Check out this Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) guide on the best update 3.0 Sword and Shield (SNS) builds. Includes recommended equipment, skills, best armor and endgame builds in MH Rise.
Table of Contents
Sword & Shield (SNS) 3.0 Update Endgame Builds
| Build | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| ▼Tigrex High Attack Build | ★★★★ |
| ▼Rampage SNS Dragonheart | ★★★★ |
| ▼Hi Ninja Sword SNS | ★★★・ |
| ▼Valstrax SNS Dragonheart | ★★★・ |
| ▼Narga SNS Dragonheart | ★★・・ |
Tigrex High Attack Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigrex Sword |  | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 228 | - | -15% | - | |
| Decorations | - | |||
| Rampage Skill | Attack Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor & Skills
Build Materials List| Slot | Materials |
|---|---|
| Head | Teostra Mane x3 Teostra Carapace x5 Teostra Horn+ x1 Magna Soulprism x2 |
| Chest | Armored Bream x1 Speartuna x1 Quality Fin x2 Dragonite Ore x3 |
| Arms | Lagombi Plastron+ x3 Lagombi Frozenclaw x2 Gracium x3 Beast Gem x1 |
| Waist | Anjanath Pelt+ x4 Anjanath Scale+ x2 Monster Hardbone x2 Anjanath Gem x1 |
| Legs | Fucium Ore x2 Dragonite Ore x3 Gracium x2 Monster Keenbone x2 |
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Has a white sharpness level ・Even with Critical Eye and Critical Boost, Affinity still remains at 75% ・Does not require Razor Sharp as you can attack with the shield to prevent sharpness reduction |
Rampage SNS + Valstrax Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rampage Sword S | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 210 | - | 20% | - | |
| Decorations | - | |||
| Rampage Skill | 1: Sharpness Type I 2: Non-elemental Boost 3: Affinity Surge | |||
Recommended Armor & Skills
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Valstrax Helm | Critical Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Chest | Valstrax Mail | Handicraft Jewel 3 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Arms | Valstrax Braces | Critical Jewel 2 | |||||||||
| Waist | Valstrax Coil | Critical Jewel 2 | |||||||||
| Legs | Valstrax Greaves | Handicraft Jewel 3 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Talisman | Critical Eye Lv. 2 | Expert Jewel 2 (If slotted) | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Dragonheart Lv. 5, Critical Eye Lv. 3, Weakness Exploit Lv. 3, Resuscitate Lv. 3, Resentment Lv. 3, Speed Sharpening Lv. 3, Critical Boost Lv. 3, Handicraft Lv. 2 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 400 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | 18 | ||||||
| Parts | Materials |
|---|---|
| Valstrax Helm | Gleaming Shell x5 Crimson Liquid x2 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Rakna-Kadaki Glowgut x2 |
| Valstrax Mail | Valstrax Spineshell x2 Shimmering Scale x6 Rouge Spikewing x2 Magna Soulprism x2 |
| Valstrax Braces | Shimmering Scale x6 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Spineshell x2 Teostra Powder x2 |
| Valstrax Coil | Gleaming Shell x6 Crimson Liquid x2 Rouge Spikewing x2 Bazelgeuse Fuse x2 |
| Valstrax Greaves | Gleaming Shell x5 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Tail x2 Red Serpent Orb x1 |
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Requires you to maintain less than 80% health ・With Weakness Exploit, Affinity caps at 85% ・Use Shield attacks to prevent sharpness deterioration ・Attack power is slightly less than the Tigrex Sword ・High critical chance provides reliable high attack power |
Hi Ninja Sword SNS Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Ninja Sword | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 200 | - | 100% | - | |
| Decorations | Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Silkbind Boost | |||
Recommended Armor & Skills
Build Materials List| Slot | Materials |
|---|---|
| Head | Chameleos Spike x2 Chameleos Hide+ x5 Chameleos Claw+ x1 Toxin Sac x3 |
| Chest | Armored Bream x1 Speartuna x1 Quality Fin x2 Dragonite Ore x3 |
| Arms | Tigrex Carapace x3 Tigrex Claw+ x3 Tigrex Scale+ x1 Fucium Ore x4 |
| Waist | Anjanath Pelt+ x4 Anjanath Scale+ x2 Monster Hardbone x2 Anjanath Gem x1 |
| Legs | High-quality Pelt x2 Twisted Rockbone x2 |
