"A weapon that excels at swift movements and combos. With a sharp eye and good timing, you can counter incoming attacks. Landing certain attacks will raise the level of the Spirit Gauge. Once the Spirit Gauge turns red, some of your attacks will be strengthened."
Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppMonster Hunter WildsLong Sword Guide
Overview
The Long Sword is a weapon that excels at swift movements, fluid combos, and counterattacks. Hunters can stay on the offensive as they maneuver around monsters, using the tools the Long Sword provides to dodge and parry incoming attacks.
Players who love the aesthetics of Katanas, as well as parries and flashy moves, will love the Long Sword. Its long reach also makes it an excellent choice when targeting monster body parts that would be out of reach to other weapons.
The main feature of the Long Sword is the Spirit Gauge, which will fill and level up as hunters dish out combos onto monsters, and eventually allow for a very powerful -and stylish- finisher.
If you're still learning about all the weapons, check out our MHW Weapon Breakdown to pick the right one for your playstyle.
This article was written by @dxvis.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Its longer-than-average reach among melee weapons allows hunters to target most body parts with ease.
- The Long Sword’s various dodging and counter moves offer great defensive capabilities, which rely on the hunter’s skill.
- Getting familiar with a monster’s behavior and moves allows Long Sword players to choose the optimal move at any given time during a hunt: Preparing for a counter, charging up powerful moves, or repositioning themselves while attacking.
Weaknesses
- The Long Sword can be tricky for newcomers to the series due to its sheer amount of different moves, ranging from quick thrusts to counters that require preparation in advance, and slower, higher-damaging moves.
- Counters need to be performed within a tight window as a monster’s attack lands, so it is important to become acquainted with the parry timings as soon as possible.
- It cannot block or offset attacks, nor cause a Power Clash with monsters. It doesn’t have Impact attacks that can stun monsters either.
Changes from Monster Hunter World
The Long Sword has received a bunch of powerful additions in Wilds:
- The Spirit Charge, which lets Hunters prepare a Spirit Roundslash without any Spirit Gauge
- A follow-up to the Helm Breaker, called Spirit Release Slash, which deals immense damage.
- While in Red Spirit level, some moves become stronger, such as the â–³ slashes and the Foresight Slash, and the Spirit Roundslash has a follow-up.
Moveset Highlights
The Long Sword can perform simple overhead attacks with (â–³) and thrust attacks with (â—¯). Pressing (â–³ + â—¯) allows for a Fading Slash, and hunters can side-step in any direction with (Left Joystick).
Most of the Long Sword’s moves can be chained into any other, so hunters can maintain a flow no matter whatever move they choose.
Spirit Gauge
When the Long Sword is equipped, the Spirit Gauge will appear below the weapon sharpness gauge. Landing attacks on monsters fills up the gauge, and the Spirit Combo (R2) consumes it. Successfully finishing with a Spirit Roundslash will level up the Spirit Gauge, which has three stages: White, Yellow, and Red. Each level further amplifies the damage dealt by the weapon.
Leveling up the Spirit Gauge is key to dealing significant damage.
Counter Attacks
Another way of leveling up the spirit gauge is by parrying incoming attacks. The Long Sword offers two very distinctive counters, and mastering them will improve the comfort of hunters with the Long Sword.
Foresight Slash (R2 + â—¯ after another move)
The Foresight Slash is instantaneous, so it can be used to react to incoming attacks. If it connects, it is then possible to follow with a Spirit Roundslash (R2) to level up the Spirit Gauge.
Foresight Slash consumes any Spirit Gauge, but fills it completely if it connects successfully.
However, when there is no Spirit Gauge at all, the Foresight Slash becomes weaker: The counter window shortens significantly and it will not fill the Gauge entirely.
Special Sheathe (R2 + X after another move)
Entering the Special Sheathe will allow players to predict an incoming attack and parry with a stronger attack. While in this stance, the Iai Spirit Slash (R2) allows you to parry and level up the Spirit Gauge at once.
Alternatively, an Iai Slash can also be performed with â–³. This move is not a counter, but will fill up the Spirit Gauge over time.
Spirit Helm Breaker → Spirit Release Slash (R2 + △ → R2)
The Long Sword’s highest damaging move is the Spirit Helm Breaker. Its damage is greatly amplified by the Spirit Gauge level, which will also lower by one whole level after performing it.
