How to use the Longsword in Monster Hunter Wilds

Every weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds can help end hunts in a few minutes, but few are as forgiving and comfy as the Longsword. So long as you know the basics and have a general knowledge of a monster's attacks, winning against even the toughest is basically free.

Longsword basics in Monster Hunter Wilds

Longsword has been one of the easiest-to-use yet almost overpowered weapons in the Monster Hunter series, at least since World, and that trend continues in Wilds. Like all the options in Wilds, the weapon's fundamentals are very straightforward.

You have two main attack types: standard attack and thrust. The basic standard attack is two vertical Overhead Slashes, then a horizontal Cresent Slash. Your Thrust two-hit combo starts with a poke and follows up with a vertical cut Rising Slash. Press your Standard Attack and Thrust buttons simultaneously to do a Fade Slash, a sweep that coincides with a short hop backward or to the side if facing a monster and you input a direction.

Beyond these basic attacks, here's the introduction to one of the Longsword's core mechanics: the Spirit Gauge.

• Every attack builds Spirit Gauge, the sword-shaped bar underneath your Sharpness meter. Spirit Gauge has three levels. Level one is white-bordered, level two is yellow-bordered, and level three turns the whole gauge bright red. The higher your Spirit Gauge, the more damage potential you have.
• You can transition between Spirit Gauge levels using the Spirit Blade combo, which you can do by using the special action button (the right trigger on the controller, or R on the keyboard by default). Execute four Spirit Slashes and hit with the final one to move the Gauge up one level.
• While the Spirit Gauge is red, you have access to a simple Crimson Slash combo, which you can loop endlessly unit the gauge decays don't to yellow. The decay takes a little under a minute.
• Lastly, when the Spirit Gauge is red, you can simultaneously press the special action button and your Standard Attack button to execute a Spirit Thrust. If the longer-ranged poke attack hits, you'll be sent into the air and then slash down in a Spirit Helm Breaker, dealing several instances of heavy damage to whatever part of the monster you strike. When you land, you can press the special action button again to execute additional slashes at the cost of another gauge level.

It's entirely possible to get through the entirety of Monster Hunter Rise and well into High Rank using only the basic techniques described so far. You will, however, be missing out on well more than half of the weapon's potential. That's where the advanced moves come in.

Advanced Longsword moves in Monster Hunter Wilds

Spirit Gauge manipulation is the name of the game with Longsword, as are counterattacks with invincibility frames. The two mechanics are intertwined. There are four attacks you need to understand and master if you want the Longsword to make quicker work of monsters.

• Foresight Slash. To use this attack, you must first use any other standard move, like a Thrust or Overhead Slash. You can then press the special action and Thrust buttons to slide backward. If executed when a monster's attack is about to hit you, you'll hear a loud dinging sound as your hunter flashes white-blue. Not only will you take no damage from the attack, but you can then press any attack button to use the Foresight Slash. Provided you connect with the Foresight Slash, you will immediately go up one level of Spirit Gauge and maintain whatever charge you'd already built up. Lastly, if your Spirit Gauge is red, you gain the Foresight Whirl Slash, a faster, more acrobatic version.
• Special Sheathe. By pressing the special action and Standard Attack buttons simultaneously following an attack, you will sheathe the Longsword and enter a five-second-long stance. You can reorient your character when you enter the stance, and while in it, you can use one of two attacks: the Iai Slash or the Iai Spirit Slash.
  • Iai Slash. If this two-hit combo connects with a monster or a monster carcass, your Spirit Gauge will begin to automatically fill, a buff lasting about 20 seconds.
  • Iai Spirit Slash: Much like the Spirit Slash, this attack gives you invincibility frames if you use it just as a monster's attack would hit you and increases your Spirit Gauge by one.
• Focus Strike: Unbound Thrust. Use Focus Mode to view a monster's wounds and hit it to initiate this attack, destroying the wound and increasing your Spirit Gauge by one level.
• Spirit Charge. By holding the special action button for three seconds, you can fully charge a Spirit Round Slash, which, if it connects, immediately raises the Spirit Gauge by one level. You have stagger resistance during the slash but can be knocked down using the Spirit Charge.

The key to high-level Longsword use is stringing together all these advanced attacks, but a standard combo looks something like this:

• Spirit Slash Perfect Counter> Spirit Slash Perfect Counter> Spirit Blade I > Crimson Slash I > Repeat > Spirit Thrust when red Gauge almost depleted.

A more realistic combo where you miss one or both of your Spirit Slashes looks something like this:

• Missed Spirit Slash > Special Sheathe > Iai Slash > Overhead, Thrust, and Fade Slash attacks to build Gauge> Special Sheathe > Iai Spirit Slash to raise Gauge

Special Sheathe is the most versatile move in the Longsword's list, allowing you to reposition or reorient your character if they're facing the wrong way. It provides two ways to build Spirit Gauge, including a counter, and one of its only drawbacks is the long-ish animation for sheathing your weapon.

One final note: you can be knocked out of the air when using Spirit Helm Breaker if the monster has an attack that reaches that high. Also, both Spirit Slash types leave you vulnerable if you don't get the invincibility frames.

Best way to deal damage with the Longsword

Outside of gauge-building combos, optimal Longsword play in Monster Hunter Wilds is about controlling your and the monster's position and always using Spirit Slash and Iai Spirit Slash to avoid big attacks. That's true no matter what your Spirit Gauge level is. For most players, however, their best play is a mix of Spirit Slash and Special Sheathe usage.

Once you have a monster on the ground, however it got there, the best combo string for damage in red Gauge is Spirit Blade I > Crimson Slash I > repeat. You can then either end the combo with a Healm Breaker or reset back to yellow Gauge and build it up again with more spirit slashes.

You'll want to hit a monster's weak spots, especially unbroken Wounds, to prevent sharpness loss and deal as much damage as possible. When the monster eventually gets up, you can return to the Spirit Slash cycling, but use the Spirit Blade/Crimson Slash string as the moment arises.

If you find yourself facing the wrong way or need to reset the fight for any reason, Special Sheathe into an Iai Slash. Even if you don't hit the monster, you'll be able to reangle your attack, get a lot of forward momentum, and won't be automatically kicked out of the stance after a few seconds. The vulnerability period is also much shorter. Plus, you'll have a better chance to reengage how you want to rather than having your movement dictated by the monster.

Like every weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, knowing how the Longsword works and executing on that knowledge are two entirely different things. I always recommend starting a very low-difficulty hunt when you want to learn a new weapon. That way, you get real-world experience the training dummy simply can't give you without the threat of instantly carting after a few mistakes.

Now go, hunter, and master the blade.

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