Long Sword Guide and Best Combos in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Long Sword is a stylish and highly mobile melee weapon that strikes a balance between high damage attack combos and timed counters. It is ideal for hunters who are looking for an easy to pick up, but difficult to master playstyle that rewards relentless aggression and good timing.

Unlike the other heavy melee weapons, with the Long Sword you retain full movement with your weapon drawn. This allows for quick repositioning during combo attacks to build up your Spirit Gauge, which is then spent on Spirit Helm Breaker and the new Spirit Release Slash follow-up added in Monster Hunter Wilds. Alongside that, it has both the Iai Spirit Slash and Foresight Slash as high payoff guard counters.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds, from its mechanics and best combos to its strengths, weaknesses, and how to use it during hunts.

In the event you are looking for our Long Sword builds, please click the link below.

Strengths

• Very Accessible - Easy to pick up and learn the basics
• Strong Damage - Fast, relentless attacks, using combos to perform huge finishing moves
• High Mobility - Lots of the base move set includes repositioning tools to stick to your target
• Deeply Rewarding - Learning counter timings to keep up the pressure has a huge payoff

Weaknesses

• Requires Experience to Master - Learning monster move sets to know when to use finishers safely is key
• Sharpness - Chews through sharpness very quickly during longer combos
• Spirit Gauge Management - Needs to keep up the attack to maintain its gauge
• Requires Timing - Missed guard points and heavy attacks leave you wide open

In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Spirit Gauge is the beating heart of the Long Sword, and mastering both building and spending this is the driving force of your damage. It is represented by the small sword icon under your health bar:

All of your Standard and Thrust attacks will build Gauge when hitting monsters. Additionally, using Iai Slash following Special Sheathe will cause it to slowly generate over time. We then spend built up Gauge to use the Spirit Blade Combo.

The Spirit Gauge has 4 different levels, defaulting to an empty one. Each level progressively raises our attack damage while active, and is represented by these colors on the UI element:

Empty Gauge	Spirit Level 1	Spirit Level 2	Spirit Level 3
1x Damage	1.02x Damage	1.04x Damage	1.1x Damage

Specific Long Sword attacks level up the Gauge when used, some of them with conditions. You want to be leveling the Gauge constantly, aiming to spend as much time at a Red Gauge as possible. We do so with the following attacks:

• Spirit Roundslash: This can be used following Spirit Slash III. It can also be used immediately following a Foresight Slash counter.
• Iai Spirit Slash: If you successfully counter an attack using the guard point, your Gauge will instantly rise one level.
• Spirit Charge: Depending on the level you charge this to, you will enter into the Spirit Slash combo. Fully charging it will follow-up with a Spirit Roundslash, leveling the Gauge.

Entering the level 3 Red Spirit Gauge will cause it to slowly deplete. This is your highest damage period, and you want to spend as much time during a hunt as you can either at, or working toward it. The Spirit Gauge will deplete within 50 seconds if you do not consume any levels or replenish it, and is capped at 60 seconds with extensions.

In Monster Hunter Wilds, while in this state a lot of your move set will also be upgraded into stronger versions:

• Your / / Standard Attack is replaced by Crimson Slash I, II & III, which are slightly faster, and deal more damage.
• Spirit Roundslash gains a follow-up move, Spinning Crimson Slash, that can be used by pressing / / . This also slightly replenishes your Red Gauge.
• Your Foresight Slash is replaced by Foresight Whirl Slash, which disengages you backward with a guard point. This consumes some of your Red Gauge, and will refund some if it connects.

So long as your Gauge is level 1 or above, you can also follow up a Spirit Thrust with a Spirit Helm Breaker, dealing massive damage to monsters as you come crashing back down (and looks very stylish), and reduces your Gauge level by one. If you use this with a Red Gauge, you can also follow this up with / / Spirit Release Slash, dealing even more damage and grants armor frames during the animation. This also reduces your Gauge level sending you back down to Level 1, but refills your Gauge if it hits.

If you aim poorly and think you will miss with Spirit Helm Breaker or a monster is winding up an attack, you can also Spirit Sheathe. This will break you out of it, save your Gauge and sheathe your weapon by pressing / / while mid-air.

Foresight Slash is a key part of Long Sword's defense, and learning its timing is the difference between dominating a monster and needing to take it slow. You need to be mid-combo to use this by pressing + / + / + , and you will dodge backward briefly and trigger a guard point. If timed correctly, you will avoid all damage from a monster's attacks, strike forward, and immediately be able to follow up with Spirit Roundslash.

Iai Spirit Slash needs you to be set up in Special Sheathe first before it can be used by pressing + / + / + . From here, pressing / / from here will dash you forward a great distance, dealing heavy damage in your path. Right at the moment you draw your sword, a guard point is triggered that, if it blocks a monster's attack, will level up your Spirit Gauge.

