How To Use Long Swords In Monster Hunter Rise

Long Swords, alongside Great Swords and a few other weapon types, have been featured in the Monster Hunter series for a very long time. This weapon type makes its unsurprising comeback in Monster Hunter Rise, with some select improvements that make them even more fun to use.

Unlike a few other weapon types, however, Long Swords can be difficult to use properly, especially for newcomers. If you want to master them, you will need lots of practice and the right tips, which you can find right below. Here’s how to use Long Swords properly in Monster Hunter Rise.

Overview

The Long Sword is not exactly a newcomer friendly weapon type for a few reasons. First, it has no blocking options, so you will have to avoid enemy attacks at all times. While having good reach, Long Swords do not feature great area of effect attacks, compared to other weapons, so you will also have to be extremely accurate: a missed swing and the lack of blocking options can be fatal. Still, Long Swords are incredibly satisfying to use, as mastering them effectively means having mastered the game’s mechanics.

Manage Your Spirit

The Long Sword unique mechanic is the Spirit Gauge, a special gauge that charges up as you fight and that can be used to unleash some very powerful moves like Spirit Blade, Iai Spirit Slash and a few others. As some of these moves can turn the tide of battle, you should know when to unleash them, so make sure to always keep an eye on the Spirit Gauge’s level. The gauge can be charged up to three levels, and the current level is indicated by the color: white indicates charge level 1, yellow indicates level 2 charge and red indicated level 3 charge.

Counter Attacks Can Save Your Life

Managing the Spirit Gauge effectively means being able to unleash counter attacks properly. with the weapon’s lack of defensive option, counterattacking is an amazing way to combine both defense and offense. Firesight Slash and Iai Spirit Slash consume Spirit Slash, so make sure to store your gauge while on the offensive to be able to counter attack swiftly and effectively.

I Need No Spirit

Monster Hunter Rise introduces a new Long Sword counter attack that lets you go a little wilder with the Spirit Gauge. Serene Pose is a new Silkbind counter attack, performed by pressing the ZL and A buttons, that uses Wirebug instead of the Spirit Gauge.

And if you have an empty Gauge and want to fill it quickly, you can use the other new Silkbind Attack, the Soaring Kick. By pressing the ZL and X buttons, you will jump the kick the enemy and have the chance to connect Plunging Thrust, which refills the Spirit Gauge automatically for a short amount of time. If you’re Spirit Gauge is already full, you can connect Spirit Helm Breaker for massive damage. Not bad at all, considering Soaring Kick only consumes a single Wirebug charge.