Monster Hunter Wilds · Sword & Shield build
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · HR 100+ · Elemental · S tier weapon
An elemental Sword & Shield build made to farm Gogmazios: three Gogmazios pieces and the Gogmapocalypse roll give Mutual Hostility II, Burst 5 with Burst Boost, Weakness Exploit 5 and Maximum Might 3 add affinity, and Offensive Guard 3 with Guard Up 3 rewards perfect blocks. Swap the three weapon jewels to change element.
Attack
Priority 1
Fire Attack
3/3
Priority 2
Offensive Guard
3/3
Priority 3
Burst
5/5
Priority 4
Weakness Exploit
5/5
Priority 5
Maximum Might
3/3
Priority 6
Peak Performance
5/5
Priority 7
Critical Element
3/3
Priority 8
Guard Up
3/3
Set bonus
Mutual Hostility II · 4 pts
Set bonus
Burst Boost I · 2 pts
Set bonus
Second Wind I · 2 pts
Mantle
Rocksteady Mantle
Sharpness
Kyrie Verd forged from one element infusion and three attack infusions, element focus, upgraded to its Gogma form. Darcblade carries a fire one and a dragon one for Gogmazios.
Rolled
Gogmapocalypse1
Lord's Favor1
Guardian's ProtectionLv 1BurstLv 2Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv 1
Guardian's ProtectionLv 1Fulgur Anjanath's WillLv 1Maximum MightLv 1
Fulgur Anjanath's WillLv 1Maximum MightLv 2AgitatorLv 1GogmapocalypseLv 1
BurstLv 2Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv 1Peak PerformanceLv 1GogmapocalypseLv 1
Gravios's ProtectionLv 1AgitatorLv 1Peak PerformanceLv 2GogmapocalypseLv 1
Charm
Weakness ExploitLv 3Pick the element the monster is weakest to (fire or dragon for Gogmazios) and keep hitting with the sword: on Sword & Shield the element only applies to sword attacks, not shield bashes. Time your blocks for Offensive Guard, and use Guard Up to block attacks that are normally unblockable. Peak Performance needs full health, and Sword & Shield can drink potions without sheathing, so top up often. Second Wind gives you a spare stamina gauge that dodges and blocks drain first, which keeps Maximum Might active almost all the time.
Mutual Hostility II4 ptsGogmazios Vambraces α, Coil α and Greaves β carry three points of Gogmapocalypse and the weapon roll the fourth. Rank I raises the fire Kyrie Verd's element while the monster is enraged, on sword attacks only, since shield bashes carry no element. Rank II's oil barrier absorbs a heavy hit when a block comes too late, then reactivates after a cooldown. Darcblade calls it a must on defensive builds.
BurstBurst Boost I2 ptsG. Ebony Helm β and Gogmazios Coil α each carry a point of Ebony Odogaron's Power, which unlocks Burst Boost: Burst lasts longer and adds +8 attack while active. Burst itself builds raw and element as you keep landing hits.
Offensive GuardGuard UpThe Guardian and Shield jewels on the weapon give Offensive Guard 3 and Guard Up 3. A perfectly timed block boosts raw attack, which is easy to trigger on Sword & Shield without investing in Guard, and Guard Up lets you block Gogmazios attacks that are normally unblockable.
Second Wind I2 ptsMaximum MightG. Fulgur Mail β and Gogmazios Vambraces α share Fulgur Anjanath's Will for Second Wind: a small extra stamina gauge that dodges and blocks drain before the main one. Maximum Might only reads the main gauge, so its affinity stays on.
Weakness ExploitCritical ElementFire AttackExploiter Charm III and two Tenderizer jewels max Weakness Exploit, so affinity is high on weak points, and Critical Element 3 from the Crit Elem jewel turns those crits into more elemental damage. The jewel combines it with Fire Attack, which is why it takes one slot.
BurstWeakness ExploitTranscending G. Ebony Helm β and G. Fulgur Mail β (rarity 6) turns their slots into 3-1 and 3-2-1. Those two new level 3 slots make room for the Chain jewel behind Burst 5 and the Tenderizer jewel behind Weakness Exploit 5.
