Monster Hunter Wilds Great Sword Guide

Welcome to our complete Monster Hunter Wilds Great Sword guide, hunters. We’re going to take a look at some of the most devastating weapons in the game so far. It delivers one of the highest damage numbers yet requires practice to master. If you love the feeling of landing a massive, earth-shattering slash that sends monsters reeling, this weapon is for you.

But raw power comes with a price – slow attacks, heavy commitment, and precise timing. Mastering the Great Sword is about knowing when to strike, when to guard, and how to position yourself for the perfect hit. This guide will break down everything you need to know, including mechanics, best combos, and advanced techniques.

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Read our other articles:

• Long Sword Guide
• Switch Axe Guide
• Leveling Guide
• Best Armor Sets
• Best Weapons Tier List
• Beginner's Guide

 

 

Great Sword Overview

Starting our Monster Hunter Wilds Great Sword tutorial, let’s see what this weapon is all about. This is by far one of the most iconic weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, built for those who want to hit like a truck with a single blow. It’s a high-risk, high-reward weapon that excels in delivering some of the highest damage numbers in the game. However, its slow swings and heavy commitment require careful planning and mastery.

Unlike faster weapons that rely on continuous combos, the Great Sword focuses on charging up powerful slashes, positioning for the perfect opening, and timing counters to punish monsters with massive damage. It also has built-in defensive options, such as guarding and countering attacks with Perfect Guards or Offset Rising Slashes, allowing skilled hunters to stay safe while setting up for their next strike.

Great Sword Pros & Cons

As we get into further details on how to use Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds, we suggest you take a look at its pros and cons. This is a great way to see if you like this weapon’s playstyle or not.

Great Sword Pros are as follows:

• Massive Damage Output – The Great Sword delivers some of the highest single-hit damage in Monster Hunter Wilds, especially with True Charged Slash (TCS) and Focus Slash: Perforate.
• Strong Defensive Options – It can guard, counter, and even power clash with monsters, making it surprisingly durable despite its slow attack speed.
• Focus Mode for Better Accuracy – The ability to redirect attacks mid-animation helps ensure your big swings actually hit the target.

Moving on to Great Sword Cons, they include the following:

• Slow & Punishing Misses – Swinging and charging attacks take time, and whiffing a big hit leaves you open to counterattacks.
• High Commitment Playstyle – Once you commit to a charge, you need good positioning and timing to make it count.
• Stamina Management – Heavy use of blocking and Enhanced Tackles can drain stamina quickly, forcing you to be mindful of resource management.

By weighing out all the mentioned strengths and weaknesses, you can make a first impression about this weapon. It features its own unique playstyle you need to adapt to. See if it fits your needs and the way you want to play the game.

Great Sword Mechanics

The Great Sword is a relatively straightforward weapon to use. Compared to Switch Axe, for example, it’s way easier to get used to. Mastering it is another level of art, but you don’t need to think about it when only starting out. Here’s the list of the most crucial Great Sword mechanics in Monster Hunter Wilds:

• Slow but Devastating Strikes – Every attack with the Great Sword takes time to execute, but when fully charged, it delivers some of the highest damage in the game. Timing and positioning are critical to landing these heavy hits.
• Charge Levels Matter – Attacks can be charged up to three levels, with higher levels significantly increasing damage output. However, overcharging reduces effectiveness, so releasing at the right moment is key.
• Survivability Through Defense – Unlike other slow weapons, the Great Sword comes with blocking capabilities that let players guard against monster attacks at the cost of stamina and sharpness.
• Tackle as a Defensive Tool – Players can use Tackle to power through minor hits and roars, keeping their charge attacks going without interruption.
• Commitment-Based Gameplay – Unlike fast weapons, the Great Sword demands commitment to every move. Overextending can leave you vulnerable, so knowing when to attack, block, or reposition is crucial.
• Massive Burst Damage Potential – When used correctly, the Great Sword can output more damage per hit than almost any other weapon, making it one of the best for exploiting monster knockdowns and openings.

