted Mantle	•　Provides more damage when active, adding even more offensive power. •　Note that this constantly drains HP if you aren't attacking while it's on.

The Corrupted Mantle is a high-risk, high-reward Mantle that boosts damage when you attack constantly, but will drain your HP if you aren't hitting anything.

This can be used to further your attacks, at the cost of needing to go on the offensive to avoid the HP drain. Play smart when activating this Mantle to be rewarded with Affinity and Attack.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Hungerklauen (Dual Blades)	•　The Dual Blades can work with the builds skills as a faster weapon that will need careful Stamina management, but can maximize the offensive skills of the build. •　The Hungerklauen is recommended for this due to its good Sharpness, Affinity, and access to Critical Element.

High Rank Build (HR 21 to HR 35)

Elemental Crit Sword & Shield

Best Artian Weapon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Artian Sword I	6	238	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②②②	310	35%

Weapon Decorations	Crit Element Jewel II【2】 x1 Any Elemental Attack【2】x1 Any Elemental Attack【1】x1

The Artian materials recommended for forging are three pieces that share an Element, and have an Affinity Infusion. This works with the build's focus of loading up on Affinity, while also getting in extra damage through Elements.

There are also recommended non-Artian weapons below, if farming materials or rerolling Artian weapon reinforcements is still in progress.

Best Non-Artian Elemental Swords & Shields

Fire

Water

Thunder

Ice

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Heat Edge I	6	252	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	210	10%
Skills	Critical Boost Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Blaze Jewel II【2】 x1 Blaze Jewel【1】 x1

The Heat Edge I is a strong contender for a Fire Element non-Artian weapon due to its great Raw and Elemental Offenses, as well as its Critical Boost which synergizes well with the build's plan.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Nihil Sword II	6	266	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	150	0%
Skills	Guard Lv. 3

Weapon Decorations	Stream Jewel II【2】 x1 Stream Jewel【1】 x1

The Nihil Sword II is the Water weapon of choice. It carries a hefty 266 Raw Attack, and a respectable 150 Water Attack, and has enough slots to fit in Water Attack III, a core skill for any Elemental build.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Rey Kuara II	5	238	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	150	0%
Skills	Offensive Guard Lv. 1 Guard Lv. 1

Weapon Decorations	Bolt Jewel II【2】 x1 Bolt Jewel【1】 x1

Rey Kuara II is a worthy Thunder Element Bow that can also accomodate the Decorations to max out Thunder Attack, and has a conditional damage-boosting skill in Offensive Guard.

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Snow-white Jambiya I	6	280	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	140	-10%
Skills	Offensive Guard Lv. 1 Critical Draw Lv. 2

Weapon Decorations	Frost Jewel II【2】 x1 Frost Jewel【1】 x1

The Snow-white Jambiya I is a powerhouse in terms of stats, making it the prime Ice Weapon for this build. Its -10% Affinity is offset by how this build stacks Affinity, allowing its great offenses to really put in the work.

Elemental Crit Sword & Shield Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
G. Fulgur Helm β	ーー	Agitator Lv. 2
G. Rathalos Mail β	ーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1 Intimidator Lv. 1
G. Fulgur Vambraces α	ーー	Maximum Might Lv. 1 Agitator Lv. 1
G. Rathalos Coil α	ー	Windproof Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
G. Rathalos Greaves α	ーー	Windproof Lv. 2 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Charm	Leaping Charm III
Decorations List	Armor Deco: Mighty Jewel【2】 x2 Physique Jewel【1】 x4

Builds Summary and Explanation

The skill summary above takes note of all the skills if you use the Artian Weapon.

This build leverages a special interaction between Maximum Might and Second Wind. The latter grants a small additional Stamina bar segment which does not count for the former's conditions.

What this means is that so long as you don't expend beyond the additional Stamina bar, you will always have Maximum Might active for 30% Affinity. Pair this with the other Affinity-boosting skills and this build is capable of landing lots of Critical Hits.

The offense is further boosted by the combination of Elemental Attack and Critical Element for even more damage, with Constitution to minimize Stamina consumption for the previous tech.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Rathling Gun I (Light Bowgun)	•　The Light Bowgun can make great use of the Maximum Might and Second Wind tech, as it does not consume that much Stamina. •　The bowgun of choice is the Rathling Gun I, due to its access to Critical Boost, which synergizes with the build.
Grounding Fulgur I (Heavy Bowgun)	•　Similarly, Heavy Bowgun also makes good use of the above tech and appreciates the free affinity. • The Grounding Fulgur I is a good choice due to its access to Critical Element, as well as its access to Level 2 Thunder Ammo.

High Rank Build (HR 9 to HR 20)

Foray WEX Sword & Shield

Best Weapon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Princess Rapier I	5	224	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	120	15%
Skills	Critical Status Lv. 2 Poison Duration Up Lv. 1

The weapon of choice for this build is the Princess Rapier I. It has great Sharpness and Affinity, as well as a Level 2 and 1 Slot that can be used to activate Poison Attack 3, which is essential for the build.

Alternative Weapon Choices

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Venom's Pain I	5	252	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	160	0%
Skills	Punishing Draw Lv. 2 Critical Draw Lv. 1

While the Venom's Pain I has more stats on paper, it has no Affinity, a lower sharpness ceiling, and its Weapon Skills do not particularly work to the strengths of the Sword & Shield or of the build.

That being said, it can stand in for the Princess Rapier I should the recommended weapon be unobtainable for the time being.

Foray WEX Sword & Shield Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
Bulaqchi Specs α	ーーー	Entomologist Lv. 1 Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Rathian Mail α	ーーー	Foray Lv. 2
Rathian Vambraces β	ーー	Divine Blessing Lv. 1 Foray Lv. 1
Rathian Coil β	ーー	Foray Lv. 1
Chatacabra Greaves β	ーー	Weakness Exploit Lv. 1
Charm	Foray Charm I
Decorations List	Weapon Deco: Venom Jewel II【2】 x1 Venom Jewel【1】 x1 Armor Deco: Jumping Jewel【2】 x1 Physique Jewel【1】 x2

Builds Summary and Explanation

This is a build that makes use of Foray and Weakness Exploit to boost Attack and Affinity when hitting monsters that are Poisoned or Paralyzed.

The Princess Rapier I helps with Poison application greatly, as it has Critical Status and Poison Duration Up. On the other hand, Constitution and Evade Extender help the build's survivability through buffing dodging.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Assault Conga II (Light Bowgun)	•　The Light Bowgun is a ranged option that is proficient at applying statuses. •　The Bowgun of choice here is the Assault Conga II, as it has access to Level 2 Paralysis Ammo for alternating Paralysis and Poison on targets.
Barina Faucilles III (Dual Blades)	•　The Dual Blades are another excellent choice of weapon to apply any status to a monster. •　Barina Faucilles III is the recommended choice as it also applies Paralysis for status-swapping.

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Guides

List of Builds for Each Weapon

All Weapon Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

All Weapon Builds & Guides
Great Sword Low Rank | High Rank	Long Sword Low Rank | High Rank
Sword and Shield Low Rank | High Rank	Dual Blades Low Rank | High Rank
Hammer Low Rank | High Rank	Hunting Horn Low Rank | High Rank
Lance Low Rank | High Rank	Gunlance Low Rank | High Rank
Switch Axe Low Rank | High Rank	Charge Blade Low Rank | High Rank
Insect Glaive Low Rank | High Rank	Bow Low Rank | High Rank
Light Bowgun Low Rank | High Rank	Heavy Bowgun Low Rank | High Rank

Non-Meta Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds