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Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Guide: Greatsword Tips

Become an expert at using the Great Sword in this MH4U guide.
This article is over 9 years old and may contain outdated information

The Great Sword is one of the most popular weapons in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. At first glance, it feels alike a pretty slow and sluggish weapon. Personally, I like speed, so I left his weapon a lone for a while. After learning the game I went back to it and it isn’t that slow if you use it correctly.

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Even thought the Great Sword is a great beginner weapon, learning a few tricks will make you a master of it and use even in advanced situations. I’ll help you become that master in this guide.

For help with anything else related to Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, check out my Guide Directory.

This guide will go over using the Great Sword including:

  • Basic Controls – Basics on how to use the Great Sword.
  • Sheath and Charge – Tips on mastering the most important parts of the Great Sword.
  • Extra Tips – More tips to further your expertise with this weapon.

Basic Controls

  • Pressing X does an overhead slash.
    • This has a slow start up, but you can evade after.
    • Pressing X again does a quick poke.
  • Pressing A does a 360 degree swing.
    • It is also slow, but you can evade after.
    • Press X after to do the overhead slash.
  • Press R to block with the Great Sword.
    • This doesn’t have good defense and should not be used often.

Sheath and Charge

Since the Great Sword is pretty slow, you’ll actually sheath (Press Y to put the weapon away) your weapon quite often.

  • You move faster when your weapon is sheathed.
    • Your draw attack (attack when you take your weapon out) is also faster.

This gives you much more mobility and faster attacking. The majority of the time will be spent using your draw attack, then sheathing the weapon to do it all over again.

The different combos with the charge attacks give you the most damage.

  • Hold X to do a normal charge. It has 3 levels. Each one does more damage.
    • Level 1 – When you glow the first time.
    • Level 2 – When you glow the second time.
    • Level 3 – When you see swirls of white after the second charge. This requires timing.
    • If you hold the 3rd charge too long it will auto-attack and do the Level 2 charge.
  • You cannot move while charging like the Hammer can.
    • You can’t evade or block during a charge, but you can release it early if you need to and evade after.
  • If you hit A twice and hold the second hit, you’ll do a Super Charge.
    • This is a more powerful charge with a different stance. It also has 3 levels.
    • Pressing A or X after the Super Charge will do a huge swing attack. It has the same power as the level of the Super Charge attack.
    • If you overcharge a Super Charge, you still get the level 3 power.

  • You can also go into a Super Charge by holding back and X after a poke attack.
    • Similarly, you can press X during a guard to kick, press it again to poke, then back and X to do a Super Charge.

Extra Tips

  • The best time to do a charge combo is when the monster is down or stunned.
    • You can attack without fear of retaliation.
  • Fast Sheath, Focus, and Crit Draw are great skills to use with Great Sword.
    • Fast Sheath sheathes your weapon faster.
    • Focus decreases charge time.
    • Crit Draw makes your draw attack 100% critical hit.
  • You can not evade after a Super Charge Swing.
    • There is a slight recovery time after using the swing, so make sure you are safe when doing it.
  • The big swings knocks teammates over.
    • Always be aware of the positions of your teammates when playing with others.

These are all the tips I have for Great Sword, hopefully it helps you master it. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions. Don’t forget to visit my Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Guide Directory for any other guides.


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Author
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Synzer
After gaming for 25 years, Synzer leveraged his vast knowledge of RPGs and MMOs into a job as a games journalist, covering the games he loves. Five years later, he's still writing about Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, and Knights of the Old Republic. Synzer has a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing. You can see him in action on his YouTube channel (https://bit.ly/2F97BrR) and Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/synzergaming).