Monster Hunter Rise offers so many different ways to slay massive beasts. With an arsenal of 14 weapons to choose from and plenty of customization options, it's no wonder that Capcom's latest entry is one of the best Nintendo Switch games out there. However, all of those options also make it hard to know what weapon you should use. To help you get a better idea of what weapon will suit your needs, I'll go over the Long Sword, including its attacks, Switch Skills, and tips for the best builds.
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword fighting style
The Long Sword is a powerful weapon with a long reach for both vertical and horizontal swings. It moves faster than some bulkier weapons like the Great Sword but is slower than more agile weapons like the Dual Blades.
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Controls
| Controls | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| X | Overhead Slash | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| A | Thrust | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Left joystick + X + A | Attack while moving | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| ZR | Spirit Blade | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| ZR + A (during combo) | Foresight Slash | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| ZR + B (after an attack) | Special Sheathe | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
- Spirit Gauge: Landing hits fills the Spirit Gauge, which can be expended to perform Spirit Blade attacks. Landing Spirit Roundslashes will also change the gauge's color, increasing attack power.
- Foresight Slash: Can be performed mid-combo and provides a long invulnerability window. LAnd it after dodging an enemy attack to fill the Spirit Gauge, then press ZR to chain it into a Spirit Roundslash.
- Special Sheathe: After an attack, press ZR+B to perform a Special Sheathe. Pressing X will perform an Lai Slash, while pressing ZR will perform an Iai Spirit Slash. After a period of time, the Special Sheathe will revert to a normal sheathe. The Quick Sheathe skill affects Special Sheath, while the skills Critical Draw and Punshing Draw affect Iai attacks.
- Iai Slash: If you land a hit with an Iai Slash, your Spirit Gauge will start to increase automatically.
- Iai Spirit Slash: A powerful counter that can be performed after a Special Sheathe. Time this attack carefully right as a monster is about to hit you to increase your Spirit Gauge. Can combo into many other moves.
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Combos
| Combos | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| X, X, X,X | Basic Combo: Step Slash > Overhead Slash > Thrust > Rising Slash | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| ZR, ZR, ZR, ZR | Spirit Blade Combo: Spirit Blade I > Spirit Blade II > Spirit Blade III > Spirit Roundslash | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| X + A, ZR, ZR, ZR | Fade Slash Combo: Fade Slash > Spirit Jumping Slash > Spirit Blade III > Spirit Roundslash | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| X, ZR + B, X, ZR | Special Sheathe Combo I: Step Slash > Special Sheathe > Iai Slash > Spirit Blade II | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| X, ZR + A, ZR | Foresight Slash Combo I: Step Slash > Foresight Slash > Spirit Roundslash | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| X, ZR + A, ZR + B | Special Sheathe Combo II: Step Slash > Foresight Slash > Special Sheathe | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Switch Skills
Each weapon has its own unique attacks. What's more, each attack has at least two Switch Skills that you can assign to it for a different result. However, only one Switch Skill can be active on an attack at a time. Here are the Long Sword Switch Skills.
| Attack | Switch Skills |
|---|---|
| Silkbind Attack | ○ Soaring Kick: Launches you into a jump kick attack with a Wirebug. If you hit an opponent on the way down, you'll land a Plunging Thrust and will fill your Spirit Gauge for a short time. Press the correct button after landing, and you'll perform a Spirit Helm Breaker by spending one level of Spirit Gauge.○ Silkbind Sakura Slash: Makes you dash and slice around your prey with the use of a Wirebug. The hits you land create lacerations that cause additional damage and raise your Spirit Gauge by 1. |
| Regular Attack 1 | ○ Spirit Reckoning Combo: Uses the Spirit Gauge to charge into a Spirit Blade on its third strike. It can be difficult to control but is powerful when it lands.○ Spirit Roundslash Combo: Uses the Spirit Gauge to charge into Spirit Blade on the third strike. Easy to hit the main enemy and any other opponents in range. |
| Regular Attack 2 | ○ Step Slash: Makes a vertical slash perfect for aiming into the air.○ Drawn Double Slash: Makes a horizontal slash and absorbs hits while attacking. It does more damage than the Step Slash, but only a few attacks can be used to follow it. |
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Silkbind Attacks
| Silkbind Attacks | Function | Header Cell - Column 2 |
|---|---|---|
| ZL + A | Serene Pose: Prepares you for an attack. Taking a hit while in this pose leads to a counterattack. | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| ZL + X | Soaring Kick: Launches you into a jump kick attack with a Wirebug. If you hit an opponent on the way down, you'll land a Plunging Thrust and will fill your Spirit Gauge for a short time. Press the correct button after landing, and you'll perform a Spirit Helm Breaker by spending one level of Spirit Gauge. Can be switched out with Silkbind Sakura Slash. | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| ZL + X | Silkbind Sakura Slash: Makes you dash and slice around your prey with the use of a Wirebug. The hits you land create lacerations that cause additional damage and raise your Spirit Gauge by 1. It can be switched out with Soaring Kick. | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Best builds
Every build you make will have some give and take. However, these are what we consider to be the best builds for the Long Sword.
Best build for 2 Star Quests
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Iron Katana II |
| Head | Izuchi Helm |
| Chest | Hunter's Mail |
| Arms | Alloy Vambraces |
| Waist | Alloy Coil |
| Legs | Baggi Greaves |
Stats & Skills for this build:
- Defense: 44
- Fire: -4
- Water: -2
- Thunder: -5
- Ice: 0
- Dragon: 1
- Attack Boost Lvl 2
- Critical Eye Lvl 3
- Water Attack Lvl 1
Best build for 4 Star Quests
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Iron Gospel |
| Head | Basarios Helm |
| Chest | Barroth Mail |
| Arms | Somnacanth Braces |
| Waist | Basarios Coil |
| Legs | Basarios Greaves |
Stats & Skills for this build:
- Defense: 134
- Fire: 3
- Water: 7
- Thunder: -6
- Ice: 7
- Dragon: -4
- Attack Boost Lvl 1
- Defense Boost Lvl 5
- Speed Sharpening Lvl 1
- Load Shells Lvl 1
- Bombardier Lvl 1
- Divine Blessing Lvl 1
Best Endgame build
| Area | Best equipment |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Deepest Night |
| Head | Utsushi Mask (H) S |
| Chest | Barioth Mail S |
| Arms | Anja Vambraces S |
| Waist | Rathalos Coil S |
| Legs | Ingot Greaves S |
Stats & Skills for this build:
- Defense: 267
- Fire: 11
- Water: 1
- Thunder: -3
- Ice: 2
- Dragon: -6
- Attack Boost Lvl 6
- Critical Eye Lvl 2
- Razor Sharp Lvl 3
- Spare Shot Lvl 3
- Slugger Lvl 2
- Agitator Lvl 1
- Windproof Lvl 1
- Evade Window Lvl 1
- Wirebug Whisperer Lvl 1
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Best skills
I recommend you work on getting these skills leveled up as soon as you can. It'll greatly help you perform better with the Long Sword.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attack Boost | Increases attack power and, in higher levels, also increases Affinity. |
| Razor Sharp | Makes it so you don't lose your weapon sharpness as quickly. |
| Weakness Exploit | Your attacks do more damage when exploiting a monster's weakness. |
| Critical Eye | Increases the likelihood of landing critical hits. |
Strike true
Now you have a better idea of what the Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword can do. Experiment with the various weapon types until you find one that fits your play style.
More navigation links:
Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword
All Weapons
