The Great Sword is the most iconic weapon among the available weapons in the Monster Hunter franchise. Not a lot of people make it its main weapon, probably because it is one of the slowest and most cumbersome weapons compared to the others, but with the right timing and understanding of its movesets, it can dish out the most massive damage possible.
If you are a fledgling hunter and are looking to master the Great Sword, here’s a quick starter build guide for you. All of the weapons and sets that are in this guide are for Low Rank as we’ll be tackling High Rank builds in a separate guide.
Low Rank Great Swords
This guide contains information on the finest low rank Great Swords builds in Monster Hunter Rise now that it has released on PC. Learn about the best Great Swords to utilize in the early game.
Deadly Serpentblade I
This great sword is not the best when it comes to raw damage, but it has a high 40 poison. The the hit-and-run great sword play, the poison tick helps lessen damage downtime. Plus, it is part of the Nargacuga tree which ends with the Dark of Night great sword.
Hack Blade II
The Hack Blade is part of the Jaggia tree, so getting the materials for it is easy. It has average raw damage for a low rank great sword, but what makes this a recommended weapon is it progresses into the Zinogre tree, which ends with the Despot’s Blackstorm.
Sinister Blade I
If you have progressed far enough to farm Magnamalo, then you should try our the Sinister Blade I. At this point, you’re about to transition to high rank, but this great sword can still serve you well into the early high rank quests. Plus, the tree ends with the Sinister Shadowblade which is also a top pick great sword.
Low Rank Great Sword Armor Sets
Learn about the best Armor pieces to employ with the Great Sword for Low Rank in this guide.
Anjanath Set
If you are running a great sword build, then one of the skills you would like to get is Focus. This allows you to do your charge attacks quicker, hence giving you more chances of landing charged blows in a given time, or just give yourself a bit longer window to bonk and run.
There’s also the Slugger skill which is quite helpful in getting more KOs with head bonks, and the Marathon Runner so that you don’t get tired quickly. The lv.3 Attack Boost is just an added bonus.
Barioth Set
A set that favors a hit-and-run play style. The Critical Draw boosts those initial draw hits, coupled by the lv.3 Critical Eye. The Quick Sheathe makes it so you can shave off some frames when sheathing, which should help you get immediately into your evades or maybe sneak in some more draw attacks.
Nargacuga Set
A set that will help beginners get their evasion timing to a T. The Evade Window and Evade Extender provide some breathing space when you’re just about to learn the ropes in wielding massive great swords.
Goss Harag Set
A set for the unafraid. This set works well for great sword wielders who do not hesitate to get in front of the monster’s face. The Critical Draw and Punishing Draw both provide additional damage (plus an added stun) for draw attacks. The Agitator gives more damage when the monster is angry. Finally, Resentment is another damage boost if you have recoverable health (red bar).
Everything in this set rewards aggressiveness with more power, so it also helps to make sure that you’ve upgraded this set for some additional defense, and that you don’t forget to eat your dango before going into the quest.
If you liked this guide, check out our other Monster Hunter Rise articles:
- Monster Hunter Rise Beginner’s Guide and Tips
- Pearl Hide – How to Get and Uses | Monster Hunter Rise
- Monster Hunter Rise PC Will Mostly Have Same Content as Nintendo Switch Version
- Monster Hunter Rise Weapon Tier List – Best Weapons [January 2022]
- How to Fish, All Fish List & Fishing Spots | Monster Hunter Rise
Sharpen your great sword skills with this tutorial by Arekkz Gaming:
