Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds: Best builds, skills, and combo guide

Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds is the ultimate heavy-hitting weapon, delivering devastating single-hit damage. Known for its raw power, it has always been a favorite for high DPS playstyles. However, with the introduction of Focus Strikes and Power Clash, the Great Sword now has more agility — though at the cost of some attack power.

This guide covers the best Great Sword builds, optimal skills, and the most effective combos to maximize your damage output in Monster Hunter Wilds.

---

Recommended Great Sword builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

Varianza for Great Sword builds in Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/Capcom)

Unlike previous Monster Hunter games, the True Charged Slash (TCS) is no longer the ultimate damaging move. Instead, it works best as a follow-up to a full Charged Slash combo for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds. This shift means that canceling into TCS with Tackle isn’t as effective as it used to be.

However, with Focus Mode, you can now redirect TCS mid-combo, allowing for precise, high-damage strikes — if your build takes full advantage of the Focus Strike mechanic.

Best early-game builds

1) G. Veldian Gladius build (HR6 - HR8)

• Weapon: G. Veldian Gladius I
• Armor: G. Arkveld Helm, G. Arkveld Mail, G. Rathalos Vambraces, Xu Wu Coil, G. Rathalos Greaves
• Charm: Chainblade Charm I

This build for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds enhances Weakness Exploit, making it easier to create Wounds and increase Affinity. The Decimator skill provides sustain by healing when breaking Wounds, allowing for a steady, aggressive playstyle.

2) Immane Blade I build (HR3 - HR5)

• Weapon: Immane Blade I
• Armor: Ajarakan Helm, Ajarakan Mail, Doshaguma Braces, Doshaguma Coil, Ajarakan Greaves
• Charm: Fitness Charm I

This build for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds takes advantage of Partbreaker, allowing hunters to destroy monster parts faster while dealing extra damage to Wounds. It’s a great step-up for those transitioning from early Low Rank into tougher hunts.

3) Buster Sword I build (HR1 - HR3)

• Weapon: Buster Sword I
• Armor: Alloy Helm, Balahara Mail, Balahara Vambraces, Balahara Coil, Balahara Greaves

A beginner-friendly build focusing on hit-and-run tactics. With Critical Draw, players can land powerful opening strikes before repositioning safely.

---

Best mid-Game builds

1) Artian Blade I build

• Weapon: Artian Blade I
• Armor: G. Fulgur Helm b, G. Rathalos Mail b, G. Fulgur Vambraces a, G. Fulgur Coil a, G. Rathalos Greaves b
• Charm: Chainblade Charm I

Designed for maximum Affinity, this Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds build ensures that most attacks land as critical hits, significantly increasing DPS. Agitator further boosts attack power when the monster is enraged.

2) Chicken Decapitator I build

• Weapon: Chicken Decapitator I
• Armor: Bulaqchi Specs a, Nerscylla Mail a, Kut-Ku Vambraces a, Kut-Ku Coil b, Chatacabra Greaves b
• Charm: Chainblade Charm I

This build focuses on Weakness Exploit and Agitator, making it highly effective for targeting weak points while capitalizing on monster rage phases.

---

Best late-game build

Varianza build

• Weapon: Varianza
• Armor: Dahaad Shardhelm a, Rey Sandmail a, G. Arkveld Vambraces b, G. Arkveld Coil b Rey Sandgreaves a
• Charm: Chainblade Charm II

Stats:

• Health: 100
• Stamina: 150
• Attack: 960
• Element: 480
• Affinity: 10%
• Defense: 313

Skills:

• Weapon skills: Critical Boost Lv.5, Focus Lv.3
• Armor skills: Weakness Exploit Lv.4, Maximum Might Lv.3, Agitator Lv.3, Divine Blessing Lv.2, Flayer Lv.2, Latent Power Lv.1, Partbreaker Lv.1, Stamina Surge Lv.1, Constitution Lv.5

This build for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds synergizes Weakness Exploit, Maximum Might, and Flayer to maximize critical hit damage, making it one of the strongest endgame setups.

---

Best skills for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds

Check out the skills for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/Capcom)

• Focus: Essential for faster charge attacks, increasing overall DPS.
• Flayer: Enhances Wound creation, great for Weakness Exploit synergy.
• Counterstrike: Boosts Attack after getting hit, making Tackle even more rewarding.
• Latent Power: Grants Affinity and Stamina reduction but isn’t reliable due to its activation conditions.
• Maximum Might: Works well due to the Great Sword’s stationary combos, allowing for consistent crits.
• Decimator: Heals you when breaking Wounds, reducing downtime.
• Constitution: Lowers Stamina consumption, improving survivability.
• Guard: Strengthens blocking capabilities.
• Critical Draw: 100% Affinity on draw attacks, useful for a hit-and-run style.
• Weakness Exploit: Essential for landing high-damage crits on monster weak spots.
• Critical Boost: Increases crit damage but only effective if running a high Affinity build.
• Agitator: Increases Attack and Affinity when a monster is enraged, which happens frequently in High Rank.
• Offensive Guard: Boosts attack after Perfect Block or Power Clash.
• Attack Boost: Provides flat and percentage-based attack increases.
• Critical Element: Boosts Elemental Damage, but Great Sword benefits less due to slow swings.
• Partbreaker: Helps break monster parts faster and increases Focus Strike damage on Wounds.
• Quick Sheath: Speeds up weapon sheathing, useful for repositioning.
• Shock Absorber: Prevents teammates from interrupting your attacks in multiplayer.
• Speed Sharpening: Reduces sharpening time, keeping you in the fight longer.

---

Best Great Sword combos in Monster Hunter Wilds

1) True charged slash

• PC: Left Click → Left Click → Right Click (Full Charge)
• PS5: Triangle → Triangle → Circle → Triangle (Full Charge)
• Xbox: Y → Y → B → Y (Full Charge)

A staple high-damage combo for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds that stays effective even while repositioning with Focus Mode.

---

2) Low-key quick combo

• PC: Right Click → Left Click + Right Click → Left Click + Right Click (Offset Rising Slash)
• PS5: Circle → Triangle + Circle → Circle → Triangle + Circle (Offset Rising Slash)
• Xbox: B → Y + B → B → Y + B (Offset Rising Slash)

A low-commitment combo for quick pokes, ideal against fast monsters that recover quickly.

---

3) Strong slash combo

• PC: Tackle → Left Click (Full Charge) → Right Click → Left Click (Full Charge)
• PS5: Tackle → Triangle (Full Charge) → Circle → Triangle (Full Charge)
• Xbox: Tackle → Y (Full Charge) → B → Y (Full Charge)

This is one of the best knockdown punish combos for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds, dealing high damage in seconds.

---

4) The TCS counterattack

• PC: Dodge → Left Click → Left Click → Right Click (Full Charge)
• PS5: Dodge → Triangle → Triangle → Triangle (Full Charge)
• Xbox: Dodge → Y → Y → Y (Full Charge)

This combo is great for counterattacking after a dodge, quickly setting up a True Charged Slash for high burst damage.

---

This sums up our best builds, skills, and combo guide for Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Check out: How to get Scarred Scale in Monster Hunter Wilds