Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Master Rank Sword and Shield (SNS) Builds
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This is a guide to the best builds and equipment for Sword and Shield (SNS) in Monster Hunter Rise (MH Rise): Sunbreak. Learn about the best Sword and Shield for Master Rank, and the best Skills and Armor pieces to use with the Sword and Shield for Master Rank from the early game until the end game!
| All Sword and Shield Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
 Trees & Full List |
 How to Use |
 Best Builds |
List of Contents
Sword & Shield Builds List & Progression
This is a quick section summarizing all the Sword & Shield builds in this page. It is arranged from newest to oldest, and MR build progression is from bottom to top.
Click on the build name to see the build!
| Master Rank | Anomlay Rank | Title Update | Build Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| MR180+ | AR241+ | TU5 | Heaven-Sent Embolden Poison |
| MR160+ | AR201+ | TU5 | Heaven-Sent, Dragon Conversion Elemental SnS |
| MR180+ | AR201+ | TU5 | Frenzied Bloodlust Elemental SnS |
| MR160+ | AR201+ | TU4 | Dragon Conversion w/ Dragonheart |
| MR160+ | AR201+ | TU4 | Dragon Conversion SnS |
| MR160+ | AR161+ | TU4 | Frostcraft Velkhana |
| MR140+ | AR101+ | TU3 | TU3 Fire SnS |
| TU3 Water, Thunder, Ice SnS | |||
| TU3 Dragon SnS | |||
| MR110+ | - | TU2 | Phecda's Asterism Grinder Boost |
| MR110+ | - | TU2 | Lunatic Rose Bloodlust Poison |
| MR6+ | - | TU3 | Chaotic Bloodlust |
| MR6+ | - | TU2 | TU2 Elemental SnS |
| MR6+ | - | TU2 | Phecda's Asterism MR Climber |
| MR6+ | - | Base | Royal Order Dereliction |
| MR3-6 | - | Base | Nightbloom+ All-Rounder |
| MR3-6 | - | Base | Nightbloom Critical Climber |
| MR1-2 | - | Base | Kamura Warrior Sword Raw Slugger |
Ultra Endgame MR Build: MR 100+
Heaven-Sent Embolden Poison Build
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Phecda's Asterism
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
11 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
  ー |
 |
||
| ー | |||
Attack Jewel+ 4
Chain Jewel 2Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
 Risen Kaiser Horns
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
 Tempest Robe
|
Critical Boost Lv1
Heaven-Sent Lv1
|
|
 Risen Mizuha Sleeves
|
Foray Lv1
Buildup Boost Lv1
|
|
 Virtue / Prudence Coil
|
ー |
Weakness Exploit Lv2
Bloodlust Lv1
|
 Valstrax Greaves - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Stun Resistance Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
 Talisman |
ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Ironwall Jewel+ 3
Critical Jewel 2
Embolden Jewel+ 4
Expert Jewel+ 4
Haze Jewel 1
Guardian Jewel+ 4
Ironwall Jewel 2
Polisher Pro Jewel+ 4
Phoenix Jewel 2
Polisher Pro Jewel 3
Guardian Jewel 3
Wirebug Jewel 2Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Guard Lv 5 Critical Eye Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Grinder (S) Lv 3 Chameleos Blessing Lv 3 Embolden Lv 2 Wirebug Whisperer Lv 1 Coalescence Lv 1 Bloodlust Lv 1 Foray Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 Buildup Boost Lv 1 Powder Mantle Lv 1 Heaven-Sent Lv 1 Frenzied Bloodlust Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | |
|---|---|
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Buildup Boost ● Critical Eye ● Poison Attack ● Status Trigger For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Intrepid Heart ● Wind Mantle ● Embolden ● Shockproof (add as decoration, multiplayer only) |
Attack Boost| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| The Phecda's Asterism remains a powerful option for raw damage in Sunbreak's endgame, even after having its sharpness extended with additional anomaly slots. By dropping Protective Polish, it's still possible to burn through sharpness to reach blue before Grinder (S) runs out of time. Heaven-Sent also gives the option to sharpen back to purple with a Switch Skill Swap, eliminating the need for other sharpness skills as long as you don't get knocked back often. Adding Intrepid Heart through a skill or slot augment is highly recommended to maintain this buff more easily.
Also new to this build is the addition of Embolden, which reduces knockback more when paired with max-level Guard. This allows us to activate Offensive Guard consistently with either Metsu Shoryugeki or a Guard Slash. Guard Slash is notable as it can be chained to a Perfect Rush, scoring big damage when used properly. Due to the nature of Embolden, this is best used when playing solo or with followers that don't draw aggro. While it can also be used in multiplayer hunts, it's far from ideal since the monster will not constantly target you. |
Heaven-Sent Dragon Conversion
Elemental Sword and Shield
(TU5 Build; MR160+)
Fire
Wat
Thun
Ice
Dra
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Enspirited Ifrit | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
 47 | 330 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー |  | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Agamemnon | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
 67 | 320 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Handicraft Jewel 3| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Atomic Mind | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
 69 | 310 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Daora's Maelstrom | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
 54 | 310 | 0 | 10% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Intrepid Jewel 1| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Gates of Heaven | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
 56 | 340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Valstrax Helm - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
|
|
Tempest Robe
|
Critical Boost Lv1
Heaven-Sent Lv1
|
|
|
Tempest Sleeves
|
Latent Power Lv1
Heaven-Sent Lv1
|
|
|
Valstrax Coil - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Stamina Surge Lv3
|
|
|
Tempest Hakama
|
ー |
Critical Boost Lv2
Heaven-Sent Lv1
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Weakness Exploit ・Level 2 with desired slots or better |
| Alternative Decorations | ・Swap the Blaze Jewels according to the Element. For Water and Ice, swap Flamescale Jewels for Ironshell Jewel 1. For Thunder and Dragon, swap Flamescale Jewels for Cornerstone Jewel 1 and another Intrepid Jewel 1. For Dragon, swap the Guardian Jewel 3 on the armor for Chain Jewel+ 4. Depending on the Talisman, you can also equip Guardian Jewel+ 4, Element Exploit Jewel+ 4, or Chain Jewel+ 4 for the elements. | |
| Other Notes | Secondary Talisman Skill Recommendation: Offensive Guard Lv 2. | |
Hard Blaze Jewel+ 4
Embolden Jewel 2
Crit Element Jewel+ 4
Blaze Jewel 1
Flamescale Jewel 1
Shockproof Jewel 1
Stream Jewel 1
Bolt Jewel 1
Frost Jewel 1
Dragon Jewel 1
Cornerstone Jewel 1
Hard Frost Jewel+ 4
Hard Bolt Jewel+ 4
Hard Stream Jewel+ 4
Hard Dragon Jewel+ 4
Chain Jewel+ 4
Element Exploit Jewel+ 4Skills Overview
| Skills | Element Attack 5 Attack Boost Lv 4 Critical Eye Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Latent Power Lv 3 Stamina Surge Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Embolden Lv 3 Burst Lv 2 Critical Element Lv 2 Dragon Conversion Lv 2 Element Exploit Lv 2 Teostra Blessing Lv 2 Kushala Blessing Lv 2 Intrepid Heart Lv 1-2 Shock Absorber Lv 1 Defiance Lv 1 Handicraft Lv 1 ・Skills may vary per element and Talisman equipped. Burst is only for Dragon build, Teostra Blessing for Fire, Kushala Blessing for Water/Ice, Defiance for Thunder/Dragon, and Handicraft for Water. |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use Element Exploit for Fire, Water, and Ice. For Thunder and Dragon Anti-Species skills, use depending on the monster. |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | |
|---|---|
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
Replaceable skills already on the armor: ● Stamina Surge For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Dragon Conversion (to max it out) ● Powder Mantle ● Offensive Guard ● Critical Element ● Burst For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Guard |
Elemental Boost| Build Merits |
|---|
| *Note: Thanks to the new Qurious Melding introduced in Title Update 5, it's now easier to acquire great-value charms. For this build, try and meld for a talisman with an Offensive Guard Lv.2. This makes it possible to slot in Burst to all builds and, for the Dragon Build, slot in Critical Element, increasing your DPS further. However, keep in mind that this is not a requirement and the build can still work without a secondary skill on the talisman recommended above.
In Free Title Update 5, the heavenly armor of Amatsu descended from the skies. Three pieces of this armor introduced a new skill; Heaven-Sent. This skill bestows its users powers when they manage to not get caught in any attacks. At level 3, it prevents sharpness loss and allows you to recover some after switching scrolls. This is perfect for the Sword and Shield playstyle, which usually depletes sharpness fast with each combo. Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax's armor skill, Dragon Conversion, converts elemental resistances you get from attacking with the Blue Swap Scroll to elemental damage when you switch to the Red Swap Scroll. This is a powerful skill to use with elemental builds and for weapons that are able to land hits continuously. Be sure to start fights with the Blue Swap Scroll first and switch to Red only when the elemental resistance logo appears at the top of your health bar. Take extra care when fighting with the Red Swap Scroll as all of your elemental resistances will be 0. High affinity benefits the Sword and Shield greatly. For this reason, we slotted in Critical Eye, along with max levels of Critical Boost and Weakness Exploit. When the level 3 Latent Power activates, this build reaches 100% affinity on weakspots. With two levels of Critical Element, this combination will quickly bring the monster's health down to zero. The build maxes out Offensive Guard and Embolden. With this skill combination, we recommend a playstyle of Guard Points and executing a Metsu Shoryugeki perfectly to get a boost in your DPS. Be aggressive as much as possible with this build! |
Frenzied Bloodlust Elemental Sword and Shield (TU5 Build; MR180+)
Fire
Wat
Thun
Ice
Dra
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kaktus Gedeihen | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 40 | 310 | 0 | 15% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| | | ||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agamemnon | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 67 | 320 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Hard Stream Jewel 3| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Mind | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 69 | 310 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Noble Ana Palas | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 24 | 340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー | | ||
| ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates of Heaven | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 56 | 340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Hard Dragon Jewel 3Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Risen Kushala Glare
|
Wind Mantle Lv1
|
|
|
Tempest Robe
|
Critical Boost Lv1
Heaven-Sent Lv1
|
|
|
Valstrax Braces - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Virtue / Prudence Coil
|
ー |
Weakness Exploit Lv2
Bloodlust Lv1
|
|
Virtue / Prudence Greaves
|
Bloodlust Lv1
Strife Lv1
|
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Critical Eye ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
| Alternative Decorations | ・Swap the Blaze Jewels according to the Element. Swap Flamescale Jewels for Ironshell Jewel 1 for Water/Ice. For Water, swap Intrepid Jewel (x1) and Blaze Jewel for Stream Jewel 1. For Thunder, swap Cornerstone and Intrepid Jewels for Bolt Jewel 1. For Dragon, swap Flamescale Jewels for Cornerstone Jewel 1 and Dragon Jewel 1. Depending on the Talisman, you can also equip Guardian Jewel+ 4 or Crit Element Jewel+ 4. | |
| Other Notes | Secondary Talisman Skill Recommendation: Offensive Guard Lv 2. | |
Attack Jewel 2Skills Overview
| Skills | Element Attack 5 Critical Eye Lv 5 Attack Boost Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Wirebug Whisperer Lv 3 Embolden Lv 3 Burst Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 2 Latent Power Lv 2 Bloodlust Lv 2 Frenzied Bloodlust Lv 2 Critical Element Lv 2 Teostra Blessing Lv 2 Kushala Blessing Lv 2 Intrepid Heart Lv 1-2 Defiance Lv 1-2 Coalescence Lv 1 Wind Mantle Lv 1 Heaven-Sent Lv 1 Strife Lv 1 Shock Absorber Lv 1 ・Skills may vary per element: Defiance for Fire, Ice, and Dragon, Teostra Blessing for Fire, and Kushala Blessing for Water and Ice. Critical Element may also be equipped depending on the Talisman. |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use Element Exploit for Fire, Water, and Ice. For Thunder and Dragon Anti-Species skills, use depending on the monster. |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | |
|---|---|
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
Replaceable skills already on the armor: ● Strife For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Dragon Conversion ● Powder Mantle ● Offensive Guard ● Critical Element For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Guard |
| Build Merits |
|---|
| *Note: Thanks to the new Qurious Melding introduced in Title Update 5, it's now easier to acquire great-value charms. If you acquire the recommended charm with an Offensive Guard Lv.2 as a secondary, swap out the Guardian Jewel+ 4 with a Crit Element Jewel+ 4. This will equip the Critical Element skill, further improving your DPS with this build. However, keep in mind that this is not a requirement and the build can still work without a secondary skill on the talisman recommended above.
TU5 also introduced the armor of Risen Shagaru Magala, with the unique skill, Frenzied Bloodlust. This skill allows you to have one extra wirebug after overcoming the Frenzy Virus. The build is also equipped with the Wind Mantle skill and a level 3 Wirebug Whisperer from the Risen Kushala Daora Armor. Combining this all of this will grant you access to a lot of wirebugs, making any silkbind attacks more readily available. Hack away with the Sword and Shield! In Free Title Update 5, the heavenly armor of Amatsu descended from the skies. Three pieces of this armor introduced a new skill; Heaven-Sent. This skill bestows its users powers when they manage to not get caught in any attacks. Sharpness managing skills were omitted in this build because you would only need to swap scrolls to restore sharpness. However, this build only has a level of Heaven-Sent, so keep on your toes and try not to get hit to activate this skill. For this reason, we recommend utilizing Guard Point while fighting. High affinity benefits the Sword and Shield greatly. For this reason, we focused on Critical Eye to get more critical hits in, and Critical Boost to amplify the damage. This will quickly bring the monster's health down to zero. With Bloodlust inherent in the build, we opted to not max out Weakness Exploit to not overshoot for affinity. The build also maxes out Offensive Guard, which can increase your damage values after a Guard Point or a successful Metsu Shoryugeki. |
TU4 Dragon Conversion with Dragonheart Sword and Shield Build (MR160+)
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gates of Heaven
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
56 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー |
|
||
|
ー ー |
|||
Valstrax Soul Jewel 2Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Valstrax Helm - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
|
|
Valstrax Mail - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
|
|
Valstrax Braces - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Valstrax Coil - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Stamina Surge Lv3
|
|
|
Valstrax Greaves - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Stun Resistance Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Weakness Exploit ・Level 2 with desired slots or better |
Dragon Spirit Jewel 4
Brace Jewel 1Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Element Attack 5 Dragonheart Lv 5 Latent Power Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Stamina Surge Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Dragon Resistance Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Dragon Conversion Lv 3 Intrepid Heart Lv 2 Flinch Free Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Valstrax Soul
・To increase Dragon Element damage when Dragonheart activates |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | |
|---|---|
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Furious ● Powder Mantle ● Critical Element For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Wind Mantle ● Guard |
Affinity Boost| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax's armor introduced a new skill called Dragon Conversion. This skill converts elemental resistances you get from attacking with the Blue Swap Scroll to elemental damage when you switch to the Red Swap Scroll. This is a powerful skill to use with elemental builds and for weapons that are able to land hits continuosly. Be sure to start fights with this build with the Blue Swap Scroll first and switch to Red only when the elemental resistance logo appears at the top of your health bar. Also take extra care when fighting with the Red Swap Scroll as your elemental resistances will all be 0.
A skill that synergizes well with Dragon Conversion is Dragonheart, which can now be slotted in after Title Update 4! When the skill is activated, it will provide you 50 Elemental resistances. With the mechanic that Dragon Conversion has, this will then be converted to elemental values after you swap to the Red Scroll, increasing your overall dps! There's no better way to round out this build than using the final upgrade of the Crimson Glow Valstrax Sword and Shield! It has high dragon element values with it plus it's large white sharpness negates the need to frequently sharpen. To make this more effective, we slotted in the Valstrax Soul Rampage Skill to further increase elemental damage while dragonblighted by the Dragonheart skill (yep, lots of dragons!). This build also benefits from the Offensive Guard skill when you use the Sword and Shield's Silkbind Attack, Metsu Shoryugeki. This will deal significant damage and can knock out a monster if done multiple times (even once, if the monster is susceptible!). |
Dragon Conversion Elemental Sword and Shield Builds (MR160+)
Elemental Sword and Shield Selections
Fire
Water
Thunder
Ice
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enspirited Ifrit | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 47 | 330 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agamemnon | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 67 | 320 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Mind | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 69 | 310 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daora's Maelstrom | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 54 | 310 | 0 | 10% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Valstrax Helm - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
|
|
Valstrax Mail - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
|
|
Valstrax Braces - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Latent Power Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Valstrax Coil - Epoch
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Stamina Surge Lv3
|
|
|
Valstrax Greaves - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Stun Resistance Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Weakness Exploit ・Level 2 with desired slots or better |
| Alternative Decorations | ・Swap the Blaze Jewels according to the Element. Swap Flamescale Jewels for Ironshell Jewel 1 for Water/Ice. For Ice, swap Throttle Jewel 2 for Crit Element Jewel 2. For Thunder, swap the Flamescale Jewels for Intrepid Jewel 1 and Spiribird's Call Jewel 1. | |
Crit Element Jewel 2Skills Overview
| Skills | Element Attack 5 Attack Boost Lv 7 Latent Power Lv 4-5 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Stamina Surge Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Dragon Resistance Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Dragon Conversion Lv 3 Critical Element Lv 2-3 Element Exploit Lv 2 Burst Lv 2 Intrepid Heart Lv 1-2 Flinch Free Lv 1 ・Skills may vary per element: Latent Power and Critical Element for Ice only, Teostra Blessing for Fire, Kushala Blessing for Water and Ice, Handicraft for Water, Spiribird's Call for Thunder, and Intrepid Heart for Ice and Thunder only. |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use Element Exploit for Fire, Water, and Ice. For Thunder Anti-Species skills, use depending on the monster. |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | For Fire and Ice SnS |
|---|---|
| For Water and Thunder SnS | |
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Furious ● Powder Mantle ● Critical Element For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Wind Mantle ● Guard |
Sharpness Boost| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax's armor introduced a new skill called Dragon Conversion. This skill converts elemental resistances you get from attacking with the Blue Swap Scroll to elemental damage when you switch to the Red Swap Scroll. This is a powerful skill to use with elemental builds and for weapons that are able to land hits continuosly. Be sure to start fights with this build with the Blue Swap Scroll first and switch to Red only when the elemental resistance logo appears at the top of your health bar. Also take extra care when fighting with the Red Swap Scroll as your elemental resistances will all be 0.
For weapon choice, Sword and Shields with high elemental values were chosen to further optimize the element gained from Dragon Conversion. After all, the higher the values, the higher the damage! These builds deal 100% affinity to weakspots while Latent Power is active; for the Ice SnS build, however, we chose to omit a point in this skill and instead maxed out Critical Element because of Daora's Maelstrom's inherent 10% affinity. This build also benefits from the Offensive Guard skill when you use the Sword and Shield's Silkbind Attack, Metsu Shoryugeki. This will deal significant damage and can knock out a monster if done multiple times (even once, if the monster is susceptible!). |
Frostcraft Velkhana Sword and Shield Build
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Noble Ana Palas
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
24 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Daora Soul Jewel 3Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Flaming Espinas Brain
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Razor Sharp Lv1
Spare Shot Lv1
|
|
Rimeguard Mail
|
Quick Sheathe Lv3
Frostcraft Lv1
|
|
|
Rimeguard Gloves
|
Critical Draw Lv3
Frostcraft Lv1
|
|
|
Rimeguard Coil
|
Focus Lv3
Frostcraft Lv1
|
|
|
Valstrax Greaves - Epoch
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Stun Resistance Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Critical Eye ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Critical Eye Lv 7 Attack Boost Lv 6 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Focus Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Critical Draw Lv 3 Quick Sheathe Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Kushala Blessing Lv 3 Frostcraft Lv 3 Razor Sharp Lv 1 Spare Shot Lv 1 Flinch Free Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Kushala Daora Soul ・Use Element Exploit to increase Elemental Damage to monsters weak to Ice, or Kushala Daora Soul to increase affinity during combos |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | |
|---|---|
| Armor Augments |
Armor Augments for this build are not necessary. However, feel free to add as you please once you get comfortable with your build! Generally, you'd want to get better skills and more slots for your armor.
For damage, aim for any of the following: ● Powder Mantle For comfort, aim for any of the following: ● Wind Mantle ● Guard |
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Title Update 4 saw the chilling return of the Frostcraft skill from the Velkhana armor set! Stay frosty during your hunts with this powerful skill which gives you an attack buff as long as you keep the gauge at the upper left side of your screen full. Do this by sheathing your weapon.
For weapon choice, the Noble Ana Palas Sword and Shield fits the build perfectly. As it's one of Velkhana's Weapons, it has faster Frostcraft gauge charge speed compared to other weapons. This will make the attack buffs from the Frostcraft skill frequently available, contributing greatly to your dps! To further improve damage, we also slotted in two levels of Kushala Blessing, which increases ice damage by 10%. This makes this build viable for monsters susceptible to the ice element, powerhouses such as Rajang, Furious Rajang, or Seething Bazelgeuse. This build also benefits from the Offensive Guard skill when you use the Sword and Shield's Silkbind Attack, Metsu Shoryugeki. This will deal significant damage and can knock out a monster if done multiple times (even once, if the monster is susceptible!). |
TU3 Fire Sword and Shield Build
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enspirited Ifrit
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
47 |
330 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー |
|
||
|
ー ー ー |
|||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Risen Kaiser Horns
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
|
Chaotic Mail / Nephilim Mail
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
Strife Lv1
|
|
Risen Kaiser Braces
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv1
Ballistics Lv1
Master's Touch Lv1
Teostra Blessing Lv2
|
|
Risen Kaiser Coil
|
ー |
Ballistics Lv2
Master's Touch Lv2
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Eye Lv 7 Element Attack 5 Masters Touch Lv 3 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Ballistics Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Teostra Blessing Lv 2 Powder Mantle Lv 2 Strife Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit
|
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Powder Mantle provides an explosive boost to your damage. With the Sword and Shield's fast-paced attacks, it will be easy to activate this skill, even with one point in! We focused on maxing out the Attack Boost skill, as the explosive damage from Powder Mantle scales with your raw attack value.
Have Metsu Shoryugeki on your main scroll and Destroyer Oil on your other scroll. Using Metsu Shoryugeki can activate Offensive Guard when timed correctly. Free Title Update 3 updated the Destroyer Oil to recover sharpness when used, so it's an important Switch Skill for Sword and Shield. For the Weapon Augmentations, we recommend going for Lv.2 Attack Boost and Lv.4 Elemental Boost. This build assumes that no Armor Augmentations have been made. |
TU3 Water, Thunder, Ice Sword and Shield Builds
Wat
Thun
Ice
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agamemnon | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 67 | 320 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Mind | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 69 | 310 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daora's Maelstrom | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 54 | 310 | 0 | 10% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Risen Kaiser Horns
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
|
Risen Kushala Iram
|
Attack Boost Lv2
Razor Sharp Lv2
Spare Shot Lv2
Kushala Blessing Lv2
|
|
 Golden Lunebraces
|
Peak Performance Lv1
Critical Boost Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
|
Risen Kaiser Coil
|
ー |
Ballistics Lv2
Master's Touch Lv2
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
| Alternative Decorations | ・Swap the Stream Jewels to Bolt and Frost Jewels. For Thunder, swap the Hard Stream Jewel 3 for Hard Bolt Jewel+ 4 | |
Mastery Jewel 2
Hard Frost Jewel 3Skills Overview
| Skills | Element Attack 5 Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Eye Lv 5 Masters Touch Lv 3 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Kushala Blessing Lv 3 Powder Mantle Lv 2 Razor Sharp Lv 2 Spare Shot Lv 2 Ballistics Lv 2 Peak Performance Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 Handicraft Lv 1 ・Skills may vary per element: Handicraft only for Water weapon |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit
|
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Powder Mantle provides an explosive boost to your damage. With the Sword and Shield's fast-paced attacks, it will be easy to activate this skill, even with one point in! We focused on maxing out the Attack Boost skill, as the explosive damage from Powder Mantle scales with your raw attack value.