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Weapon comes with 100% Affinity ・Green sharpness is long enough to not require sharpness skills ・Attack hard parts ・More powerful with Mind's Eye activated |
Valstrax SNS Dragonheart Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion Orgul | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 188 | 34 | 0% | - | |
| Decorations | Critical Jewel 2 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Attack Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor & Skills
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Valstrax Helm | Critical Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Chest | Valstrax Mail | Critical Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Arms | Valstrax Braces | Expert Jewel 2 | |||||||||
| Waist | Valstrax Coil | Expert Jewel 2 | |||||||||
| Legs | Valstrax Greaves | Expert Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Talisman | Critical Eye Lv. 2 | Expert Jewel 2 (if slotted) | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv. 6, Dragonheart Lv. 5, Weakness Exploit Lv. 3, Resuscitate Lv. 3, Resentment Lv. 3, Critical Boost Lv. 3, Speed Sharpening Lv. 3 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 400 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -7 | 18 | ||||||
| Parts | Materials |
|---|---|
| Valstrax Helm | Gleaming Shell x5 Crimson Liquid x2 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Rakna-Kadaki Glowgut x2 |
| Valstrax Mail | Valstrax Spineshell x2 Shimmering Scale x6 Rouge Spikewing x2 Magna Soulprism x2 |
| Valstrax Braces | Shimmering Scale x6 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Spineshell x2 Teostra Powder x2 |
| Valstrax Coil | Gleaming Shell x6 Crimson Liquid x2 Rouge Spikewing x2 Bazelgeuse Fuse x2 |
| Valstrax Greaves | Gleaming Shell x5 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Tail x2 Red Serpent Orb x1 |
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Hitting enemy weak spots raises affinity to 80% ・If attacking mainly with sword, you can use Valstrax Soul as your Rampage Skill ・Requires less than 80% HP to fully utilize |
Narga SNS Dragonheart Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash in the Night | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 188 | - | 30% | - | |
| Decorations | Critical Jewel 2 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Attack Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor & Skills
Builds Materials List| Parts | Materials |
|---|---|
| Valstrax Helm | Gleaming Shell x5 Crimson Liquid x2 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Rakna-Kadaki Glowgut x2 |
| Valstrax Mail | Valstrax Spineshell x2 Shimmering Scale x6 Rouge Spikewing x2 Magna Soulprism x2 |
| Valstrax Braces | Shimmering Scale x6 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Spineshell x2 Teostra Powder x2 |
| Valstrax Coil | Gleaming Shell x6 Crimson Liquid x2 Rouge Spikewing x2 Bazelgeuse Fuse x2 |
| Valstrax Greaves | Gleaming Shell x5 Valstrax Claw+ x2 Valstrax Tail x2 Red Serpent Orb x1 |
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・With Weakness exploit, Affinity raises to 95% ・Wirebug Whisperer increases your chances of doing Wyvern Ride attacks ・Requires less than 80% HP to fully activate skills |
Sword & Shield Endgame Builds 2.0 Update
View Older (Pre 3.0) Endgame Builds HereNew Builds List
Tigrex Attack Based Sword & Shield Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigrex Sword | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 228 | - | -15% | - | |
| Decoration | ||||
| Rampage Skill | Attack Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Kaiser Crown | Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Chest | Vaik Mail S | Attack Jewel 2 Critical Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Arms | Lagombi Vambraces S | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Waist | Anjanath Coil S | Critical Jewel 2 Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Legs | Ingot Greaves S | Brace Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Talisman | Weakness Exploit Lv 2 | Attack Jewel 2 (Optional) | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv. 7, Attack Boost Lv. 6, Critical Boost Lv. 3, Weakness Exploit Lv. 3, Speed Sharpening Lv. 3, Stamina Thief Lv. 2, Ice Attack Lv. 1, Flinch Free Lv. 1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 262 | 3 | -4 | -1 | 0 | -3 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・The white sharpness gauge provides higher attack power than Spiked Bat. ・Even with Exploit Weakness active, your critical rate is only 75%, which is rather unreliable. ・You don’t need to run Razor Sharpness on this build, as you’ll be relying on shield attacks, which don’t reduce sharpness. |
