There are fourteen different weapons in Monster Hunter Rise, and each of them has a plethora of different upgrade paths you can follow to make them even stronger or deal elemental damage.
If you are a seasoned veteran in Monster Hunter, the weapons and upgrades may not seem different. However, in Monster Hunter Rise, every weapon comes with its own unique “Switch Skill” that will allow you to perform a breadth of new attacks, letting you deal optimal damage. There are six Switch Skills per weapon, each bringing its unique twist on the weapon’s playstyle and enabling the player to do incredibly cool yet powerful, new moves.
Great Sword
A gigantic sword with the most significant damage per hit out of any weapon in Monster Hunter Rise. Hunters can block with the sword at the cost of the blade’s sharpness.
Silkbind Attacks:
Hunting Edge – The hunter leaps forward with a powerful attack. If the attack is successful, they can follow up with a Charged Slash or a Charged Plunging Thrust while in midair.
Adamant Charged Slash – Using a Wirebug, the hunter dashes forward, performing a Strong Charged Slash. When the hunter dashes forward, their body will become hardened, enabling them to resist being knocked down.
Regular Attack 1:
Tackle – With a powerful shoulder charge, the hunter withstands all attacks, even knockdown attacks.
Guard Tackle – Using the blunt side of their blade, the hunter dashes forward for a powerful attack. Successfully guarding allows the hunter to follow up with a Charged Attack.
Regular Attack 2:
True Charged Slash – With two strikes, the hunter performs a mighty Charged Slash. The first strike will mark a weak spot on the monster, while the second strike deals extra damage.
Rage Slash – A weaker attack when compared to the True Charged Slash. However, whenever the hunter takes damage with their weapon drawn, they gain an attack buff.
Sword & Shield
Hunters can stun monsters with a shield bash and block oncoming attacks as well. Additionally, the Sword & Shield are great for setting up combos. You can also use items with the weapon drawn or while guarding.
Silkbind Attacks:
Windmill – Using a Wirebug’s silk to spin their weapon around, the hunter can negate any incoming attack and deal damage in the process.
Metsu Shoryugeki – The hunter will use their shield to perform a jumping uppercut on the monster with their Wirebug. For a brief moment, the hunter will be able to Guard. Executing a well-time guard will punish the enemy further.
Regular Attack 1:
Hard Basher Combo – A melee attack where the hunter uses nothing but their shield. Landing a direct hit to the monster’s head might open it up to more attacks.
Drill Slash Combo – This attack is best paired with an elemental weapon. The Drill Slash will have the hunter perform multiple hits when attacking and follows after the Thrust attack.
Regular Attack 2:
Advancing Slash – The hunter steps forward and performs a quick downward slash, negating staggering and knockbacks.
Sliding Slash – A sliding attack with a far reach, but the hunter cannot turn while sliding. The hunter will slash the monster twice. Landing the first one successfully while sliding will allow the hunter to go directly into a jumping attack for the second slash. Inputting the correct commands while sliding will also send the hunter in the air for a jumping attack.
Dual Blades
These blades allow for high-speed attacks that help set up deadly combos. More attack power, speed, and height come from the Dual Blades’ Demon and Archdemon Modes.
Silkbind Attack:
Piercing Bind – The hunter drives a blade bound by Ironsilk into the monster, which remains tethered to the player. Attacking the same spot deals additional damage with each successful hit and accumulates over time, leading to massive damage.
Tower Vault – An action that does not damage, but has the hunter launch a Wirebug and propel themself through the air with their weapon drawn.
Regular Attack 1:
Demon Flurry Rush – A ground attack performed by the hunter that sends them spinning for a multi-hit attack. This move is only available when Demon or Archdemon Mode is active.
Demon Flight – The hunter slams both blades down. Landing a successful hit will send you into the air while you slash the target and spin upwards. The hunter can also easily follow this attack up with the Midair Spinning Blade Dance.
Regular Attack 2:
Demon Mode – A move that increases movement speed drastically and allows the hunter to resist any knockback. When Demon Mode is active, the hunter’s stamina will gradually decrease, and their attack and evasion change.
Feral Demon Mode – The hunter switches to an attack stance that deals slashing attacks whenever they dodge. Much like Demon Mode, your stamina gradually depletes whenever your attack or evasion change. You also resist any knockback.
Long Sword
Quick, accurate strikes that add to your Spirit Gauge. Once your Spirit Gauge is complete, you can unleash a powerful combo that gives a buff.