Charge levels are especially important and come as the main mechanics of this weapon. You need to time these charges precisely to make the most DPS. Otherwise, you risk failing your attack and getting punished in return. This is the main difficulty when it comes to mastering this weapon. The same can be said about Tackle, as this is one of your main survivability tools.

Focus Mode Explained

We have intentionally missed out on this topic when describing the weapon’s mechanics. Focus Mode deserves a separate place in our guide to cover it from top to bottom. This is a game-changing addition to the Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds, giving players more control over their attacks and significantly reducing the weapon’s biggest weakness – commitment to a single direction.

In previous games, once you began a True Charged Slash (TCS), you were locked in that direction. Now, Great Sword Focus Mode allows for mid-animation adjustments, making it easier to land those devastating strikes.

Here is how Focus Mode works:

1. Adjust Your Aim Mid-Swing – While holding / , you can rotate your charged attacks to correct your aim if a monster moves.
2. Full 180-Degree Redirection – This means that even if you start swinging in the wrong direction, you can still land your hit by adjusting before impact.
3. Applies to All Charged Attacks – You can use it with Charged Slash, Strong Charged Slash, or True Charged Slash to aim at the direction you need. No restrictions here.

Before Focus Mode, missing a True Charged Slash meant wasted time and damage. Now, you can course-correct mid-attack, making it far easier to consistently land heavy hits. This also means less reliance on perfect positioning before attacking, giving you more flexibility in battle.

Great Sword Moves

You can find a large variety of Great Sword moves in Monster Hunter Wilds. Most of them represent slow, deliberate, yet powerful attacks. Every move is designed to either deal massive burst damage or set up for a high-impact follow-up. Below is a breakdown of the entire Great Sword’s moveset, including new additions that make it even more lethal. BLOG20

Basic Attacks

Every basic attack you see in the Great Sword’s arsenal is a heavy swing that deals a ton of damage. However, you need to practice a lot to land them all consistently and make up a successful combo. We highly recommend getting used to all basic attacks before moving to any advanced Monster Hunter Wilds Great Sword tips and movement techniques. Here’s a breakdown of the core attacks that make up the foundation of this weapon’s power:

Start your path to mastering the Great Sword from these basic attacks. They do not make you press a thousand buttons simultaneously. However, they will help you understand what your playstyle is based on and how you need to handle your weapon.

Charged Attacks

One of the Great Sword’s key mechanics is its ability to charge attacks for increased damage. You can charge up to three levels, with each level dealing more damage. Keep in mind that overcharging will reset the attack back to a weaker Level 2 hit, so timing is crucial:

Pro Tip: Use Focus Mode ( / ) to adjust your aim mid-charge, ensuring your True Charged Slash doesn’t miss.

Defensive Moves

While the Great Sword is primarily an offensive weapon, it has a few defensive options that allow skilled hunters to negate damage and counterattack:

A Perfect Guard can trigger a Power Clash, which staggers the monster and lets you immediately transition into a True Charged Slash.

Enhanced Tackles

The Tackle is one of the most important mechanics for Great Sword users. It allows you to power through monster attacks while keeping your charge level:

• Regular Tackle – Cancels the charge animation while providing super armor to ignore knockback effects (like monster roars).
• Enhanced Tackle – A new addition in Wilds, this version retains the charge level when used to block an attack, making it easier to transition into a True Charged Slash faster.

If you’re about to get hit while charging, use a Tackle instead of dodging. This will keep your charge level and let you continue your attack without interruption.

Power Clashes

One of the most unique new mechanics in Monster Hunter Wilds is the Power Clash, triggered when you perform a perfect guard against certain monster attacks:

• If you successfully initiate a Power Clash, you enter a brief struggle with the monster.
• Winning the clash causes the monster to stagger, giving you a free True Charged Slash opportunity.
• All weapons that can guard can trigger a Power Clash, but Great Sword benefits the most due to its raw damage output.