Have Metsu Shoryugeki on your main scroll and Destroyer Oil on your other scroll. Using Metsu Shoryugeki can activate Offensive Guard when timed correctly. Free Title Update 3 updated the Destroyer Oil to recover sharpness when used, so it's an important Switch Skill for Sword and Shield. Weapon Augmentations ▶ For the Agamemnon Water SnS, we highly recommend Lv.2 Sharpness Boost. This will ensure that you will hit purple with the build above. Then, for further elemental damage, go for a Lv.3 Elemental Boost. ▶ For the Atomic Mind Thunder SnS, we recommended the Rampage Slot Upgrade to slot in the Elembane Jewel. Otherwise, you can go for Lv.3 Elemental Boost and a Lv.2 Sharpness Boost. ▶ For the Daora's Maelstrom Ice SnS, we recommend going for Lv.2 Attack Boost and Lv.4 Elemental Boost. This build assumes that no Armor Augmentations have been made. |
TU3 Dragon Sword and Shield Builds
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gates of Heaven
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
56 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー |
|
||
|
ー ー |
・Weapon Augmentation required for Elembane Jewel 3
|
||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
 Silver Solhelm
|
Critical Element Lv1
Windproof Lv3
Critical Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Risen Kaiser Mail
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv3
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Powder Mantle Lv1
|
|
Golden Lunebraces
|
Peak Performance Lv1
Critical Boost Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
|
Risen Kushala Cocoon
|
Attack Boost Lv2
Recovery Up Lv3
Kushala Blessing Lv2
|
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Eye Lv 7 Element Attack 5 Critical Element Lv 3 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Recovery Up Lv 3 Windproof Lv 3 Defiance Lv 3 Kushala Blessing Lv 2 Powder Mantle Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 Peak Performance Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit |
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Powder Mantle provides an explosive boost to your damage. With the Sword and Shield's fast-paced attacks, it will be easy to activate this skill, even with one point in! We focused on maxing out the Attack Boost skill, as the explosive damage from Powder Mantle scales with your raw attack value.
Have Metsu Shoryugeki on your main scroll and Destroyer Oil on your other scroll. Using Metsu Shoryugeki can activate Offensive Guard when timed correctly. Free Title Update 3 updated the Destroyer Oil to recover sharpness when used, so it's an important Switch Skill for Sword and Shield. Compared to the earlier Elemental Sword and Shield builds, we recommend not putting Master's Touch for the Gates of Heaven Sword and Shield. Its large white sharpness can last you a whole fight without sharpening if done correctly. For the Weapon Augmentations, we recommend upgrading the Rampage Slot to slot in an Elembane Jewel. Otherwise, Lv.2 Attack Boost and Lv.4 Elemental Boost is a comfortable choice. This build assumes that no Armor Augmentations have been made. |
Phecda's Asterism Grinder Boost
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Phecda's Asterism
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
11 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Sharp Jewel+ 4Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Lunagaron Helm
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
|
|
Archfiend Armor Baulo
|
ー |
Resentment Lv1
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
Risen Mizuha Sleeves
|
Foray Lv1
Buildup Boost Lv1
|
|
|
Nargacuga Coil X
|
ー ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Evade Extender Lv2
Flinch Free Lv1
|
|
Malzeno Greaves
|
Attack Boost Lv1
Weakness Exploit Lv1
|
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Critical Eye Lv 7 Attack Boost Lv 4 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Critical Boost Lv 3 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Grinder (S) Lv 3 Evade Extender Lv 2 Blight Resistance Lv 2 Protective Polish Lv 2 Wirebug Whisperer Lv 1 Resentment Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 Buildup Boost Lv 1 Chameleos Blessing Lv 1 Foray Lv 1 Flinch Free Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| The Phecda's Asterism was a strange weapon when it first released since it had short purple and white sharpness and barely any poison to actually inflict the status consistently. Naturally, Grinder (S) is a good pairing for it, enabling a large boost whenever you sharpened from blue to purple. Title Update 2 introduces Buildup Boost as a way to take advantage of the poison without needing to actually poison the monster. When built with typical SnS skills, you'll end up with a strong set that can beat pure raw builds.
For augments, get the Rampage Slot Upgrade to fit in the anti-species jewels and fill the rest with Attack Boost. |
Lunatic Rose Bloodlust Poison
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lunatic Rose
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
33 |
320 | 0 | 30% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー |
|
||
|
ー ー |
|||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Arc Helm / Storge Helm
|
ー ー |
Coalescence Lv2
Bloodlust Lv1
|
|
Flaming Espinas Muscle
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Marathon Runner Lv2
Charge Master Lv1
|
|
Risen Mizuha Sleeves
|
Foray Lv1
Buildup Boost Lv1
|
|
|
Archfiend Armor Ura
|
ー ー |
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Burst Lv2
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Mastery Jewel+ 4
Wirebug Jewel+ 4Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Masters Touch Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Burst Lv 2 Wirebug Whisperer Lv 2 Coalescence Lv 2 Marathon Runner Lv 2 Charge Master Lv 1 Buildup Boost Lv 1 Chameleos Blessing Lv 1 Speed Sharpening Lv 1 Bloodlust Lv 1 Foray Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Notes
| Build Merits |
|---|
| This build takes advantage of the Lunatic Rose's high innate affinity and Poison status to consistently put out high damage. Attack Boost, Critical Boost, Offensive Guard, and Burst are used to boost the weapon's overall damage output. In addition, Bloodlust and Weakness Exploit allow the weapon to always critically hit on weakspots. To round out the build, it also features max Master's Touch and Speed Sharpening to keep your sharpness high and allow you to stay on the offensive.
