Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword Guide

Welcome to our complete Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword guide, hunters! This is a weapon of finesse, power, and relentless aggression. It rewards precise timing, fluid combos, and expert counterattacks, making it a favorite among hunters who love a fast, stylish playstyle.

But wielding it effectively takes more than just swinging wildly – you need to master Spirit Gauge management, powerful finishers, and perfectly timed counters to maximize your damage. Prepare to learn about the best combos, discover the entire moveset, and find out the trickiest tips to master this weapon.

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Read our other articles:

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

 

 

Long Sword Overview

The Long Sword is a high-damage weapon that thrives on smooth, flowing combos and deadly counterattacks. Unlike heavy weapons that rely on brute force, the Long Sword is different in terms of precision and adaptability. It allows you to stay mobile while dishing out relentless attacks.

The Long Sword’s Spirit Gauge is its main mechanic to play around. It powers up your attacks as you build it, eventually unlocking devastating moves like Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash.

Long Sword Pros & Cons

Before explaining how to use Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds, let’s look at its pros and cons to consider. They will help you make up your first impression of this weapon. You will see if its playstyle is even to your liking at all.

Long Sword Pros include the following points:

• High Damage Potential – The Long Sword can dish out massive DPS, especially when the Spirit Gauge is maxed, allowing for powerful finishers like Spirit Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash.
• Excellent Mobility and Reach – Smooth, flowing attacks with great range make it easy to hit weak spots while staying mobile.
• Multiple Counter Options – Moves like Iai Spirit Slash and Foresight Slash provide built-in invincibility frames, allowing skilled players to counter enemy attacks effortlessly.

As for Long Sword Cons, they are as follows:

• No Guarding Ability – Unlike some melee weapons, the Long Sword cannot block, meaning you must rely on dodges and counters to avoid damage.
• Requires Mastery of Timing – Maximizing damage depends on landing precise counterattacks and managing the Spirit Gauge efficiently.
• Spirit Gauge Drains Over Time – If not maintained, the Spirit Level can drop, reducing overall damage output and forcing you to rebuild it mid-fight.

Summing up all the strengths and weaknesses, this is a truly balanced weapon with its unique playstyle. So far, it’s considered one of the strongest in the game, and many players use it. You’ll never know if it’s yours to play with until you give it a shot.

Long Sword Mechanics

The Long Sword mechanics in Monster Hunter Wilds are built around fluid combos, precise counters, and managing the Spirit Gauge to maximize damage. Mastering its mechanics means understanding how to build, maintain, and consume the Spirit Gauge efficiently while staying mobile and avoiding enemy attacks.

Spirit Gauge and Spirit Levels:

The Spirit Gauge is at the core of the Long Sword’s mechanics. It fills as you land regular attacks and fuels Spirit Blade combos, which in turn raise your Spirit Level for increased damage. Here’s what you need to know about the Spirit Gauge:

• Starts empty and fills with basic attacks.
• Has three levels – White, Yellow, and Red, each boosting attack power.
• Gradually drains over time, requiring constant action to maintain.

Once at Red Spirit Level, attacks transform into more powerful Crimson Moves, and the player can unleash Spirit Release Slash, one of the Long Sword’s strongest attacks.

Long Sword Moves

Most of your Long Sword moves in Monster Hunter Wilds are all about fluid combos, counters, and Spirit Gauge management. Each attack and technique contributes to maintaining or increasing the Spirit Level, which directly impacts your damage output. Understanding how and when to use each move is key to mastering the weapon.

In the following part of the guide, we will provide you with a complete Long Sword moveset to get started with. We’ll gradually go from the very basics to the most complex moves to master. BLOG20

Basic Attacks & Spirit Blade Combo

The Spirit Blade combo is the foundation of the Long Sword's offense. Each Spirit Blade attack builds toward the final Spirit Roundslash, which increases the Spirit Level when landed. Our first part of Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword tips is all about mastering these smaller moves before getting to something more serious.

Basic Attacks:

Spirit Blade Combo (Consumes Spirit Gauge):

• Spirit Blade I ( / ) → II ( / ) → III ( / ) → Spirit Roundslash ( / ).
• Landing the Spirit Roundslash increases the Spirit Level (White → Yellow → Red).

Once the Spirit Level is at Red, it enables Crimson Moves, which enhance your standard attacks and open up stronger finishers.

Spirit Gauge & Power-Up Moves

The Spirit Gauge fills as you attack and gradually drains over time. Managing this resource efficiently is crucial for maintaining maximum damage.

Spirit Charge (Hold / ):

• Charging the Spirit Blade allows players to skip early combo steps and jump straight to higher Spirit Blade attacks.
• Holding / builds the charge, and releasing it executes the attack.
• A fully charged Spirit Roundslash instantly increases the Spirit Level.

Crimson Moves (Unlocked at Red Spirit Level):

Counter Moves & Defensive Techniques

The Long Sword is perfect for counters, making it one of the best weapons for aggressive, high-risk, high-reward gameplay.

Helm Breaker & Spirit Release Slash

The Helm Breaker and Spirit Release Slash are the strongest attacks in your arsenal, requiring Red Spirit Level for maximum effect. They are always mentioned in any Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword tutorial as the ones you need to master above all else. The main difficulty here is to be able to hit a monster when in the air:

Advanced Techniques & Unique Mechanics

The Long Sword has several hidden mechanics that allow experienced players to push its potential even further.