Silkbind Attack:
Soaring Kick – A jump kick performed via Wirebug. Landing a successful kick can be followed up with The Plunging Thrust or the Helm Breaker. Missing a kick, however, ends the attack with a single slash.
Silkbind Sakura Slash – The hunter dashes with a Wirebug and slices past the target, causing multiple lacerations over time. The hit will raise the hunter’s Spirit Gauge by 1.
Regular Attack 1:
Step Slash – While moving forward, the hunter performs a top-down slash.
Drawn Double Slash – An attack that performs a vertical strike, then a horizontal strike, allowing the hunter to absorb a hit when moving forward.
Regular Attack 2:
Spirit Roundslash Combo – During the hunter’s third attack, their sword will turn into a Spirit Blade for the remainder of the attack. This is a basic Spirit Blade attack combination and follows from Spirit Blade III.
Spirit Reckoning Combo – Much like the Roundslash Combo, the hunter’s sword will turn into a Spirit Blade on the third strike and onward. This is a Spirit Blade attack combination belonging to an offshoot style, but it’s very powerful.
Hammer
A gigantic, blunt weapon that deals excessive amounts of damage. It can easily stun monsters and deliver deadly combos.
Silkbind Attack:
Silkbind Spinning Bludgeon – The hunter uses the Wirebug to deliver a spinning attack that moves in an arcing pattern.
Dash Breaker – Rushing forward with a Wirebug, the hunter launches forward in a beeline and smashes their hammer down with great force onto the monster.
Regular Attack 1:
Side Smash – This move is as simple as it sounds. The hunter performs a sideswipe with their hammer, which can lead to bludgeoning attack combinations.
Water Strike – If the hunter performs this attack when they are about to get hit, they will negate all of the damage. Upon successfully timing the attack, the hunter can follow up with a powerful upswing attack with their hammer.
Regular Attack 2:
Charge Switch: Strength – This is a special action that affects charge attacks allowing stronger actions but lengthens the charge time.
Charge Switch: Courage – Much like the Strength counterpart, Courage is a special action that affects charge attacks. However, Courage decreases the charging levels but enables you to go from one charge into another more quickly.
Hunting Horn
Weaker than the Hammer, but still deadly when swung around. Its primary use is to buff you and your party and focus on executing combos.
Silkbind Attack:
Earthshaker – The hunter drives an Ironsilk-bound blade into the monster, making the vibrations of the Hunting Horn’s sonic blast explode inside of them.
Bead of Resonance – The hunter places a cocoon of a Wirebug on the ground. If they play melody effects from their Hunting Horn, the same effects will also appear around the cocoon, so does a Sonic Wave that will damage any monster near it.
Regular Attack 1:
Overhead Smash – A powerful attack that reduces the monster’s stamina by swinging the Hunting Horn downward from above.
Melodic Slap – Swinging the Hunting Horn around once, the hunter generates a forward Sonic Smash with low damage output but a high chance at stunning the monster.
Regular Attack 2:
Melody Mode: Performance – This ability focuses on combat. Playing the same note more than once in a row will generate a Melody Effect. Playing while using [ZR] will boost your personal abilities.
Melody Mode: Echo – This ability is helpful when looking to apply various Melody Effects. Playing while using [ZR] will generate a Melody Effect while also boosting your personal abilities.
Lance
Slow but deals a decent amount of damage from a long-range. The Lance is also accompanied by a shield, allowing you to block oncoming attacks from monsters.
Silkbind Attack:
Anchor Rage – An attack that gets powerful with each attack absorbed while your shield is up. The buff to your attack depends on the power of the attack(s).
Spiral Thrust – A repositioning and counterattack ability that is executed at lightning speed. If the hunter successfully parries an attack, they will use a Wirebug to thrust themselves forward, confusing the monster and unleashing wave strikes in the process.
Regular Attack 1:
Dash Attack – A devastating charge attack with the lance with the potential to gain a lot of speed through momentum. The charge attack will not cease unless you cancel the action, exhaust your stamina, or crash into a wall.
Shield Charge – With their shield up, the hunter charges forward. However, the hunter can only dash for a short time but can fend off attacks with the shield in that duration. Charging into a monster will do blunt damage from the shield.
Regular Attack 2:
Guard – The hunter readies their large shield and can block many oncoming attacks from monsters.
Insta-Block – The hunter swings their shield in a large arching motion and parries oncoming attacks. Failing to parry the monster’s attacks will leave you vulnerable to more attacks, but succeeding will allow you to follow up with a Cross Slash.
Gunlance
Much like the Lance, except it can fire explosive rounds. A much longer-ranged focused weapon that has a devastating Wyvern’s Fire attack.
