Newcomers to the Monster Hunter series often choose Sword and Shield because of its smooth attacks, quick sheathing, and beginner-friendly feel. But any Monster Hunter veteran will tell you this weapon is far from being shallow or simple. In fact, in the hands of a master, the Sword and Shield can be one of Monster Hunter Rise’s most versatile weapons. 

Here are 5 of the best builds for the Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise:

1. Wroggi Poison

Dirty Graf Wroggi Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise

The Dirty Graf is an excellent choice for players looking to solo monsters effectively. And while poison loses some of its effectiveness in multiplayer, it can provide a nice damage boost when fighting alone. This all-purpose raw build combines high damage with the Master’s Touch skill to prevent sharpness loss.

What We Love About This Build:

Master’s Touch

• Having Master’s Touch level 3 results in an 80% chance to not lose sharpness with critical hits. Combining this with high affinity means a lot less time spent using whetstones.

High raw damage

• Sitting at 350 attack and 42 poison means you can take this weapon into virtually any fight without worrying too much about exploiting elemental weaknesses.

Embolden feels safe

• Putting 2 points into the armor skill Embolden gives us a nice boost to defense and increases i-frames when dodging.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Dirty Graf (350 Attack, 42 Poison, 0% Affinity)

• Anti-Species Rampage Decoration

Head: Risen Kaiser Horns

• Powder Mantle (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Critical Eye (2)

Chest: Chaotic Mail

• Strife (1), Critical Eye (2), Critical Boost (2)

Arms: Onmyo Tekkou

• Embolden (1), Agitator (2), Stamina Surge (1)

Waist: Onmyo Ateobi

• Embolden (1), Agitator (3), Adrenaline Rush (1)

Legs: Onmyo Sashiko

• Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Offensive Guard (2)

Talisman: Best available. See recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Agitator (5), Guard (5), Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Offensive Guard (3), Critical Boost (3), Master’s Touch (3), Chameleos Blessing (3), Embolden (2), Strife (1), Adrenaline Rush (1), Powder Mantle (1), Buildup Boost (1), Wirebug Whisperer (1), Stamina Surge (1)

Deco Jewels:

1x Critical Jewel 2, 3x Haze Jewel, 2x Ironwall Jewel+ 3, 4x Attack Jewel 2, 3x Expert Jewel 2, 1x Mastery Jewel+ 4

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Advancing Slash, Hard Basher Combo, Twin Blade Combo, Metsu Shoryugeki/Destroyer Oil (Switch Skill Swap), Shield Bash

Build Playstyle:

The Hard Basher Combo plus frequent Metsu Shoryugekis results in a crazy amount of KO damage as long as you’re targeting the monster’s head. And if you get too far away, Shield Bash does a great job closing the gap (while also doing a lot of KO damage on its own.)

 

2. Valstrax Dragon

Gates of Heaven Valstrax Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise

This build is tailored specifically for monsters weak to the Dragon element (we’re looking at you, Rathian). A combination of high raw attack and capped out affinity makes quick work of any monsters weak to Dragon.

What We Love About This Build:

Sharpness

• The Gates of Heaven SnS has a massive amount of white sharpness, giving a 1.32x boost to damage.

Wirebug Whisperer

• You’ll be using wirebugs a lot with the Sword and Shield, so decreasing cooldown time and Wirefall recovery rate is a welcome addition to this build.

Burst

• While not focused entirely on this armor skill, Burst does provide a nice attack boost after attacking continuously.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Gates of Heaven (340 Attack, 56 Dragon, 0% Affinity)

• Anti-Species Rampage Slot

Head: Risen Kushala Glare

• Wind Mantle (1), Wirebug Whisperer (3)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Powder Mantle (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Critical Eye (3)

Arms: Onmyo Tekkou

• Embolden (1), Agitator (2), Stamina Surge (1)

Waist: Onmyo Ateobi

• Embolden (1), Agitator (3), Adrenaline Rush (1)

Legs: Onmyo Sashiko

• Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Offensive Guard (2)

Talisman: Best available. See recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Agitator (5), Dragon Attack (5), Critical Element (3), Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Offensive Guard (3), Wirebug Whisperer (3), Critical Boost (3), Embolden (2), Adrenaline Rush (1), Element Exploit (1), Powder Mantle (1), Stamina Surge (1), Burst (1), Wind Mantle (1)

Deco Jewels:

7x Attack Jewel 2, 1x Hard Dragon Jewel 3, 1x Element Exploit Jewel 2, 2x Dragon Jewel, 1x Critical Jewel 2, 1x Expert Jewel 2, 1x Critical Element Jewel+ 4

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Advancing Slash, Hard Basher Combo, Twin Blade Combo, Metsu Shoryugeki/Destroyer Oil (Switch Skill Swap), Falling Shadow

Build Playstyle:

Use Metsu whenever you have wirebugs available for maximum KO damage and swap to Destroyer Oil for a nice boost in sharpness. Take advantage of aerial combos with Falling Shadow to keep things fresh.

