Monster Hunter WildsSwitch Axe Guide

If you can’t choose between two weapons, why not just choose both? Enter the Switch Axe; A weapon a hunter can use for any occasion.

Featuring an Axe Mode that allows for quick attacks and mobility, while Sword Mode discharges a gruesome amount of damage on the fly. Behold this weapon’s capabilities and switch now!

The Switch Axe is one of the more recent additions to the Weapon roster, along with the Charge Blade, which has many similarities.

To learn more about every weapon, check out our weapon breakdown to pick the one that suits you best.

This article was written by @JourneyFar.

Strengths

• An Axe with long reach and mobility
• • Not to be trifled with, the Axe Mode comes with a variety of attacks that can be performed endlessly barring your stamina. Even capable of hitting airborne enemies, most axe attacks are non-committal. The moves in this mode also come with innate abilities that help move a hunter in different ways including out of harm’s way.
• A Sword that cannot be blocked
• • Sword Mode has a great advantage where all your attacks are capable of slicing through a monster. No armor is hard enough to deflect your attacks. It also has an explosive finisher to complement this aggressive attack style.
• Still quick to move with endless combos
• • While unsheathed, the hunter can move at a pretty good pace so long as in Axe Mode and both modes provide combos that can be used endlessly. Find the flow of both modes to continuously keep up the pressure on a monster and never relent your attacks.

Weaknesses

• Sword Mode energy meter bars itself from continuous usage:
• • To make sure hunters do not abuse Sword Mode’s high damage more than the Axe Mode, Sword Mode has an energy system that will run out and revert a hunter back to Axe Mode. Attacks in Axe Mode will help regain the energy meter for Sword Mode again.
• Axe Mode is limited to stamina:
• • To make sure hunters do not abuse Axe Mode’s high mobility and quick attacks more than Sword Mode, some combos continuously drain stamina. Finding proper balance between modes is imperative to the use of this weapon.
• No guard, no stun, no utility:
• • With the capabilities of this weapon, it features a highly aggressive playstyle that has to quickly weave between modes to ensure survival and triumph over a monster. Not much survivability is in this weapon’s kit and not carefully managing each mode can lead to a quick death.

1. Focus Mode Strike allows for more damage on monsters and gives more opportunities to morph your axe between modes.
2. Added new skill moves like Unbridled Slash to utilize more bonus phial damage instead of just Element Discharge.
3. Added a new way to achieve Power Axe Mode which is to land the Offset Attack and use the follow up Power Slam move.

Axe Mode

This mode is for a more neutral-defensive approach as the moves can be safely executed while keeping out of harms way. Connect your attacks to build up Sword Mode energy meter.

Overhead Slash (△) - An overhead slash

• Side Slash (△) -A long reaching hit to the side
• • Spiral Burst Slash (△) - A 360 swing that ends with a rising slash; charges Sword Mode energy meter by a lot
• Fade Slash (LS down + ◯) - Retreat back a step while swinging the axe away
• Axe Morph Slash (R2) - Quickly morphs into Sword Mode then slashes downward
• Forward Overhead Slash (LS + ◯) - Move forward a step while slashing downward 

Wild Swing (◯) - Swing your axe from side to side endlessly barring your stamina gauge

• Wild Swing (◯,◯,etc) - Continuously swing your axe from side to side until stamina runs out or Heavy Slam is used
• • Heavy Slam (△ after 2 wild swings) - Slams axe into the ground; buffs axe into Power Axe Mode
  • • Axe Morph: Rising Double Slash (R2) - Morphs axe into Sword Mode following two upward slashes after
    • Fade Slash (LS down + ◯) - Retreat back a step while swinging the axe away
  • Axe Morph Sweep - Swings the axe forward with forward movement and morphs into Sword Mode to then follow up with a slash

Offset Rising Slash (△ + ◯) - Swing the axe upwards to hit airborne monsters; able to Offset Monster attacks

• Follow-up Heavy Slam (△) - A successful Offset will lead to this move where the hunter slams the axe into the ground; buffs axe into Power Axe Mode

• Follow-up Morph Slash (R2) - A successful Offset will lead to this move where the hunter morphs the axe into Sword Mode and slashes the monster

Morph (R2) - morphs your axe into Sword Mode

Focus Mode (L2; can be held)

Mode shifts where visible Wounds show up on a monster

Focus Assault:  Morph Combination (L2 Held + R1)

A morphing strike that lets the hunter change from Axe Mode to Sword Mode; procs bonus damage if sword is in Amped Up State

Sword Mode

Sword Mode favors the aggressive type of play due to bonus damage from phials and unlockable attacks. Has an Amped Up Status that happens after connecting attacks in Sword Mode. Amped Up Status adds bonus damage to every sword attack made according to the phial type the weapon has.