Divine BlessingStun ResistanceThree Protection jewels give Divine Blessing 3, a chance to take less damage when a block fails. Stun Resistance 3 from the Steadfast jewels blocks stuns entirely; Darcblade calls it optional but notes stuns are when most players cart.
Other elements: replace the three Blaze jewels with the Dragon, Bolt, Stream or Frost versions (Guardian, Crit Elem and Shield) on a Kyrie Verd of that element.
Sharpness trouble, or a monster without unblockable attacks: swap the Shield/Blaze Jewel for the Rzr Sharp/Blaze Jwl. You lose Guard Up but halve sharpness loss.
The Flawless (Peak Performance), Steadfast (Stun Resistance) and Jumping (Evade Extender) jewels are optional; replace them with whatever suits you.
No Gogmapocalypse roll on your Kyrie Verd: the build loses Mutual Hostility II; Darcblade calls the roll required.
Build by Darcblade, adapted and re-fitted to the database.
BEST OF THE BEST SWORD & SHIELD BUILDS : MONSTER HUNTER WILDS
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · gear data from wilds.mhdb.io · build adapted from Darcblade
An elemental Sword & Shield build made to farm Gogmazios: three Gogmazios pieces and the Gogmapocalypse roll give Mutual Hostility II, Burst 5 with Burst Boost, Weakness Exploit 5 and Maximum Might 3 add affinity, and Offensive Guard 3 with Guard Up 3 rewards perfect blocks. Swap the three weapon jewels to change element.
Loadout: Kyrie Verd (Guardian/Blaze Jwl [3], Crit Elem/Blaze Jwl [3], Shield/Blaze Jewel [3]); G. Ebony Helm β, G. Fulgur Mail β, Gogmazios Vambraces α, Gogmazios Coil α, Gogmazios Greaves β; Exploiter Charm III; Rocksteady Mantle; armor jewels Chain Jewel [3], Protection Jewel [1] ×3, Tenderizer Jewel [3] ×2, Mighty Jewel [2], Flawless Jewel [2] ×2, Steadfast Jewel [1] ×3, Jumping Jewel [2]. Core skills: Fire Attack 3, Offensive Guard 3, Burst 5, Weakness Exploit 5, Maximum Might 3, Peak Performance 5, Critical Element 3, Guard Up 3, plus Mutual Hostility II (Gogmapocalypse) and Burst Boost I (Ebony Odogaron's Power) and Second Wind I (Fulgur Anjanath's Will).
Kyrie Verd with Guardian/Blaze Jwl [3], Crit Elem/Blaze Jwl [3], Shield/Blaze Jewel [3]; G. Ebony Helm β, G. Fulgur Mail β, Gogmazios Vambraces α, Gogmazios Coil α, Gogmazios Greaves β; Exploiter Charm III; Rocksteady Mantle. That reaches Fire Attack 3, Offensive Guard 3, Burst 5, Weakness Exploit 5 with Mutual Hostility II, Burst Boost I, Second Wind I.
Any monster. An elemental Sword & Shield build made to farm Gogmazios: three Gogmazios pieces and the Gogmapocalypse roll give Mutual Hostility II, Burst 5 with Burst Boost, Weakness Exploit 5 and Maximum Might 3 add affinity, and Offensive Guard 3 with Guard Up 3 rewards perfect blocks. Swap the three weapon jewels to change element.
It is a by-product of the armor, not a target. Darcblade would have liked it higher, but the slots go to Burst, Weakness Exploit and Maximum Might first.
No. On Sword & Shield the element only applies to sword attacks, so shield bashes do not benefit from Fire Attack or Critical Element.
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.
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.
Sword & Shield · Endgame metaRaw Kyrie Verd with Black Eclipse, Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5, Flayer 5 and Guard Up 3.
Weakness Exploit 5 · Agitator 5 · Offensive Guard 3
Sword & Shield · DefensiveParty healer: Wide-Range 5, Speed Eating 3, Free Meal 3 and Paralysis 3, with Flayer 5 for wounds.
Wide-Range 5 · Speed Eating 3 · Free Meal 3
Sword & Shield · ProgressionPre-HR100 budget build: Offensive Guard 3, Guard 3, Weakness Exploit 5, Agitator 5 on Queen Rapier.
Offensive Guard 3 · Guard 3 · Weakness Exploit 5
