15.21.00 Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Dual Blad…

Pilgrim2092, author of Dual Blades Guide (Rise) and Dual Blade Guide (Sunbreak)

Tired of Lightbreak and Fatalis gaming? Are you sick of missing your True Charge Slash or Zero Sum Discharge and losing out on hundreds of damage because the monster called you out, dodged, and/or gave you the cartsteady treatment? Want to make good use of Element weapons? You might be hearing the call to try Dual Blades! Dual Blades are the fastest Blademaster Weapon in the game and prioritize optimal damage towards the opposition by sticking to the monster like an irritating mosquito.

Dual Blades are designed to utilize Element damage. They have lower Motion Values so pure Raw sets tend to fall behind quickly to their Element counterparts. As hunters, you will be selecting the right equipment for the right job. Don't think of your weapons as just two swords, but as the silver bullets specifically designed to hunt your target. This guide intends to help improve your sets and understanding of opposing monsters. Hunters with Dual Blades should always focus on the monster’s weakest Hit Zone to maximize damage output, so skills like Weakness Exploit are a high priority. To add, having higher levels of Sharpness does not only buff Raw Damage but Element Damage as well!

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents 1 Supplementary Material 1.1 Version Table, To-do list, and Calculator 1.2 Preface 1.3 A Conversation on Sharpness… third time’s the charm? 1.4 “Comfort” Skills, Meta, and Speedrunning 1.5 Dumbed-down Iceborne Progression 2 World Progression 2.1 Act I: Gazing upon the New World 2.2 Act II: To the Rotten Vale 2.3 Act III: The Cycle Goes On 2.4 Act IV: The Admiral Blows In 2.5 Act V: Ever-growing Enigmas 3 World Endgame 3.1 Defender Chainsaws V 3.2 Zireael 3.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 3.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” 3.5 Kjárr Daggers “Water” 3.6 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” 4 Iceborne Progression 4.1 Act I: Rumblings 4.1.1 Defender Chainsaws V 4.1.2 Beo Hatchets I 4.1.3 Kadachi Greathawks I 4.1.4 Zireael 4.1.5 Whetfish Sabers 4.2 Act II: The Iceborne Wyvern 4.2.1 Returning Builds 4.2.2 Asefar al-Nasr II 4.2.3 Jyura Keenblades II 4.2.4 Shattering Flames I 4.2.5 Kadachi Greathawks II 4.3 Act III: A Wish Inherited 4.3.1 Returning Builds

4.3.2 Anja Twinrippers II 4.3.3 Beo Hatchets II 4.3.4 Nether Chainblades 4.4 Act IV: Unnatural Disasters 4.4.1 Rathalos Mastery (accessible Decorations only) 4.4.1.1 Returning Builds 4.4.1.2 Smoldering Kingdoms 4.4.1.3 Enduring Surrender 4.4.1.4 Wunderkirins 4.4.1.5 Blizzard and Blaze 4.4.1.6 Whetfish Sabers+ 4.4.2 Velkhana Divinity (all High Rank Decorations) 4.4.2.1 Beo Hatchets II 4.4.2.2 Smoldering Kingdoms 4.4.2.3 Enduring Surrender 4.4.2.4 Wunderkirins 4.4.2.5 Blizzard and Blaze 4.4.2.6 Whetfish Sabers+ 5 Iceborne Postgame 5.1 Act V: Onward to the Guiding Lands 5.1.1 Bergel Vetra 5.1.2 Anja Twinrippers II 5.1.3 Enduring Surrender 5.1.4 Demonlord Hellfists 5.1.5 Lightbreak Twins 5.1.6 Whetfish Sabers+ 5.2 Enter Safi’jiiva 5.2.1 Returning Builds 5.2.2 Lightbreak Twins (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.2.3 Safi’s Hellclaws 5.2.4 Safi’s Aquaclaws 5.2.5 Safi’s Boltclaws 5.2.6 Safi’s Frostclaws 5.2.7 Safi’s Drakclaws 5.3 Enter Master Rank Kulve Taroth & Arch-tempered Namielle 5.3.1 Returning Builds

5.3.2 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 5.3.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.3.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” 5.3.5 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.3.6 Kjárr Daggers “Water” 5.3.7 Kjárr Daggers “Water” (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.3.8 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” 5.3.9 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.3.10 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” 5.3.11 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” (Dragonvein Awakening) 5.4 Enter Alatreon 5.4.1 Returning Builds 5.4.2 Alatreon Madness 5.4.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 5.4.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” 5.4.5 Kjárr Daggers “Water” 5.4.6 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” 5.4.7 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” 6 Iceborne Endgame 6.0 The Author’s Recommendations 6.1 Standard 6.1.1 Fire Element ~ Safi’s Hellclaws 6.1.2 Water Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Water” 6.1.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 6.1.4 Ice Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Ice” 6.1.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness 6.1.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies 6.2 Frostcraft 6.2.1 Fire Element ~ Safi’s Hellclaws 6.2.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water” 6.2.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 6.2.4 Ice Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Ice” 6.2.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness 6.2.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies 6.3 Dragonvein Awakening 6.3.1 Fire Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

6.3.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water” 6.3.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 6.3.4 Ice Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Ice” 6.3.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness 6.3.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies 6.4 Transcendence 6.4.1 Fire Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Rage” 6.4.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water” 6.4.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark” 6.4.4 Ice Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Ice” 6.4.5 Dragon Element I ~ Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” 6.4.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies 7 Moveset, Cheat Sheet, & FAQ 7.1 Combos and Moves 7.2 Cheat Sheet 7.3 Frequently Asked Questions Conclusion Credits

1 Supplementary Material

1.1 Version Table, To-do list, and Calculator

Version 1.7 (20 September 2024):

• Added Author’s Recommendations for Endgame Sets Version 1.6 (16 June 2024):

• Added Velkhana Divinity section to Iceborne Act IV Version 1.5 (29 April 2024):

• Added Combos and Moves section Version 1.4 (28 April 2024):

• Added Frostcraft section Version 1.3 (25 April 2024):

• Added Transcendence section

• Adjusted Fulgur Anjanath and Blackveil Hazak matchups Version 1.21 (19 April 2024):

• Updated Fatalis Dual Skies Standard set

• Updated Cheat Sheet Version 1.2 (13 April 2024):

• Added FAQ section

• Added Dragonvein Awakening section

• Updated Cheat Sheet

• Added updated Excel Calculator Version 1.1 (23 March 2024):

• Corrected Velkhana matchups to consider its unique buff. Version 1.0 (10 March 2024):

• Guide and Calculator released.

Microsoft Excel Calculator (1.2): https://github.com/pilgrim2092/MHWld Google Spreadsheets Calculator (1.0, outdated): MathHunter Wld Version 1.0

1.2 Preface

On January 26th, 2018, Monster Hunter World was released to worldwide acclaim, redefining the genre the series once started. A far more dense, luscious, and expressive ecosystem, fast travel between camps, the ability to track monsters in the setting with the accessibility offered by Scoutflies, fully voiced characters and the convenience of the Slinger’s Swiss army toolset and manipulation of the expansive environment. A year and a half later, it followed up with the Iceborne expansion which modified player interaction with monsters via the Clutch Claw. With the exciting announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds, many of us have reignited our interest in the legendary world of Astera and Seliana and are reexperiencing it right now.

This guide is designed to optimize progression but operates with the intent that hunters are being practical. The sets for progression are milestones and do not need to be completely followed. Fortunate hunters with useful decorations can likely build better sets, and these sets are optimized up to the expectation that every piece of equipment is obtainable by that point in the game until the final Act of Iceborne. The Iceborne postgame sets assume all decorations are available.

The document is a reassessment of Monster Hunter World’s Dual Blades’ progression and endgame. Unlike traditional meta-progression sets, this is a more in-depth take on progression and does not focus on saving time with material farming. What I mean is, there is no focus on universal armour sets for each section. Sets in the same Act can have unique armour different from another. It is not meant to replace older guide content but is up-to-date in all respects. Expired content no longer accessible to the hunter is not considered. Links to older guides are linked in the appropriate sections. I am a little late to the party, but better late than never.

Let’s get wild.