Overhead Slash (△) - An unguardable slash downwards

• Right Rising Slash (△) - An unguardable slash upwards from the right
• Morph Slash (R2) - Morphs to Axe Mode and follows up with a side slash
• Downward Fade Slash (LS down + R2) - Retreat a step back while morphing to Axe Mode and slashing at the enemy
• • Left Rising Slash (△) - An unguardable slash upwards from the left
  • • Counter Rising Slash (R2 + △) - Counters a monster’s attack with a rising slash; able to Offset a monster
    • Downward Fade Slash (LS down + R2) - Retreat a step back while morphing to Axe Mode and slashing at the enemy
  • Counter Rising Slash (R2 + △) - Counters a monster’s attack with a rising slash; able to Offset a monster
  • Downward Fade Slash (LS down + R2) - Retreat a step back while morphing to Axe Mode and slashing at the enemy

Double Slash (◯) - Unguardable slash left and right

• Heavensward Flurry (◯) - A spin attack that slashes an enemy in front; builds a lot of Amp meter
• • Unbridled Slash (R2) - A move that has power armor so you cannot be interrupted; expends a lot of Sword Mode meter energy to slash the monster
  • Full Release Slash (R2 hold) - A move that can only be done in Amped Up Status; has power armor, procs bonus phial damage, and expends a lot of Sword Mode energy meter

• • Right Rising Slash (△) - An unguardable slash upwards from the right
  • Morph Slash (R2) - Morphs to Axe Mode and follows up with a side slash
  • Counter Rising Slash (R2 + △) - Counters a monster’s attack with a rising slash; able to Offset a monster

Element Discharge (△ + ◯)

Expend a lot of your sword meter gauge to let loose an explosive finisher with bonus phial type damage

• Element Discharge (△, can be pressed repeatedly) - Revs the sword repeatedly to do damage and explodes after the rev up
• Finishing Discharge (LS down + △) - Make the explosive finisher happen faster
• • Unbridled Slash (R2) - A move that has power armor so you cannot be interrupted; expends a lot of Sword Mode meter energy to slash the monster
  • Full Unbridled Slash (R2 hold) - A move that can only be done in Amped Up Status; has power armor and expends a lot of Sword Mode meter energy to slash the monster

Morph (R2)

Morphs your sword into axe mode

Focus Mode (L2; can be held)

Mode shifts where visible Wounds show up on a monster

Focus Assault:  Morph Combination (L2 Held + R1)

A morphing strike that lets the hunter change from Sword Mode to Axe Mode; procs bonus damage if sword is in Amped Up State

• The general strategy is that Axe Mode is a safe way to attack the monster and build up your Sword Mode energy meter. Once an opening is found on a monster, morph to Sword Mode and deal big damage to it.
• Mastering the Offset Rising Slash in Axe Mode is key to getting into Power Axe Mode faster
• Hitting attacks in Sword Mode will increase it to an Amped Up Status that will utilize the phials your weapon has to score bonus damage
• • In Amped Up Status, using Element Discharge and holding the inputs down instead of pressing them will help a hunter grapple and climb on the closest monster part to release a Zero Sum Discharge, an explosive move that will expend a lot of the sword meter and deal bonus phial damage
• Phials have several types ranging from power, element, to status. A hunter should use this to their advantage when they have found out a monster’s weakness
• While Element Discharge is strong with an opening, Full Release Slash can be used more often as an alternative due to it having Power Armor to withstand attacks

Bread and Butter Combo - ◯, R2, △, R2, etc. (Axe Mode)

A combo that can be done endlessly if given an opening. Utilizes the Morph Sweep move to deal a strong amount of damage.

Zero Sum Discharge - ◯, ◯, △+◯, △ keep pressing
(Must have Amped Up Status while in Sword Mode)

A very strong damaging combo that uses up all the Sword Mode energy meter and procs a lot of bonus damage due to the Amped Up Status. 

Basic Combo - △, △, △

A simple combo to help fill the Sword Mode energy meter.

Depending on your Switch Axe build, here are the sort of skills you'll often see Switch Axe players using.