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Everything you need to know about the Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Wilds, including the basic combos, Focus Strikes, and more.
The Sword and Shield has always been an excellent weapon for newcomers in Monster Hunter games. And that stands true for Monster Hunter Wilds as well. In fact, the Sword and Shield is an even better choice in MH Wilds, thanks to its new Guard and Counter Slash skills. Although the weapon has increased in complexity compared to its Monster Hunter World counterpart, it still retains its “pick-up-and-play” values.
Much like the Dual Blades, Sword and Shield relies on stacking damage via its fast multi-hit combos. Furthermore, it’s also one of the few melee weapons that comes with airborne combos, which can be transitioned to mounting the monster, granted you time it right.
However, unlike its past iterations, Sword and Shield in MH Wilds takes a bit of practice to master. Unless you’re a SnS main, you will need to spend some time in the Training Arena, mastering the weapon’s abilities and skills. Thankfully, the combos for SnS are quite straightforward. Here’s everything you need to know about Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Wilds, its combos, skills, and more.
How To Use Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Wilds?
Unlike the Lance (or even the Gunlance), the Sword and Shield isn’t a defensive weapon. The Shield in this weapon type is only used for counter-attacks, which you will be using quite often. Furthermore, the Shield has a few combos tied to it, which help in mounting. The primary moveset of SnS includes the Advancing Slash and the Backstep + Perfect Rush combo.
Unlike other melee weapons, where you can employ a “hit-and-run” playstyle, SnS incentivizes staying up against the monster at all times. Most of the weapon’s damage comes from its aerial and Backstep combos. Additionally, Sword and Shield also offer incredible counter-attack potential despite lacking an Offset skill.
In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Sword and Shield is one of the most powerful weapons in terms of raw DPS. The Backstep and Counter Slash combos alone allow you to deal massive amounts of damage, be it raw or elemental. Furthermore, unlike Dual Blades, Sword and Shield can easily knock down (KO) enemies with Shield Bash or Counter Slash. Here’s a look at the basic combos for Sword and Shield in MH Wilds:
| Combos | Button Combinations (PlayStation/Xbox) |
|---|---|
| Standard Attack | Triangle/Y |
| Special Attack | Circle (LS+Circle)/B (LS+B) |
| Advancing Slash | Triangle+Circle/Y+B |
| Roundslash | Triangle+Circle (after Advancing Slash)/Y+B (after Advancing Slash) |
| Charged Chop | Hold-Triangle+Circle/Hold-Y+B |
| Backstep | LS(back)+Circle (during Charged Chop)/LS(back)+B (during Charged Chop) |
| Perfect Rush | Triangle (after Backstep)/Y (after Backstep) |
| Charged Slash | Hold-Circle (during Backstep)/Hold-B (during Backstep) |
| Jumping Slash | Triangle (after Charged Slash)/Y (after Charged Slash) |
| Falling Bash | Triangle (after Charged Slash)/Y (after Charged Slash) |
| Guard | Hold-R2/Hold-RT |
| Counter Slash | Triangle (after a Perfect Guard)/Y (after a Perfect Guard) |
| Sliding Swipe | R2+Triangle/RT+Y |
| Use Item | R2+Square/RT+X |
Sword and Shield Offset and Focus Strike in MH Wilds
Similarly to the Dual Blades, Sword and Shield doesn’t have a dedicated Offset skill. However, its Guard and Counter Slash work essentially as the weapon’s own Offset ability, which you can use to topple and stagger monsters. Furthermore, Counter Slash also deals considerable amounts of damage while also creating wounds, which you can capitalize on via the Focus Strike skill. The Focus Strike for Sword and Shield is called Vital Stab.
Additionally, you can chain the Focus Strike with additional inputs for Falling Slash and Upswing Bash. Here are the controls for Sword and Shield’s Focus Strike skills in Monster Hunter Wilds:
| Combos | Button Combinations (PlayStation/Xbox) |
|---|---|
| Vital Stab | L2+R1/LT+RB |
| Falling Slash | Triangle (after Vital Stab)/Y (after Vital Stab) |
| Upswing Bash | Circle (after Vital Stab)/B (after Vital Stab) |
The Sword and Shield might look intimidating due to its seemingly massive combos list. However, in practice, it’s a fairly easy weapon to master and offers plenty of depth as well. While it does take some practice to properly use this weapon type, its various counter-attack skills make it more than worth it. Furthermore, due to its good balance of offensive and defensive skills, it serves as the perfect choice for newcomers to Monster Hunter.
We will update the article as we learn more in Monster Hunter Wilds or MHW. Meanwhile, you can check out the following Monster Hunter articles:
