The Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise is a close combat weapons and best for mobility. With slight movement it does damage to the monsters. Like all weapons in the game, the Sword and Shield has its benefits and weakness. It may not be the best weapon when we consider the damage per strike, but it offer the most flexibility than any other weapon in the game. The best thing about the Sword and Shield is you can use items even when the weapon is unsheathed.
Another advantage of the weapon is it can block, unlike the Longsword. So, you have a defensive option, which can come handy as you engage in close combat. Here is how to use Sword & Shield in Monster Hunter Rise (MHR), the moves, combos, and their controls.
Monster Hunter Rise (MHR) – How to Use Sword & Shield in
There are several reasons why you would want to use Sword & Shield in Monster Hunter Rise (MHR). The most obvious is the weapons ability to make the hunter highly mobile and quick in movement. With this weapon, you can deal more attacks, the Shield Attack can stun monsters, the Windmill action is a powerful move, and you also have the option to just use the Sword.
The advantages of the weapon means that it lacks in some areas, as the weapon is compact and small, which is great for movement, but it compromises the range and power of the attack. Due to the low damage per hit, the normal attacks deal low damage. The weapon also has lesser combos compared to a weapon like the Longsword or the Great Sword.
To use Sword & Shield in Monster Hunter Rise, you need to rely on speed of attacks and dealing several strikes before escaping to cover. Use both the sword and shield effectively, you can use the sword for cutting and the shield for stunning. Round Slash should be your go-to move as it deals a large damage and is easy to perform, you don’t even need to aim very precisely.
Master the use of Falling Bash to bring the Sword and Shield to true effect and take the fight mid-air. When the monster is down, the best move to use if the Perfect Rush. Follow it with Strong Round Slash and Falling Bash. The Windmill is a special ability that uses the Silkbind attack, use it as often as possible as it deals more damage than most combos of the weapon.
In a moment of combat, the ability to use healing item plays a significant role. One of the best use of the Sword & Shield is you can heal yourself or the team with the weapon unsheathed. Here are the Sword and Shield actions and controls.
Monster Hunter Rise | Basic Moves and Controls
Control | Action |
X | Chop |
A | Lateral Slash |
L + A | Shield Attack |
X + A | Forward Slash |
Zr + X | Rising Slash |
Zr | Guard |
L + A (During Combo) Hold Zr → A + L | Back step |
Zl + X | Falling Shadow |
Zl + A | Windmill |
Chop – The Chop is the most basic of all Sword and Shield attacks. You need to press the X button to perform the move. But, you can easily convert it into a combo by pressing the X the second time to perform the Side Slash. Pressing X the third time allows you to perform the Sword and Shield combo. But, the third attack can leave you venerable for a certain amount to time so it’s not recommended.
Lateral Slash – Similar to Chop, you can also use the Lateral Slash three times and turn it into a combo, but the third attacks also leaves you venerable. Pressing A once allows you to execute Lateral Slash, the second time allows you to perform a Return Stroke. Pressing A the third time allows you to perform the Round Slash. You can also press the X + A after attack to perform Super Round Slash.
Shield Attack – The Shield can be used to stun monsters when hit on the head. A great way to use the Sword and Shield is to use the sword to cut the tail of the monster and when it turns, tilt the L stick towards the head of the monster and press A to perform the attack.
Forward Slash – Pressing the X + A allows the monster to move forward and use the sword. This move can also be combined with others such as you can perform the Forward Slash while mid-air by pressing the X + A button.You can also perform a Round Slash after an attack via buttons L + X + A.
Rising Slash – The Rising Slash is a visually impressive move using the Sword and Shield and can be followed by three combos. Press the Zr + X buttons to perform the Rising Slash, then, press X and X to perform Chop or A and A to perform Lateral Slash.
Guard – If you cannot dodge an attack for some reason, the guard can come useful. This is a basic guard move for defence that can be combined to perform Guard Slash and Backstep. The Backstep is great for executing a variety of moves. So, the Guard can come useful under certain circumstances. Press the Zr to Guard, while guarding press A for Guard Slash and use the A + L to Backstep.
Backstep – One of the ways to get Backstep is to pull the L backwards and press A when Guarding. You can use the same controls from various other moves to get the Backstep. It can also be obtained by holding Zr, then pressing A while pulling L backwards. The Backstep can be used for combos such as the Falling Bash, Leaping Slash, and Perfect Rush. After Backstep, press A to get Falling Bash, press X to get Leaping Slash, or press X and X after Leaping Slash to get the Perfect Rush.
Falling Shadow – The Falling Shadow is a Silkbind attack that can be achieved by pressing the keys Zl + X. Like all Silkbind attacks, it uses the Wirebug charge and costs 1 spirit gauge. The attack in itself is a forward jumping attack and when it connects you can get the Scaling Slash. You can combine it with the Falling Bash.
Windmill – The Windmill is an attack you would have seen in the demo and looks the most visually appealing. It uses the keys Zl + A, uses 2 Wirebug charge and costs 2 Spirit gauge. Using the Wirebug, you swing the blade. The attack can knock monster off their feet and disable their attacks.
Monster Hunter Rise | Combos and Controls
Controls | Combos |
Chop → X | Side Slash |
Chop → X → X | Sword & Shield Combo |
Lateral Slash → A | Return Stroke |
Lateral Slash → A → A | Round Slash |
X + A after attacks | Powered Round Slash |
X + A Mid-air | Mid Air Forward Slash |
L + X + A | Round Slash |
Rising Slash → A → A | Lateral Slash |
Rising Slash → X → X | Chop |
Guard → A | Guard Slash |
Guard → A + L (Back) | Backstep |
Backstep → A | Falling Bash |
Backstep → X | Leaping Slash |
Leaping Slash → X → X | Perfect Rush |
So, in a nutshell, this is how to use the Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter Rise. We have tried to cover all the Sword and shield moves, combos, and controls, but if we missed something, let us or the users know by commenting.