"Monster Hunter Now: Top Great Sword Build for Max Damage"

In the arsenal of Monster Hunter Now, the Great Sword stands out as a formidable weapon, capable of dealing massive damage with each swing. However, its size can make it somewhat challenging to handle. To create an effective Monster Hunter Now Great Sword build, you'll want to focus on slowing down your enemies. Recent updates have introduced materials that allow you to craft sleep-based weapons, which are essential for this strategy. Pairing these with the right skills will maximize your chances of putting monsters to sleep, setting you up for devastating attacks. Here's a detailed guide to crafting the best Great Sword build.

Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build

While the Long Sword excels with poison attacks, the Great Sword thrives with sleep-inducing capabilities. To fully realize this build, you'll need to hunt a somewhat rare monster, but the majority of the required gear can be sourced from more common foes.

Full Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build

Weapon

Options for sleep-based Great Swords are limited, but the Frilled Blade is your best choice. It offers the Evade Extender skill, which helps you gain distance after dodging an attack. While not crucial for the build, it enhances your defensive capabilities with the Great Sword. To craft this weapon, you'll need materials from Somnacanth.

Helmet & Greaves

The core of this build comes from the Nightmare Paolumu, introduced in the first paid event. This monster provides essential parts and skills, including three levels of Rude Awakener, which boosts your damage by 100% on the first attack against a sleeping monster. Although Nightmare Paolumu are more common now, they may still require patience to encounter, either through events or as rare spawns after defeating them in the main story quest.

Mail, Gauntlets, & Coil

The remaining pieces focus on maximizing the Status Sneak Attack skill, ensuring sleep buildup when attacking from behind. You'll also gain points in Evade Extender and Artful Dodger, enhancing your evasion tactics. Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, a more common monster, is your target for these parts, made easier to track with the paintball tracker.

Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Driftstone Slots

This build benefits from a relatively low requirement to unlock all its Driftstone slots. Ideally, five slots in Sleep Attack are recommended, but you can also use them to boost your dodging skills with Artful Dodger and Evade Extender, or enhance your 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)