New to this build is the inclusion of Buildup Boost over Poison Attack to give a slight bump to the effective damage. The Risen Mizuha Sleeves also comes with Foray, which will be handy once the monster gets poisoned. If you don't have access to Risen Chameleos yet, use the Onmyo Tekkou instead. To upgrade this build further, we recommend adding Attack Boost Augments to the weapon to improve overall damage output. |
Endgame MR Build: MR 6+
Chaotic Bloodlust Sword and Shield Build
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Lügen/Vérité
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
45 |
340 | 0 | -30% / 15% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Arc Helm / Storge Helm
|
ー ー |
Coalescence Lv2
Bloodlust Lv1
|
|
Chaotic Mail / Nephilim Mail
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
Strife Lv1
|
|
Golden Lunebraces
|
Peak Performance Lv1
Critical Boost Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
 Lambent Sash
|
Handicraft Lv2
Spread Up Lv2
Sneak Attack Lv1
|
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Sharp Jewel 2Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Boost Lv 3 Handicraft Lv 3 Protective Polish Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Defiance Lv 3 Critical Eye Lv 2 Weakness Exploit Lv 2 Spread Up Lv 2 Coalescence Lv 2 Peak Performance Lv 1 Bloodlust Lv 1 Sneak Attack Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 Strife Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| Bloodlust can activate quickly with your Sword and Shield combos! This build utilizes the powerup this skill provides. We focused on maxing Attack Boost, since you'll be getting more than 100% affinity with Bloodlust synergized with Weakness Exploit. Dealing continuous damage on a monsters' weakspot will yield significant damage, especially with Burst, allowing you to finish off the monster with ease!
For comfort, we maxed out the Protective Polish and Speed Sharpening skills. Sharpening before taking a fight will allow you do your combos without worrying about losing your purple sharpness. However, if you are at the right anomaly level and comfortable with the playstyle of using Destroyer Oil whenever your sharpness dips, we recommend swapping out the Sharp Jewels and replace it with Mastery Jewels (Jewel+ 4 and 2). These builds assume that no Armor Augmentations have been made. |
Elemental Sword and Shield Builds
Fire
Wat
Thun
Ice
Dra
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Enspirited Ifrit | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 47 | 330 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Agamemnon | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 67 | 320 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic Mind | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 69 | 310 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
ーーー | | ||
| ー ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Daora's Maelstrom | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 54 | 310 | 0 | 10% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Secta Tre Black | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 38 | 330 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| | | ||
Razor Jewel+ 4| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates of Heaven | |||
| Element / Status | ATK | DEF | Affinity |
| 56 | 340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー | | ||
| ー ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Flaming Espinas Brain
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Razor Sharp Lv1
Spare Shot Lv1
|
|
Chaotic Mail / Nephilim Mail
|
ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Critical Boost Lv2
Strife Lv1
|
|
Golden Lunebraces
|
Peak Performance Lv1
Critical Boost Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
|
Archfiend Armor Ura
|
ー ー |
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Burst Lv2
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー |
Critical Eye ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
| Alternative Decorations | ・Swap the Blaze Jewels for the corresponding elements. For Ice and Secta Tre Black SnS, swap the Spiribird's Call Jewel for another Grinder Jewel 1. For Gates of Heaven SnS, put the Razor Jewel+ 4 on the Leg/Waist Armor slot and put the Attack Jewel 2 on the weapon. | |
Hard Bolt Jewel 3Skills Overview
| Skills | Element Attack 5 Critical Eye Lv 7 Attack Boost Lv 4-5 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Critical Element Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Burst Lv 3 Razor Sharp Lv 1-3 Speed Sharpening Lv 2 Peak Performance Lv 1 Strife Lv 1 Spare Shot Lv 1 Handicraft Lv 1 Spiribirds Call Lv 1 ・Skills may vary per element. Razor Sharp for Dragon builds only, Handicraft for Water, Speed Sharpening for Ice and Secta Tre Black Build. Spiribird's Call is not on Ice and and Secta Tre Black Build. |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Element Exploit Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use Element Exploit to increase Elemental Damage for each element. For Thunder and Gates of Heaven build, use Anti-Species skills depending on the monster. |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rampage Decoration |
 Elembane Jewel 3
x 1For Thunder and Gates of Heaven SnS:  Anti-Wyvern Jewel 2
x 1 or Anti-Aerial Jewel 2
x 1 or Anti-Aquatic Jewel 2
x 1 or Fanged Exploit Jewel 2
x 1
|
|
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| In Sunbreak, elemental builds are a must! Element-focused builds will deal serious damage, especially to monsters weak to a specific one. With this build, we maxed out Critical Eye and slotted in Critical Element to boost elemental values. Along with skills like Attack Boost, Weakness Exploit, and Burst, this will ensure significant damage during your continuous combos!
Offensive Guard will amp the damage you can do after doing a Metsu Shoryugeki. Also, with this build, sharpness will decrease fast due to the nature of the Sword and Shield. For this reason, we recommend equipping Metsu Shoryugeki on your off-hand scroll and equipping Destroyer Oil on your main scroll. This way, you can do a Metsu Shoryugeki on openings (e.g., roars, KOs, and traps) then switching to restore your sharpness while doing your combos. These builds assume that no Armor Augmentations have been made. |
Phecda's Asterism MR Climber
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Phecda's Asterism
|
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
|
11 |
340 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Kaiser Crown X
|
Critical Eye Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
|
|
Onmyo Kariginu
|
Stamina Surge Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Embolden Lv1
|
|
|
Onmyo Tekkou
|
Agitator Lv2
Stamina Surge Lv1
Embolden Lv1
|
|
|
Onmyo Ateobi
|
Agitator Lv3
Adrenaline Rush Lv1
Embolden Lv1
|
|
|
Onmyo Sashiko
|
ー ー |
Flinch Free Lv3
Offensive Guard Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Foray Jewel 2Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 5 Agitator Lv 5 Critical Eye Lv 5 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Stamina Surge Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Embolden Lv 3 Grinder (S) Lv 3 Protective Polish Lv 2 Offensive Guard Lv 2 Stun Resistance Lv 2 Adrenaline Rush Lv 1 Foray Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Merits and Augments
| Weapon Augments |  Rampage Slot Upgrade
Lv 1
|
|---|
