Best starter Charge Blade build in Monster Hunter Wilds

Introduced in the Nintendo 3DS-exclusive Monster Hunter 4, the Charge Blade is what many hunters consider the most complex weapon in the series. Not only is it the only weapon that actively punishes you for using it wrong, but it has four separate charge gauges to keep track of. Capcom went wild with this one, but thankfully it actually isn’t too difficult to learn. Once you equip the best Charge Blade build in Monster Hunter Wilds you’ll see just what a beast it is: a true jack of all trades weapon able to deal high damage and quick attacks while offering good defensive capabilities. (If only it could shoot bullets, the Charge Blade would truly do it all).

For those new to the Charge Blade, it's split into two modes—a sword and shield and an axe. Your sword and shield mode will charge up the phials that are under your weapon’s sharpness meter, and these charges can be stored in order to power up the axe with an elemental boost, which grants you access to the powerful element discharge moves. From there you can use the phials to power up your shield, sword, and axe to make them even more powerful.

How to play Charge Blade in Monster Hunter Wilds

You’ll start in sword and shield mode with a regular slash combo on Y and a powerful charge slash from holding B and letting go at the right time. As you attack with this weapon, the outline of the phials will go from white to yellow to red. When yellow or red, you can store the phials (RT + B) as elemental charges (yellow fills three, red fills all five).

• If you go too long without storing the weapon will become overcharged (illustrated by glowing red phials) and your slashes will bounce off the enemy, leaving you unable to combo.
• While the phials are stored you can still earn a charge, and if you store a second batch your charges will become powered up, dealing more damage.

Storing phials will power up your axe form. You can enter axe form in a few ways:

• When sheathed press RT to go straight into axe mode with an attack
• Press RT + Y to do the Morph Slash attack
• Use the Y + B attack three times in a row to use the Amped Element Discharge combo
• When guarding an attack press Y (this powers up your axe upon a Perfect Guard)
• When storing phials (RT + B) press B to do Element Discharge I

Axe mode focuses on slower, stronger attacks and is split across both buttons. The moves mapped to Y are regular axe moves that do not use the phials or elements, while B attacks use up your phials.

• Charged-up attacks will follow each basic hit with a second that does elemental damage, and each B button press uses up one phial.
• You can do the B button moves without charges, but they will be regular axe moves without the follow-up elemental damage.

The ultimate move with the axe is the Amped Element Discharge, a powerful slash that does massive damage and elemental damage. This can be followed up with a second Amped Element Discharge. When your shield is charged, you’ll have access to the extremely powerful Super Amped Element Discharge (Y+B out of an Amped Element Discharge), which does massive damage at the cost of all five phials.

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Charging your weapon

Alongside charging your phials you’ll be charging the individual parts of your weapon too, with the abilities to charge your sword and axe returning from Monster Hunter Rise (and they are both now part of your kit as standard, as opposed to being a choice).

Charging your shield is the number one priority. Not only does it decrease stamina consumption and knockback for guarding, but it also allows you to access the sword charge and the axe’s Super Amped Element Discharge attack.

• To charge the shield, press RT at the start of an Amped Element Discharge attack, which will empty your phials into your shield.

Charging your sword gives your sword the same properties as an elemental axe attack, with the regular attack doing slightly higher damage. These attacks don’t use phials, so go ham.

• To charge the sword, hold Y while storing phials (RT + B) after your shield is already charged which performs the Condensed Element Slash attack.

Charging your axe allows you to perform B attacks without using up phials, and the Amped Element Discharge will only use half a phial, giving you twice as many uses. Your Y attacks can also be held down to give the axe a saw effect, dealing multiple smaller hits with every attack.

• You can charge your axe in two ways: By pressing Y after performing a Perfect Guard, or by using a Focus attack on a monster’s wound.

Best Insect Glaive Low Rank build

This build is all about the Power Prolonger skill, which will allow your Charge Blade parts to remain powered up for longer than usual, with the armor sets focusing on the Doshaguma’s Might group skill, which rewards you with attack buffs for performing a Power Clash (blocking enough monster attacks to trigger a short QTE that lets you knock them over).

• First Weapon: Bone Strongarm

You’re not going to need to worry too much about crafting a Charge Blade during the early hours of Monster Hunter Wilds, but switch out the Hope Strongarm for a Bone Strongarm straight away, as the latter’s Load Shells skill is super useful for the Charge Blade. This skill will increase the Charge Blade’s reloading speed at level 1, but if you upgrade your Bone Strongarm to one with the Load Shells level 2, it will give you five charges from yellow phials. Use this until you fight Uth Duna.

• Second Weapon: Uth Valeroje I

Your second weapon, and probably the last weapon you’ll need in Low Rank. Not only is Uth Valeroje a powerful Charge Blade at 576 attack power, but it also comes with the Water Element, which will help you with the likes of Rompopolo, Rey Dau, and Ajarakan. But the real reason you want this Charge Blade is thanks to the Power Prolonger skill, which allows the Shield, Sword, and Axe charges to stay in play far longer than usual, meaning you can deal higher damage without having to worry about refueling for even longer.

• First armor set: Hope Mask, Hope Mail, Hope Braces, Hope Coil, Hope Greaves

While you can't go wrong with any of the starting armors, the Hope set is a good pick for Charge Blade users. The Stun Resistance skill will reduce the time you’re affected by the Stun status effect, which is very useful since there’s a good chance you’ll take some hits in Axe mode due to its slower attacks. Divine Blessing will give you the chance to reduce the damage taken from attacks, too. Use this set until you fight the Alpha Doshaguma.

• Second armor set: Ingot Helm, Doshaguma Mail, Doshaguma Braces, Doshaguma Coil, Doshaguma Greaves

The Doshaguma armor set has the group skill Doshaguma’s Might, which gives you a large +10 attack buff after performing a successful Power Clash or Offset Attack. The Charge Blade has a Power Clash, which can be performed by blocking certain big attacks, but no offset (boo!).

After beating Uth Duna and Rompopolo, you’ll have access to the Ingot set. I’d pick up the Ingot Helm as it gives you Divine Blessing back, but it’s not a vital upgrade. The next upgrade I’d recommend comes much later, after you come face to face with the Guardian Doshaguma.

• Third armor set: Ingot Helm, G. Doshaguma Mail, G. Doshaguma Braces, G. Doshaguma Coil, G. Doshaguma Greaves

The Guardian Doshaguma set is basically a straight upgrade from the regular one; it once again features the Doshaguma’s Might bonus, which is as useful as ever. The other skill introduced in this set is Heroics, which gives you attack and defense boosts when your health is at 35% or lower, a great buff when paired with Doshaguma’s Might. This set also features a small decoration slot on the helm and the braces, allowing you to slot in a decoration like the Brace Jewel, which prevents knockback.

This set should be able to take you through to High Rank. The most important thing to get down are those Power Clashes from well-timed blocks, and just learning the mechanics of the Charge Blade itself. Easy-peasy, right?