The Great Sword works best when you match your commitment to the opening: land a quick draw Charged Slash when time is short, and save the full Charged Slash → Strong Charged Slash → True Charged Slash route for a knockdown or another long recovery. Focus Mode helps correct your aim as the monster shifts. Treat every longer route as a choice, not a combo you must finish.
How to use the Great Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds
Think in terms of opening, commitment, and exit. Watch what the monster is doing, choose a route that fits the time it is likely to give you, then be ready to reposition or sheath rather than continuing to swing after the opening closes. A reliable hit is usually a better choice than being interrupted while chasing a longer route.
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The practical starting loop is simple: draw into a Charged Slash, then back off or sheath. GameConductor’s guide, updated September 29, 2026, describes this hit-and-run approach as a useful way to learn the weapon. Its combo advice is secondary guidance, not official Capcom documentation; check current actions in the in-game Hunter’s Notes.
Choose a combo that fits the opening
| Situation | Route or action | Why it fits | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short opening or uncertain recovery | Draw Charged Slash, then reposition or sheath | It gives you a more manageable punish without committing to the whole charge route. | The monster may move before you connect; use Focus Mode to adjust your aim. |
| Long opening, such as a knockdown or trap | Charged Slash → Strong Charged Slash → True Charged Slash | You have more time to commit to successive charge stages. | If the monster recovers or shifts early, later stages can leave you exposed or miss. |
| Opening that allows a route advance | Use Tackle during the charge route to advance toward Strong Charged Slash, then continue toward True Charged Slash if time allows | Tackle can make a shorter opening more productive by moving the combo forward. | It is a tactical option, not a guarantee that you are safe from interruption. |
| A wound is available | Focus Strike: Perforating Slash into True Charged Slash | A wound can create a situational route to consider. | Confirm the trigger and current behavior in Hunter’s Notes; these details can change with patches. |
| A readable attack is coming | Time Offset Rising Slash; after a successful offset, the cited guide gives Cross Slash as a follow-up | It can turn a well-read incoming move into an opportunity. | Timing matters, and the cited route is secondary guidance. Practice against familiar, readable attacks. |
When should you use True Charged Slash?
Use True Charged Slash when the monster is unlikely to interrupt the commitment—for example, during a knockdown, trap, or other extended recovery. It is the final stage of the full Charged Slash → Strong Charged Slash → True Charged Slash route, not the automatic answer to every opening.
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#1 Best Overall
- Wild New Adventure – Monster Hunter Wilds follows the story of a special Research Commission investigating the Forbidden Lands. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the hunter is joined in their journey by a colorful cast of characters, including a Palico partner, Guild-appointed Handler Alma, trusty smithy Gemma, and the mysterious child Nata. Together, the team ventures into an unexplored new frontier where surprises await around every corner.
- A Living World – The Forbidden Lands spans multiple biomes with dynamic identities, such as the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, where the ecosystems shift between vibrant seasons brimming with life, and unforgiving climates where monsters fight over limited resources. Changes in the landscape will impact the creatures that live there and push hunters to adapt as well.
- New Monsters and Wildlife – Monster Hunter Wilds features a variety of new creatures, ranging from herds of small species to large monsters – some of which roam the Forbidden Lands in packs. Every creature hunters encounter in the wild has carved out a special place in its habitat and possesses unique attacks and behaviors.
- Players can also now ride atop the Seikret, an agile new mount enabling hunters to traverse difficult terrain, perform actions like sharpening weapons on the move, and switch between two weapons while out on hunts!
- Evolved Hunting Action – The series’ acclaimed action-packed gameplay is back and more exciting than ever! Hunters can look forward to tracking down monsters with an array of new moves, special abilities, equipment, and more. The action also now flows seamlessly from cutscenes to gameplay, resulting in a new level of immersion.
When recovery time is uncertain or brief, take the draw Charged Slash and leave, or use Tackle to advance the route only if the situation gives you room. Decide based on the monster’s recovery and position, not on how much of the combo you have already started.
Use Focus Mode to keep your charge on target
Focus Mode helps you aim, attack, and guard more precisely toward a monster’s weak points. Capcom USA community manager Joseph Bustos described its purpose as giving hunters “more precise control over how they guard, aim, and attack in order to target a monster’s weak points for big damage” in a PlayStation.Blog overview published May 30, 2024. For Great Sword, the practical application is to correct your aim as the monster moves during a charge, rather than assuming it will stay where it was when you began.
Rank #2
- Hunt giant nature-infused bests – Survive their attacks, learn from their behaviors, and use your Karakuri and your weapons in combination to cut these creatures down to size.
- Craft your hunting grounds – You are the only one in Azuma able to wield the Karakuri technology.
- Hunt in a pack, or be a lone wolf – In WILD HEARTS you can face the Kemono alone or unite with up to two friends (or other players) to stalk and hunt your prey.
- Gear up to hunt, hunt to gear up – Create your character, then gather materials from each hunt and build an array of armor and weapons.
Focus Mode does not make a long commitment risk-free. Use it to adjust your line toward the target, while still judging whether there is time to complete the attack.
Build timing and positioning before extending combos
- Read the recovery first. Wait for a clear opening instead of swinging simply because the weapon is drawn.
- Commit in stages. Start with the draw Charged Slash; add later stages when the monster’s recovery supports them.
- Correct your aim. Use Focus Mode when the monster shifts during a charge.
- Use Tackle selectively. It can advance the route, but do not treat it as guaranteed protection.
- Plan an exit. Reposition or sheath when the opening ends rather than forcing another attack.
Guard and Tackle are options to weigh against the situation, not reasons to ignore the monster’s threat. The available guidance does not establish exact damage reduction or invulnerability claims for these actions, so check their current descriptions in Hunter’s Notes.
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Check controls on your platform
Move names are more dependable than memorized button strings. GameConductor lists PlayStation defaults and Xbox equivalents, while PC bindings depend on the player’s settings; these are not official control documentation. Check the current Hunter’s Notes and your own control settings before practicing. Do not assume controls from an earlier Monster Hunter game match Wilds.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Wild New Adventure – Monster Hunter Wilds follows the story of a special Research Commission investigating the Forbidden Lands. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the hunter is joined in their journey by a colorful cast of characters, including a Palico partner, Guild-appointed Handler Alma, trusty smithy Gemma, and the mysterious child Nata. Together, the team ventures into an unexplored new frontier where surprises await around every corner.
- A Living World – The Forbidden Lands spans multiple biomes with dynamic identities, such as the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, where the ecosystems shift between vibrant seasons brimming with life, and unforgiving climates where monsters fight over limited resources. Changes in the landscape will impact the creatures that live there and push hunters to adapt as well.
- New Monsters and Wildlife – Monster Hunter Wilds features a variety of new creatures, ranging from herds of small species to large monsters – some of which roam the Forbidden Lands in packs. Every creature hunters encounter in the wild has carved out a special place in its habitat and possesses unique attacks and behaviors.
- Evolved Hunting Action – The series’ acclaimed action-packed gameplay is back and more exciting than ever! Hunters can look forward to tracking down monsters with an array of new moves, special abilities, equipment, and more. The action also now flows seamlessly from cutscenes to gameplay, resulting in a new level of immersion.
- Crossplay Multiplayer – Alongside the option to enjoy the story of Monster Hunter Wilds solo, hunters can join up to three other players across any platform to explore the world together and take on the game’s challenges as a hunting party or receive aid from notable story characters as Support Hunter NPCs.
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