Summary
Weapon variety isone of the best aspects ofMonster Hunter Wilds. No matter which weapon players choose to use, each one has a complex moveset, weapon-specific mechanics, and crafting options. WithWilds’new system of focus strikes, weapons have even more in their tool kits than ever before.
TheCharge Bladeis a versatile weapon that mixes a strong defense with a variety of offensive options. Players can use the sword to build up elemental phials and trigger them in axe mode, activate Savage Axe mode to gain a buzzsaw blade, perfect guard with their shield, and more. Charge Blades work with a number of different build focuses, thanks to the ability to spec to raw damage or elemental damage with the elemental phials.
With a lot of different upgrade options, players might wonder what the best Charge Blade for them is. Rather than listing each Charge Blade with the highest attack rating, this topic will cover the best weapons to craft throughout the campaign, as well as some powerful endgame options.
8Bone Strongarm II
Early Upgrade
Options to spec into a specific build are limited early on inMonster Hunter Wilds, so most early characters are better off sticking with an easy upgrade with high raw damage. The Bone Strongarm II is just that: an early upgrade made with common materials that comes with the useful early skill Attack Boost. The Load Shells skill also means the weapon has slightly more efficiency with phial charges. This weapon will be more than enough to get players through the early part of the campaign until they reach hunter rank 4 and above.
7Chata Strongarm II
Guard Boost
Once players get to hunter rank 4, they’ll need a new weapon, and the Chata Strongarm II is a decent option from the Chatacabra tree. Like the Bone Strongarm, this weapon uses impact phials, which rely on raw damage for their main damage output. The Guard skill enhances guards and prevents knockback, while Artillery increases the damage of phial explosions. If players want some extra defensive ability at this point, this can be paired with armor skills like Constitution, further levels of Guard, and Evade Extender for enhanced dodging in axe mode.
6Albirath Blade
Wound Targeting
When players are looking to transition fromMonster Hunter Wilds' mid-game to high-rank hunts, the Albirath Blade is a solid weapon for hunter ranks 6 to 8. The skills Critical Element and Master’s Touch both boost the weapon’s synergy with critical hits, boosting element critical multipliers and giving a chance to lose no weapon sharpness on a crit.
At this stage, players can start to specialize their builds a little. An effective way to improve the performance of this weapon is to focus on armor skills like Flayer and Weakness Exploit and concentrate on opening and destroying wounds. This means that players will be able to use their focus strike to transition to savage axe mode more frequently, too.
5Cthonian Flame II
Offensive Guard
Once players reach hunter rank 20, they’re going to need a decent weapon to start climbing the higher ranks. The Cthonian Flame II is a good option thanks to its high Dragon element damage. Unlike the previous Charge Blade options above, this blade uses element phials rather than impact phials, so players can make the most of the additional elemental damage.
Players can further improve the effectiveness of their phials by pairing this weapon with the Load Shells skill on their armor. The weapon skill Offensive Guard is another skill that Charge Blade players will find useful, as it boosts damage when players execute a perfect guard. The Cthonian Flame II has level 3 of this skill, which is a pretty significant 15% buff.
4Venom’s Kiss
Poison Damage
Poison damage has a few options forCharge Blades at endgame, but for players who want to add damage over time to their build, the Venom’s Kiss from the Gypceros tree is the best option in terms of status-inflicting potential. It loses out in raw damage compared to other endgame options as a result, though, and the skills are only effective for boosting draw attacks. If players want to play around those draw skills, they can be quite effective, so Venom’s Kiss is an off-meta but viable endgame option for Charge Blades.
3Regas Hyper
All Rounder
For players just getting to the endgame of rank 36 and beyond, the Regas Hyper can be a powerful and easy-to-use weapon option that has the added advantage of simplecrafting requirements. Rapid Morph is a great quality of life skill to have for the Charge Blade, as it increases both the switch speed and the damage of morph attacks. The weapon doesn’t excel in either damage or defense, but doesn’t lack in either. It’s only raw damage, but takes full advantage of that with impact phials. It’s a solid all-rounder weapon that’s easily accessible.
2Dear Lutemia
Impact Phials
Dear Lutemia is another powerful poison damage-based endgame option for the Charge Blade. The skillsCritical Statusand Poison Duration Up increase the effectiveness of inflicting poison status, and the length that poison lasts for. That makes Dear Lutemia a good option for keeping poison damage up throughout a fight.
This weapon fairs better as an all-rounder than other poison options, due in part to the use of impact phials for raw damage. Players can make use of some of the moreuseful skills on their armor, like Rapid Morph, Offensive Guard, and Load Shells, to get the best out of this weapon inMonster Hunter Wilds' endgame.
1Chrono Gear
Artian Power
Artian weapons are a powerful option for any weapon category, due to their high customizability and elemental bonuses.Charge Blade users who want to focus on element damagewill certainly want to go for the Artian weapon, Chrono Gear, as their endgame pick. The Chrono Gear isn’t limited to the five elements though, as players can also build around statuses like paralysis or sleep. Paralysis is one of the best choices for Chrono Gear, due to its all-round usefulness, unless players want to build a weapon to target specific elemental weaknesses in one of the five elements.