1.3 A Conversation on Sharpness… third timeʼs the charm?

One of the struggles of writing this guide and as a Dual Blades user altogether is figuring out what the hell to use for Sharpness comfort. The problem with being the fastest weapon in the game is that they dull fast. Skills like Handicraft and set skills like Master’s Touch and Razor Sharp help ease the pain, but the question is, how can we calculate this mathematically? First off, let’s talk about the jargon!

Dual Blades have a natural Sharpness loss modifier of 66.667%. This means that it’s not all doom-and-gloom, as only one-third of our hits actually cost Sharpness. Keep in mind, this is a chance; with every hit, a dice roll is made to determine if the weapon loses durability. The count will not always be the same. A sliver of Sharpness is five hits. With natural Sharpness included, that makes every sliver worth fifteen hits with Dual Blades. Handicraft adds two slivers worth of Sharpness or thirty hits with Dual Blades. Razor Sharp or Master’s Touch adds a natural Sharpness modifier that further confuses the hit count. Master’s Touch is also a unique calculation, as its natural Sharpness is only as common as how high your Affinity is, and many hunter’s Affinity percentages heavily utilize Weakness Exploit. Simple, right?

So you can see how this becomes confusing. The next question: How long should Dual Blades last before requiring a Whetstone? There’s also Protective Polish, which makes a weapon impervious to durability loss for sixty seconds. With Item Prolonger, it is between 66-90 seconds. There is also an Iceborne Event quest named “A Fish to Whet Your Appetite” that makes farming Whetfish Fin+ easy, on top of having a 10% chance of being consumed on use. Whetfish Fin+ is Speed Sharpening Lv3 as a consumable. In base-game, Master’s Touch is prioritized, but Iceborne desires Dual Blades users to use Protective Polish and at least have 120 hits for consistent upkeep.

It would be fantastic to go through the entire fight without having to sharpen, but then you may be losing damage output using Lv2, Lv3, or Lv4 slots for Sharpness comfort. The sets below will be recommended under two rules: sets must have a hit count of 120 (with progression and minor exceptions), use Protective Polish, Item Prolonger Lv3, and Whetfish Fin+. If the set has 300 hits and over, just Item Prolonger Lv3 (for Dash Juice) and Whetfish Fin+. The builds below are recommended based on this philosophy.

1.4 “Comfort” Skills, Meta, and Speedrunning

To understand the point of this article, it must be understood that it is for developing meta-builds. I will not be giving a pinpointed explanation about what dictates meta, but for Monster Hunter, a meta-build is designed for the fastest clear time with the highest chance of success. This can vary depending on a build’s pilot, but that specific pilot might not be well-practiced yet and may need additional comfort. Speedrunners desire specific builds and optimal scripts based on the matchup, but a non-runner focuses on tactics more than strategy. Meta-builds marry these different thought processes.

What dictates comfort? In essence, any skill that makes playing more user-friendly. Skills that improve durability are comfort but are also negated by their necessity. The simplest example of comfort is Health Regen I, an Augmentation used in Iceborne Postgame and Endgame builds. It uses up a lot of Augmentation Slots that could be used for greater damage. The argument here is that time sacrificed for sheathing and healing is an increase in time spent fighting over attacking the monster and regaining that health through life leech. Health Regen I is still a luxury but it also improves damage dealt uptime and increases the chance of survivability. Other comfort skills that the hunter will see in the guide are Clutch Claw Boost and Item Prolonger Lv3. Both are incredibly useful and are game-changers.

What about Heroics, Peak Performance, and Coalescence? Heroics force hunters to play dangerously for a major increase in damage. The time of the hunt is improved significantly, but the success rate of the hunt lowers dramatically. The moment a hunter states they get better times with it, they need to be asked how many times they had to reset before getting those better times. That was time that could have been spent completing the hunt multiple times over. Peak Performance and Coalescence are a little different; Peak Performance to be substantially useful requires the hunter to play at, well, peak performance. Health Regen I becomes really useful here. Yet, time is being spent on monitoring the hunter’s health and making sure the skill is enabled. Coalescence is conditional. Level 1 in particular is powerful, but requires the monster to be able to cause a Status Ailment and for the hunter to sacrifice time by taking a hit. This means Coalescence is a “conditional” skill. Ultimately, running any of these three skills is up to the hunter and requires forethought before using. Skills like Agitator or Resentment are triggered based on build and playstyle and are tools in the player’s arsenal.

Yes, this guide can be considered “opinionated,” but this is not a critical assumption. The article intends to balance both sides harmoniously and offer an optimal experience for the hunter. Hunters who wish to build around specific monsters need to consider modifying a build for that specific target; this article is meant to universally tackle all monsters.

1.5 Dumbed-down Iceborne Progression

2 World Progression

With the Iceborne expansion, the hunter has the option of using the Guardian equipment. The Guardian armour sports high defense and severely dilutes the difficulty. It has nothing that improves damage output, so its usefulness is up to the hunter. The Defender Tree is immensely powerful and defeats all of its competition thanks to its strong coverage of Raw, Sharpness, and Blast Status values. Sets are designed around the Defender Chainsaws up to post-game content and the beginning of Iceborne. Hunters can choose to ignore the weapon, but hunts will take longer to complete no matter the skill optimization.

Remember: using a stronger weapon does not make hunters worse at the game. Hunters are dealing out more damage and therefore, the hunts end quicker and have a higher chance of success. It does not stop hunters from learning good techniques, positioning, general tactics, and encourages optimizing loadouts. By saying Defender Chainsaws should not be used, the hunter is, in fact, not being practical or optimal. The guide will tell hunters when it is time to start learning set matchups.

Historical articles: https://imgur.com/a/MwdMjMJ by refiamontes

2.1 Act I: Gazing upon the New World

This set is to be used up till the hunters first arrival to the Rotten Vale. In the beginning, there is not much to optimize equipment-wise. Hunters are best to hunt down Bone Mail, Kestodon Guards, and Kulu Greaves for their damage bonuses. Do not sleep on Affinity Sliding. Much of the world’s landscape are slopes and hunters will be able to take advantage of the huge 30% Affinity buff often. It will not be prioritized in later sets but whenever hunters have an empty skill slot available, consider Affinity Sliding.

The remaining armour slots are up to the hunter. They can optimize defense by using the Guardian armour, consider options for bonuses, or go for fashion.

2.2 Act II: To the Rotten Vale

After defeating Diablos in a 5 Star quest, Powercharm can be purchased from the Provisions Stockpile and is assumed in the hunter’s inventory from now on. This is the endgame set of Low Rank. Once Zorah Magdaros is defeated, hunters shall gain access to High Rank.

2.3 Act III: The Cycle Goes On

This set is to be used until the hunter has investigated and defeated the Pink Rathian. The hunter will obtain a free Attack Jewel 1 from the Elder inside the ship.

The set trades out Affinity Sliding to improve consistent damage. The weapon itself does not change and is still stronger than competitors for all matchups.

2.4 Act IV: The Admiral Blows In

With the introduction of Bazelgeuse, the hunter can craft a Powertalon with the Powercharm and a Bazel Talon. Once crafted, buy a Powercharm. The combination of each item buffs the hunter by +15 True Raw. They should always be in the hunter’s inventory. This set is to be used up till the hunter slays Nergigante.

2.5 Act V: Ever-growing Enigmas

This set is the final one before entering post-game World and gaining access to the Iceborne expansion. It is to be used up to Xeno’jiiva.

After Xeno’jiiva is defeated, it is up to the hunter how they wish to progress. Optimized Iceborne progression does require several armour pieces from World’s postgame. Hunters may also partake in a longer stay and pursue the incredibly difficult content by cooperating with hunters to defeat Extreme Behemoth or Ancient Leshen. If the hunter just wants to continue into Iceborne, they may skip the following section.

3 World Endgame

For hunters interested in fully exploring and optimizing World’s endgame, the sets here use every armour piece and decoration possible before going on the expedition to investigate the Legiana in the Ancient Forest. Keep in mind, this is optional. The sets created here will not be considered beyond World’s endgame due to decoration requirements.

Defender Chainsaws V takes control of almost all matchups, followed by Zireael which claims the majority of the Dragon-weak matchups. The Kjárr Dual Blades come equipped with Critical Element and take some of the unique matchups.

Augmentation is optimized by outfitting the Dual Blades with Attack Increase. It gives +5 True Raw (or +7 Display Raw for Dual Blades) each. Affinity Increase seems strong initially, but the base-game offers enough skill options to optimize Affinity with the right decorations. It is needed on Zireael due to strict skill needs. Health Regen is a trap for Dual Blades; The concept seems good and is fine in conditions when the monster is causing health depletion (like Teostra’s aura), but Dual Blades do not deal enough damage to make it worth it. Drinking a Mega or a Max Potion is a better use of the hunter’s time and resources. Health Regen becomes relevant in Iceborne.

Historical articles: https://imgur.com/a/1P1985r (vanilla) by Awenth (vanilla) https://imgur.com/a/x5J3sxT (Event quests) by Awenth https://imgur.com/a/aQhcpxo (Drachen and Arch-tempered Elder Dragons) by Awenth https://imgur.com/a/mdfwu04 (Kulve Taroth) by Awenth https://imgur.com/a/tr9TPTi (pre-Iceborne) by Awenth https://imgur.com/a/2Safhs7 by rhytmwiz

3.1 Defender Chainsaws V

This weapon is quite ridiculous. The weapon is so stacked that even in the post-game, it is still better than other World post-game equipment in most cases.

3.2 Zireael

The Defender Tree’s only real competitor is the Witcher weapon, Zireael. Ciri’s Silver Sword and knife claim almost all Dragon-weak matchups besides Behemoth.

Behemoth is an unusual case; for the most part, Defender Chainsaws V is stronger, unless the hunter is going for the horns. The horns are extremely weak to Dragon but they are difficult to reach. Hunters should be going for the forelegs because of this.

3.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

Hunters who seek out this weapon just to hunt Dodogama are more monster than hunter.

3.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

For hunters running Ancient Leshen, the monster has a strong resistance to Blast but is super weak to Fire. Kjárr Daggers “Rage” are the best for this specific monster.

3.5 Kjárr Daggers “Water”

Arch-tempered Teostra armour is pretty useful in Iceborne, so it would be wise to develop Kjárr Daggers “Water” to farm the monster.

3.6 Kjárr Daggers “Ice”

If hunting Kulve Taroth in Siege, these Dual Blades have the highest damage output.

4 Iceborne Progression

For Iceborne progression, some assumptions must be made. Although the hunter may immediately jump into the Iceborne expansion following Xeno’jiiva’s defeat, they will be missing out on valuable content such as the Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons, Behemoth, and Leshen. Hunters are expected to have accomplished the following:

• Defeated Arch-Tempered Nergigante and acquired Nergigante Greaves γ,

• Defeated Arch-Tempered Teostra and acquired Kaiser Crown γ and Kaiser Vambraces γ,

• Defeated Arch-Tempered Lunastra and acquired Empress Vambraces γ,

• Defeated Arch-Tempered Kulve Taroth and acquired Kulve Taroth Malice γ,

• Defeated Behemoth and acquired Drachen Mail α, Drachen Vambraces α, and Drachen Greaves α,

• Defeated Leshen as Geralt of Rivia and completed the hidden side quest to obtain the Attack Jewel 1 Decoration.

The Witcher weapon, Zireael, is also included in early Iceborne progression, but hunters should be aware that this set is incredibly difficult to build and can be skipped. It does a little more damage than the Thunder option, but Zireael is dropped as soon as Act II.

Decoration drop rates are infamous in World and Iceborne, so sets cannot be designed with the intent that the reader has acquired the desired ones. Because of this, the progression sets are maximized based on what is accessible. Decorations are limited to the following:

• 3 x Vitality Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 2 x Attack Jewel 1 (first obtained via story progression, second obtained via “Contract: Trouble in the Ancient Forest”)

• 6 x Blaze Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 6 x Stream Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 6 x Bolt Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 6 x Frost Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 6 x Dragon Jewel 1 (Obtained via Elder Melder)

• 1 x Expert Jewel+ 4 (Obtained via story progression)

Health Boost Lv3 is made a priority for progression sets from here on out. Defense is not very important in World and Iceborne, but the hunter’s health pool is. Do not worry about the low defense of the High-Rank armour, it will not factor much during the hunter’s early Master Rank hunts. Remember that Max Potions exist.

Note on enrage: it is really easy to enrage the monster by wall slamming them, but the progression sets focus on an average uptime over the expectation that the hunter is always enraging them. This is to smooth the hunter’s journey and not to assume the hunter desires the monster to be enraged 100% of the time. The reason to enrage a monster is to activate the monster’s unique enrage damage multiplier and Agitator. This logic will change for Iceborne Postgame sets.

Oh, heads up. You are going to be living in High-Rank armour for a while.

4.1 Act I: Rumblings

From now on, sets will vary depending on the monsters during that act. World’s base-game is completely conquered by the Defender Tree but this is no longer the case in Iceborne. Hunters shall begin learning proper matchups moving forward. Be aware that matchups change often during progression due to specific weapon upgrades surpassing other Elements.

This act ends when the hunter embarks into the blizzard at Hoarfrost Reach to investigate a Barioth sighting. It will also mark the end of the hunter’s temporary partnership with the Serious Handler and the end of many hunter’s journeys, as they could not _handle_ it.

Critical Element is an extremely potent skill in Dual Blades arsenal and it becomes very apparent with it being on almost every build during progression. Unfortunately, hunters are limited to it being on Rathalos Mastery until Act IV when Velkhana Divinity becomes accessible. Even so, the Rimeguard set requires strong decorations to be useful. It will not be till Act V that the hunter will acquire major armour upgrades. Rath Soul Helm β and Rathalos Mail β are critical pieces in progression for these reasons.

Armour pieces that are useful to the hunter at this point other than the ones in the templates are Drachen Vambraces α, Beo Coil β +, Xeno’jiiva Spurs γ, Drachen Greaves α, and the appropriate Element III Charms. Consider these if fitting in extra skills.

Historical articles: https://imgur.com/a/MwdMjMJ by refiamontes

4.1.1 Defender Chainsaws V

As hunters enter Iceborne, the Defender Chainsaws V finally begins to drop out of the progression meta, but it is still relevant in certain matchups early on. Funny enough, due to the change from High Rank to Master Rank, the Defender Chainsaws V get a coincidental bump in Blast damage output. Status thresholds and damage change depending on the Rank difficulty to deal with the power creep of increasing damage and health numbers.

The Anja Twinrippers I and Kjárr Daggers “Rage” weapons are not strong enough to overcome Defender Chainsaw V during this act of the game. For now, continue to use the base-game Defender weapon for Fire-weak monsters till the following act.

4.1.2 Beo Hatchets I

There is a minimal amount of monsters weak to Ice in Iceborne’s early progression, but the Beotodus Dual Blades will become more important when the hunter reaches Act III.

4.1.3 Kadachi Greathawks I

The Kadachi Greathawks I are strong in early Iceborne but come with a low hitcount. Aside from the three known good matchups, they are also strong contenders for Rathian and Pink Rathian.

4.1.4 Zireael

Zireael is another High Rank weapon that holds its own into the Iceborne expansion. The problem with it boils down to how accessible it actually is. To make it, the hunter is required to obtain materials from defeating the Ancient Leshen. This terrifying foe is one of the most difficult challenges in the series, so building the weapon may not be feasible without a lot of downtime. Ultimately, there is an argument that the obscene difficulty makes the Zireael set not a real progression set. For those that did spend the time to beat it, it does take the Dragon-weak matchups.

For hunters who decide to skip this set, Kadachi Greathawk I is the runner up for Rathian and Pink Rathian and is very close in damage. This set can be considered optional.

4.1.5 Whetfish Sabers

Okay, here me out– the Whetfish Sabers are the strongest early game Dual Blades. Not only are they sporting Purple Sharpness from the get-go, but it also comes with built-in Protective Polish. The weapon only has 30 hits to work with, so activating it prior to combat is advised. It is still stronger than its competitor Jyura Keenblades I when the Whetfish Sabers degrades to White Sharpness.

Protective Polish lasts one minute. The hunter is likely to sharpen two-to-three times per hunt and it is advised to run Whetfish Fin+ or Speed Sharpening Lv3 to improve Protective Polish uptime. Another option is the skill, Item Prolonger, which improves Protective Polish by making it last 66-90 seconds instead.

4.2 Act II: The Iceborne Wyvern

Some weapons and their armour do not change from the previous act. They are quickly listed below with links and their current matchup priorities.

Act II begins after Barioth and the introduction of the Iceborne Wyvern, Velkhana, and ends after an investigation following a tussle with it at the Elder’s Recess. The hunter will go to track down the missing Tracker.

Rathalos Mastery continues to be important and it will remain this way until Act V. Rathalos Essence unfortunately only has Mind’s Eye/Ballistics in its set skill pool.

Armour pieces that are useful to the hunter at this point other than the ones in the templates are Gala Suit Top Hat α, Astral Cloth α +, Ingot Vambraces α +, Beo Coil β +, Odogaron Coil β +, Rathalos Coil β +, Nergigante Greaves γ, Xeno’jiiva Spurs γ, and Oolong Boots α +. Consider these if fitting in extra skills.

4.2.1 Returning Builds

4.1.2 Beo Hatchets I

4.1.5 Whetfish Sabers

4.2.2 Asefar al-Nasr II

An unorthodox weapon makes it onto the list. Its sole purposes are to destroy the poopfish, Jyuratodus, and the gigantic hamster moose, Banbaro. The Jyuratodus Tree requires a lot of parts, so this weapon is a welcome addition to the guide. Although the weapon has unawakened Sleep potential, the hunter should prioritize Non-elemental Boost. The Adamantine Charm is earned in the Optional Quest, “The Purr-fect Room: Stone.” If the hunter is looking for a replacement for Defender Chainsaws, this is it.

4.2.3 Jyura Keenblades II

The Jyuratodus Tree enters the progression meta here. With both the upgrade and its ability to have White Sharpness at Handicraft Lv1, it steals a bunch of the matchups from Whetfish Sabers. Comment: this seems to be the only weapon that improves at this stage by increasing Handicraft over Critical Boost.

4.2.4 Shattering Flames I

Fire Dual Blades are still not quite there yet, but the Lavasioth Dual Blades gives it its best go and manages at minimum to take Fire-weak monster’s best matchups. This weapon can later be downgraded and swapped to the Glavenus Tree in Act IV, so hunters should not upgrade it to Shattering Flames II.

4.2.5 Kadachi Greathawks II

The real winner of Act II is the Kadachi Greathawks II. The upgrades the weapon receives during this act carry it through the majority of matchups.

4.3 Act III: A Wish Inherited

Some weapons and their armour do not change from the previous act. They are quickly listed below with links and their current matchup priorities.

This act begins with the Shrieking Legiana’s defeat and ends with the defeat of Velkhana at Hoarfrost Reach.

Armour pieces that are useful to the hunter at this point other than the ones in the templates are Brachydios Helm β +, Astral Cloth α +, Jyura Vambraces β +, Ingot Vambraces α +, Beo Coil β +, Legiana Coil β +, Odogaron Coil β +, Rathalos Coil β +, Fulgur Coil α +, Death Garon Coil β +, Azure Starlord Greaves α, Nergigante Greaves γ, Xeno’jiiva Spurs γ, Oolong Boots α +, and Clockwork Greaves α +. Consider these if fitting in extra skills.

The Razor Sharp Charm also becomes accessible in the Optional Quest, “The Purr-fect Room: Light Iron.” If the hunter has a healthy assortment of decorations, it is a strong recommendation to mix the above recommendations and apply the charm to equipment like the Jyura Keenblades II and the Kadachi Greathawks II.

4.3.1 Returning Builds

4.1.5 Whetfish Sabers

4.2.2 Asefar al-Nasr II

4.2.3 Jyura Keenblades II

4.2.5 Kadachi Greathawks II

4.3.2 Anja Twinrippers II

Behold, the first relevant Fire weapon! This is the weapon to use when slaying Velkhana. The Anjanath Dual Blades are a mainstay but will be temporarily dropped in Act IV for Smoldering Kingdoms. Once the final boss is defeated, Anja Twinrippers II will acquire access to Custom Mods that push it past the Glavenus Dual Blades.

4.3.3 Beo Hatchets II

Although the expansion is named Iceborne, it took till the third act for an Ice Element weapon to become relevant. This weapon is Element loaded, so Ice Attack is better upgraded over Attack Boost. It’s so strong, it steals the Azure Rathalos matchup from Nether Chainblades.

4.3.4 Nether Chainblades

This act showcases many firsts. The Nether Chainblades is the first major entry for Dragon-weak monster matchups. It also claims the Banbaro matchup.

4.4 Act IV: Unnatural Disasters

Beo Hatchets II and its associated armour do not change from the previous act. It is quickly listed below with a link and its current matchup priorities.

Following Velkhana’s defeat, the hunter will soon encounter Teostra, Kushala Daora, and two new Elder Dragons, Blackveil Vaal Hazak and Namielle. This act ends in the followup quest to Namielle and the two final bosses of Iceborne’s story, Ruiner Nergigante and Shara Ishvalda.

There are two variants offered for this Act. If the hunter wishes to follow the original path, 4.4.1 will continue to maximize on damage with only accessible decorations. 4.4.2 offers sets that require decorations obtained randomly over the course of the game and may require farming.

Armour pieces that are useful to the hunter at this point other than the ones in the templates are Kirin Jacket α +, Kirin Longarms β +, Odogaron Coil α +, Odogaron Coil β +, Rathalos Coil β, Kushala Cocoon β +, Nergigante Greaves γ, Kaiser Greaves γ, and Oolong Boots α +. Consider these if fitting in extra skills.

4.4.1 Rathalos Mastery (accessible Decorations only)

4.4.1.1 Returning Builds

4.3.3 Beo Hatchets II

4.4.1.2 Smoldering Kingdoms

Smoldering Kingdom’s base stats are a bit stronger than Anja Twinrippers II, but the latter becomes stronger later once the hunter gains access to Augmentation and obtains equipment that increases Sharpness tiers easier. For now, the Glavenus Dual Blades are stronger.

Quick tip: the Shattering Flames I from earlier can be downgraded and used to switch to the Glavenus Tree. The Lavasioth Tree is no longer relevant, so hunters should do this to save time and materials.

4.4.1.3 Enduring Surrender

The Dragonbone Tree has one of the coolest Dual Blades, the Enduring Surrender. While it may lack in Raw, it makes up for with its insane Element value. Because of this, the weapon is optimized by prioritizing Element over Raw buildup. It is so strong that it takes the Banbaro, Velkhana, and Namielle matchups from Smoldering Kingdom.

4.4.1.4 Wunderkirins

The Wunderkirins are a strong upgrade to the Kadachi Greathawks II. It also comes with the benefit of having a large hit count.

Similar to Smoldering Kingdoms, this weapon is stronger than Kadachi Greathawks II until it gains access to Custom Upgrades. Unlike Anja Twinrippers II, the Tobi-Kadachi Dual Blades do not replace Wunderkirins. That honour belongs to Demonlord Hellfists.

4.4.1.5 Blizzard and Blaze

Another unorthodox set. Before discussing the set, hunters using Dual Blades must be aware that the way dual Element values work is that the values are separated to each blade. Blizzard and Blaze does Ice damage on one blade, and Blast damage on the other. This effectively splits its Ice and Blast damage in half. Nonetheless, this weapon supplies enough value for each blade to still be effective in combat. In a surprising turn of events, it is effective against Ruiner Nergigante. This set is arguably the next universal set after Asefar al-Nasr II.

4.4.1.6 Whetfish Sabers+

No comment. The Whetfish Sabers+ are silly. Enjoy the fish slappers.

4.4.2 Velkhana Divinity (all High Rank Decorations)

4.4.2.1 Beo Hatchets II

Beo Hatchets II from Act III gets a few buffs utilizing Velkhana’s Divinity and gaining access to more decorations.

4.4.2.2 Smoldering Kingdoms

Smoldering Kingdom’s base stats are a bit stronger than Anja Twinrippers II, but the latter becomes stronger later once the hunter gains access to Augmentation and obtains equipment that increases Sharpness tiers easier. For now, the Glavenus Dual Blades are stronger.

Quick tip: the Shattering Flames I from earlier can be downgraded and used to switch to the Glavenus Tree. The Lavasioth Tree is no longer relevant, so hunters should do this to save time and materials.

4.4.2.3 Enduring Surrender

The Dragonbone Tree has one of the coolest Dual Blades, the Enduring Surrender. While it may lack in Raw, it makes up for with its insane Element value. Because of this, the weapon is optimized by prioritizing Element over Raw buildup. It is so strong that it takes the Banbaro, Velkhana, and Namielle matchups from Smoldering Kingdoms.

