In the diverse arsenal of *Monster Hunter Now*, the Great Sword stands out as a devastating weapon capable of unleashing immense damage with each swing. However, its size makes it a less agile tool. To build a truly effective Great Sword, you need to control the battlefield, and that means exploiting sleep. Recent updates have introduced sleep-inducing weapons crafted from specific monster parts, but maximizing their potential requires the right skills. This guide outlines the optimal gear for a sleep-focused Great Sword build.
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The Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build
Unlike the poison-centric Long Sword, the Great Sword shines with a sleep-based strategy. While this build requires materials from a relatively rare monster, the majority of the equipment comes from more common hunts.
Complete 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) |
| Mail: 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: Frilled Blade
The Frilled Blade is the premier sleep-based Great Sword. Its Evade Extender skill significantly improves mobility, making defensive maneuvers easier despite the weapon's size. This isn't strictly necessary, but highly recommended. You'll need to hunt Somnacanth for the necessary materials.
Helmet & Greaves: Nightshade Paolumu Armor
The core of this build utilizes the Nightshade Paolumu armor set, introduced in an early paid event. This armor provides access to all three levels of Rude Awakener, boosting damage dealt to sleeping monsters by 100% on the first hit. While initially event-exclusive, Nightshade Paolumu are becoming more accessible through seasonal events and rare spawns.
Mail, Vambraces, & Coil: Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Armor
The remaining armor pieces, from the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku set, maximize Status Sneak Attack, guaranteeing sleep buildup with rear attacks. This set also contributes to Evade Extender and includes Artful Dodger for enhanced evasion. Thankfully, Tzitzi-Ya-Ku is a much more common monster, easily tracked with paintballs.
Optimizing Driftstone Slots
This build boasts a relatively low requirement for unlocking Driftstone slots. Five slots dedicated to Sleep Attack are ideal, but you can also enhance dodging with Artful Dodger and Evade Extender, or boost damage with Sneak Attack. Here's a breakdown of the Driftstone options:
- Sleep Attack (Azure): Increases sleep buildup (50 at rank 1, 150 at rank 5).
- Sneak Attack (Pale): Boosts damage from rear attacks (10% at rank 1, 30% at rank 5).
- Artful Dodger (Azure): Improves evasion ease (noticeable at rank 5).
- Evade Extender (Pale): Increases evasion distance (significant at rank 5).