Narga Master's Touch Sword & Shield Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash in the Night | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 188 | 30% | |||
| Decoration | Mastery Jewel 2 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Attack Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Kaiser Crown | Drain Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Chest | Vaik Mail S | Mastery Jewel 2 Mastery Jewel 2 Drain Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Arms | Lagombi Vambraces S | Critical Jewel 2 Drain Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Waist | Anjanath Coil S | Critical Jewel 2 Steadfast Jewel 1 Steadfast Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Legs | Ingot Greaves S | Steadfast Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Talisman | Weakness Exploit Lv 2 | Attack Jewel 2 (Optional) | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv. 7, Attack Boost Lv. 5, Critical Boost Lv. 3, Master's Touch Lv. 3, Stamina Thief Lv. 3, Stun Resistance Lv. 3, Weakness Exploit Lv. 2, Ice Attack Lv. 1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 262 | 3 | -4 | -1 | 0 | -3 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Weapon's Affinity Rate with Critical Eye is 70% ・The Affinity Rate can raise up to 100% if Critical Boost is activated ・Master's Touch helps to reduces your sharpness loss rate. |
Spiked Bat Sword & Shield Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spiked Bat | ||||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 230 | - | 3% | - | |
| Decoration | ||||
| Rampage Skill | Critical Boost III | |||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Kaiser Crown | Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Chest | Vaik Mail S | Critical Jewel 2 Critical Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Arms | Lagombi Vambraces S | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Waist | Anjanath Coil S | Attack Jewel 2 Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Legs | Ingot Greaves S | Brace Jewel 1 | |||||||||
| Talisman | Weakness Exploit Lv 2 | Attack Jewel 2 (Optional) | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv. 7, Attack Boost Lv. 6, Critical Boost Lv. 3, Weakness Exploit Lv. 3, Speed Sharpening Lv. 3, Stamina Thief Lv. 2, Ice Attack Lv. 1, Flinch Free Lv. 1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 262 | 3 | -4 | -1 | 0 | -3 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・Higher Attack damage than Flash in the Night & Hi Ninja Sword. ・It is hard to deal critical damage unless hit the enemy's weak spots. ・Has 93% Affinity Rate when Weakness Exploit is activated. ・You don’t need to run Razor Sharpness on this build, as you’ll be relying on shield attacks, which don’t reduce sharpness. |
Hi Ninja Sword Bludgeoner Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Ninja Sword | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 200 | 100% | |||
| Decoration | Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 Drain Jewel 1 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Skillbind Boost | |||
Recommended Armor
Build Materials List| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・The weapon alone can get you up to 100% Affinity rate. ・You do not need to sharpen your weapon often due to the long Green Sharpness Gauge. ・Can attack the Monster's Hard Parts. ・Mind's Eye activation can raise the weapon's ATK. |
Hi Ninja Sword Handicraft Build
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon Name | Sharpness | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi Ninja Sword | | |||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense | |
| 200 | - | 100% | - | |
| Decoration | Grinder Jewel 1 Grinder Jewel 1 Grinder Jewel 1 | |||
| Rampage Skill | Skillbind Boost | |||
Recommended Armor
