Switch Axe Low Rank Builds for Monster Hunter Wilds

Welcome to our Monster Hunter Wilds build guide for the Switch Axe. Listed below you will find the best Low Rank Switch Axe builds in Monster Hunter Wilds with several suggestions for various Hunter Ranks.

Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just starting out in Wilds, our build guides provide you with everything you need to know for Low Rank. On this page, we will be covering a build path that will comfortably keep up with every hunt Monster Hunter Wilds will throw at you during the main story.

To understand more about the Switch Axe or for High Rank builds, please check the guides below.

The first thing every hunter knows is keeping their weapon up to date for each hunt is the best path to success. You don't want to get caught in a dangerous hunt with an old one, so here we will cover a comfortable build path that will get you through Low Rank without needing to farm everything that shows up.

Iron Accelerator I ➜ Nu Zhangyu I ➜ G Veldian Securis I
The Switch Axe more-so than many weapons has a very strong leaning toward getting Rapid Morph. Since at Low Rank you don't have decorations to cover this, any craft that has it comes at a premium and can last for quite a while through the story.

1. Iron Accelerator I - Click for Materials

   • Machalite Ore x 1
   • Earth Crystal x 2
   While this comes with a Poison Phial which is fairly niche, it's the easiest way to access points in Rapid Morph early. Even at one point this is nice to have early on in the story, and lasts well into the mid portion of Low Rank.
2. Nu Zhangyu I - Click for Materials

   • Nu Udra Hide x 3
   • Nu Udra Spike x 2
   • Nu Udra Oilmucus x 1
   As you hid the mid-game of the story, Nu Udra's Switch Axe gives you a path through to level 2 Rapid Morph while having a better Power Phial. While the lower Affinity isn't great, the Fire element is for a few of the upcoming monsters leading into the tail end of Low Rank.
3. G Veldian Securis I - Click for Materials

   • Guardian Scale x 3
   • Guardian Pelt x 3
   • Guardian Blood x 1
   • Tough Guardian Bone x 2
   The Arkveld weapon will give you a strong weapon to transition into High Rank with, switching over to the more universal Dragon element. This trades off Rapid Morph for Focus, which makes it more of a side-grade that's more tailored toward upcoming monsters.

Remember though, if you are struggling to deal with monsters and you have parts lying around for a weapon that looks better, don't hesitate to craft it. You can always go back and farm those parts again later if you need them for something else!

The Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Wilds does have some unique skills that improve its mechanics, but many of them come in the form of weapon bonuses or decorations. In particular Rapid Morph makes it much smoother to switch between Axe and Sword mode cleanly during combos, and is a premium pickup at later stages. Power Prolonger and Focus also increases the uptime of the Amped state for your Sword Mode, which is a strong increase to your finisher build rate. For now though in Low Rank, it's a bit harder to force this in all gearsets.

As Armor is much easier to customize early on, most of the picks for Switch Axe lean more into the comfort side while you get used to monster patterns. Both Evade Extender and Evade Window give you more room to avoid dangerous attacks and position for your long combos, while also making it easier to stick to monsters while in Sword Mode. While there are some strong offensive skills later into the game, in Low Rank choices are limited enough to lean further into these comfort picks.

Below is a solid beginner set that opts for Evade Extender, one of your best comfort skills. If you find it nice to play with and actively upgrade it, it should cover all your needs all the way through Low Rank.

The Gloves, Waist and Legs fill out the points needed to complete Evade Extender, giving you much more reach when aggressively dashing toward monsters in Sword Mode. This is excellent for comfort while learning monster patterns and learning how far your reach is, while making it easier to pull off combo strings against more erratic foes.

For the final pieces, there are not many easy to access skills with much value early on for the Switch Axe, so I've opted to pick up Quick Sheathe level 3. This is purely comfort to make it easier to navigate monsters while you're getting to grips with the Switch Axe's gameplay style, and is very much an optional skill further down the line.

When it comes to decorations, it is pretty limited how many you have access to early on, so I would recommend putting anything in that sounds like it would make combat more comfortable such as Gobbler or Brace if you are lucky enough to get some.

• Evade Extender - Level 3
• Quick Sheathe - Level 3
• Master Mounter - 3-piece

As you progress further, there are some options available to switch over to some more offensive skills. In particular Weakness Exploit or Burst are the two options that show up toward the end of Low Rank that can be slotted in.

This is more optional though depending on how much comfort you are finding with Evade Extender, so this build aims to mix the two together using the Talisman slot.

Switching over to the Guardian Rathalos set with the Head, Chest, Gloves and Legs will net 3 points in Weakness Exploit while also activating the 4-piece for some extra damage. This helps to counter-act some of the negative affinity on good Switch Axes picked up in Low Rank, and rewards you for playing into monster hit zones and weak points - something you should already be doing the more you progress through Low Rank.

It also still maintains two point of Evade Extender for a bit more range on your dodges, though the point squeeze of Low Rank armor makes it difficult to fulfil it entirely.

When it comes to decorations, it is pretty limited how many you have access to early on, so I would recommend putting anything in that sounds like it would make combat more comfortable such as Gobbler or Brace if you are lucky enough to get some.

• Weakness Exploit - Level 3
• Evade Extender - Level 2
• Intimidator - Level 1
• Rathalos's Flare - 2 and 4-piece