Silkbind Attack:
Hail Cutter – Performing the Rising Slash and then the Overhead Smash will reduce Wyvern’s Fire’s cooldown.
Ground Splitter – The hunter uses a Wirebug to move forward and then launch into the air with a violent upward strike, scraping the barrel of the Gunlance on the ground in the process, heating it for a temporary damage boost to shells, Wyrmstake Shots, and Wyvern’s Fire.
Regular Attack 1:
Quick Reload – An action that reloads shells more quickly after an attack. This will reload shells to their maximum capacity but will not reload Wyrmstake Shots.
Guard Reload – An action that allows you to reload with your shield up. This technique will reload fewer rounds but reloads both shells and Wyrmstake Shots.
Regular Attack 2:
Charged Shelling – An attack that uses residual heat to unleash a fortified shot. However, this devastating shot will take extra time to load.
Blast Dash – The hunter aims their Gunlance backward and launches themselves forward to gain ground on the monster. When flying through the air, you can also perform another Blast Attack.
Switch Axe
The Switch Axe can be a heavy attack weapon or a temporarily faster sword-type weapon. Hunters can latch onto the side of monsters and unload mass amounts of elemental damage to the monster.
Silkbind Attack:
Invincible Gambit – A spinning attack that moves the hunter forward and makes them immune to flinching and knockback through fortification.
Soaring Wyvern Blade – The hunter flies into the air via Wirebug while performing a slash and following a devastating Forward Slash. If the hunter lands the Forward Slash successfully, the Switch Axe’s Gauge fills up, setting off a large explosion where the hunter struck the monster.
Regular Attack 1:
Forward Slash – The hunter steps forward, thrusting their axe’s blade forward as well. The damage isn’t extreme, but it is very versatile.
Forward Overhead Slash – The hunter winds up their axe and smashes it down onto the monster. Performing this attack in the weapon’s Sword Mode will deliver a Double Slash.
Regular Attack 2:
Finishing Discharge – This attack has the hunter perform a finishing blow for their Element Discharge attack by ending the attack with a gigantic explosion of elemental energy. If the weapon’s Activation Gauge is full and the monster is Large, the attack will turn into a point-blank Element Discharge.
Compressed Finishing Discharge – Much like the Finishing Discharge, this is another finishing blow for the Element Discharge attack. However, this attack will make the hunter resistant to knockdown and allows them to perform a strike that is accompanied by an explosion of elemental damage. Unlike the Finishing Discharge, the Activation Gauge does not affect this attack.
Charge Blade
Much like the Switch Axe, the Charge Blade can also switch between two weapon types. The Charge Blade’s default weapon is a Sword and Shield and can be switched on the fly to a Heavy Axe.
Silkbind Attack:
Counter Peak Performance – The hunter stretches silk to the ground and readies their shield. Being hit in this state will refill your phials to the maximum limit.
Axe Hopper – Using the recoil of an overhead Axe slam and Ironsilk, the hunter launches themselves into the air. While the hunter is on their way up, they can dispatch a powerful Element Discharge.
Regular Attack 1:
Condensed Element Slash – Elemental energy accumulates on the sword while the hunter charges and generates a devastating bash attack. Any damage from the sword also increases additional damage. This skill also requires the user’s shield to be elementally boosted as well.
Condensed Spinning Slash – When charging, your Element Regeneration system will activate. The hunter will also spin the shield, essentially turning it into a saw blade. Landing more hits in Axe Mode will turn the energy into phials.
Regular Attack 2:
Morph Slash – Switch between the weapon’s Sword and Axe mode on the fly. Upon switching, the hunter’s shield will be raised and will block any incoming attack.
Counter Morph Slash – Much like the Morph Slash, this ability allows you to block incoming attacks while switching between the weapon’s Axe and Sword modes. However, successfully blocking an attack allows for the hunter’s Element Discharge Slash’s damage to increase on the next attack.
Insect Glaive
The Insect Glaive focuses on mobility and quick attacks. Hunters can apply buffs, heal, and even soar through the air with the Insect Glaive. Requires Kinsects that will grant the hunter even more mobility and buffs.
Silkbind Attack:
Recall Kinsect – When dodging, the hunter calls back their Kinsect. While on its way back, the Kinsect will perform a spinning attack that disperses healing extracts. The stamina of the Kinsect will fully recover whenever it returns to the hunter.
Diving Wyvern – A dive attack that has a Wirebug pull the hunter downward with incredible force. The area of damage is small, but the dive offers exceptional damage.
