MHW Great Sword Guide: Trees & Attacks

The Great Sword is designed to cut and slash with a wider arching reach that fluidly incorporates these attacks with some footwork and stance changes.

Every strike that hits your enemy charges up your spirit gauge, increasing the power of your attacks and allowing you to chain your combos as well as unleash the helm splitter attack which slashes once with multiple instances of damage.

This guide will discuss the Great Sword’s of Monster Hunter World and the various attack styles you can perform along with their pros and cons.

Great Sword Trees

Defender

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Defender Great Sword V	1056	Immortal Dragon Scale x1	0%	Blast	390	0

Ore

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Buster Sword III	480	Earth Crystal x2, Machalite Ore x2, Iron Ore x 5	0%	None	0	0
Buster Blade III	672	Carbalite Ore x8, Dragonite Ore x5, Dragonvein Crystal x2	0%	Poison	(240)	1
Chrome Razor II	864	Elder Dragon Blood x2, Fucium Ore x13, Carbalite Ore x20, Firecell Stone x1	0%	Poison	(420)	2

Nergigante

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Purgation’s Atrocity	1008	Xeno’jiiva Horn x2, Nergigante Horn+ x5, Nergigante Talon x5, Nergigante Gem x1	0%	Dragon	150	1

Thunder Element

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Thunder Blade II	624	Monster Bone+ x2, Tobi-Kadachi Electrode x2, Tobi-Kadachi Membrane x2, Warped Bone x2	0%	Thunder	150	0
Lightning Punisher II	912	Elder Dragon x3, Tobi-Kadachi Electrode+ x4 Tobi-Kadachi Claw+ x6, Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Thunder	240	1

Ice Element

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Freeze Blade II	624	Carbalite Ore x5, Legiana Tail Webbing x2, Legiana Webbing x3, Shamos Scale+ x5	0%	Ice	270	1
Frost Blaze	768	Elder Dragon Blood x3, Legiana Claw+ x5, Legiana Hide+ x3, Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Ice	390	1

Great Jagras

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Jagras Blade III	672	Monster Bone+ x3, Great Jagras Scale x5, Great Jagras Claw x3, Great Jagras Mane x3	0%	None	0	0
Jagras Hacker III	912	Vaal Hazak Talon x2, Great Jagras Claw+ x8, Great Jagras Hide+ x6, Nova Crystal x1	0%	Water	(300)	2

Great Girros

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Girros Blade II	624	Diablos Fang x2, Great Girros Fang x3, Great Girros Hood x2, Paralysis Sac x2	15%	Paralysis	240	0
Malady’s Kiss III	768	Vaal Hazak Fang+ x2, Great Girros Fang+ x5, Great Girros Hood+ x3, Bird Wyvern Gem x1	20%	Paralysis	450	0

Lavasioth

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Lava Blaze II	864	Teostra Mane x2, Lavasioth Fin+ x3, Lavasioth Fang+ x3, Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Fire	330	1

Pukei-Pukei

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Blooming Blade III	624	Monster Bone+ x2, Pukei-Pukei Quill x4, Pukei-Pukei Sac x2, Poison Sac x2	0%	Poison	360	0
Datura Blaz III	816	Vaal Hazak Wing x2, Pukei-Pukei Sac+ x4, Pukei-Pukei Wing x6, Bird Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Poison	540	2

Rathalos

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Flame Blade II	720	Rathalos Scale x6, Rathalos Tail x2, Rathalos Plate x1, Inferno Sac x3	10%	Fire	150	0
Rathalos Glin Sword	266	Azure Rathalos Scale+ x8, Azure Rathalos Tail x3, Teostra Horn+ x2, Rathalos Ruby x1	15%	Fire	240	1

Bone

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Bone Blade III	576	Monster Bone M x2, Ancient Bone x1	0%	None	0	0
Bone Slasher III	768	Monster Keenbone x2, Monster Bone+ x2, Quality Bone x2	0%	Ice	(180)	1
Giant Jawblade II	912	Elder Dragon Bone x4, Monster Hardbone x6, Quality Bone x20, Dragonbone Relic x1	0%	Ice	(300)	1

Vaal Hazak

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Leviathan’s Fury	960	Xeno’Jiiva Veil x3, Vaal Hazak Talon x6, Vaal Hazak Tail x2, Vaal Hazak Gem x1	0%	Dragon	300	1

Anjanath

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Anja Scimitar III	693	Anjanath Pelt+ x4, Vaal Hazak Fang+ x5, Anjanath Nosebone+ x2, Anjanath Gem x1	-30%	Fire	480	0

Water Element

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Aqua Slasher III	672	Monster Bone+ x2, Jyuratodus Fang x4, Jyuratodus Shell x3, Gaju Whisker x3	0%	Water	180	0
Water Golem III	912	Elder Dragon Blood x3, Jyuratodus Fin+ x6, Jyuratodus Fang+ x5 Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Water	300	1

