Monster Hunter Wilds reveals new techniques for one of the most popular weapon types

Counter incoming attacks then strike down giant beasts while they’re left stunned by your skills wielding the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds

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What you need to know

What you need to know

A new weapon overview gameplay has been uploaded by Capcom today forMonster Hunter Wilds, the next mainline entry in the prolific action-hunting franchise,Monster Hunter. This trailer focuses on the Long Sword, which allows the player to fight like a Samurai wielding a mighty Ōdachi (a giant Japanese sword designed to cut down horse riders) to deflect incoming attacks and dismember monster body parts like tails or wings.

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The Long Sword’s move-set consists of long-reaching melee attacks that can be combined to form intricate combos that deal heavy damage to enemies. It also features evasive maneuvers that let you dodge attacks at the last second and stances where you sheath the weapon and unleash it a split second before an enemy hits you to negate the damage and counterattack with a devastating strike that will leave monsters reeling in agony.

The Long Sword also features a unique gauge mechanic called the Spirit Gauge. Every time you hit a monster with a normal melee attack it will generate energy for the Spirit Gauge, which can be used to activate special Spirit Slash attacks.

If you manage to pull off a full Spirit Slash combo, the Spirit Gauge’s level will increase (from White, Yellow, to Red) and every time it does, it will strengthen your attacks. Once the Spirit Gauge reaches its maximum level, that will be your moment to unleash the Long Sword’s ultimate attack called the Spirit Helm Breaker, which consumes Spirit Gauge levels to deal insanely high amounts of damage.

For the most part according to the gameplay trailer, the Long Sword will function almost identically to how it played in Monster Hunter World. The only major new gameplay additions that we can see for the Long Sword are:

Are you motivated to unleash the power of the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds?

Are you motivated to unleash the power of the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds?

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The Long Sword is considered to be one of the most popular weapon types in the entire Monster Hunter series. Its stylish attacks can rip through monster hides like a hot knife through butter and its wide range of counter moves lets players feel like an unstoppable warrior who can parry any attack thrown at them.

While Long Sword’s new moves aren’t as over-the-top compared to the ones introduced for theGunlanceorHunting Horn, I have a feeling that they could provide subtle but very effective extensions of the weapon type’s already solid move-set.

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With these new moves and possibly more hidden away, Monster Hunter Wild’s iteration of the Long Sword will offer more defensive and offensive options to help players survive hunting thisgame’s expansive list of giant monsters.

Monster Hunter Wilds, the next-gen successor to one of Capcom’sbest Xbox gamesandbest PC games, Monster Hunter World, is scheduled to launch on February 28, 2025 forXbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Explore the uncharted Forbidden Lands to discover long-lost secrets and hunt monsters to protect the balance of nature in Monster Hunter Wilds. Hunt the vicious beasts of the Forbidden Lands alone or with your friends in 4-player online co-op.

Pre-order at:Amazon|Best Buy|GreenManGaming (Steam)

Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran of 30-plus years, primarily covering PC and Xbox games here on Windows Central. Gaming since the 8-bit era, Alexander’s expertise revolves around gaming guides and news, with a particular focus on Japanese titles from the likes of Elden Ring to Final Fantasy. Alexander is always on deck to help our readers conquer the industry’s most difficult games — when he can pry himself away from Monster Hunter that is!