An elemental Switch Axe build for players who dodge through attacks instead of offsetting and parrying: Evasion Charm IV and one jewel reach Evade Window 5, while Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Thunder Attack 3 and the Black Eclipse Frenzy keep the damage high.
Wicked Regnum forged from one element infusion and three attack infusions, element focus (element phial), upgraded to its Gogma form. Darcblade shows a thunder one and a water one (Stream/Handicraft jewel in place of the Bolt one).
RolledGore Magala's Tyranny1Neopteron Alert1
Set skill: Gore Magala's Tyranny (the second Gore piece)
Roll through attacks instead of blocking them: Evade Window 5 gives a very long invulnerability window and Evade Extender 2 carries your hops further, which makes up for the slow Sword Mode. Hit weak points for Weakness Exploit and let Agitator kick in when the monster enrages. Black Eclipse infects you with the Frenzy each fight; cure it by dealing damage for an affinity boost (Antivirus 3 makes that easier). Arkveld's Hunger heals you as you keep hitting. Stun Resistance is only at 1 because you should rarely need the parry here.
Synergies
Why each skill is in the set
01Evade WindowEvade Extender
Evade Window 5 from the charm
Evasion Charm IV gives Evade Window 4 and one Evasion jewel finishes it: a massively extended invulnerability window on every roll and hop. Evade Extender 2 from the two Jumping jewels makes those evades cover more ground, the classic way to play Switch Axe before offsets and parries.
02HandicraftPower ProlongerThunder Attack
Handicraft 3 from the weapon jewels
The three weapon jewels are all Handicraft combos: Enhancer (Power Prolonger 3), Bolt (Thunder Attack 3) and Quickswitch (Rapid Morph 3), each with a point of Handicraft. That covers sharpness, element and both Switch Axe comfort skills in three slots.
03Weakness ExploitAgitatorFlayer
Weakness Exploit 5 and Agitator 5 with no jewel
Arkvulcan Helm γ (Weakness Exploit 3) and Arkvulcan Vambraces γ (Weakness Exploit 2) reach Weakness Exploit 5 with no jewel; the Dahaad mail and coil carry Agitator 5 on their own (2 + 3). Flayer 2 on the Arkvulcan braces wounds parts faster and adds a small non-elemental burst.
04Black Eclipse I2 ptsAntivirus
Black Eclipse from the Gore greaves and the roll
Gore Greaves β plus the Gore Magala's Tyranny roll unlock Black Eclipse: a Frenzy bar that turns into bonus affinity once you deal enough damage. Antivirus 3 (one point on the greaves, two Sane jewels) speeds up the cure and adds 10% affinity when it lands.
The four γ pieces carry Lord's Soul (Guts Tenacity: more attack, one lethal hit survived) and two points each of Arkveld's Hunger (Hasten Recovery: health back as you keep attacking) and Jin Dahaad's Revolt. Binding Counter from the Dahaad pair is mostly wasted without a shield, but those pieces are worth it for Agitator.
Swaps
If you are missing a piece
Other elements: replace the Bolt/Handicraft jewel with the Stream, Blaze, Frost or Dragon version on a Wicked Regnum of that element.
In multiplayer you can drop Evade Window and the charm for more damage: Darcblade says the build is still decent without it.
The only required roll is Gore Magala's Tyranny on the weapon; the group skill can be anything.
Source
Credit
Build by Darcblade, adapted and re-fitted to the database.
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · gear data from wilds.mhdb.io · build adapted from Darcblade
An elemental Switch Axe build for players who dodge through attacks instead of offsetting and parrying: Evasion Charm IV and one jewel reach Evade Window 5, while Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Thunder Attack 3 and the Black Eclipse Frenzy keep the damage high.
Loadout: Wicked Regnum (Enhancer/Handicraft Jwl [3], Bolt/Handicraft Jwl [3], Quickswitch/Handicraft Jwl [3]); Arkvulcan Helm γ, Dahaad Shardmail γ, Arkvulcan Vambraces γ, Dahaad Shardcoil γ, Gore Greaves β; Evasion Charm IV; Rocksteady Mantle; armor jewels Evasion Jewel [2], Steadfast Jewel [1], Jumping Jewel [2] ×2, Protection Jewel [1] ×3, Chain Jewel [3], Sane Jewel [1] ×2. Core skills: Evade Window 5, Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Thunder Attack 3, Rapid Morph 3, Power Prolonger 3, Antivirus 3, Evade Extender 2, plus Black Eclipse I (Gore Magala's Tyranny) and Hasten Recovery I (Arkveld's Hunger) and Guts (Tenacity) (Lord's Soul) and Binding Counter I (Jin Dahaad's Revolt).
Weapon
Wicked Regnum (Switch Axe, R8, Thunder)
Attack / affinity
665 / 0%
Main armor set
Arkveld γ
Charm
Evasion Charm IV
Mantle
Rocksteady Mantle
Target
Soft skin · HZV 45+
Unlocks at
HR 100+
Defense
332 base, 434 fully upgraded
Set and group bonuses
Black Eclipse I (Gore Magala's Tyranny, 2 pts), Hasten Recovery I (Arkveld's Hunger, 2 pts), Guts (Tenacity) (Lord's Soul, 4 pts), Binding Counter I (Jin Dahaad's Revolt, 2 pts)
Source
Darcblade, "BEST OF THE BEST SWITCH AXE BUILDS : MONSTER HUNTER WILDS"
FAQ · 5 questions
Evasion Switch Axe FAQ
01
What gear does the Evasion Switch Axe build use?
Wicked Regnum with Enhancer/Handicraft Jwl [3], Bolt/Handicraft Jwl [3], Quickswitch/Handicraft Jwl [3]; Arkvulcan Helm γ, Dahaad Shardmail γ, Arkvulcan Vambraces γ, Dahaad Shardcoil γ, Gore Greaves β; Evasion Charm IV; Rocksteady Mantle. That reaches Evade Window 5, Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Thunder Attack 3 with Black Eclipse I, Hasten Recovery I, Guts (Tenacity), Binding Counter I.
02
When should I use the Evasion Switch Axe build?
Soft skin · HZV 45+. An elemental Switch Axe build for players who dodge through attacks instead of offsetting and parrying: Evasion Charm IV and one jewel reach Evade Window 5, while Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Thunder Attack 3 and the Black Eclipse Frenzy keep the damage high.
03
Is Evade Window 5 worth a whole charm on Switch Axe?
For a dodge-first playstyle, yes: it turns most monster attacks into rolls through them. It is the build's biggest cost, though, and in a group you can swap it out for damage.
04
Where does the Evasion Switch Axe build come from?
It is adapted from Darcblade's video "BEST OF THE BEST SWITCH AXE BUILDS : MONSTER HUNTER WILDS", re-fitted to the game data on this site: every piece, jewel and skill total above is checked against the database, and the swaps list what was changed and why.
05
Is Switch Axe good in Ver. 1.042?
Switch Axe is S tier on the weapon tier list. This is one of 4 Switch Axe builds on the site, each tuned for a different target.
Attack
Gore Magala's Tyranny1
Neopteron Alert1