Spirit Charge Cancel:

• When Spirit Gauge is empty, Foresight Slash loses its invincibility frames and won’t refill the gauge.
• Solution: Perform a Spirit Charge, then cancel into Foresight Slash to regain Spirit Gauge quickly.

Focus Strike:

• A long-range stab that targets weak spots.
• If it lands on a wound, it grants a full Spirit Level increase.
• Chaining Focus Strike into Spirit Blade III lets you reach Red Spirit Level faster.

Helm Breaker Delay for Armor Frames:

• Delaying Spirit Release Slash after Helm Breaker can allow players to tank an attack while still executing the finisher.
• Smart players can use this delay to maximize damage while reducing risk.

 

 

Long Sword Combos

In this part of the guide, we have gathered all possible Long Sword combos for Monster Hunter Wilds to master. They start from the most basic ones and go all the way up to the most challenging options. These combos will allow you to maximize damage, avoid incoming attacks, and unleash devastating finishers. BLOG20

Basic Long Sword Combos

These basic combos help build Spirit Gauge while maintaining consistent damage output and mobility:

Advanced Long Sword Combos

Moving to more advancer Long Sword combos, they add extra mobility and serve as a great source of more DPS as well:

Best Long Sword Combos

We have finally made it to the best Long Sword combos in Monster Hunter Wilds. They are hard to master, but their DPS and usage potential are almost limitless. To master it, you'll need to optimize Spirit Gauge usage while executing the best damage-dealing combos. Below are the top combos for building Spirit Gauge, countering effectively, and unleashing devastating attacks:

To master all these and other combos, follow these MHW Long Sword tips:

1. Spirit Gauge management is key – Always look for openings to charge up and unleash finishers.
2. Counters like Foresight Slash and Iai Slash make you untouchable if timed correctly.
3. Spirit Charge is your best friend – Use it to skip unnecessary attacks and get straight to Spirit Roundslash.
4. Helm Breaker into Spirit Release Slash is your ultimate damage move – Set it up properly.

Always balance between dealing damage and countering monsters’ attacks to survive in a fight. Your attacks usually take long enough to be done but deal a ton of damage at the end.

Spirit Level 3 Tips

Reaching Spirit Level 3 (Red Gauge) with the Long Sword is a game-changer, unlocking powerful Crimson Moves, extending attack chains, and enhancing your overall damage output. However, Spirit Level 3 isn’t permanent – it will gradually deplete over time, so knowing how to maximize its benefits before it fades is key to mastering the Long Sword. Below are the best tips for using Spirit Level 3 effectively:

• Keep Up the Pressure: Once you reach Spirit Level 3, your Spirit Gauge stops draining, meaning you no longer need to recharge it with basic attacks. However, Spirit Level itself will decay over time, so you’ll need to keep attacking and landing key moves to extend its duration. Moves like Crimson Slash and Spinning Crimson Slash help sustain the Red Gauge, buying you more time to unleash devastating combos.
• Use Crimson Moves for Maximum Damage: When in Spirit Level 3, your standard attacks automatically transform into Crimson Moves, which are significantly stronger versions of your normal strikes. These moves not only deal more damage but also flow more smoothly, making it easier to maintain aggressive combos. Take advantage of the enhanced Crimson Moves to keep up your DPS and force the monster into vulnerable positions.
• Time Your Spirit Unleash Correctly: Your most powerful attack sequence at Spirit Level 3 is the Helm Breaker into Spirit Release Slash combo. This two-step finisher deals massive burst damage but also consumes two Spirit Levels, forcing you to build it back up afterward. Don't rush this move – wait for a moment when the monster is stationary, staggered, or knocked down to ensure every hit lands.
• Master Foresight Whirl Slash for Aggressive Counters: At Spirit Level 3, your Foresight Slash evolves into Foresight Whirl Slash, a stronger counterattack that not only dodges enemy strikes but also extends your Spirit Level duration when landed successfully. Since your Spirit Gauge is no longer refilling naturally, using Foresight Whirl Slash is an essential tool to keep your gauge active while maintaining an aggressive playstyle.
• Delay Spirit Unleash for Hyper Armor: When using Spirit Unleash after a Spirit Helm Breaker, you can delay the input slightly to trigger its hyper armor frames at the perfect moment. If an enemy is about to attack while you’re mid-combo, holding off on Spirit Unleash until the last second will let you tank the hit while still executing the move, allowing you to trade blows efficiently without getting knocked out of your attack animation.

This mechanic is your bread and butter to dealing devastating damage and keeping enemies down. Make sure every second of its maximum level is spent wisely.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our Long Sword guide for Monster Hunter Wilds. This is a weapon of precision, speed, and devastating combos, making it a fan-favorite for many players of the series. From mastering Spirit Level 3 to executing powerful counters and finishers, success with this weapon comes down to timing, positioning, and smart gauge management. With patience and practice, the Long Sword transforms into a lethal extension of your hunter, delivering massive damage while keeping you in complete control of the battlefield.

F.A.Q.