Long Sword High Rank and Endgame Builds for Monster Hunter Wilds

This set still maintains the 2-piece from Arkveld for some comfort, though it's time to start looking at more offense and move away from it as you get closer to endgame. With the addition of Mizutsune's set, the legs provide an extremely efficient way to reach Burst level 5 early. While ordinarily stacking this is inefficient, the stronger alternatives like Weakness Exploit aren't easy to max out in the mid-game, so this is a great alternative.

By this stage you should have pivoted to a Sheathe Charm II which can be paired with a single Sheath decoration to maintain your level 3 Quick Sheathe. Wyvern Blade "Blood" I from Rathalos is an excellent catch-all mid-game craft that will last through to the end-game, providing Critical Boost, high raw and solid sharpness.

Your priority hunts after unlocking them becomes Rathalos, Guardian Ebony Odogaron and Mizutsune in that order to pick up these crafts. This set should bring you toward the end of the High Rank unlocks at 35+, allowing you to access the most powerful sets available.

• Burst - Level 5
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Critical Boost - Level 3
• Flayer - Level 2
• Earplugs - Level 1
• Blight Resistance - Level 1
• Guardian's Pulse - 3-piece
• Ebony Odogaron's Power - 2-piece
• Guardian Arkveld's Vitality - 2-piece

After unlocking Gore Magala and High Rank Arkveld you can start gathering Hunter Symbol III, opening up crafts to move toward a much more focused offensive setup. By now you should have 3 Sheath decorations to keep it active, though if not you have the option to directly meld them.

In a fully optimized set a lot of comfort is sacrificed to leverage as much damage as possible. You always want to max out Weakness Exploit while having one slot free to get a single point of Burst, as it gives the biggest returns without needing heavy investment.

Using the Gore Magala set alongside some Sane decorations grants a large 15% Affinity bonus when recovering from Frenzy, which is automatically applied with the 2-piece effect. Other skills picked up here each have their reasons to round out the set, so you can click for notes on each here below.

• Maximum Might - Click for Notes

  Gives a 30% Affinity bonus when at full Stamina, which is incredibly efficient for the investment so long as you play around it. This is the best way to push yourself close to 100% when you overcome Frenzy.
• Consitution - Click for Notes

  While there aren't enough slots to fully max this, reducing the cost of using Foresight Slash to maintain Maximum Might more consistently is a good way to spend the remaining decoration slot.
• Adrenaline Rush - Click for Notes

  Gives a strong raw attack boost when successfully using Foresight Slash, which is a big payoff when played correctly. Since you will already be maxing out other 3-slot skills that have high value, this is the best last option. Counterstrike can also be considered here if you're using Iai Spirit Slash more frequently, but this is easier to play around.

The Gore Magala weapon is also your best monster-related craft, giving a high amount of raw, white sharpness and affinity. It also comes with Dragon element which is a more universal counter. As decorations are a bit harder to come by, some options in place of what's suggested if you don't have access to Critical Boost are:

• Razor Sharp - simplest way of extending your sharpness bar, but needs 3 points to really feel it.
• Master's Touch - affinity is high enough that this is very efficient, though requires using your 3-slot.
• Handicraft - less efficient than the above two but can be slotted in as an extra.
• Attack - really needs you to reach 4-5 points to get the full value out of it, but is a solid offensive alternative.
• Enhancer - while it's quite easy to get to red gauge, this gives you more room to use Crimson combos without needing to worry about it. More of a comfort pick.

• Critical Boost - Level 5
• Weakness Exploit - Level 5
• Adrenaline Rush - Level 4
• Critical Element - Level 3
• Maximum Might - Level 3
• Constitution - Level 3
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Antivirus - Level 3
• Burst - Level 1
• Handicraft - Level 1
• Flinch Free - Level 1
• Gore Magala's Tyranny - 2-piece

While the Arch-Tempered Rey Dau set is focused around the less desirable Latent Power, the Lord's Soul effect is worth it. The skill spread across the set is solid, and combining it with the added comfort of 2-piece Zoh Shia makes it a flexible loadout even for challenging hunts like Omega.

In particular due to the dual value of Lord's Soul providing 5% Raw while the cheat death is available, this set provides an excellent mix between offense and comfort. The Rey Dau 3-piece is enough to activate this, leaving room to grab efficient off-pieces to round out the skills we're looking for. That means the Zoh Shia 2-piece adds both comfort and efficient Counter and Agitator points, leaving us with a lot of spare decorations to round out skills.

While Latent Power isn't our go-to pick, these pieces grab it very efficiently so it's used. Decoration slots and Talismans are instead used to fill out Agitator to 5, while making sure to cap out both Counter and Maximum Might at 3. As always with Long Sword, the 1-slot decorations are reserved for Quick Sheathe as a mandatory pickup.