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| This build is intended for optimised solo MR grinding. Whenever you are targeted by the monster, Embolden activates, and it becomes more likely that Agitator will activate. High levels of both Attack Boost and Critical Eye, along with max points in Critical Boost and Weakness Exploit further increase your offense. As our weapon has a quick attack speed and the poison status, we opted to include value points in both Foray and Burst for even more damage. The combination of Protective Polish, and Speed Sharpening offset our weapon's low amount of purple sharpness. Grinder (S) is also included since both our weapon's Purple and White sharpness are low enough to satisfy its activation conditions. Our build features status buildup, so consider taking Drill Slash Combo for easier application of poison. This build naturally has Offensive Guard Lv.2. This skill is prevalently slotted by experienced SnS hunters that utilize the Metsu Shoryugeki Switch Skill becase the attack buff from a perfectly-timed Metsu Shoryugeki stacks with the boost received from Offensive Guard. If you intend on running Metsu Shoryugeki, replacing the Polisher Pro Jewel 3 with a Guardian Jewel 3 can be considered. This build can scale into higher MR levels once you unlock Risen Elder Dragons. Jewels such as the Haze Jewel 1, and some armor pieces could further optimize this build. |
Royal Order Dereliction Raw
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Royal Order's Sword+
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
-
|
320 | 50 | 10% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Kaiser Crown X
|
Critical Eye Lv3
Critical Boost Lv1
|
|
|
Archfiend Armor Baulo
|
ー |
Resentment Lv1
Weakness Exploit Lv1
Burst Lv1
|
|
Barroth Vambraces X
|
ー |
Affinity Sliding Lv1
Attack Boost Lv2
Offensive Guard Lv1
Spread Up Lv1
|
|
Nargacuga Coil X
|
ー ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Evade Extender Lv2
Flinch Free Lv1
|
|
Archfiend Armor Sceros
|
Resentment Lv1
Dereliction Lv1
|
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Critical Eye Lv 7 Attack Boost Lv 6 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Offensive Guard Lv 3 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Resentment Lv 2 Evade Extender Lv 2 Stun Resistance Lv 2 Affinity Sliding Lv 1 Spread Up Lv 1 Flinch Free Lv 1 Dereliction Lv 1 Burst Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| This build using the Royal Order's Sword+ focuses on mixing high raw damage with comfort and utility. Attack Boost, Critical Boost, Offensive Guard, Burst, and Dereliction's Blue Scroll ability are used to boost the weapon's damage output. In addition, Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit are used to allow the weapon to always critically hit on weakspots due to its innate 10% affinity. For added utility and survivability, the build also features Evade Extender, Speed Sharpening, and Stun Resistance. When using this build, always swap to your Blue Scroll when the hunt begins as Dereliction will only provide increased attack and stun potency when on the Blue Scroll. In addition, to help mitigate the health drain from Dereliction, we recommend eating Gourmet Fish and the Hide-and-Seek Dango as they both provide health regeneration over time. |
Master Rank Build (Mid Game): MR 3-6
Nightbloom+ All-Rounder
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Nightbloom+
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
-
|
280 | 0 | 30% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー |
|
||
|
ー ー |
|||
Spiribird Jewel 1Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Malzeno Helm
|
ー |
Weakness Exploit Lv1
|
|
Alloy Mail X
|
ー ー |
Speed Sharpening Lv2
|
|
Malzeno Braces
|
ー ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
|
|
Anjanath Coil X
|
Attack Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Grand God's Peer Feet
|
Flinch Free Lv2
Latent Power Lv1
Critical Boost Lv2
|
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Hard Defense Jewel++ 4
Defense Jewel 1
Diversion Jewel 1Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Defense Boost Lv 7 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Protective Polish Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Flinch Free Lv 3 Wirebug Whisperer Lv 3 Latent Power Lv 2 Blight Resistance Lv 1 Diversion Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Spiribird Doubled
|
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| This is an all-rounder Sword and Shield build, featuring the high affinity of Nightbloom+ with max Attack Boost, Critical Boost, and Weakness Exploit. On the defensive side, this build also runs max Defense Boost, Stun Resistance, and Flinch Free, allowing it to take as many hits as it dishes out. To round the build out, max Protective Polish, Speed Sharpening, and Wirebug Whisperer are included to sustain your offense as long as possible. |
Nightbloom Critical Climber
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Nightbloom
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
-
|
250 | 0 | 30% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ーー |
|
||
|
ー ー |
|||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Death Stench Brain X
|
ー ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
Speed Sharpening Lv2
|
|
Zinogre Mail X
|
Latent Power Lv1
Thunder Attack Lv2
Weakness Exploit Lv2
|
|
|
Rathalos Braces X
|
ー ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Earplugs Lv2
|
|
Nargacuga Coil X
|
ー ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Evade Extender Lv2
Flinch Free Lv1
|
|
Kadachi Greaves X
|
ー |
Constitution Lv1
Critical Element Lv1
Critical Eye Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Attack Boost ・Level 3 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 6 Critical Eye Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Protective Polish Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Speed Sharpening Lv 3 Thunder Attack Lv 2 Earplugs Lv 2 Evade Extender Lv 2 Latent Power Lv 1 Critical Element Lv 1 Constitution Lv 1 Flinch Free Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Spiribird Doubled
|
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| This build focuses on optimizing Nightbloom's innate 30% Affinity with Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit while also offering many utility and comfort skills such as Protective Polish, Speed Sharpening, and Evade Extender. In addition, this build only uses materials from MR3 and MR4, making it a great midpoint set to climb with after completing MR2. |
Master Rank Build (Early Game): MR 1-2
Kamura Warrior Sword Raw Slugger
| Weapon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Kamura Warrior Sword
 |
|||
| Element / Status |
ATK | DEF | Affinity |
-
|
250 | 0 | 0% |
| Decoration Slots | Rampage Slots | ||
| ー |
|
||
| ー | |||
Recommended Armor Loadout
| Armor | Decoration Slots | Skills |
|---|---|---|
|
Anjanath Helm X
|
ー ー |
Attack Boost Lv1
Focus Lv1
Slugger Lv1
|
|
Izuchi Mail X
|
ー ー |
Critical Eye Lv2
Evade Window Lv1
Recovery Speed Lv2
|
|
Anjanath Vambraces X
|
ー ー |
Agitator Lv1
Attack Boost Lv2
Slugger Lv2
|
|
Anjanath Coil X
|
Attack Boost Lv2
|
|
|
Ingot Greaves X
|
ー |
Attack Boost Lv2
Critical Eye Lv2
|
| Talisman |
ー ー |
Weakness Exploit ・Level 2 with desired slots or better |
Skills Overview
| Skills | Attack Boost Lv 7 Critical Eye Lv 4 Critical Boost Lv 3 Defense Boost Lv 3 Slugger Lv 3 Stun Resistance Lv 3 Weakness Exploit Lv 3 Recovery Speed Lv 2 Agitator Lv 1 Evade Window Lv 1 Flinch Free Lv 1 Focus Lv 1 |
|---|---|
| Rampage Skills | Wyvern Exploit Anti-Aerial Species Anti-Aquatic Species Fanged Exploit ・Use depending on the monster |
Build Notes
| Build Merits and Notes |
|---|
| A well-rounded Sword and Shield build great for starting out in Sunbreak's Master Rank. This build features high raw damage with Attack Boost, stun power with Slugger, and increased weak spot Affinity with Weakness Exploit. The build also offers some added survivability with Stun Resistance and Defense Boost. |
Best Skills for Sword and Shield
Best Damage Skills
These skills make it possible to deal extra damage! Aim for these skills for maximum DPS to defeat those monsters easier and finish those quests faster!
