Monster Hunter Rise: How to Use Charge Blades (2024)

Monster Hunter games provide players with myriad weapon choices forvarious playstyles. Charge Blades are a heavy weaponthat operatesquite differently from others like the Great Sword. It's a complex weapon with deep technical gameplay, even in Monster Hunter Rise.While daunting to learn at first, they can lead to some rewarding gameplay involving knocking monsters down, causing status effects and doing major damage.

The Charge Blade wasintroduced in Monster Hunter 4, andit's easily one of the hardest weapons to use in the series. The Switch Axe is the closest weapon to it but even that is easier to operate. Unlike many weapons in the series, it hasn't evolved much either, besides getting faster and the addition of Silkbind moves. Mastering it requires not just a knowledge of the weapon but of the monsters being fought.

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The Basics of Using Monster Hunter Rise's Charge Blades

The first thing to know about Charge Blades is that they have two modes: Sword Mode (with a shield) and Axe Mode.They also use phials. The phials and weapon icons are in the upper left corner beneath the player's health and stamina. The general flow of combat is to attack in Sword Mode until the phials glow red (anymore and attacks will bounce),then charge them using ZR + A on Switch or Mouse Button 4 + Right Click on PC until all phials are full. Charging without a glow will result in the hunter getting stuck in an animation.

Once charged, it's time to switch into Axe Mode using ZR + X or MB4 + Left Click, which will also lead into a slash. Players can then hack and slash and use the weapon's explosive Amped Element Discharge (AED) by pressing X + A or Left + Right Click. This will use up all phials and restart the flow.

There are two different types of phials: elemental and Impact. The type of phial determines the type of damage AED's explosion will do. Elemental phials will do elemental damage, and the explosion will go out in a cone. Impact phials contribute to KO build-up and monster exhaustion, getting them out of enrage faster, and their explosion will go out in a line. Additionally, phials can be overcharged using the same flow, turning them red and making attacks even more potent. CBs can also be fairly good at inflicting status effects through build-up.

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In Sword Mode, the sword and shield can both be boosted. However, a Switch Skill is required for the sword. This is done by holding ZR before switching into Axe Mode. Boosting the Shield requires phials and increases defense for a while, and boosting the sword increases offense. Some more advanced moves include switching to Axe Mode right out of a charge by pushing X while charging, Fade Slash by moving while using a sword attack, holding A or Right Click for a charged sword slash, and backing out of AED before the explosion by pressing X + opposite direction or Left Click + opposite direction. There are many more learned through experience.

Useful Skills for Charge Blades

Skills make hunts go much smoother and quicker. There are a couple of directions players can take when it comes to equipping for the CB: big damage or utility. Some skills for beginners are Guard Up or Guard which can prove useful while learning CB and monster moves as its shield is incredibly sturdy. Conversely, those who have mastered the art of the Guard Point may want to try Offensive Guard to get more power out of the weapon.

The bread-and-butter skills for CB are Load Shells, Rapid Morph and Artillery. Load Shells is simple with only two levels, and it makes charging up phials easier. Instead of having to wait until they are red to fully charge, players need only wait until yellow, which means getting into Axe Mode more often. Rapid Morph makes this even better, as its sole purpose is to make the animations when switching modes faster. It has three levels, making it another easy one to max out. Artillery may not sound like it's for CB, but it actually makes Impact phials stronger. This means more damage for AED and a higher chance to KO a monster if hit in the head. It has three levels.

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This next set of skills makes the CB even more powerful, allowing players to really get the most out of it. Attack Boost increases damage by up to 10% plus 10 points, but it can take seven slots to reach. Weakness Exploit is good for any weapon as it makes monster's weak points take more damage. With CB's KO power and AED's explosive attack, it can finish hunts quickly. Critical Eye and Critical Boost increase affinity, which is critical hit-rate, and critical damage in that order. It should be noted that these two skills do not apply to AED's explosion, only the actual weapon hits. This is still good as it increases Sword Mode's attacks.

Other skills to consider taking are Part Breaker and Slugger. Part Breaker is always useful as it means destroying monster bits quicker, which works great with the CB's strength. A Slugger build is also viable, especially with Artillery in the mix as CBs can easily KO monsters. If using a weapon with Blast damage this can make it even easier and is a good case to pair Artillery, Slugger and Blast Attack.

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Silkbinds & Switch Skills

CB has some great Silkbinds and Switch Skills, all of which are viable. The basic Silkbind is Morphing Advance, which allows the hunter to slide out of harm's way while in Axe Mode. Counter Peak Performance is the second Silkbind learned and an incredible guard move. When hit, it will fully charge all phials and can then be combo'd into Axe Mode or pull off some advanced moves. The last Silkbind learned, which can also be used as a Switch Skill, is Axe Hopper. This powerful two-part move will first hit the target with a downward swing, then Wirebug the hunter up and into a downward AED. The hunter's direction can also be changed while in the air, making it easier to hit monsters.

Besides Axe Hopper, the Charge Blade's Switch Skills are Condensed Element Slash, Condensed Spinning Slash, Morph Slash and Counter Morph Slash. Condensed Element Slash allows the hunter to power up the sword to apply phial type and strength to it. Condensed Spinning Slash turns the axe into a spinning saw blade by holding X or Left Click while charging, doing extra damage on swings, allowing the hunter to charge phials in Axe Mode, boosting axe damage and allowing players to pull off Super Amped Element Discharge (SAED). Morph Slash/Counter Morph Slash adds additional Guard Points when switching modes, something for advanced players.Whiledifficult to master, but the Charge Blades are an effective and satisfying weapon to wield.

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