Some alternative skills to consider if you want to tailor the build to your playstyle are:

• Weakness Exploit - Click for Notes

  Provides a significant boost to Affinity when hitting weak points. If you're good at hitting these consistently, but aren't as good at being aggressive when a monster is enraged, this is a good alternative to switch to. This can be done by moving decorations and your Talisman around.
• Counterstrike - Click for Notes

  Currently this is taken due to the efficiency of the charm providing level 3, and can be maintained during the hyper armor of many Long Sword attacks. If you're struggling to maintain this throughout a hunt, consider switching to alternatives.
• Adrenaline Rush - Click for Notes

  Gives a strong raw attack boost when successfully using Foresight Slash, which is a big payoff when played correctly. As this is a 3-slot skill it comes at a heavy cost and can only take two points using the charm, but if you use a more evasive playstyle it can suit very well.

When it comes to weapon decorations however you're much more limited in how many you can slot in, with the Zoh Shia sword having one of each slot size. You will generally be using Master's Touch or Razor Sharp III in the 3-slot, then two Critical Boost decorations in the 2-slot and 1-slots.

• Agitator - Level 5
• Latent Power - Level 5
• Critical Boost - Level 3
• Maximum Might - Level 3
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Counterstrike - Level 3
• Evade Extender - Level 2
• Recovery Speed - Level 2
• Whiteflame Torrent - Level 1
• Master's Touch - Level 1
• Burst - Level 1
• Elemental Absorption - Level 1
• Rey Dau's Voltage - 2-piece
• Zoh Shia's Pulse - 2-piece
• Lord's Soul - 3-piece

With the addition of Uth Duna Gamma pieces, while the overall set is fairly undesirable the Legs have opened up a lot of room to build for comfort and flexibility. This allows for activation of Lord's Soul without fully committing to Rey Dau and Latent Power, and provides a wealth of extra 1-slot decorations for customization.

Combining two Rey Dau pieces the extremely Uth Duna Legs allows you to comfortably activate Lord's Soul while effectively covering your Quick Sheathe requirement immediately. This leaves room for well itemized Lagiacrus pieces to pick up the 2-piece and some easy points of Weakness Exploit and Maximum Might.

Decorations are spent finishing up Weakness Exploit, Mighty and Counter while making sure to grab the high value point in Burst. One 3-slot decoration is free, with your choice being either a second point in Agitator or a single, efficient point in Latent Power to capitalize on the Rey Dau 2-piece. Your Talisman is best served on Adrenaline Rush due to it providing 3 points compared to most other skills only granting 2.

When it comes to weapon decorations however you're much more limited in how many you can slot in, with the Zoh Shia sword having one of each slot size. You will generally be using Master's Touch or Razor Sharp III in the 3-slot, then two Critical Boost decorations in the 2-slot and 1-slots.

• 4 Free 1-slot Decorations
• Weakness Exploit - Level 5
• Critical Boost - Level 3
• Maximum Might - Level 3
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Counterstrike - Level 3
• Evade Extender - Level 2
• Stamina Surge - Level 2
• Whiteflame Torrent - Level 1
• Master's Touch - Level 1
• Burst - Level 1
• Agitator - Level 1
• Latent Power - Level 1
• Lord's Soul - 3-piece
• Rey Dau's Voltage - 2-piece
• Leviatha's Fury - 2-piece

This set is easy to build regardless of Event Quest rotations, making use of the Lagiacrus armor set. It pairs this with the tried and true Gore Magala 2-piece to reach consistently high Affinity levels while maintaining premium skills.

As you reach full endgame status most comfort is sacrificed for one goal - reach 100% Affinity to make use of the very efficient management of Master's Touch. The best way to do this is maxing out both Weakness Exploit and Maximum Might, while grabbing the 2-piece Gore Magala to activate Antivirus. This pairs well with Lagiacrus pieces for highly efficient skill pairings, and while Azure Bolt isn't a particularly good bonus, it is free. Lastly, always make sure to save one 3-slot decoration to cover the efficient point in Burst.

This also allows you to use the added Counter Attack Charm III talisman for some efficient Adrenaline Rush points. Leftover slots are spent on the mandatory Quick Sheathe for Long Sword, and Counter decorations in 2-slots. Finally, the build is so well budgeted that you have 3 entire 1-slot decorations to spare, allowing you to fill in with comfort skills like Constitution or Divine Blessing depending on preference.

The Zoh Shia weapon becomes the strongest crafted weapon available, providing excellent raw, high sharpness and some Dragon element on top of base affinity. The skill is reasonably good as well, though not enough to beat out well crafted Artian weapons.

When it comes to weapon decorations however you're much more limited in how many you can slot in, with the Zoh Shia sword having one of each slot size. With the extremely heavy investment into affinity, Master's Touch is your best sharpness option and should always be placed in the 3-slot. For the other two, Critical Boost is by far the best option available in both the 1-slot and 2-slot, but can't be maxed out.

• Weakness Exploit - Level 5
• Critical Boost - Level 3
• Adrenaline Rush - Level 3
• Maximum Might - Level 3
• Counterstrike - Level 3
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Antivirus - Level 3
• Evade Window - Level 2
• Whiteflame Torrent - Level 1
• Master's Touch - Level 1
• Burst - Level 1
• Flinch Free - Level 1
• Gore Magala's Tyranny - 2-piece
• Leviathan's Fury - 2-piece