| Best Skills | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Weakness Exploit ★★★ |
A staple skill for any meta build. Increases affinity when hitting enemy weakspots, which the Sword and Shield does very often. Synergizes with Critical Eye and Critical Boost. |
| Critical Boost ★★★ |
Amplifies critical damage by 5% per level, synergizing with Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit for critical-focused Sword and Shield builds. |
| Critical Eye ★★★ |
Critical Eye increases Affinity, working hand-in-hand with Sword and Shield builds being mostly critical-focused. |
| Attack Boost ★★★ |
More damage is always welcome for the Sword and Shield. Max this skill out whenever possible or aim for 4 levels. |
| Element Attack ★★★ |
Sunbreak featured buffs for elemental damage, making elemental builds viable. Max out this skill to increase damage against monsters. Fire | Water | Ice | Thunder | Dragon |
| Offensive Guard ★★★ |
This skill further amps your damage whenever you pull off a successful Metsu Shoryugeki. |
| Burst ★★★ |
The Sword and Shield's fast-paced attacks allow this skill to shine to its full potential. Max it out whenever possible, but a single point is enough for most fights. Available in Sunbreak Base Game |
| Element Exploit ★★ |
Amplify your elemental damage against monsters weak to a specific element with this skill. A single point of it is enough to deal significant damage. Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 1 |
| Critical Element ★★ |
Improve your overall DPS with more elemental damage during critical hits! |
| Slugger ★★ |
Makes it easier to stun monsters, working hand-in-hand with the weapon's various shield bash moves. |
| Dragon Conversion ★★ |
When activated, this skill from the Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax Armor will benefit elemental builds, increasing DPS even further! Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 4 |
| Powder Mantle ★★ |
This skill from the Risen Teostra Armor provides the Sword and Shield with additional blast damage every time it activates, contributing greatly to DPS. Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 3 |
| Dereliction ★ |
Using the Red Scroll increases the Sword and Shield's elemental values while using the Blue Scroll increases both attack and stun potency, improving overall damage. Just be wary of your health! Available in Sunbreak Base Game |
| Bloodlust ★ |
Overcome the Frenzy Virus to power up with this skill; best paired with Coalescence. Available in Sunbreak Base Game |
Best Comfort Skills
These are skills that make managing weapon mechanics a lot easier. Damage is only part of the equation - taking time to slot in comfort skills that increase consistency & comfort will also increase overall DPS!
| Best Skills | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Protective Polish ★★★ |
Due to the Sword and Shield's fast-attacking nature, it will deplete sharpness fast. Always consider maxing this skill out to keep your sharpness high, up to a maximum of 90 seconds! |
| Master's Touch ★★ |
Every time a critical strike hits, this skill prevents your weapon from losing sharpness. This is an ideal skill for most high affinity builds and for weapons with manageable sharpness (e.g., Gates of Heaven) |
| Razor Sharp ★★ |
Another sharpness managing skill to consider with the Sword and Shield. |
| Speed Sharpening ★★ |
Reduces a cycle for sharpening with each level. Synergizes well with the Protective Polish skill. |
| Wirebug Whisperer ★★ |
Using Metsu Shoryugeki during your combos costs 2 Wirebugs and recharges slowly. Focusing on this skill will make the Wirebugs more readily available. Best paired with Wind Mantle. |
| Wind Mantle ★★ |
This skill from the Risen Kushala Armor will recharge your Wirebugs faster, giving you more utility with your Sword and Shield. Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 3 |
| Defiance ★★ |
Three levels of this skill prevent most roars, tremors, and winds from interrupting your charged attacks. The Cornerstone Jewel is a level 1 decoration, so slot it in whenever possible! Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 1 |
| Flinch Free ★★ |
Useful especially in multiplayer where minor attacks can interrupt your attacks, especially when trying to charge your weapon! |
| Guard ★ |
When paired with Embolden, this skill is useful in guarding strong attacks, which can make transitioning into the Perfect Rush combo easier. |
| Handicraft ★ |
Some endgame Sword and Shields tend to have a lot of room for improvement regarding their sharpness. Slot this skill in only when necessary! |
| Intrepid Heart ★ |
Whenever the gauge above your health bar is full, this skill can be useful in preventing monster attacks from interrupting your combos, making it possible to pull off an extra charged attack before you can regroup. Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 2 |
Monster Hunter Rise Related Guides
|
• Weapons marked withNEW have been updated. • Weapons withUP have been reviewed and does not warrant an updated build from the Bonus Update. |
| All Weapon Build Guides | |
|---|---|
 Great SwordNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Long SwordNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Sword & ShieldNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Dual BladesNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 HammerNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Hunting HornNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 LanceNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 GunlanceNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Switch AxeNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Charge BladeNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Insect GlaiveNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 BowNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Light BowgunNEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
 Heavy BowgunUP Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank |
Other Builds
| Other Build Guides | |
|---|---|
| General High Rank Builds and Best Equipment | Buddy Equipment Builds Palico | Palamute |
Author
Master Rank Sword and Shield (SNS) Builds
Rankings
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VeryMuch appreciate if, you could make build for SNS support!!!