Looking for a Monster Hunter weapon that’s wholly underappreciated? Look no further than the Sword and Shield. Alone it’s capable of filling numerous weapons’ niche: It can slice body parts off, KO and Exhaust monsters, apply status and elements quickly and still keep it’s hunter safer than most other options. No other weapon offers quite this much versatility.
The MHGU Sword and Shield compounds all of these benefits by expanding on the oils selection from Generations and adding hunting styles which, along with some fantastic hunting arts, make this the Swiss army knife of weapons. Speaking of styles, today we’re going to detail our top two choices that we feel really make this box of tricks shine.
Guild Style
Perhaps you were expecting some kind of exotic hunting style first? Well not quite. There is something that must be understood first: Sword and Shield has some incredible hunting arts. Like, really incredible. So good in fact that they tend to inform the styles you choose, because you’re likely to want at least two. Round Force and Chaos Oil are some of the best arts the game has to offer, so picking styles that allow to bring both – or three if possible – ensures you don’t miss out.
That being said, Guild Style is the Sword and Shield that you know and love. It has all of the nimble movement that you’re used to and is perfectly capable of moving you in and out of monster range, as long as you have the skill. The ‘hop back and charge’ is still available, and the weapon has retained it’s ability to complete ludicrously long combinations of attacks. It might not feel special like some other weapons in our series, but that doesn’t stop it dismantling enemies in the hands of a pro.
Cards on the table however, those hands are not ours. We’ve never considered ourselves as having a great amount of skill with the weapon, but we do have a tremendous amount of respect for those that do. Seeing a true SnS pro go to work is like watching a ballerina work their craft: It’s beautiful to watch, but you’re always left wondering how on earth they managed to move like that.
Style Pros
- It’s the nimble Sword and Shield you know from prior Monster Hunter games.
- Two art slots mean you can bring some of the best MHGU has to offer.
- Doesn’t lose the hop back charge like other styles.
Style Cons
- May feel boring when considering other weapons flashy new styles.
- Having two arts is trumped by styles that allow three…
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Striker Style
Hey look it’s a hunting style with three available arts. We can bring Round Force (did we mention you’re invulnerable for the duration of that art?), Chaos Oil and even Absolute Readiness, essentially meaning you have two evasions, one of which does damage. You could even go full defensive and bring three evasion skills if you want. Just don’t bring Round Force III to a multiplayer hunt, unless you want some unhappy team mates being knocked into the air all the time.
Two hunting styles have three arts available: Striker and Alchemy. Why have we chosen Striker then? Well, we did mention that our skills with the weapon are… Questionable. That being the case, we enjoy it’s other hidden benefit: You have super armour whilst using an item with your weapon out. So let’s take stock of the situation: We can bring numerous evasion arts, use items with relative ease and still spin around trying to look like we know what we’re doing? That’s ideal!
All joking aside, Alchemy is also a good style, but with all of the arts and options available the barrel is really not necessary and if anything just complicates things. Striker has the balance just right. You do lose the ability to hop back and charge, but otherwise it’s the same weapon you know and love, bolstered by even more options and safety.
Style Pros
- Able to bring three arts from the best pool in the game.
- Low barrier to entry for newer players.
- The ‘feel’ isn’t lost, unlike some other Striker weapons – hi, Insect Glaive
Style Cons
- Lacks the iconic hop back charge attack.
- This mean combos are harder to link together, impossible in some cases.
- Again it’s not ‘flashy’ like some other Valor/Adept friendly weapons.
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Categories: Monster Hunter