Monster Hunter Rise: Best Low Rank Long Sword Builds for Early Game

With its recent PC release, Monster Hunter Rise brought hundreds of new players into the Monster Hunter franchise. Newcomers will be in for plenty of tough battles, and even veterans might struggle with some of the newly introduced monsters. Thankfully, players can choose from a variety of different weapons; the game even starts you out with the Long Sword, which is potentially the best weapon type newcomers can use. The Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword is an incredibly versatile weapon, with numerous options for different builds and playstyles.

Monster Hunter Rise Long Sword Builds for Low Rank

New players will need to keep a close eye on their armor’s skills in order to improve the Long Sword’s performance. Some of the best skills a Long Sword can have are:

• Quick Sheath – Allows the Long Sword to perform certain attacks faster.
• Critical Eye – Raises the Long Sword’s affinity.
• Attack Boost – Raises the Long Sword’s base attack.
• Focus – Fills the Long Sword’s Spirit Gauge faster than normal.

Complete armor sets with the most useful skills that Rise’s Long Sword can use include:

• Hunter Set – Contains the skills Quick Sheath and Attack Boost.
• Izuchi Set – Contains Critical Eye, as well as other useful skills like Recovery Speed and Constitution.
• Barioth Set – Contains the skills Critical Eye and Quick Sheath.
• Nargacuga Set – Contains Critical Eye, as well as other useful skills like Evade Window and Evade Extender.

Players should also take a look at mixing in armor pieces from other sets. The Bone Coil, for example, is one of the few Low Rank armor pieces with Focus as a skill.

It’s not just about defense, either; there are many different Long Swords that can be crafted. While some early versions of the weapon can be crafted without fighting any monster, players should try and craft the Aknosom Sabre I as soon as they can, followed by the Hidden Saber I. These are among the best Long Swords you can get early on, and their High Rank upgrades – especially the Hidden Saber’s – will be invaluable in facing stronger foes. Newcomers should also check out the difference between affinity and attack, as well as how to hide displayed armor pieces.

Monster Hunter Rise is available on the Nintendo Switch and on PC. The PC version can be found exclusively on Steam, for a current price of $59.99 USD.