If a monster is about to unleash a heavy attack, try for a Perfect Guard to trigger a Power Clash and punish it immediately.

Aimed Slashes

With Focus Mode, the Great Sword has gained more flexibility than ever before. You are now able to adjust the aim of your charged attacks mid-animation, ensuring that your attacks don’t whiff.

• You can turn up to 180 degrees during a True Charged Slash, letting you correct your aim if the monster moves.
• This completely removes the risk of wasting your strongest move, making the Great Sword even more consistent in combat.

If a monster sidesteps or moves, use Focus Mode to re-aim your True Charged Slash instead of restarting your charge.

Jumping Attacks & Mounting

The Great Sword is one of the best weapons for mounting monsters, thanks to its powerful airborne moves.

• Jumping Charge Slash ( / while airborne) – Aerial version of the Charged Slash, capable of landing heavy hits.
• Plunging Thrust ( / while airborne) – A fast downward stab that hits multiple times, increasing mount buildup.
• Jumping Wide Slash – A heavy horizontal slash in mid-air, allowing for wide coverage against large monsters.

Use Jumping Charge Slash off ledges or environmental features to quickly mount a monster and knock it down for massive follow-up damage. BLOG20

 

Great Sword Combos

The main strength of this weapon lies in timed and devastating combos. Once you start your successful attack, you will destroy a monster for sure. Unlike faster weapons, it doesn’t rely on rapid-hit chains but instead focuses on calculated, high-damage swings that punish monsters for any opening they give you. Check out a list of Great Sword combos in Monster Hunter Wilds we have prepared for you:

These combos form the backbone of the Great Sword’s playstyle. By mixing charge levels, counters, and tackles, you can adapt to any situation and deliver some of the highest burst damage in the game.

Best Great Sword Combos

The Great Sword is all about massive burst damage, and knowing the best combos ensures you're getting the most out of every swing. These setups take advantage of Focus Mode, Tackle cancels, and True Charged Slashes to optimize damage output while keeping you in control of the fight. Here’s a list of the best Great Sword combos to use in Monster Hunter Wilds:

Make sure to master these high-tier combos when you get to the endgame and know the game better. They will become your bread and butter in taking down the toughest monsters and dealing overwhelming DPS.

How to Guard with Great Sword

Guarding is a key mechanic that allows you to absorb incoming damage, create openings for counterattacks, and even trigger powerful Power Clashes. However, using it effectively requires good timing and knowledge of the Perfect Guard mechanic.

To guard with the Great Sword, simply hold / . This raises your weapon to block incoming attacks, reducing damage at the cost of stamina and weapon sharpness. While this is a solid defensive option, it isn’t as strong as dedicated shield weapons like the Lance or Gunlance, so timing is crucial.

When to Guard vs. When to Tackle:

Since the Tackle move (○ while charging) grants hyper armor, many players use it to tank through roars and weak attacks instead of blocking. However, there are situations where guarding is the better choice:

1. Use Guarding when facing heavy-hitting attacks that Tackle can’t absorb.
2. Go for Perfect Guard against multi-hit attacks to fully mitigate damage and set up counterattacks.
3. Do Tackle when you want to continue charging your attack without interruption.

To maximize your survivability and damage potential:

• Practice Perfect Guards to completely negate damage and set up powerful counterattacks.
• Use Power Clashes to stagger monsters and land massive True Charged Slashes.

The Great Sword isn’t just about massive attacks – it’s also about smart defense. Mastering its guarding mechanics lets you control fights, stay alive longer, and create deadly openings for your most powerful strikes.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our Great Sword guide for Monster Hunter Wilds. With massive damage potential, perfectly timed counters, and game-changing Focus Mode adjustments, it’s a weapon that thrives in the hands of a skilled hunter. Master its combos, guard effectively, and unleash devastating slashes – because when you wield the Great Sword correctly, nothing stands in your way. Now go carve up some monsters!

F.A.Q.