What is the best Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades build? You know what they say: two blades are better than one. Okay, so people don't usually say that, but there's no question the Dual Blades are a killer choice for agile hunters.
The Dual Blades are a highly aggressive Monster Hunter Wilds, plus the best armor, decorations, and secondary weapon to become a true demon.
Best Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades build
The best build for the Dual Blades is:
- Primary Weapon: Lala Harpactirs (Dual Blades)
- Secondary Weapon: War Bongo (Hunting Horn)
- Armor: Guardian Ebony Helm A (Head), Guardian Ebony Bracers A (Arms), Rathian Mail A (Chest), Dahaad Shardcoil B (Waist) Gypceros Greaves A (Feet)
- Decorations: Enhancer Jewel, Expert Jewel, Critical Jewel, Sonorous, Defense Jewel, Protection Jewel
- Talisman: Counterattack Charm
- Mantle: Evasion Mantle
- Equipment Skills: Burst, Earplugs, Divine Blessing, Foray, Weakness Exploit, Tremor Resistance, Marathon Runner, Resentment
The best Dual Blade build relies upon this weapon's high hit rate to trigger debilitating elemental status effects. It's a highly adaptable build, but we've gone for the Lala Harpactirs since paralysis is a good all-rounder that affects most MH Wilds monsters regardless of element. Aside from its high attack and sharpness, Lala Harpactirs comes with the Critical Status weapon skill, which increases the effect of paralysis when landing critical hits.
While you're unlikely to swap out from the Dual Blades, the MH Wilds Hunting Horn is a great secondary to apply quick buffs when needed. The War Bongo has a ton of melodies at its disposal, but the most important for this build are Self-Improvement, Stamina Use Reduced, and Defense Up. It also comes with the Horn Maestro skill to extend the uptime of these buffs, so you won't need to swap to it again any time soon.
Guardian Ebony Helm A and Guardian Ebony Bracers A offer Divine Blessing and Earplugs for some welcome damage reduction and fewer interruptions when fighting. Together, these two pieces unlock the Ebony Odogaron's Power set bonus, which extends Burst and applies a minor attack buff for the active duration. It might be tempting to substitute Ebony Odogaron's Power for Fulgur Anjanath's Will for the additional stamina gauge. However, given that the Maximum Might skill attached to this armor set is antithetical to the Dual Blades, we wouldn't recommend it.
As for the rest of your armor set, Rathian Mail A increases your attack and affinity against paralyzed monsters via the Foray skill, while the Dahaad Shardcoil comes with Weakness Exploit to boost the crit chance of Focus Strike: Turning Tide. This single attack inflicts a high amount of hits per second, and a high affinity rapidly increases your elemental buildup to trigger paralysis. Marathon Runner is tailored for Demon Mode, so we've opted for the Gypceros Greaves to drastically slow the continuous stamina drain of Demon Mode and help you extend its uptime for longer.
We've chosen a talisman and mantle that leans into the evasive movements of the Dual Blades. The Counterattack Talisman and the Evasion Mantle grant a temporary attack bonus when executing a successful dodge just as a monster attacks, which synergizes perfectly with the Demon Dodge state. Finally, the decorations in this build all work towards boosting your affinity or protection against attacks – except for Sonorous, which bolsters the effect of the Hunting Horn's buffs.
How to use the Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades
The key to the Dual Blades is similar to the MH Wilds Lance, in that you must be able to identify when it's your turn to attack. It's important to avoid overcommitting to a lengthy attack chain; take your time and assess how many hits you're likely to land while factoring enough time to escape. The Dual Blades feature both rapid strikes and rapid mobility, giving you the tools you need to get in and out whenever the opportunity arises.
Demon Mode is a critical mechanic when it comes to taking down foes with the Dual Blades, and it's received a buff in MH Wilds Wilds to enhance its overall mobility. Previously, activating Demon Mode would stop you in your tracks, whereas now it keeps your momentum going, making it easier to score some extra hits when the opportunity arises.
Demon Mode also unlocks Demon Dodge, a special dodge that grants you a temporary damage buff when you perfectly evade an attack. You can't be knocked down while in this state, so you can afford to take risks if you have enough health.
The Demon Mode gauge builds as you land normal attack strings, whereas certain attack strings will not build any meter. Take time to learn which ones to use depending on what your gauge looks like. Activating this mode during combat drains your stamina gauge, stopping you from escaping from certain attacks if you aren't careful. Archdemon Mode unlocks a new moveset, dealing even more damage than Demon Mode's attacks, though you will need to fill the Demon Mode gauge first.
There are some attacks in Demon Mode and Archdemon Mode that feature invincible frames, providing you with a small window where you can safely attack the enemy without having to worry about taking damage. Expert Dual Blades s can time these attacks carefully to use these special moves almost like a dodge, evading harm while also dealing a considerable chunk of damage.
With the addition of MH Wilds Focus Mode, you can easily target wounds to perform a devastating combo, spinning your blades along the length of a monster to cause massive amounts of pain. This move is perfect for dealing damage to tails specifically, and you're invincible while the animation is in motion, so there's very little reason not to use this powerful move.
Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades moveset
Here are all the moves and combos for the Dual Blades:
- Double Slash: Swing your blades where you stand, and follow up with Double Slash Return to continue the string. The third attack in the string is called Circle Slash, dealing damage while pushing you forward.
- Lunging Strike: Lunge ahead with both blades in front of you to try to hit the opponent. Follow up the sequence with Spinning Slash to cut enemies open,
- Blade Dance: This attack can only be used while Demon Mode is active. A multi-hitting attack that deals several blows to enemies. The attack can be chained up to three times and is compromised using Blade Dance I, Blade Dance II, and Dance III. Uses a portion of Demon Mode gauge.
- Demon Fangs: This attack can only be used while Demon Mode is active. Demon Fangs marks the beginning of an attack string, leading into multiple Demon Slashes.
- Demon Flurry: Similar to Blade Dance, this combo string acts as a finisher. It's split into two attacks, Demon Flurry I and Demon Flurry II, and you move forward during each weapon swing.
- Demon Dodge: A special dodge that provides you with a buff when you escape out of the way of an incoming attack.
- Focus Strike – Turning Tide: Aim your reticle to a monster's wound and deal damage, triggering an animation that sees your character deal damage using a lengthy spinning attack.
That wraps up the best Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blades build and how to use it. Don't go anywhere as we have more of the games like Monster Hunter to take on more big beasties.