Updated · Ver. 1.042 · HR 100+ · Endgame meta · S tier weapon
A raw Sword & Shield build for tough monsters that do not call for a specific element: Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Maximum Might 3 and Black Eclipse with Antivirus 3 stack affinity, Critical Boost 3 and Offensive Guard 3 add damage, and Flayer 5 opens wounds for the whole party. Guard Up 3, Guard 2, Guts and Hasten Recovery keep you alive.
Kyrie Verd forged from one element infusion and three attack infusions, attack focus, upgraded to its Gogma form. The element barely matters here; Darcblade shows a dragon one and a fire one.
RolledGore Magala's Tyranny1Lord's Favor1
Set skill: Gore Magala's Tyranny (required, second point for Black Eclipse)
Group skill: any (Lord's Favor here, unused)
Affinity Boost EX at least once, to offset the -10% base affinity
Darcblade's go-to build when he does not want to bother with elements, used on Arch-tempered Arkveld and other tough monsters. Hit weak points and wounds, and block on reaction: perfect blocks trigger Offensive Guard, and Guard Up lets you block unblockable attacks. Win Power Clashes when you can, since Binding Counter boosts your attack afterwards. Keep attacking to overcome the modified Frenzy from Black Eclipse; do not let the purple bar fill, or you take double damage (Nulberries clear it).
Synergies
Why each skill is in the set
01Black Eclipse I2 ptsAntivirus
Black Eclipse: worth the risk
Gore Greaves β and the Gore Magala's Tyranny roll unlock Black Eclipse: a modified Frenzy gauge fills above your health bar against large monsters. Deal enough damage to overcome it and, with Antivirus 3 (one point on the greaves, two Sane jewels), you gain a boost to base affinity. Let it fill and you take double damage; Darcblade thinks the affinity is worth the risk.
02Guts (Tenacity)4 pts
Guts from four Lord's Soul pieces
Arkvulcan Helm γ, Arkvulcan Vambraces γ, Dahaad Shardmail γ and Dahaad Shardcoil γ each carry a point of Lord's Soul: Guts (Tenacity) raises attack and lowers defence until it saves you from one lethal hit, then turns into a defence and resistance bonus.
03Weakness ExploitAgitatorMaximum Might
Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Maximum Might 3
The two Arkvulcan γ pieces give Weakness Exploit 5 on their own, the two Dahaad γ pieces give Agitator 5, and three Mighty jewels max Maximum Might. Critical Boost 3 from the weapon jewel raises crit damage on the raw part of every hit.
04Flayer
Flayer 5 from the charm and braces
Chainblade Charm III and the Arkvulcan Vambraces γ max Flayer: wounds open faster, which helps the whole party (Insect Glaive players in particular), and its built-up burst deals extra non-elemental damage.
05Offensive GuardGuard Up
Offensive Guard 3, Guard Up 3, Guard 2
The Shield/Ironwall and Guardian/Ironwall jewels give Offensive Guard 3, Guard Up 3 and Guard 2 in two slots. Darcblade would have liked a third Ironwall point but there is no slot left; Guard 2 is still enough on Sword & Shield.
06Binding Counter I2 ptsHasten Recovery I2 pts
Binding Counter and Hasten Recovery
The two Dahaad γ pieces unlock Binding Counter (more attack after a Power Clash or a bind, easy to trigger on Sword & Shield), and the two Arkvulcan γ pieces unlock Hasten Recovery I, which heals you as you keep attacking. It covers chip damage, not big hits: drink a potion after those.
Swaps
If you are missing a piece
The Shockproof jewel (Shock Absorber, stops allies knocking you around in multiplayer) is optional: a Growth Jewel for Self-Improvement is Darcblade's other pick.
With a rolled charm that frees slots, add another Ironwall jewel to reach Guard 3.
On monsters that resist wounds, Flayer 5 may not be enough: swap the Chainblade charm for something else.
No Gore Magala's Tyranny roll: the build loses Black Eclipse and its affinity bonus, and Antivirus does nothing.
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
A raw Sword & Shield build for tough monsters that do not call for a specific element: Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Maximum Might 3 and Black Eclipse with Antivirus 3 stack affinity, Critical Boost 3 and Offensive Guard 3 add damage, and Flayer 5 opens wounds for the whole party. Guard Up 3, Guard 2, Guts and Hasten Recovery keep you alive.
Loadout: Kyrie Verd (Shield/Ironwall Jwl [3], Guardian/Ironwall Jwl [3], Critical Jewel III [3]); Arkvulcan Helm γ, Dahaad Shardmail γ, Arkvulcan Vambraces γ, Dahaad Shardcoil γ, Gore Greaves β; Chainblade Charm III; Rocksteady Mantle; armor jewels Mighty Jewel [2] ×3, Shockproof Jewel [1], Protection Jewel [1] ×3, Chain Jewel [3], Sane Jewel [1] ×2. Core skills: Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Offensive Guard 3, Critical Boost 3, Maximum Might 3, Antivirus 3, Flayer 5, Guard Up 3, 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
Kyrie Verd (Sword & Shield, R8, Dragon)
Attack / affinity
280 / -10%
Main armor set
Arkveld γ
Charm
Chainblade Charm III
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 SWORD & SHIELD BUILDS : MONSTER HUNTER WILDS"
FAQ · 5 questions
All-Rounder Sword & Shield FAQ
01
What gear does the All-Rounder Sword & Shield build use?
Kyrie Verd with Shield/Ironwall Jwl [3], Guardian/Ironwall Jwl [3], Critical Jewel III [3]; Arkvulcan Helm γ, Dahaad Shardmail γ, Arkvulcan Vambraces γ, Dahaad Shardcoil γ, Gore Greaves β; Chainblade Charm III; Rocksteady Mantle. That reaches Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Offensive Guard 3, Critical Boost 3 with Black Eclipse I, Hasten Recovery I, Guts (Tenacity), Binding Counter I.
02
When should I use the All-Rounder Sword & Shield build?
Soft skin · HZV 45+. A raw Sword & Shield build for tough monsters that do not call for a specific element: Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Maximum Might 3 and Black Eclipse with Antivirus 3 stack affinity, Critical Boost 3 and Offensive Guard 3 add damage, and Flayer 5 opens wounds for the whole party. Guard Up 3, Guard 2, Guts and Hasten Recovery keep you alive.
03
Is Black Eclipse worth the risk?
Darcblade thinks so: taking double damage after failing to overcome the Frenzy is usually a cart, but keeping up the pressure (and carrying Nulberries) makes it rare, and the affinity boost is large. If you do not want the risk, use the elemental build instead.
04
Where does the All-Rounder Sword & Shield build come from?
It is adapted from Darcblade's video "BEST OF THE BEST SWORD & SHIELD 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 Sword & Shield good in Ver. 1.042?
Sword & Shield is S tier on the weapon tier list. This is one of 4 Sword & Shield builds on the site, each tuned for a different target.
Attack
Gore Magala's Tyranny1
Lord's Favor1
