The Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades are a great weapon for newcomers, as well as those players who prefer speed and agility, in addition to a focus on affinity and rapidly building status effects through damage. The Dual Blades in MH Wilds are the weapons that got the least amount of overhaul and changes from the last game, but frankly you don't need to fix what ain't broke, and Dual Blades Demon and Archdemon modes remain as potent as ever. Below we'll explain how they work in Monster Hunter Wilds, and explain all the mechanics tied to them.
The Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades explained
The Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Wilds are a pair of small knives (by MH Wilds standards) that focus on mobility and rapid strikes, as well as triggering certain modes that power them up: the Demon, Archdemon and Demon Boost power-ups. Demon Boost is a temporary speed buff that's triggered by a perfect dodge and is basically its own thing, but Demon Mode is a special stamina-draining buff that players can trigger at any time.
Doing damage to enemies in Demon Mode builds a little gauge for the Dual Blades, which eventually fills up and triggers the special Archdemon mode, which is even more powerful and unlocks special attacks. Ultimately, Dual Blades hunters should by dodging around enemies, using rapid strikes and managing their stamina to build to the Archdemon mode, whereupon they can go all-out and prove why this is one of the most reliable Monster Hunter Wilds weapons.
We'll go into more detail below, but the ultimate summary of how they work is this:
- Trigger the stamina-burning Demon Mode to get a temporary buff and fill up the Archdemon Gauge
- When in Archdemon mode, spend the Gauge on your most powerful attacks and combos
- Use the perfect evade and Demon Boost to keep your mobility up.
Demon Mode and Archdemon Mode explained
Demon Mode for the Dual Blades is toggled by pressing R2/RT, which is marked by your hunter holding the blades facing backwards and glowing red. During Demon Mode, you get a boost to damage, movement speed, dodging and knockback immunity, but your stamina constantly drains. When it reaches zero, Demon Mode automatically ends, but you can end it early by pressing the same button again.
Any damage you do to enemies during Demon Mode fills the Demon gauge in the top left corner. When it fully charges, you immediately enter Archdemon Mode, which is marked by the gauge beginning to glow. Archdemon Mode then lasts until the gauge is fully emptied.
Archdemon Mode has no drain on your stamina, and it unlocks powerful new attacks like the Demon Flurry, the most powerful attack that the Dual Blades have to offer, though these attacks are specifically what drain the Archdemon Gauge.
It's important to keep in mind that Archdemon and Demon Mode aren't mutually exclusive - you can have them both active at once. Skilled players will do everything they can to keep Archdemon Mode active, building the gauge up early to trigger it, then using Demon Flurry and its variants to use up the gauge, then triggering Demon Mode to fill it up again.
Demon Boost and Perfect Evades explained
The other major benefit of the Dual Blades is the Demon Boost and Perfect Evades. Dodging an enemy attack during Demon Mode at the very last moment, with your Dual Blades unsheathed, turns your Hunter blue and triggers a twelve-second "Demon Boost".
Demon Boost is a damage and speed buff that also turns your dodges into spinning attacks, so the simple act of evading can hurt nearby enemies. It can be used infinitely, but you have to nail the perfect evade every time. Again, Demon Boost can absolutely be used at the same time as Demon Mode and Archdemon Mode, so you can have all three buffs active in tandem if you play the game right!
Dual Blades tips
Here’s some basic advice for actually using this weapon in the field:
- Get a Dual Blade weapon that inflicts a status effect like Poison or Paralysis. Because the Dual Blades hit so rapidly, these effects get built up on enemies fast.
- The Lunging Strike and Spinning Slash (press Circle/B several times) is a combo that will quickly build the gauge when Demon Mode is active.
- When the enemy gets knocked over, stunned, or temporarily immobilised for any reason, now's the time for those high power moves. Use Blade Dance by rapidly pressing Triangle+Circle/Y+B to carve them up. If Archdemon Mode is active, you can change the combo part way by pressing R2/RT, enhancing it to the more powerful Demon Flurry.
- Practice the Perfect Dodge! It's hard to do, but skilled players effectively never leave the Demon Boost mode, and are all the more deadly for it. If you can't get this right, you'll never get the most out of the Dual Blades.
- Keep a little stamina in the tank. Demon Mode drains it, but try not to fully run out, so you always have some left for evasion.
- The Focus Strike is deadly, as when you land it, it causes your Hunter to roll along the monster's back, carving it up along the way. This actually makes the attack more deadly the larger the monster is - as there's more monster to roll along.
Want more MH Wilds content? Find our Monster Hunter Wilds weaknesses table for advice on how to beat every monster in the game, or check our beginner's guide for MH Wilds for help on how to get started!
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