Learning this timing is extremely difficult monster-to-monster, but the payoff is massive. It is one of the major parts of mastering the Long Sword, plus it looks really cool when you do it.

Focus mode is a new feature in Monster Hunter wilds that lets you aim your strikes by holding / / . Your strikes will aim toward your camera while this is active, allowing you to target wounds or specific monster areas.

The Long Sword also has a special attack while in this mode: the Unbound Thrust. Pressing / / while in focus mode will thrust forward, and if it connects with a wound on a monster will deal heavy damage, initiate a follow up attack and level up your Spirit Gauge. Each wound popped with this levels up the Gauge, so you can raise it multiple stages with a single use. Different attacks will be used depending on directional inputs while in Focus mode.

In Monster Hunter Wilds you have access to your very own Seikret mount, and comes with its own attacks both while mounted and when dismounting. You can perform a Standard Attack striking to the side with / / and this will level your Spirit Gauge if it connects.

You also have two dismounting options: a standard jump dismount by pressing / / followed up with a jumping Overhead Slash with / / . You can also use the new Dismount Slash which is executed by pressing + / + / + while mounted.

Lastly, while mounted on a monster, after a wound is created you can execute a powerful finishing strike to knock it to the ground using / / .

Long Sword is built around combo attacks, weaving them together to keep up the pressure throughout a hunt. It works much more fluidly, and often will break combos intentionally to mix things up to react to a monster. That means knowing how they can be linked together is very important, as time spent standing still is Spirit Gauge wasted. It's all about smooth combos, counters and explosive finishing moves.

Basic combos are easy to pull off, and are the building blocks of Long Sword's gameplay. Even when you feel comfortable, you will still be making use of these in between some of the more advanced move sets.

Overhead Slash ➜ Overhead Slash ➜ Crescent Slash
The most basic combo to fill up the Spirit Gauge.

1. Overhead Slash: Press / /
2. Overhead Slash: Press / /
3. Crescent Slash: Press / /

These attacks can also be repositioned between each strike with a directional input, and can be chained into itself. With Red Gauge, these are replaced with Crimson Slash, but serves the same purpose.

Spirit Blade I ➜ Spirit Blade II ➜ Spirit Blade III ➜ Spirit Roundslash
Spends your Spirit Gauge to level up your Gauge, but must complete the full combo.

1. Spirit Blade I: Press / /
2. Spirit Blade II: Press / /
3. Spirit Blade III: Press / /
4. Spirit Roundslash: Press / /

These attacks can also be repositioned between each strike with a directional input.

Spirit Thrust ➜ Spirit Helm Breaker ➜ Spirit Release Slash (Red Gauge)
Spends your Spirit Gauge levels for heavy damage, but requires aiming on the strike downward.

1. Spirit Thrust: Press + / + / +
2. Spirit Helm Breaker: Press / / while in the air
3. Spirit Release Slash: Press / / after landing

You can aim the direction the slash will land while in the air here to make sure you hit monster weakpoints.

Overhead Slash ➜ Special Sheathe ➜ Iai Slash
A quick combo to activate Iai Slash and flow into other combos.

1. Overhead Slash: Press / /
2. Special Sheathe: Press + / + / +
3. Iai Slash: Press / / after sheathing

Once you have a grasp on the basic move set, it is time to look at some of the more advanced combos that link them together. Long Sword is designed to be fluid, so there is a lot of potential to mix and match on the fly - it's all about the situation and what your prey is doing in the moment.

Spirit Charge ➜ Special Sheathe ➜ Iai Slash ➜ Overhead Slash ➜ Spirit Charge
Spends stamina to quickly build up two Gauge levels during an opening.

1. Spirit Charge: Hold / / then release
2. Special Sheathe: Press + / + / +
3. Iai Slash: Press / /
4. Overhead Slash: Press / /
5. Spirit Charge: Hold / / then release

Fade Slash ➜ Spirit Blade II ➜ Spirit Blade III ➜ Spirit Roundslash
Allows you to reposition and begin a Spirit Combo if you need to move quickly.

1. Fade Slash: Hold Direction and Press + / + / +
2. Spirit Blade II: Press / /
3. Spirit Blade III: Press / /
4. Spirit Roundslash: Press / /

Foresight Slash ➜ Foresight Whirl Slash ➜ Spirit Thrust ➜ Spirit Helm Breaker
Follow up to a counter that builds Gauge then spends it quickly if you see an opportunity.

1. Foresight Slash: (Mid Combo) Press + / + / +
2. Foresight Whirl Slash: Press / /
3. Spirit Thrust: Press + / + / +
4. Spirit Helm Breaker: Press / / while in the air

This does require you to counter a monster, but can be done mid combo if you see an opening.