4.4.2.4 Wunderkirins

The Wunderkirins are a strong upgrade to the Kadachi Greathawks II. It also comes with the benefit of having a large hit count.

Similar to Smoldering Kingdoms, this weapon is stronger than Kadachi Greathawks II until it gains access to Custom Upgrades. Unlike Anja Twinrippers II, the Tobi-Kadachi Dual Blades do not replace Wunderkirins. That honour belongs to Demonlord Hellfists.

4.4.2.5 Blizzard and Blaze

Another unorthodox set. Before discussing the set, hunters using Dual Blades must be aware that the way dual Element values work is that the values are separated to each blade. Blizzard and Blaze do Ice damage on one blade, and Blast damage on the other. This effectively splits its Ice and Blast damage in half. Nonetheless, this weapon supplies enough value for each blade to still be effective in combat. In a surprising turn of events, it is effective against Ruiner Nergigante. This set is arguably the next universal set after Asefar al-Nasr II.

4.4.2.6 Whetfish Sabers+

No comment. The Whetfish Sabers+ are silly. Enjoy the fish slappers.

5 Iceborne Postgame

Welcome to Iceborne’s postgame. The fifth Act of Iceborne is the entirety of the Title Updates, as it is all focused on the environmental happenings in the Guiding Lands. The hunter can pursue this in whichever order they desire but for simplicity’s sake, the guide follows the order of major events by release. It also assumes that the hunter has acquired all needed decorations, so set accessibility is no longer considered. Once the hunter reaches MR100, the best decorations can be farmed through event quests like “Day of Ruin.”

Progression from here is assuming that hunters are optimizing damage with a blend of comfort that improves damage upkeep, like Health Boost to prevent the hunter from carting and Fatalis’ armour set bonus. Although the author has done their own calculations to build sets, they understand and suspect that sets are likely to look similar to other guide templates.

Till now, the monster’s temperament was assumed on an average of monster enrage to exhaust. The builds listed here assume that the monster has 100% enrage time and that the hunter is immediately wall slamming each monster or doing the triple turn. Although considered a basic tactic (especially by this point in the game), wall slamming does not only trigger Agitator, but activates a monster’s unique enrage damage multiplier, which is arguably more important than the skill.

About Peak Performance and Coalescence: these skills are conditional and based on both hunter performance and matchup. Peak Performance is an overall great skill, and Coalescence Lv1 is really powerful. If a point is reached that there is nothing else to add on, they will be added, but hunters should ask themselves if they trigger them often enough that they are worth equipping.

5.1 Act V: Onward to the Guiding Lands

Congratulations on defeating Shara Ishvalda! From this point on, the hunter has entered the postgame content. The first part of Act V is dedicated to the Guiding Lands and Event Quests including Rajang, Stygian Zinogre, Furious Rajang, Raging Brachydios, and Frostfang Barioth. The Guiding Lands will prepare the hunter for the final stretch of Iceborne.

The first part of Act V is completed following the defeat of Ruiner Nergigante, Stygian Zinogre, Raging Brachydios, and Furious Rajang in the Guiding Lands, but hunters can move on to Safi’jiiva once Stygian Zinogre is defeated and have completed the quest, “Point of No Return.” Kulve Taroth is available immediately entering the postgame. Alatreon can also be fought but it is ill-advised to face it till the hunter acquires either Safi’jiiva or Kulve Taroth equipment. Many of the Augmentation requirements are locked behind the quest, “To the Very Ends with You,” which is locked until the hunter reaches MR99.

New decorations are available at the Elder Melder immediately after reaching the Guiding Lands, including a decoration for Non-elemental Attack, Protective Polish, and Clutch Claw Boost. From now on, sets assume that the hunter has complete access to all decorations so that the hunter can develop sets based on the decorations they have received over the course of the game. It is ultimately impossible to improve sets without the use of the lottery decoration system. If the logic of limiting decorations based on what was accessible continued here, the hunter would never be upgrading their armour pieces and very little progression can happen. Hunters should do their best to match the decoration requirements in the build cards but not stress if they are missing decorations.

The main way to improve sets is the new Augmentation system. All weapons at the end of each Weapon Tree have access to Augmentation, and weapons that have a basic design can be further augmented with Custom Upgrades. The primary focus for building in the Guiding Lands is to level up the relevant locations to obtain set pieces like the Silver Rathalos set and augment materials. It is advised to run Geologist Lv1 while hunting as it causes monsters to drop additional shiny materials. It is ill-advised to skip the Guiding Lands, as augmentation is important to Iceborne’s endgame.

The Guiding Lands grind is long and tedious. It is fair that hunters may wish to skip this stage and return with better gear, but there is no skipping it if the hunter wants to augment gear later or needs certain Talisman materials.

Historical articles:

https://imgur.com/a/lyT0qHp by Awenth https://imgur.com/a/MwdMjMJ by refiamontes https://imgur.com/a/lCGmtRj by rhytmwiz

5.1.1 Bergel Vetra

One of the two new Element weapons is the Frostfang Barioth weapon, Bergel Vetra. It can only be made through Event quests and getting Frostfang Tickets from “The Last White Knight,” which opens up at MR24. This weapon is extremely strong and will be used in the next stage of Act V.

If fighting Alatreon, make sure to select either “Blazing Black Twilight” or “The Evening Star.” These quests start Alatreon in his Fire form and are much easier to manage.

5.1.2 Anja Twinrippers II

The Monster Hunter team is rather shy when improving Fire Dual Blades, and that trend continues here. The Anjanath Dual Blades return from Act III due to its access to Custom Upgrades and access to Handicraft Charm IV.

5.1.3 Enduring Surrender

Although this set suggests it is good for Fatalis, hunters are better off pursuing Safi’jiiva and Kulve Taroth postgame sets before taking it on.

5.1.4 Demonlord Hellfists

The other new Element weapon of the Guiding Lands aside from Bergel Vetra are the Furious Rajang Dual Blades. Furious Rajang cannot be encountered in the Guiding Lands and must be fought in its Special Assignment or associated Event quests.

Take note that this weapon is better for Alatreon’s Ice form over Anja Twinrippers II but deals less Element damage and therefore, is more difficult to overcome the Element thresholds. This does not mean that the hunter should not be aiming for the Safi’jiiva or Kulve Taroth Dual Blades for this matchup. Fire Dual Blades in Guiding Lands are just that weak.

5.1.5 Lightbreak Twins

Replacing Blizzard and Blaze for unorthodox weapons are the Raging Brachydios Dual Blades. Unlike before, this one makes sense. The Raw value along with its good Sharpness value enables it to become the Defender Chainsaw of Master Rank. Unlike the Defender Tree Dual Blades, this one requires some dedication to earn.

On a personal side note: I really hate Jyuratodus.

5.1.6 Whetfish Sabers+

Serious question. By using a Whetfish to sharpen two Whetfish, does that mean this weapon is the first Triple Blades weapon? Ugh, now that I think about it, there is the Pirate Hunter’s Soul Long Sword from MH4… Shower thoughts.

5.2 Enter Safiʼjiiva

The first major hurdle of Act V is Safi’jiiva. The Red Dragon’s Dual Blades begin weak but become incredibly powerful if the hunter maxes out their Element output. Because of their equal stats, the only thing that makes them vary are the armour pieces that come with its respected Element Attack skill. The weapons also cleanup the matchup palette. Its infamous armour increases Element, Status, and Affinity output significantly.

Time to rip off a band-aid. Dragonvein Awakening (for Dual Blades) is not stronger than True Critical Element (right now). The hunter can mix Critical Element with Dragonvein Awakening or go all in on True Dragonvein Awakening, and it is still weaker than True Critical Element. It becomes relevant once the hunter upgrades Kulve Taroth Dual Blades in the following section. Sets that do use Dragonvein Awakening still come with Health Regen I which may cause Resentment to not trigger. It is up to the hunter if they wish to remove it for more damage.

Some weapons and their armour do not change. They are quickly listed below with links and their current matchup priorities.

Changes are made for matchup cards. Dragonvein Awakening matchups are separated due to the self-harm mechanic. Only the Lightbreak Twins set uses it in this part, but the hunter must get used to seeing it. If a matchup card says Dragonvein Awakening on the left, that means this card supersedes other matchup cards, but the hunter is at risk.

