(Photo : Capcom / Screenshot taken from Steam)
The Longsword is a fantastic and beginner-friendly weapon in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne that can sometimes be intimidating to pick up.
This weapon has plenty of high-damage combos and even a reliable counter that lets you avoid damage while hitting the monster with a devastating strike. The Longsword's basic combo is relatively quick and has a long reach, letting you have a little distance from the monster.
The simplicity of this weapon makes it one of the better weapons for beginners to use and is especially good if you enjoy anime-like finishers. Another great thing about the Longsword is that it is relatively easy to learn. The only downside is that it is difficult to master, especially the counters.
Basics of the Longsword
The basic combo of the Longsword has a relatively long reach and is particularly mobile compared to other weapons. At any point between your attacks, you can perform a Fade Slash that repositions your hunter to either left, right, or back, according to Game Rant.
The main feature of this weapon is the Spirit Gauge which can be increased by hitting attacks on a monster. You can use this meter to perform Spirit Blade attacks that will consume energy but deal more damage compared to regular strikes.
You can also use the Spirit Roundslash following a Spirit Blade III attack and if you hit with it, you will level up your Spirit Gauge. There are three levels to the Spirit Gauge, denoted by the colors White, Yellow, and Red.
The Spirit Gauge
Leveling your Spirit Gauge increases the damage of your attacks by a certain percentage. This means that keeping your Spirit Gauge at Red lets you deal maximum damage. Having at least a White level on your gauge lets you perform the powerful Helm Breaker attack, IGN said.
This is arguably the coolest-looking attack you can do with the Longsword and also does the most damage. You can perform the Helm Breaker by using a Spirit Thrust and hitting any part of the monster.
This then launches you up into the air and on your way down you will perform a straight slash. Hitting this slash damages the monster for multiple hits and will consume a single level of your Spirit Gauge.
The downside to this attack is that it has a relatively long wind up and if you miss, you will still consume one level of your Spirit Gauge. While in the air, you can move your hunter a little bit to reposition your downward slash.
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Countering With the Longsword
Another useful feature of this weapon is its ability to counter by using Foresight Slash. If you time it correctly, you will not be hit as this attack gives you invincibility frames, commonly known as I-frames, similar to a dodge.
If you successfully evade an attack this way and hit a monster, you will fill up your Spirit Gauge to the maximum. You can then perform a Spirit Roundslash that lets you level up your gauge immediately.
This is the fastest way of leveling up your Spirit Gauge as you skip all of the Spirit Blade attacks and go right for the finisher.
The Special Sheathe
Next is the Spirit Sheathe, which lets your hunter sheathe their weapon and assume a ready stance. You are able to perform two different attacks in this mode, the Iai Slash and the Iai Spirit Slash.
The former does two hits while moving your hunter forward and if you connect either one, you will get a passive where your Spirit Gauge will increase over time automatically. On the other hand, the Iai Spirit Slash also has I-frames and deals devastating damage.
Useful Skills for Longsword
After you master the basics of the Longsword, the next thing you should be looking at are skills that will benefit your playstyle. This weapon does not particularly scale well with elemental damage, which means Raw is your best friend.
This makes the Non-Elemental Boost skill very useful in increasing your damage output to the maximum. Another useful skill is Attack Boost as you want as much damage as you can fit in your build.
Agitator is also a good choice as during the time that a monster is enraged, you will get a boost to your affinity that gives you a chance to do a critical hit. Resuscitate is an underrated defensive option for a skill that basically nullifies the effects of a lot of status ailments, which lets you focus on attacking, according to The Gamer.
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