Check out this Monster Hunter World: Iceborne guide and walkthrough on how to use the weapon - Great Sword! Learn recommended combos, skills, play tips, and more!!!
How To Use Great Sword
Related Article On Great Blade
 How To Use | Best Builds |
| Best Skills | Endgame Tier List |
Should I Use Great Sword In Iceborne?
More Powerful True Charged Slash
If you connect the first strike of True Charged Slash, second strike will be stronger. The move itself is the same but the damage increased with this change.
Quicker True Charged Slash With Slinger Burst
New Iceborne move Slinger Burst allows you to let out True Charged Slash quickly. By using it with level 3 Focus skill, you may increase the chance of striking True Charged Slash more frequently.
Quick True Charged Slash Combo
Foresight Slash Combo
- 1. Overhead Slash
- 2. Slinger Burst
- 3. True Charged Slash
| +▶【L2】▶ |
Power Up With New Skill Velkhana Divinity
Velkhana's armor skill Velkhana Divinity raises attack when the weapon is sheathed. With this skill, first strike of sheathed great sword can cause over 300 damage without charging.
Check Out How To Beat Velkhana From HereNew Great Sword Moves In Iceborne
Damage Monster's Hide With Clutch Claw
Clutch Claw action of great sword can damage monster's hide. When monster is wounded, attack to wounded part will have higher damage.
Utilize Slinger Burst
You can strike Slinger Burst right after almost all motions except for True Charge Slash. Strike Slinger Burst after Charged Slash to stagger the monster .
Hit And Run Strategy
Best way to fight with sheathed Great Sword is to strike once & get away from monster to avoid getting hit. When monster is sleeping or falling down, don't try to force True Charge Slash but instead, use Charged Slash to create opening for dodge.
Focus On Monster's Weak Part
To do higher damage with one swing, focus on weak spot of the monster. Avoid monster's attack & repeatedly attack weak point such as its head.
Skill Recommended For Sheathed Great Sword
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Quick Sheath Lv3 | Speed of sheathing weapon increases |
| Critical Draw Lv3 | Draw attack affinity 100% |
| Focus Lv3 | Shorten the time to charge |
| Critical Boost Lv3 | 40% damage boost when critical hit |
| Velkhana Divinity | Spirit Gauge charges when weapon is sheathed and attack power increases (Gauge decrease when attacking) |
Great Sword - Overview & Strengths
Heavy Weapon With Largest Damage Per Hit
In Monster Hunter World, the Great Sword is an extremely strong heavy weapon that has the highest attack damage per hit in the game. It can easily bring down monsters with the amount of damage it can dish out.
Has Good Reach & Range
For a melee weapon, the Great Sword has a good reach and range with its attacks. It has vertical and horizontal slashes that makes it easier for hunters to target specific monster parts such as heads or tails.
Charge Attacks Heavily Hurt & Can Flinch Monsters
Great Swords have Charge Attacks that are extremely powerful. The sheer amount of damage every Charge Attack combined can actually be enough to flinch monsters.
Tackle Can Cancel Charge Attacks & Stun Monsters
This weapon has very slow attack speed which includes Charge Attacks. Doing the Tackle move during a Charge Attack can cancel it, saving you from incoming monster attacks. When timed properly, Tackle can do blunt damage that can stun monsters.
Tackling Won't Knock You Back From Monster Attack
When you successfully tackle a monster, you'll receive the full damage of the monster's attack but will not receive any knockback. This prevents your combos from getting interrupted and allows you to keep pushing damage.
Can Be Used To Block Monster Attacks
The Great Sword can be used to block incoming monster attacks if you do not have time to dodge. Blocking will consume stamina and cause a bit of damage on the monster.
Blocking Will Bring Down Sharpness Bar
Aside from consuming stamina, blocking with the Great Sword will lower its sharpness gauge.
Has Slow Attack Speed & Low Mobility
The Great Sword has very slow attack speed and low mobility. Hunters have to time every single attack perfectly and block properly to make this an effective weapon.
Sharpness Loss Is Low
Due to its slow attack speed, the Great Sword doesn't lose sharpness very fast. This saves you time and lessens your need to sharpen during the fight.
Great Sword - Recommended Combo List
Basic Charged Slash Combo
- 1. Overhead Slash
- 2. Strong Charged Slash
- 3. True Charged Slash
| ▶+▶+ |
This is a basic Great Sword combo that does Charged Slash attacks. Due to the slow attack speed, it's best to build this combo up when the monster is down or staying still.
True Charged Slash Combo
- 1. Dodge
- 2. Tackle
- 3. Charge
- 4. Tackle
- 5. True Charged Slash
- 6. Dodge
| ▶▶▶▶▶ |
A combo that aims close the distance towards the monster. It utilizes the Tackle, which can negate monster knockback, and deal the heavy True Charged Slash.
Tackle + Jumping Wide Slash Combo
- 1. Charge
- 2. Tackle
- 3. Jumping Wide Slash
| ▶▶ |
This combo is perfect to use when you need to cancel charging the Great Sword. Time it properly to do an effective Tackle then dives into a powerful Jumping Wide Slash.
Great Sword - Recommended Skill List
Increase Attack Power, Speed & Negate Combo Interruption
The Great Sword already has large attack power but increasing this more will make it a formidable powerhouse in the game. To counter its weaknesses, skills that increase attack & weapon speed plus those preventing combo interruptions are also useful.
Recommended Skills To Add Attack Power
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| RECOMMENDED! Attack Boost | Increases raw attack power plus affinity rate after a certain level |
| RECOMMENDED! Weakness Exploit | Increases affinity rate of attacks that land on monster weak spots |
| Critical Boost | Increases attack power of critical hits |
| Punishing Draw | Can stun monsters with draw attacks & can increase attack power |
| Critical Draw | Increases affinity rate of draw attacks |
| Handicraft | Increases weapon's sharpness gauge |
Recommended Skills To Counter Weaknesses
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| RECOMMENDED! Quick Sheath | Sheathes weapons faster |
| RECOMMENDED! Focus | Reduces time needed to charge Great Sword |
| Earplugs | Prevents stun from monster shouts |
Great Sword - Gameplay Tips & Tricks
Alternate Between Drawing & Sheathing Weapon
The most basic way of using the Great Sword is alternating between drawing the weapon and sheathing it. Draw the weapon when you plan to do combos then sheathe and run after the monster. Repeat this movement to effectively hunt monsters.
Only Use Guard When You Absolutely Cannot Dodge
Even when the Great Sword can be used to guard against attacks, it's still best to dodge and roll away. Use the Great Sword's guard only when you cannot dodge and just be careful as this can consume a lot of weapon sharpness.
Use True Charged Slash On Sleeping Monsters
Sleeping monsters are prone to receiving bigger damage than when they're awake. Distance yourself from the monster and charge up your Great Sword until you get to the True Charged Slash. Aim for the head or tail to do maximum damage.
True Charged Slash Need Some Distance To Implement
You need to be a few paces away from the monster to fully implement the True Charged Slash. It requires some charging time and room so be sure to estimate your distance properly.
Great Sword - Damage Per Move
Motion values are still being confirmed in-game and damage per move written below is based on the Training Area.
| Weapon Move | Damage |
|---|---|
| True Charged Slash | - 3rd Charge: 201 - 2nd Charge: 192 - 1st Charge: 170 - Overcharge: 170 |
| Midair Charged Slash | 89 |
| Strong Charged Slash | - 3rd Charge: 81 - 2nd Charge: 61 - Overcharge: 69 - 1st Charge: 55 |
| Charged Slash | - 3rd Charge: 76 - 2nd Charge: 59 - Overcharge: 59 - 1st Charge: 40 |
| Jumping Wide Slash | 61 |
| Jumping Slash | 59 |
| Strong Wide Slash | 51 |
| Overhead Slash | 40 |
| Rising Slash | 32 |
| Wide Slash | 22 |
| Tackle | 22 |
| Side Blow | 13 |
| Kick | 4 |
Great Sword - Basic Move List
Basic Move List
| Button | Move |
|---|---|
| | Overhead Slash |
| | Wide Slash |
| + | Rising Slash |
| Charging + Dodging + | Tackle |
| | Charge |
| | Guard |
| + | Kick |