Build Materials List| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| ・The weapon alone can get you up to 100% Affinity rate. ・This build also has Protective Polish & Wirebug Whisperer skills. ・Attack Power is slightly lower than Narga Master's Touch Sword & Shield Build. ・You can choose either Protective Polish Lv 2 Talisman or Wirebug Whisperer Talisman if there's no slot 2. |
Sword & Shield - High Rank Builds
All-Around High Rank Sword & Shield
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon | Sharpness | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Beater II | | ||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense |
| 170 | - | 0% | - |
| Decoration | - | ||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decoration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Izuchi Helm S | - | |||||||||
| Chest | Hunter Mail S | - | |||||||||
| Arms | Alloy Vambraces S | - | |||||||||
| Waist | Baggi Coil S | - | |||||||||
| Legs | Baggi Greaves S | - | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv3, Attack Boost Lv4, Handicraft Lv1, Water Attack Lv1, Sleep Resistance Lv1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 173 | -7 | -3 | -5 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Handicraft are all-around skills that this build makes use of. You can also use this for other melee weapons if you want to try them out. |
Sword & Shield - Low Rank Builds
Build For 2★ Quests
Recommended Weapon
| Weapon | Sharpness | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter's Knife II | | ||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense |
| 100 | - | 0% | - |
| Decoration | - | ||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decorations | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Izuchi Helm | - | |||||||||
| Chest | Hunter's Mail | - | |||||||||
| Arms | Alloy Vambraces | - | |||||||||
| Waist | Alloy Coil | - | |||||||||
| Legs | Baggi Greaves | - | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Critical Eye Lv3, Attack Boost Lv2, Water Attack Lv1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 44 | -4 | -2 | -5 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| If you're still doing Village ★2 quests, you probably won't have very many Sword and Shield skills available. At this stage, focusing on Attack Boost and Critical Eye will be your safest and best bet. |
Equipment For 4★ Quests
Recommended Weapons
| Weapon | Sharpness | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Exorcising Sword I | | ||
| Attack | Element | Affinity | Defense |
| 120 | - | 0% | - |
| Decoration | - | ||
Recommended Armor
| Equipment | Decorations | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Basarios Helm | - | |||||||||
| Chest | Barroth Mail | - | |||||||||
| Arms | Bnahabra Gloves | - | |||||||||
| Waist | Basarios Coil | - | |||||||||
| Legs | Basarios Greaves | - | |||||||||
| Skills | |||||||||||
| Defense Lv5, Attack Boost Lv1, Evade Window Lv1, Speed Sharpening Lv1, Load Shells Lv1 | |||||||||||
| Defense | | | | | | ||||||
| 127 | -5 | -7 | 6 | 2 | -7 | ||||||
| Key Points About This Build | |
|---|---|
| This build focuses on increasing your defensive abilities and boosting your evasion via the Evade Window skill. Even just level 1 in this skill makes a big difference! That being said, if you do get hit you'll be tanky enough for it not to matter as much. |
Sword & Shield - Recommended Skills
| Skill Name | Effect / Reason |
|---|---|
| Attack Boost (Priority: ★★★) | 【Effect】 Increases overall attack power. At higher levels, it also increases Affinity 【Reason】 Increases the damage of your every attack. Aim for at least Level 4 or higher |
| Razor Sharp (Priority: ☆★★) | 【Effect】 Lowers the loss of sharpness when attacking 【Reason】 When sharpness drops, so does your attack power. Better to have Sharpness up as much as possible |
| Weakness Exploit (Priority: ☆★★) | 【Effect】 Increases damage done when attacking a monster's weak point. 【Reason】 Since the Greatsword focuses on specific areas, this skill will help further increase your damage. Always aim for the head or tail |
| Critical Eye (Priority: ☆★★) | 【Effect】 Increases affinity 【Reason】 Increases the chance of getting critical hits whenever you attack an enemy |
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