Barroth Tree

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Carapace Buster III	720	Diablos Shell x3, Barroth Claw x4, Barroth Scalp x2, Monster Bone+ x3	-20%	None	0	0
Barroth Shredder III	960	Nergigante Horn+ x1, Barroth Claw+ x5, Barroth Ridge+ x5, Wyvern Gem x1	-20%	Paralysis	(390)	2

Radobaan

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Spiked Blade II	672	Monster Bone+ x3, Wyvern Bonemass x3, Radobaan Oilshell x2, Radobaan Marrow x1	0%	Sleep	180	0
Radobaan Slab III	912	Elder Dragon Bone x5, Radobaan Carapace x6, Coma Sac x4, Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Sleep	270	0

Dragonbone

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Dragonbone Cleaver III	768	Elder Dragon Bone x10, Brutal Bone x4, Dragonbone Relic x2, Wyvern Gem x1	0%	Dragon	420	1

Kirin

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
King Thunder Sword	768	Xeno’Jiiva Shell x4, Kirin Azure Horn x6, Kirin Thundertail x3, Novacrystal x2	0%	Thunder	540	0

Zorah Magdaros

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Magda Potestas II	1056	Xeno’Jiiva Shell x4, Zorah Magdaros Ridge x2, Zorah Magdaros Pleura x2, Firecell Stone x3	-20%	Blast	420	1

Black Steel

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Blacksteel Chopper II	576	Firecell Stone x1, Fucium Ore x5, Carbalite Ore x10, Wyvern Gem x1	10%	Dragon	120	0
Daora’s Decimator	864	Xeno’Jiiva Wing x2, Daora Horn+ x5, Daora Claw+ x4, Daora Gem x1	10%	Ice	270	1

Xeno’Jiiva

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Xeno Milq	816	Xeno’jiiva Claw x4, Xeno’jiiva Shell x6, Xeno’jiiva Tail x2, Xeno’jiiva Gem x1	15%	Dragon	210	2

Workshop Weapon

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Great Wyvern Jawblade	960	Ace Hunter Coin x5, Brute Coin x4, Flying Coin x4, Wyvern Gem x2	0%	Blast	(330)	1

Deviljho

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Anguish	1104	Elder Dragon Blood x5, Deviljho Scalp x2, Deviljho Tallfang x5, Deviljho Gem x1	-30%	Dragon	240	0

Wyvern Ignition

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Wyvern Ignition “Impact”	1008	Master Craftsman’s Blueprint x3, Elder Dragon Blood x2, Firecell Stone x5, Wyvern Gem x1	30%	Fire	(510)	2

Lunastra

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Empress Galea “Blaze”	864	Research Commission Ticket x1, Lunastra Horn x2, Teostra Horn+ x3, Bazelgeuse Gem x1	20%	Blast	270	2

Lunastra/Nergigante

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Empress Galea “Ruin”	912	Research Commission Ticket x1, Lunastra Wing x3, Nergigante Horn+ x3 Nergigante Gem x1	0%	Blast	210	2

Lunastra/Xeno’Jiiva

Weapon Name	Attack	Materials Required	Affinity	Element	Elemental Damage	Slot
Empress Galea “Styx”	864	Research Commission Ticket x1, Lunastra Tail x2, Xeno’jiiva Horn x3, Xeno’jiiva Gem x1	10%	Blast	330	2

Attacks

Step Slash/Overhead Slash

This can be done before unsheathing or moving forward as you attack which is also your initial drawn attack before you can use your charged attacks.

Tackle

The Tackle attack is more of a defensive maneuver instead of an offensive one that allows the user to endure heavy attacks or counter attacking them and making monsters stumble instead.

Falling Slash/Charged Slash

This attack can either be a regular mounting attack but will change to a heavy Charged Attack if you hold down your attack as you fall and hit the monster instead, ignoring a mounting opportunity.

Charged Slash

The Charged Slash is a special attack of the Great Sword that increases the damage of your strike significantly.

Strong Charged Slash

After releasing your first Charged Slash you can chain this Strong Charged attack to deal another heavy attack towards your enemies.

True Charged Slash

As the final Charged attack chains the True Charged Slash, it will hit with the first swing dealing a small amount of damage.

It can then use that attack to propel the wielder forward a short distance using the full weight of the Great Sword to deal twice as much damage than the first two Charged slashes in the chain.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Heavy Attacks
Able to use the weapon to block damage
Wide and High arching attacks

Cons

Slow walk speed
Slow attack speed

Verdict

The Great Sword is a heavy hitting weapon and even though slow to wield, it is preferred by hunters that want to show their dominion over monsters.

This weapon is more of a cleaving weapon that can go through tough hide and easily cut off tails of monsters with ease and is certainly a weapon for more experienced hunters that can predict and anticipate openings for these slow but devastating attacks.

Overall, the Great Sword is certainly a powerful weapon in the right hands where you can be surprised on how quickly the user can slay monsters with its great power.