Regular Attack 1:
Leaping Slash – A slash technique by the hunter while they’re lunging forward. A forward slash that negates knockback without Orange Extracts. The hunter can also reach great heights with this skill.
Advancing Roundslash – The hunter spins forward. When attacked, the hunter can use the momentum to jump up and perform an aerial attack.
Regular Attack 2:
Tornado Slash – After performing a bludgeoning attack, the hunter will go into a giant slash attack that uses their entire body to swing the weapon. The second swing is mighty.
Tetraseal Slash – This is a focused attack that deals out four quick strikes. One of the four attacks is hit with the Handle’s Seal and can bring in Powder Kinsects.
Bow
An incredibly mobile yet powerful bow that can output massive Status Ailments and effects onto monsters. It is weaker than the bowguns but is much more agile and can come close to damage output with its special ammo.
Silkbind Attack:
Focus Shot – This skill allows the hunter to dodge while crouching and replenish stamina while crouching as well. The hunter can also nullify any incoming attacks if they evade perfectly.
Aerial Aim – The hunter propels themselves into the air with a Wirebug and fires arrows. For a more close-range attack, the hunter can fire arrows directly underneath them.
Regular Attack 1:
Power Shot – The Power Shot is exactly as it sounds. After firing a regular shot, the next one will be much stronger.
Absolute Power Shot – Much like the Power Shot, the Absolute Power Shot follows after firing one regular shot. However, this shot costs more stamina to fire and can stun the monster.
Regular Attack 2:
Charging Sidestep – This skill allows the hunter to cover a lot of ground via evading and raises their charge level whenever they dodge.
Dodgebolt – This skill, much like the Charging Sidestep, is also an evading ability. However, it also acts as an attack. The hunter will spin whenever they evade, causing damage if they strike a monster. Slightly dodging attacks will also fill up the charge level.
Light Bowgun
The Light Bowgun allows the hunter to unload multiple shots quickly, thanks to its Rapid Fire skill, and is more agile than the Heavy Bowgun.
Silkbind Attack:
Fanning Vault – The hunter propels themselves forward via Wirebug. They can fire, reload, or launch a Wyvernblast directly underneath them when pressing the corresponding inputs. The Wyvernblast will stick to the monster’s hide, causing massive damage.
Fanning Maneuver – This skill allows the hunter to use a Wirebug to move quickly to the right or left. The hunter can also shoot while moving and temporarily boost their attack power.
Regular Attack 1:
Reload – This skill allows the hunter to reload. The speed at which the hunter reloads depends on the ammunition type and the weapon itself.
Elemental Reload – Much like the standard Reload skill, the Elemental Reload also allows the hunter to reload. However, it is slower than the original but enhances the weapon’s elemental damage output.
Regular Attack 2:
Forward Dodge – When the hunter’s weapon is drawn, they can perform evasive maneuvers.
Quickstep Evade – When the hunter’s weapon is drawn, they can perform quick steps. The hunter doesn’t cover as much ground as the Forward Dodge’s quick steps, but they recover much faster. Damage dealt after performing a quick step will be increased.
Heavy Bowgun
Much stronger than the Light Bowgun but also slower. It can be used as a shield, sniper, or Gatling gun with the right enhancements.
Silkbind Attack:
Counter Shot – The hunter stretches out silk and gets ready for a devastating counterattack. If the hunter gets hit when guarding, the counterattack will trigger.
Counter Charger – Using Wirebugs to parry, the hunter can absorb any attack from the monster.
Regular Attack 1:
Melee Attack – This attack is a devastating bludgeoning attack that can stun monsters. If the hunter has a shield equipped, they can also block any incoming damage in the process.
Tackle – An attack that prevents the hunter from flinching or getting knocked back. This attack is a shoulder check that does damage to the user.
Regular Attack 2:
Mech-Wyvernsnipe – Depending on the weapon, the hunter will shoot a special shot that replenishes over time.
Healing Mech-Wyvernsnipe – Much like the Mech-Wyvernsnipe, the Healing Mech-Wyvernsnipe also fires a special shot dependant on the weapon. The ammunition also replenishes over time but replenishes the hunter’s health while sacrificing damage.
NEXT: Monster Hunter Rise: 10 Things To Do After You Beat The Game
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Seth Parmer is a freelance writer/editor in the games industry. He’s done Wiki-Guides for IGN and is now a List Writer for The Gamer. In his spare time, he loves talking about games, music, and sports. His favorite games are the Soulsborne titles. You can follow him on Twitter @Parmersan!
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