The Great Sword got a massive upgrade in Monster Hunter Wilds! Thanks to the new Guard Cancel mechanic, this slow but heavy-hitting weapon is now so good at parrying that it can even rival the Lance and Long Sword in defensive capabilities.
What Is Guard Cancel?
Guard Cancel is a simple but powerful mechanic that lets you cancel an attack’s recovery directly into a Guard. Normally, guarding after an attack is slow and clunky, but this technique makes it fast and reactive, which is huge for a weapon like the Great Sword. Here is how it works:
- Hold a direction on the left stick while pressing Guard (Right Trigger).
- This cancels part of your recovery animation and lets you guard almost instantly.
- It even changes your Guard direction, which makes it much more flexible in combat.
The Guard Cancel works especially well after Charged Slash, Strong Charged Slash, Strong Wide Slash, and True Charged Slash, letting you stay aggressive while keeping defensive options open.
Why Is This a Big Deal?
In past Monster Hunter games, Guarding with the Great Sword was terrible; it was slow, drained sharpness, and required heavy skill investment just to be usable. But in Monster Hunter Wilds, Guard is actually worth using now:
- No more insane sharpness loss when blocking.
- Can trigger Power Clash, opening up new counterplay options.
- Allows Perfect Guard, which reduces chip damage and knockback if timed correctly.
How It Changes the Great Sword Playstyle
It might not seem like a big deal, but this one mechanic completely changes how Great Sword plays. Before, if you committed to an attack, you were locked in. Now, you can parry, counter, and even fix mistakes on the go. To sum up again:
- Moves that were previously unsafe are now much safer.
- Messed up a Rising Slash? Guard Cancel.
- Whiffed an attack and about to get punished? Guard Cancel.
- Perfect Guard lets you keep attacking without getting knocked away.
Parry Great Sword Might Be the Best Way to Play
With Guard Cancel and Perfect Guard, the Great Sword is no longer just about landing huge hits; it’s about controlling the fight. And it is likely that armor and weapon skills will boost this playstyle even further, which means this parry-focused playstyle might become one of the most effective ways to play this weapon!
To see gameplay and related explanations in action, you can check out a fantastic video on this topic created by Pike Analysis, below:
Monster Hunter Wilds did not release yet, but one thing is already clear: Great Sword mains received a serious buff in Wilds! Now we can only hope it stays that way.
