Monster Hunter Now Sword & Shield guide

Every Hunter needs to start somewhere, and what better place to start than with the trusty Sword & Shield? Known as the all-around weapon in Monster Hunter Now, the Sword & Shield is your starting weapon, and it boasts a great balance of offensive and defensive potential. However, there are some hidden techniques that the game doesn’t mention to you, so we can show you everything you need to know in our Monster Hunter Now Sword & Shield guide.

Guide to using the Sword & Shield in Monster Hunter Now

The game starts you out with the Sword & Shield because it is very easy to learn, and there is a lot of room for error. Since your sword attacks are pretty quick, you don’t leave yourself open to counterattacks from monsters too often. Even so, it’s best to familiarize yourself with the entire move set, so here are all the moves you can do with the Sword & Shield.

Sword & Shield basic attack combo

Tap the screen repeatedly to do a basic Sword & Shield attack combo. The first four hits are sword slashes, and the last three hits are shield bashes. The shield bashes tend to do the most damage, so you want to try to complete this combo as many times as possible.

Related | How to Perfect Dodge in Monster Hunter Now

You may have noticed that bashing the monster’s head in with the shield attacks causes yellow sparks to fly out. This is because the shield bashes do impact damage, which is especially effective when targeting the monster’s head. Once a monster’s head takes enough impact damage, they are stunned temporarily, allowing all Hunters to get in free hits!

Sword & Shield defensive block

Long press the screen to hold your shield out and assume a defensive stance. Any attacks you receive in this stance only deal chip damage to your health and push you back a bit. Stronger attacks can knock you over, and certain attacks are completely unblockable, so be careful.

Starting out, it’s okay to mostly rely on your block to avoid taking too much damage, but you want to start dodging eventually. The chip damage, though it seems little at first, slowly adds up, and you can find yourself running short on healing supplies.

There is an armor skill called Guard, which helps with blocking. Guard can go up to level 5, and the higher it is, the less knockback and chip damage you receive while blocking.

Sword & Shield backstep and Falling Bash combo

The Sword & Shield has a hidden move that is quite powerful called Falling Bash. It’s a bit tricky to perform, so read carefully.

1. Start blocking;
2. While blocking, swipe downward to hop backwards while facing the monster;
3. As your Hunter is hopping backwards, stop long pressing, then long press again;
4. Your Hunter will begin charging an attack. Hold as long as possible, then let go to perform a leaping strike;
5. Rapidly tap to jump off the monster with an upward strike, then slam your shield down on them.

The Falling Bash combo can deal some extreme damage, but you’re vulnerable while charging the initial attack and as you’re coming down from the air, so be careful about when you use it.

Sword & Shield special skill: Perfect Rush combo

Perfect Rush Combo is a combo of three attacks. Tap the Special Skill button to launch into the Perfect Rush Combo, at which point your Hunter launches the first attack.

There are three moments where your Hunter pauses after an attack and flashes red. When you see these flashes, you can tap to launch into the next part of the combo faster, and with slightly increased damage. If you don’t tap, the combo continues as normal, though a bit slower.

Recommended Sword & Shield skills

Here are some of the best armor skills you can use with the Sword & Shield. Note that we don’t include the universally good options, like Attack Boost, Health Boost, and so forth.

• Burst: landing multiple hits in a short period of time grants a temporary attack boost. Since the Sword & Shield attacks so fast, you can activate the attack boost from Burst often;
• Guard: reduces the knockback and chip damage you receive from blocking attacks;
• Offensive Guard: bocking just before an attack connects with you grants a temporary attack boost;
• Slugger: increases the stunning power of your shield bashes.

Those are all the important moves to know about the Sword & Shield. It is a great weapon class, thanks to its balanced approach to combat. Don’t be afraid to invest in a lot of Sword & Shields, because it’s one of the best weapon types in Monster Hunter Now at the moment, especially when you use elemental weapons.