5.2.1 Returning Builds

5.1.1 Bergel Vetra

5.1.4 Demonlord Hellfists

5.1.5 Lightbreak Twins

5.2.2 Lightbreak Twins (Dragonvein Awakening)

The first set that gets to use Dragonvein Awakening are the Lightbreak Twins. This weapon makes great use out of the skill and steals a couple of the matchups.

5.2.3 Safiʼs Hellclaws

With all the poor Fire Dual Blades up to this point, having the Safi weapons all function at the same level reintroduces the Element to properly fair against matchups the average user would think Fire weapons are good against. This is the second-best Safi weapon due to Fire Attack being on Silver Rathalos armour.

This is the most important Safi weapon, as it is used beyond this section.

5.2.4 Safiʼs Aquaclaws

This variant of the Safi’jiiva Tree is the strongest. The reason for this is due to the Azure Age coming with built-in Water Attack.

5.2.5 Safiʼs Boltclaws

Stronger than Demonlord Hellfists, this does replace it for most matchups. The Furious Rajang Dual Blades claims the Raw-sides matchups, but otherwise the Safi’jiiva Dual Blades are stronger.

5.2.6 Safiʼs Frostclaws

Safi’s Frostclaws and Bergel Vetra compete for Ice matchups. The primary difference between the two is that the Frostfang Barioth Dual Blades is a little stronger and fair better in Raw-skewed matchups. When Ice Element is favoured, the Safi’jiiva Dual Blades are stronger.

5.2.7 Safiʼs Drakclaws

For hunters interested in tackling Fatalis, this set should be considered the bare minimum.

5.3 Enter Master Rank Kulve Taroth & Arch-tempered Namielle

The best Dual Blades in Iceborne are the Kulve Taroth Dual Blades. Hunters who obtained them during the base-game can upgrade them into their Master Rank forms. The Kjárr Dual Blades become the progression meta Dual Blades because of their ability to combine their innate Critical Element with other set skills like True Dragonvein Awakening. Later on, the sleeper weapons, Taroth Daggers “Water” and “Ice,” take over their respective metas.

Matchups become a little tricky from here on out. As mentioned in the previous section, matchup cards for sets that have Dragonvein Awakening are given a signifier on the left side. Two variants are offered for each Kulve Taroth Dual Blades set. One is normal, the other utilizes Dragonvein Awakening. If the hunter does not have access to Safi’jiiva or does not wish to use a self-harm set, the normal set is best.

Elemental Acceleration? The skill is fine, but the armour it is attached to leaves a lot to be desired. The hunter has to sacrifice a lot of skill space to add it into their arsenal, enough to make it not worth it.

Historical articles: https://imgur.com/a/rVFAvnt by rhytmwiz

5.3.1 Returning Builds

5.2.2 Lightbreak Twins (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.2.3 Safi’s Hellclaws

5.3.2 Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

5.3.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

5.3.5 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.6 Kjárr Daggers “Water”

5.3.7 Kjárr Daggers “Water” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.8 Kjárr Daggers “Ice”

5.3.9 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.10 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon”

A little bit of an oddball set as it is sporting Vaal Hazak Braces γ. By utilizing this piece, the armour is able to get Coalescence Lv1 for conditional damage.

5.3.11 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.4 Enter Alatreon

The end of the journey is nigh— before the fateful fight with Fatalis is the Blazing Black Dragon, Alatreon. One of the toughest fights in the game, the monster offers the Dual Blades, Alatreon Madness, and a new armour skill named Element Conversion. The weapon is strong, but the skill is a very minor boost in damage when mixed with Kulve Taroth Dual Blades.

Alatreon Madness is Element-sided, while Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” is Raw-sided. The former is only stronger when considering non-Dragonvein Awakening builds and steals matchups where monsters take more Element than Raw.

Element Conversion is mediocre. There is no simple way to say it, the amount of Element value hunters get for increasing resistance is absolutely pitiful. Having 10 positive resistance scores the hunter 10 Element (or 1 True Element), 30 for 20 (2 True Element), 50 for 30 (3 True Element), 70 for 40 (4 True Element), and so on. To put it into perspective, the hunter receives very, very minuscule damage, if any, by increasing Element resistance. So, hunters may ask: “Why are there sets that have it here?” Well, the armour itself is pretty good and does increase damage just a little bit more than the last section. Arguably, hunters can skip this, though.

After this section, the hunter will find themselves in Iceborne’s Endgame.

Historical articles: https://imgur.com/a/rVFAvnt by rhytmwiz

5.4.1 Returning Builds

5.2.2 Lightbreak Twins (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.2.3 Safi’s Hellclaws

5.3.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.5 Kjárr Daggers “Rage” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.7 Kjárr Daggers “Water” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.9 Kjárr Daggers “Ice” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.3.11 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” (Dragonvein Awakening)

5.4.2 Alatreon Madness

The strongest Dual Blades in the game, this weapon takes the majority of Dragon matchups.

5.4.3 Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

5.4.4 Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

5.4.5 Kjárr Daggers “Water”

5.4.6 Kjárr Daggers “Ice”

5.4.7 Kjárr Daggers “Dragon”

6 Iceborne Endgame

Welcome to the end. Alongside Alatreon, the other two most difficult fights in Iceborne are the legendary Black Dragon, Fatalis, and the Arch-tempered Iceborne Wyvern, Velkhana. Both have extremely powerful armour sets that define the endgame. Fighting them is no joke and can be borderline frustrating. They earn their positions at the peak of Iceborne and reward generously to hunters who persevere.

Due to the leash loosening on Decoration slots, Coalescence and Peak Performance are now considered priority skills due to the relative ease of including them. They are not considered during matchup calculations.

Historical Articles: https://imgur.com/a/2k7IWUp by rhytmwiz

6.0 The Authorʼs Recommendations

When I write these guides, I try to be as objective as possible ( _especially_ when the numbers are involved). At the end of Sunbreak’s life, I chose to push the Berserk archetype as it was ultimately the strongest and arguably the safest. Iceborne is different, as I believe each archetype has something to offer. For users who are at the endgame but do not know which endgame archetype they should be using, or if there is a better version of a specific Element, I will place my recommendations below, followed by pros and cons for each archetype. I hope my recommendations are of use to you.

For the majority of the sets, I do recommend the Standard archetype. It has the highest potential output, with the exception of the Ice set due to Frostcraft’s innate Ice Attack. Majority of Transcendence sets lose out in damage by about 50-ish points per combo (around 3% decrease), so if that is not a big deal to you, check those sets out. Dragonvein Awakening is consistently the strongest, but loses out on Coalescence and Peak Performance damage, which causes the Standard archetype to supersede it. The Health Regen I augment can also cause Resentment to not trigger, lowering damage output. Sure, you can make the argument of removing it for more damage, but you can say the same about any of the archetypes. Frostcraft rewards both kiting and Clutch Claw playstyles, but it also promotes a non-aggressive playstyle. Not very Dual Blades-like.

Recommendations: Fire Element Standard ( _Velkhana Divinity_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) 6.1.1 Fire Element ~ Safi’s Hellclaws

Water Element Standard ( _Velkhana Divinity_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) 6.1.2 Water Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Water”

Thunder Element Standard ( _Velkhana Divinity_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) or Transcendence ( _Fatalis Legend_ ) 6.1.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark” OR 6.4.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

Ice Element Frostcraft ( _Velkhana Divinity_ ) 6.2.2 Ice Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Ice”

Dragon Element Standard ( _Velkhana Divinity_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) or Frostcraft ( _Velkhana Divinity_ ) 6.1.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness OR 6.2.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness

Universal Standard ( _Velkhana Divinity_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) or Dragonvein Awakening ( _Safi’jiiva Seal_ & _Fatalis Legend_ ) 6.1.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies OR 6.3.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies

Archetype Pros and Cons: 6.1 Standard Pros:

- Great damage,

- Has Evade Window Lv1, Quick Sheath Lv2, and Resuscitate,

- Has Peak Performance and Coalescence that when both activated, becomes stronger than Dragonvein Awakening. Cons:

- Protective Polish (90 seconds of infinite Sharpness) and 120 hits for Sharpness upkeep.