 

3. Narwa Thunder

Atomic Mind Narwa Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise

Narwa’s Sword and Shield is a great go-to weapon for any monster weak to the Thunder element. At 310 Attack and 69 Thunder, you’ll see a noticeable increase in damage on monsters with large weak zones over other Sword and Shields.

What We Love About This Build:

Protective Polish

• While some people might not care for this armor skill, we find maintaining purple sharpness simply by sharpening once every 90 seconds is a no-brainer.

Shield Bash

• Taking Shield Bash over Falling Shadow is great for dealing KO and Exhaust damage. It’s also a nice follow-up to all combo chain finishers.

Metsu

• Like most builds on our list, this Narwa Thunder build makes excellent use of the Metsu Shoryugeki Switch Skill. You’ll get a nice guard window and a ton of KO damage when executed properly.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Atomic Mind (310 Attack, 69 Thunder, 0% Affinity)

• Anti-Species Rampage Slot

Head: Risen Kushala Glare

• Wind Mantle (1), Wirebug Whisperer (3)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Powder Mantle (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Critical Eye (3)

Arms: Golden Lunebraces

• Critical Boost (1), Peak Performance (1), Burst (1)

Waist: Rathalos Coil X

• Attack Boost (2), Windproof (3), Critical Boost (1)

Legs: Onmyo Sashiko

• Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Offensive Guard (2)

Talisman: Best available. See recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Thunder Attack (5), Critical Element (3), Flinch Free (3), Protective Polish (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Offensive Guard (3), Wirebug Whisperer (3), Critical Boost (3), Windproof (3), Element Exploit (1), Peak Performance (1), Powder Mantle (1), Burst (1), Wind Mantle (1)

Deco Jewels:

1x Hard Bolt Jewel 3, 1x Element Exploit Jewel 2, 2x Bolt Jewel, 1x Expert Jewel 2, 4x Attack Jewel 2, 1x Critical Element Jewel+ 4, 1x Sharp Jewel+ 4

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Advancing Slash, Hard Basher Combo, Twin Blade Combo, Metsu Shoryugeki/Destroyer Oil (Switch Skill Swap), Shield Bash

Build Playstyle:

Use Metsu as much as possible to deal loads of KO status damage. Switch Skill Swap to Destroyer Oil to restore some sharpness and make your target flinch more often.

 

4. Ore Water

Agamemnon Ore Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise

This relatively easy to craft Water build does insane damage while still feeling safe. Three levels of Protective Polish, Flinch Free, and Wirebug Whisperer result in a build that is uniquely equipped to handle monsters weak to the Water element.

What We Love About This Build:

Flinch Free

• Maxing out the Flinch Free armor skill prevents knockbacks and reduces tripping as well.

High elemental damage

• Having a Water attack of 67 puts the Agamemnon at the top of the list for Water elemental Sword and Shields.

Handicraft

• Level 3 Handicraft boosts weapon sharpness by +30 so we stay in white sharpness even longer.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Agamemnon (320 Attack, 67 Water, 0% Affinity)

• Anti-Species Rampage Slot

Head: Risen Kushala Glare

• Wind Mantle (1), Wirebug Whisperer (3)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Powder Mantle (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Critical Eye (3)

Arms: Golden Lunebraces

• Critical Boost (1), Peak Performance (1), Burst (1)

Waist: Anjanath Coil X

• Attack Boost (2)

Legs: Onmyo Sashiko

• Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Offensive Guard (2)

Talisman: Best available. See recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Water Attack (5), Flinch Free (3), Protective Polish (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Wirebug Whisperer (3), Critical Boost (3), Critical Element (2), Offensive Guard (2), Handicraft (3), Kushala Blessing (2), Element Exploit (1), Peak Performance (1), Powder Mantle (1), Burst (1), Wind Mantle (1)

Deco Jewels:

5x Attack Jewel 2, 1x Hard Stream Jewel 3, 1x Expert Jewel 2, 2x Ironshell Jewel, 1x Critical Element Jewel+ 4, 1x Sharp Jewel+ 4, 2x Stream Jewel, 1x Handicraft Jewel+ 4

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Advancing Slash, Hard Basher Combo, Twin Blade Combo, Metsu Shoryugeki/Destroyer Oil (Switch Skill Swap), Shield Bash

Build Playstyle:

Make use of Metsu whenever it’s available. Shield Bash gives a nice medium-to-long distance gap closer and combos nicely into Spinning Reaper.

 

5. Kushala Ice

Daora's Maelstrom Kushala Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise

When it comes to the Ice element, Kushala Daora’s Sword and Shield still reigns as king. This build makes good use of Master’s Touch, Ice Attack, and Falling Shadow to take down monsters quickly.

What We Love About This Build:

Ice Attack

• Level 5 Ice Attack gives us a +20 boost in the Ice element and a bonus +4. This increases our already high Ice damage even further.

Falling Shadow

• Shield Bash is a very effective Switch Skill when you need a long distance gap closer. For a slighter shorter move distance with awesome follow-up attacks, choose Falling Shadow.

Windproof

• Putting 3 points into Windproof negates minor and major wind pressure completely, and even reduces the effects of the more powerful Dragon wind pressure.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Daora’s Maelstrom (310 Attack, 54 Ice, 10% Affinity)

• Anti-Species Rampage Slot

Head: Risen Kushala Glare

• Wind Mantle (1), Wirebug Whisperer (3)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Powder Mantle (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Critical Eye (3)

Arms: Risen Kaiser Braces

• Teostra Blessing (2), Master’s Touch (1), Ballistics (1), Critical Eye (1)

Waist: Rathalos Coil X

• Attack Boost (2), Windproof (3), Critical Boost (1)

Legs: Onmyo Sashiko

• Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Offensive Guard (2)

Talisman: Best available. See recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Ice Attack (5), Critical Element (3), Flinch Free (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Wirebug Whisperer (3), Critical Boost (3), Master’s Touch (3), Windproof (3), Offensive Guard (2), Teostra Blessing (2), Element Exploit (1), Ballistics (1), Powder Mantle (1), Burst (1), Wind Mantle (1), Handicraft (1)

Deco Jewels:

2x Frost Jewel, 1x Hard Frost Jewel 3, 5x Attack Jewel 2, 1x Critical Element Jewel+ 4, 1x Mastery Jewel+ 4, 1x Handicraft Jewel+ 4

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Advancing Slash, Hard Basher Combo, Twin Blade Combo, Metsu Shoryugeki/Destroyer Oil (Switch Skill Swap), Falling Shadow

Build Playstyle:

As with most of the meta SnS builds, Metsu is going to be your bread-and-butter Switch Skill for maximum damage. Combining Metsu with the Twin Blade Combo and Falling Shadow for maintaining melee range makes this one of the comfiest builds on our list.

Sword and Shield Recommended Skills:

Handicraft:

• The Sword and Shield can burn through sharpness quickly, making Handicraft a perfect skill for most builds. Put at least 2-3 points into this armor skill.

Attack Boost:

• Some armor skills are build-specific, while others provide a nice boost regardless of your playstyle. Attack Boost fits snugly in the latter with its +10% boost to attack. Put as many points into this skill as you can. 

Critical Eye:

• Critical Eye is a must-have skill for Sword and Shield, due to the massive boost in affinity it provides. Level 1 might not seem like a lot with +15%, but putting 7 points in this skill results in 40% increased affinity. This skill alone makes it easy to bring Sword and Shield builds to 100% affinity!

Critical Boost:

• What good are increased chances to critical hit when your critical hits don’t do much? At level 3, the Critical Boost armor skill amps up critical attacks–resulting in a damage increase of 40%.

Weakness Exploit:

• Targeting monster’s weak zones is an important strategy for most weapons in Monster Hunter Rise, and Weakness Exploit rewards those efforts. Three levels into this armor skill provides 50% increased affinity when attacking a weak zone. 

Razor Sharp:

• The quick attack speed of Sword and Shield often results in a rapid decrease of sharpness. Razor Sharp is a great skill to remedy that. At level 3, Razor Sharp has a 50% chance of negating sharpness loss during an attack.

Slugger:

• Sword and Shield users know the shield is made for smashing, not blocking. The Slugger armor skill takes advantage of that fact, boosting stun power by a hefty 40% at level 3.

Speed Sharpening:

• One area Sword and Shield can be lacking at times is in the sharpness department. The Speed Sharpening skill provides some relief by removing 1-3 cycles of sharpening depending on your level. This can make a HUGE difference when attempting to sharpen your weapon in the middle of a fight.

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