Long Sword in Monster Hunter World: An In-Depth Guide for Combos, Tips and Tricks

Key Takeaways:

1. Versatility and Reach: The Long Sword offers a balanced mix of speed, power, and range, making it suitable for beginners and experts alike.
2. Master the Spirit Gauge: Keeping the Spirit Gauge maxed out (red level) is essential for unlocking the weapon’s full potential.
3. Timing and Positioning Are Crucial: The Long Sword relies heavily on well-timed dodges, counters, and position adjustments to maximize damage and avoid attacks.

The Long Sword is one of the most versatile weapons in Monster Hunter World, known for its smooth handling, long reach, and effective counterattacks. Though it doesn’t have the raw power of some other weapons, it shines due to its ease of use, flexibility in combat, and high mobility. The weapon has a unique combination of speed and reach, making it an appealing choice for both beginners and seasoned hunters looking to take on any quest.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the Long Sword, from basic combos to advanced techniques, ensuring you’re fully prepared to master this incredible weapon. So, grab your Long Sword and get ready to unleash its true potential!

Why Choose the Long Sword?

Pros and Cons of the Long Sword

Pros:

• High mobility: With moves like the Foresight Slash, the Long Sword allows you to quickly dodge and counterattack, giving you an edge in battles.
• Long reach: The Long Sword’s length keeps you at a safe distance from monsters while still dealing damage.
• Easy to learn: Unlike more complex weapons, the Long Sword’s mechanics are relatively straightforward, making it accessible for beginners.
• Consistent damage output: Thanks to the Spirit Gauge, the Long Sword has excellent sustained damage potential when used effectively.

Cons:

• Difficult to master: While easy to pick up, the Long Sword has a high skill ceiling due to its reliance on perfect timing.
• Teamplay issues: The weapon’s wide swings can flinch teammates in multiplayer, so careful positioning is essential.
• Reliant on timing: Many of the Long Sword’s powerful moves require precise timing to execute effectively.
• Requires setup time: To maximize its damage, the Long Sword needs time to power up the Spirit Gauge.

Understanding the Spirit Gauge

One of the key mechanics of the Long Sword is the Spirit Gauge. You’ll notice a katana-shaped icon below your stamina bar that fills up as you land hits. This gauge is critical to the Long Sword’s effectiveness because it powers up your attacks and increases your damage as it levels up.

The Spirit Gauge has three levels, represented by colours:

• White
• Yellow
• Red

Each colour level increases your weapon’s damage. Your goal as a Long Sword user is to maintain the Spirit Gauge at the red level, as this significantly boosts your damage output.

Basic Long Sword Moves and Combos

Knowing your basic combos is essential to getting the most out of the Long Sword. Here are the main moves and combos you’ll need to know:

Key Combos and Moves

Advanced Iceborne Moveset

With the Iceborne expansion, the Long Sword gains two additional moves:

• Special Sheath (R2 + ╳ after any attack): Puts your sword in a sheath, allowing you to follow up with powerful attacks.
• Iai Slash (△ while in Special Sheath): A forward-moving two-hit combo that helps fill the Spirit Gauge gradually.
• Iai Spirit Slash (R2 while in Special Sheath): A powerful counterattack with iframes and hyperarmor, dealing heavy damage without consuming your Spirit Gauge.

Essential Long Sword Techniques

To truly excel with the Long Sword, mastering a few essential techniques will make a world of difference. The following moves and strategies will help you maintain your Spirit Gauge, optimize damage, and stay mobile during tough fights.

Using the Foresight Slash

The Foresight Slash is one of the most useful moves in your arsenal. Not only does it allow you to dodge incoming attacks, but it also gives you a chance to level up your Spirit Gauge if used correctly. To execute a Foresight Slash, press R2 + ◯. If you time this move perfectly to dodge an enemy attack, you’ll hear a sound cue indicating that the dodge was successful, and your Spirit Gauge will fill up.

Executing the Spirit Helmbreaker

When your Spirit Gauge is at the red level, you gain access to the Spirit Helmbreaker, the Long Sword’s most powerful attack. This move requires a bit of setup, but it delivers significant damage. To use it, initiate with R2 + △ and then press △ again. Due to its long animation, timing is crucial aim to use this move when you’re certain it’ll land, or after a monster has been knocked down.

Leveraging the Fade Slash

The Fade Slash (△ + ◯) allows you to reposition quickly, which can be invaluable for avoiding attacks and ensuring you hit the monster’s weak points. While it doesn’t have the invincibility frames of the Foresight Slash, it helps you stay mobile and keep up your combo momentum.

Special Sheath and Iai Attacks

If you have Iceborne, the Special Sheath offers new combo options. Use R2 + ╳ after any attack to enter a sheathed stance. From here, you can follow up with:

• Iai Slash: Press △ to perform a two-hit combo that moves you forward slightly. It gradually refills the Spirit Gauge over time.
• Iai Spirit Slash: Press R2 for a counterattack that deals massive damage if timed correctly. This move has iframes and hyperarmor, making it ideal for countering strong attacks.

Tips for Charging the Spirit Gauge Faster

Charging your Spirit Gauge quickly is critical to maintaining your damage output. Here are a few tips to help you fill it up more efficiently:

1. Perfect Foresight Slash: Use the Foresight Slash to dodge an attack, then immediately follow up with a Spirit Roundslash. This will fill your Spirit Gauge completely if timed perfectly.
2. Mid-Air Spirit Slash: Dodge off a ledge and press R2 to perform a mid-air Spirit Slash. Once you land, press R2 again to initiate the final three-hit combo of the Spirit Blade sequence, which finishes with a Spirit Roundslash to level up your gauge.
3. Thrust for Quick Access: Using the Thrust (◯) move can quickly transition into Foresight Slash or Special Sheath, giving you more opportunities to counter and level up the gauge.
4. Special Sheath for Animation Canceling: Special Sheath can also be used to cancel the recovery time after moves like Spirit Helmbreaker, allowing you to return to combat quickly.

Recommended Skills and Builds for Long Sword

To maximize your Long Sword’s potential, consider the following skills:

• Quick Sheath: Speeds up your Special Sheath, allowing for quicker follow-ups with Iai Slash or Iai Spirit Slash.
• Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit: Boosts your critical hit chance, which synergizes well with the Long Sword’s high hit rate.
• Evade Window and Evade Extender: Increases the iframes and distance of your dodges, making Foresight Slash more forgiving.
• Focus: Increases the charge rate of the Spirit Gauge, letting you reach the red level faster.

FAQs

1. Is the Long Sword beginner-friendly in Monster Hunter World? Yes, the Long Sword is accessible for beginners due to its straightforward moves and decent damage. However, it requires practice to master its timing-based mechanics like Foresight Slash.

2. How does the Long Sword perform in multiplayer? While powerful, the Long Sword’s wide swings can flinch teammates, so be mindful of positioning in multiplayer sessions to avoid disrupting allies.

3. What’s the best way to raise the Spirit Gauge quickly? Using Foresight Slash to dodge and following up with Spirit Roundslash is the fastest way. Perfectly timing the Foresight Slash will fully fill the gauge if the follow-up attack connects.

4. Which expansion adds the Special Sheath moves? The Iceborne expansion adds the Special Sheath, Iai Slash, and Iai Spirit Slash, offering advanced combo options for experienced Long Sword users.