How to use the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword is, unsurprisingly, a huge sword you can swing around, but you need to understand its Spirit Gauge mechanic to get the most out of it. This isn't new for Monster Hunter Wilds, but it has been revamped somewhat. Now, both normal and spirit attacks are required to fill and level up the Spirit Gauge.

Otherwise, the Long Sword, which is a staple of the RPG series, will be familiar to veteran hunters, packing some decent range and poke capabilities for a melee weapon. That means it's a fairly simple weapon for beginners to pick up but the Spirit Gauge increases the skill ceiling substantially, and this Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword guide will help you get there.

Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword guide

The Long Sword in MH Wilds is comparatively simple weapon that is all about building up the Spirit Gauge, a little bar in the top left that changes color when you do certain attacks. A heightened spirit gauge allows you to do new, more powerful moves, but some of these can drain the gauge, meaning you'll have to build it back up again. The Long Sword is a Monster Hunter Wilds weapon that requires a mix of precision and planned thinking, setting up attacks that will either raise your power level, or unleash the energy you've been building up.

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Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword Spirit Gauge explained

In the top-left hand corner of the HUD, beneath your health and stamina, you'll find your weapon sharpness, and beneath that, the Spirit Gauge. This has four levels, or colors, which determine how much damage your weapon does:

• Grey: 1.0x
• White: 1.02x
• Yellow: 1.04x
• Red: 1.1x

It's important to note this color refers to the outline of the gauge, rather than the bar inside. You can fill the gauge by performing basic attacks, such as the Overhead Slash, Thrust, and Fade Slash.

Once the gauge is full, you should switch to using spirit attacks until the gauge changes color. This means it's increased by one level. Spirit Thrust and Spirit Blade I, II, and III are some examples. Using these will deplete the gauge, so as soon as the color changes, switch back to using normal attacks.

Charge the gauge again until it's full, switch to spirit attacks, rinse and repeat until eventually, the gauge and the outline both turn red. One key thing to remember is that Spirit Roundslash is the outlier, in that performing this also helps charge the gauge. It takes a few seconds to charge, but performing it successfully is one of the most effective ways of increasing your gauge level.

A red Spirit Gauge means you can now perform crimson attacks, which replace all of your normal attacks. These deal more damage and are performed quicker, simply leading to a higher DPS.

Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword moveset

Here are all of the basic Long Sword moves and attacks:

• Overhead Slash
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y
• Thrust
  • PC: RMB
  • PS: Circle
  • XB: B
• Fade Slash
  • PC: LMB + RMB
  • PS: Triangle + Circle
  • XB: Y + B
• Spirit Slash
  • PC: R
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Spirit Thrust
  • PC: R + LMB
  • PS: R2 + Triangle
  • XB: RT + Y
• Spirit Helm Breaker (after Spirit Thrust, when Spirit Gauge is white or higher)
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y
• Spirit Release Slash (after Spirit Helm Breaker, when Spirit Gauge is red)
  • PC: R
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Special Sheathe (after attacking)
  • PC: R + Space
  • PS: R2 + X
  • XB: RT + A
• Iai Slash (after Special Sheathe)
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y
• Iai Spirit Slash (after Special Sheathe)
  • PC: R
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Spirit Roundslash (hold and release)
  • PC: R
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Foresight Slash
  • PC: R + RMB
  • PS: R2 + Circle
  • XB: RT + B

Your goal should be to get a red Spirit Gauge as quickly as possible. Since the Long Sword doesn't have any form of guard, you should also master the art of evading enemy attacks and learning monster move patterns.

Want more help with the Wilds? Check out how to mount monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds to climb over their bodies to strike, or check out all the best Monster Hunter Wilds tips about the game here!

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