If you performed the Helm Breaker with Red Spirit level, a Spirit Release Slash can be performed immediately after by pressing (R2). This move further lowers the Spirit Gauge by one level but deals immense damage and grants super armor while being performed.
It’s a good idea to wait until the Spirit Gauge is red to perform both the Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash together. Expert Long Sword players are constantly gaining Spirit Gauge levels and spending them with Helm Breakers and Spirit Releases.
Spirit Charge (Hold down R2 immediately after another move)
With this move, the hunter will begin to fill the Spirit Gauge. If held for long enough, the hunter will flash, and letting go of the R2 button will immediately perform a Spirit Roundslash, increasing the Spirit Gauge’s level.
The Spirit Charge is a useful move for quickly leveling up the Spirit Gauge.
New moves in Red Spirit Level
The Long Sword gains a few new moves while in Red Spirit Level. First, the regular â–³ slashes are turned into Crimson variants, which are stronger.
Furthermore, the Foresight Slash is turned into the Foresight Whirl Slash, which has a bigger counter window and allows for repositioning, great for setting up a Helm Breaker.
After a Spirit Roundslash, a follow-up Spinning Crimson Slash can be performed by pressing (R2) again. This move deals significant damage and recovers some duration on the Red Spirit Gauge.
Focus Attack: Unbound Thrust (L2 + R1)
Long Sword’s Focus Attack is called Unbound Thrust. It consists of a downward thrust which will deal significant damage and level up the Spirit Gauge if connecting with a wound. Targeting multiple wounds with the same attack will further level up the Spirit Gauge.
Recommended Combos
Basic Overhead Combo (△) → (△) → (△) → (△)
This is the easiest combo that the Long Sword has. Deals decent damage and fills the Spirit Gauge.
However, in most cases, it is more efficient to set up a counter or a Spirit Charge in order to level up the Spirit Gauge.
Spirit Slash Combo (R2) → (R2) → (R2) → (R2)
This combo consumes Spirit Gauge to deal greater damage and level up the Spirit Gauge if the final attack connects. Other simple attacks can be performed in the middle of the Spirit Slash Combo to regain Spirit Gauge if needed. All Spirit Slashes can be directed by moving (Left Joystick) in the desired direction.
Iai Spirit Slash into Spirit Helm Breaker (R2 + X) → (R2) → (R2 + △)
Performing a Spirit Helm Breaker right after a successful counterattack allows for quick damage.
Sneak Attack Combo: (◯) → (Hold R2) → (ISS or Foresight Slash)
This combo uses the Sneak Attack’s flinch to prepare a Spirit Charge, and you can perform either a Foresight Slash or an Iai Spirit Slash to counter the monster’s roar and get another Spirit level.
Remember that you need to begin holding (R2) immediately after pressing (◯), otherwise, the Spirit Charge won’t go through.
Advanced Tips
Chaining Iai Spirit Slashes
It is possible to chain a successful Iai Spirit Slash into a Special Sheathe, allowing to continuously perform counters.
A lifesaver for powerful monsters that attack repeatedly such as Arkveld.
Delaying Spirit Release after a Helm Breaker
Spirit Release gives super armor at the beginning of its animation, which means the animation won’t get canceled even if you get hit, and it greatly reduces damage received. You can purposely delay the (R2) input after a Helm Breaker to time your Spirit Release as a monster attack lands to ensure it won’t get canceled.
Canceling Foresight Slash with Special Sheathe
By canceling the second part of Foresight Slash by going into Special Sheathe, you can quickly counter another incoming attack from a monster.
Recommended Skills
Depending on your Long Sword build, here are the sort of skills you'll often see LS players using.
| Increases attack power and affinity when large monsters become enraged. |
|---|---|
| Slightly increases recovery rate after contracting the Frenzy. Affinity +3% if cured. |
| Continuously landing hits gradually increases attack and elemental attack (Amount increased depends on weapon). |
| Increases affinity if stamina is kept full for a long period of time. |
| Speeds up weapon sheathing. |
| Makes it easier to break large monster parts, and increases damage dealt when destroying a wound with a Focus Strike. |
| Allows long swords, dual blades, insect glaives, and Charge Blades to stay powered up longer. |
| Increases the affinity of attacks that exploit a monster's weak points and wounds. |
Video
From the official Monster Hunter channel:
