In the world of Monster Hunter Now, the Great Sword stands out as a powerful weapon that can deliver massive damage with each swing. However, mastering this hefty blade can be challenging due to its size and slower attack speed. To create an effective Monster Hunter Now Great Sword build, it's crucial to incorporate strategies that slow down your targets. Recent updates have introduced the ability to craft sleep-based weapons, which can be a game-changer. To fully leverage this advantage, you'll need the right skills to induce sleep consistently. Here’s a comprehensive guide on assembling the best build for your Great Sword.
Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build
While the best build for the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Now revolves around poison attacks, the Great Sword excels with sleep-based strategies. Crafting this build requires materials from a relatively rare monster, but many components can be sourced from more common creatures.
Full Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build
| Item | Effect | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Frilled Blade | - Element: Sleep - Evade Extender I (Grade 8) |
| Helmet | Nightshade Paolumu Helmet | - Rude Awakener I (Grade 5) - Rude Awakener II (Grade 8) - Driftstone Slot (Grade 8) |
| Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Mail | - Status Sneak Attack (Grade 2) - Artful Dodger (Grade 4) - Driftstone Slot (Grade 5) | |
| Vambraces | Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Vambraces | - Status Sneak Attack I (Grade 2) - Status Sneak Attack II (Grade 4) - Driftstone Slot (Grade 5) |
| Coil | Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Coil | - Evade Extender (Grade 2) - Status Sneak Attack (Grade 4) - Driftstone Slot (Grade 5) |
| Greaves | Nightshade Paolumu Greaves | - Rude Awakener (Grade 5) - Status Sneak Attack (Grade 6) - Driftstone Slot (Grade 5) |
Weapon
The choice for a sleep-based Great Sword in Monster Hunter Now is limited, but the Frilled Blade stands out. It comes with the beneficial Evade Extender skill, which enhances your ability to create distance after dodging an attack. While not essential for the build, it significantly aids in managing the Great Sword's defensive aspects. To craft this weapon, you'll need to hunt Somnacanth for the necessary materials.
Helmet & Greaves
A significant portion of this build is sourced from the Nightshade Paolumu, introduced during the first paid event. This monster provides crucial parts and skills, including all three levels of Rude Awakener, which boosts your damage by 100% on the first attack against a sleeping monster. While Nightshade Paolumu may be less frequent, they can appear in events or as rare spawns in seasons following their introduction in the main story quest.
Mail, Gauntlets, & Coil
The remainder of the build focuses on maximizing the Status Sneak Attack skill, which ensures sleep buildup when attacking from behind. Additionally, you gain points in Evade Extender and Artful Dodger, which improve your evasion capabilities. Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, a more common monster thanks to the paintball tracker, provides the materials needed for these pieces.
Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Driftsmelt Slots
This build benefits from a manageable requirement to unlock its Driftstone slots. Ideally, you should aim for five slots in Sleep Attack to maximize your sleep-inducing potential. However, you can also use these slots to enhance your dodging with Artful Dodger and Evade Extender or boost damage with Sneak Attack when attacking from behind.
- Sleep Attack - Increases the weapon's sleep buildup value. 50 at rank 1 and 150 at rank 5. (Azure only)
- Sneak Attack - Increases the damage dealt to a monster when attacked from behind. 10% at rank 1 and 30% at rank 5. (Pale only)
- Artful Dodger - Makes evading easier to perform. Slightly easier at rank 1 and significantly so at rank 5. (Azure only)
- Evade Extender - Extends evasion distance. Very slightly at rank 1 and massively at rank 5. (Pale only)