6.2 Frostcraft Pros:

- Briefly is the strongest damage output,

- Has Quick Sheath Lv2, Recovery Up Lv3, and Resuscitate,

- Has Peak Performance and Coalescence pushing damage even further. Cons:

- Becomes the weakest archetype for majority of weapons (except Ice Element) at around 50-75 hits,

- Protective Polish (90 seconds of infinite Sharpness) and 120 hits for Sharpness upkeep.

6.3 Dragonvein Awakening Pros:

- Best consistent damage,

- Dragonvein Awakening activates a quick heal after enough hits land,

- Has Blight Resistance Lv1 and Evade Window Lv2. Cons:

- Health drain on every hit (including missed ones),

- Protective Polish (90 seconds of infinite Sharpness) and 120 hits for Sharpness upkeep.

6.4 Transcendence Pros:

- Adds 100 Stamina to the Stamina gauge,

- Has Evade Window Lv1,

- Has True Razor Sharp built into Transcendence, which makes Sharpness upkeep easy,

- Lots of space for comfort skills (Tool Specialist is used in the build cards). Cons:

- Weakest damage.

6.1 Standard

The meta-standard sets are the highest damaging sets that do not consider benefits at the cost of self-harm, or unique buffs like Frostcraft or Transcendence. The prioritized set skills are Inheritance (specifically for Agitator Secret) and Critical Element. With Arch-tempered Velkhana’s armour offering easy access to Critical Element, Coalescence, Peak Performance, and good decoration slots, Kjárr Daggers see a minor dip in damage comparisons, as they have mostly maxed out the relevant skills already. Because of this, Taroth Daggers begin to become relevant.

In a strange turn of events, Safi’s Hellclaws outperform Taroth Daggers “Fire” due to having enough space to add in Attack Boost Lv7, whereas the latter must use Free Element Lv3 to function. In fact, Kjárr Daggers “Rage” also outperforms the Taroth Daggers, meaning the increased stats are not strong enough to make it relevant. Safi’s Hellclaws become meta due to its ability to max out all relevant damage skills and have Critical Element (and because all other Fire Dual Blades suck).

Taroth Daggers “Water” and “Ice” have better stats than “Fire.” These higher stats are actually strong enough to surpass their Kjárr Dagger counterparts at the sacrifice of Attack Boost. This is surprising, but also not? With the easy inclusion of Critical Element, it is not surprising that these other seemingly weaker weapons begin to show some bite. Apparently, enough to become the ultimate weapons in their class.

Comfort skills used are Protective Polish and Health Boost Lv3 (since Transcendence is too expensive), Item Prolonger Lv3 for increased Protective Polish, Dash Juice, Might Seed, and Demon Powder uptime, and Clutch Claw Boost to quickly tenderize parts with Clutch Claw.

6.1.1 Fire Element ~ Safiʼs Hellclaws

6.1.2 Water Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Water”

6.1.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

6.1.4 Ice Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Ice”

6.1.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness

6.1.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies

6.2 Frostcraft

Frostcraft adds a unique gauge that increases the hunter’s damage depending on the level. These damage boosts are huge and if used properly, can far outdamage its competition. The gauge depletes with each attack, and turns off for Dual Blades after the 29th hit. The gauge regenerates very slowly when unsheathed, but generates quickly when sheathed. A tip of using Frostcraft is to take the time to Clutch Claw the monster, as Clutch Clawing sheathes the weapon and allows time to generate Frostcraft gauge and tenderize. This style is good for both speedrunning, and for careful and casual play. Saying that, it is important to understand what damage thresholds are.

Each set has a graph displaying how many hits Frostcraft can do before immediately becoming weaker than another set. It is important to keep this in mind because if the hunter attacks beyond these thresholds, they are effectively doing less damage than the other sets. Every set besides Ice Element can do about 50-75 hits of damage before becoming weaker than the typical Standard set. Ice Element is the exception due to Arch-tempered Velkhana’s armour having the Ice Attack armour skill as a base. This set will last about 150-175 hits before becoming weaker than its Standard variant.

6.2.1 Fire Element ~ Safiʼs Hellclaws

6.2.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water”

6.2.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

6.2.4 Ice Element ~ Taroth Daggers “Ice”

6.2.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness

6.2.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies

6.3 Dragonvein Awakening

Dragonvein Awakening is the cursed archetype of Iceborne. Having access to Critical Element, Dragonvein Awakening, and Agitator Secret allows for the most consistently strongest damage in the game. Dragonvein Awakening is at its strongest when mixed with Inheritance. Keep in mind that the Standard archetype can push damage further in cases where Coalescence and Peak Performance triggers.

There is one exception to this argument: Alatreon Madness does not care for Dragonvein Awakening. The skill increases Element through a fixed value, so weapons that already have a high value of Element actually prefer Critical Element.

A note on Health Regen I: if hunters plan to use Dragonvein Awakening, at this point, hunters are getting back more health than health lost on each hit and disabling Resentment when the Health Pool is full. It may be worth removing Health Regen I for Element/Status Effect Up III for the increased damage.

6.3.1 Fire Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

6.3.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water”

6.3.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

6.3.4 Ice Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Ice”

6.3.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness

May seem silly, but Alatreon Madness does not like Dragonvein Awakening. The Standard set is stronger and performs better.

6.1.5 Dragon Element I ~ Alatreon Madness

6.3.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies

6.4 Transcendence

Transcendence is the comfort meta. The Fatalis set with four pieces comes with a unique skill named Transcendence. What it does is enable a pseudo-Health Boost Lv3, add an additional 100 Stamina, and add True Razor Sharp, granting 70% natural sharpness on every hit. This removes the need for Health Boost and Protective Polish.

Due to the lack of Critical Element, weapons that have it innately become the Transcendence meta. Kjárr Daggers are prioritized for all Transcendence sets. Alatreon Madness should not be used here. For it to be relevant, it needs to be paired with Critical Element.

The sets have a lot of additional comfort skill space, but for the sake of pushing, Tool Specialist is prioritized. Hunters should feel comfortable to modify as they see fit.

6.4.1 Fire Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

6.4.2 Water Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Water”

6.4.3 Thunder Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Spark”

6.4.4 Ice Element ~ Kjárr Daggers “Ice”

6.4.5 Dragon Element I ~ Kjárr Daggers “Dragon”

6.4.6 Dragon Element II ~ Fatalis Dual Skies

7 Moveset, Cheat Sheet, & FAQ

7.1 Combos and Moves

Just button mash lul. /guide. (I'm kidding.)

Dual Blades are a relatively simple weapon that plays extremely reactionary. If you DO button mash, be prepared to get locked into some of your more lengthy animations and probably get punished for it too. A good majority of your basic moves flow into each other really well including interrupting your combos to dash out of the way. Stay mobile, get to where you want to be, and keep up the pressure.

The standard combo is done by pressing /Left Click three times. In standard stance,

press /Right Click to use Lunging Strike. To activate Demon Mode _,_ press /MB4. In Demon Mode, Demon Flurry Rush is used by pressing /Right Click by itself. Press /Right Click multiple times to use Left or Right Roundslash. Blade Dance is activated by pressing simultaneously.

Building up Demon Gauge

To build up Demon Gauge, you have to inflict damage on something. Hopefully, the target monster. This is very important during the early part of the fight. With Archdemon Mode, you gain weaker and unchanged versions of Demon Mode tech. Without Archdemon Mode being available, stamina management with switching between Demon Mode and standard stance is much more difficult, as your /Right Click switch skill is just the average Lunging Strike.

The best way to fill the gauge is with Sixfold Demon Slash. Blade Dance fills about a third of the gauge, while Demon Flurry Rush only minorly fills the gauge. Archdemon Mode has access to a shorter version of Blade Dance that looks like the hunter is mashing potatoes that actually does good damage. The primary tactic is learning to swap between both Demon and Archdemon modes to deal damage. Be aware that if the hunter is hit while in Demon Mode, they do not automatically exit Demon Mode which can cause upset carts with not having enough stamina to dodge.

When the hunter is in Demon Mode and they nearly have run out of stamina, they can cancel it, transform into Archdemon Mode, and begin using up the Demon Gauge by using tech like the pseudo-Demon Flurry Rush and Potato Dance combo written below. Hunters should try to keep at least a third of the gauge always accessible because once it's used up, they will lose Archdemon Mode and return to standard stance, and will be required to fill the gauge again.

Be wary that dodges do consume the Demon Gauge but at a slow rate. As with normal dodges, it consumes stamina as well. Try to keep a third of the Demon Gauge filled at all times so hunters do not have to refill it!

Anger Management

Dealing good damage in Monster Hunter can be a double-edged sword. One of the best damage increases a hunter can take advantage of requires the monster to be enraged, as aggressive monsters become physically more vulnerable. This often can be anywhere between 10% to 20% more damage on top of activating the Agitator armour skill. Now, why is this relevant? It is relevant because in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, hunters have control over how pissed off a monster gets.

To enrage the monster, the hunter must either deal enough damage and break its enrage threshold, or use the clutch claw. The first way only works if the monster is not in the exhaust phase, which is often 50 seconds. Using the clutch claw forces the monster to become angry no

matter its state. To do this, Claw Shot via onto the monster, then three Claw Attacks using , followed by either Weapon Attack with or Flinch Shot with if you have slinger ammo. Causing damage while Clutch Claw mounting the monster depletes a unique threshold that causes the monster to become enraged and ensure the hunter is not abusing the Clutch Claw mechanic. While it is enraged, the monster cannot be turned or shot into a wall. Unfortunately for the developers, hunters abuse the Clutch Claw mechanic through exploiting the trigger of the enraged state.

To identify if a monster is enraged, check the eye symbol on the mini-map. If it is a yellow eye like , the monster has noticed the hunter and is in either a calm or exhausted state. It will attack but is not enraged. When the eye becomes red like , the monster is now enraged and their attacks will become faster and usually deal more damage.

By using the Clutch Claw to force the enraged state, the monster can be at 90%-100% enraged uptime, making Agitator an incredibly strong skill, as well as allowing the hunter to quicken their hunt times by abusing the monster’s defensive vulnerability.

Standard Stance Moves:

Double Slash, Double Slash Return Stroke, Circle Slash Motion Value Total: 68 Element Multiplier Total: 4.5 Combo Duration: 2”98 seconds Hit count: 7 hits

Demon Mode Moves:

Blade Dance Motion Value Total: 175 Element Multiplier Total: 13.6 Combo Duration: 3”95 seconds Hit count: 16 hits

Demon Fangs, Twofold Demon Slash, Sixfold Demon Slash Motion Value Total: 102 Element Multiplier Total: 7.2 Combo Duration: 2”33 seconds Hit count: 9 hits

Demon Flurry Rush Motion Value Total: 34 Element Multiplier Total: 4.4 Combo Duration: 1”24 seconds Hit count: 6 hits

Archdemon Mode Moves:

Demon Flurry Motion Value Total: 69 Element Multiplier Total: 6.2 Combo Duration: 1”91 seconds Hit count: 7 hits

Sixfold into Blade Dance

• In Demon Mode, -> -> ->

• In Demon Mode, Left Click -> Left Click -> Left Click -> Left Click + Right Click Moves: Demon Fangs -> Twofold Demon Slash -> Sixfold Demon Slash -> Blade Dance Motion Value Total: 277 Element Multiplier Total: 20.8 Combo Duration: 6”33 seconds Hit count: 25 hits

The Dual Blades user’s strongest attack is the Sixfold Demon Slash combo into Blade Dance. Sixfold and Blade Dance have short delays after being used, _except_ when Sixfold is followed by Blade Dance. With this, the damage per second goes up. The attack is over six seconds long, so it is best used when the monster is down and the hunter is not at risk.

Potato Dance

• In Archdemon Mode,

• In Archdemon Mode, Left Click + Right Click Move: Demon Flurry Motion Value Total: 69 Element Multiplier Total: 6.2 Combo Duration: 1”91 seconds Hit count: 7 hits

The Potato Dance combo is only accessible in Archdemon Mode and takes away an eighth of the gauge to use. It is quick and does good damage. When the hunter is running low on stamina but wants to take advantage of an opening, the hunter is advised to do the Potato Dance. The first two and final two hits have high verticality and can be used to attack aerial enemies for potential dunks.

Wall Bang

• at target hit zone -> up to three times ->

• MB3 + Right Click at target hit zone -> Right Click up to three times -> MB4 Moves: Claw Shot -> Claw Attack (maximum three times) -> Flinch Shot

One of the new tech from the Iceborne expansion is the Wall Bang tech, both dealing damage and creating an easy opening for damage. This tech can be used to activate locale based traps, such as breaking the dam at the Ancient Forest, as well as the rock wall and columns during the fight with Shara Ishvalda. Its other important use is to enrage the monster.

Shoryuken

• In Demon Mode, -> -> -> ->

• In Demon Mode, Right Click -> Right Click -> Right Click -> C -> Left Click Moves: Demon Flurry Rush -> Left/Right Roundslash -> Left/Right Double Roundslash -> Claw Attack -> Spinning Rising Slash Motion Value Total: 190 + 8 (Special Claw Attack, unaffected by Sharpness and Critical) Element Multiplier Total: 14.8 Combo Duration: 7”47 seconds Hit count: 17 hits

When the hunter does not have the Clutch Claw Boost armour skill yet, the best way to tenderize the monster is to use the Shoryuken Clutch Claw combo. It does enough softening damage to tenderize hit zones in one use. The combo keeps the hunter stationary for a moderate portion of the combo and monsters like to be on the move, so it is best used when there is a long opening. Once the hunter begins doing Spinning Rising Slash, the hunter gains invincibility frames which can be useful if the monster begins to attack after the opening.

Clagger

• -> -> follow up of preference

• MB3 + Right Click -> Space -> follow up of preference Moves: Claw Shot -> Drop Down

The monster has an unusual interaction with the Clutch Claw when it tires out. Hunters will notice that the monster spits out a bunch and steps back, followed by slobbering. This is a stagger period meant for the hunter to use the Clutch Shot. Once grabbed, the hunter can do various things like Claw Attack to turn, Weapon Attack to soften, or Flinch Shot to Wall Bang. There is one more option. To _Drop Down_. Why would the hunter do this? The stagger period resets and gets additional time added to its duration, allowing the hunter to do a full Blade Dance. This is easily the best use of the stagger uptime.

Evade Shot

• In Demon Mode, ->

• In Demon Mode, Left Click -> C or MB3 Moves: Demon Fangs -> Evade Shot

If the hunter has slinger ammo, they gain access to a new dodge move called Evade Shot. It has invincibility frames just like standard dodging, but it also can deal damage and flinch the monster! The damage is also more than what it would be with shooting it normally. Do not ignore this tool, it is useful and can set the hunter up for success.

With Piercing Pods, it causes the monster to flinch which can save the hunter from getting body slammed. Thorn Pods can be used with Evade Shot to cake a monster’s face with explosive stun seeds, causing a stun knockdown if set off. Blast Pods and Dragon Pods leave powder in the hunter’s place which explode if a monster is near.

Spine Rider

• In Demon Mode, press /Right Click to slide down a slope, and enter the air by pressing /Left Click once while aiming the hunter towards the monster’s head or tail when they are facing towards or away from the user’s position with the weapon unsheathed Move: Heavenly Blade Dance

The Spine Rider is one of the coolest new moves available to Dual Blade users. Hunters inspired to model after Levi Ackerman will want to learn this technique. It works as a positioning tool and as a great way to deal damage quickly. The move deals hits depending on the monster’s size, which in cases like Kulve Taroth can be extremely strong. The hunter must be careful as they are not invincible during the attack. If the monster begins an attack animation or is in the middle of one, the hunter will be immediately thrown off.

Another important thing to be aware of with Spine Rider is that it dulls Dual Blades quickly. For matchups where this tool is to be used often, it is advised to use Protective Polish prior to use.

7.2 Cheat Sheet

Be aware that monsters that have an (HR) beside their name are High Rank. Kulve Taroth has unique hit zone values based on rank and is separated into two different monsters.

Monster Standard Frostcraft Dragonvein Awakening Transcendence Great Jagras Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kulu-Ya-Ku Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Pukei-Pukei Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Barroth Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Jyuratodus Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Tobi-Kadachi Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Anjanath Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Rathian Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Fatalis Dual Skies Taroth Daggers "Ice" Fatalis Dual Skies Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Paolumu Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Great Girros Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Radobaan Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Legiana Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Odogaron Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Rathalos Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Diablos Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kirin Safi’s Hellclaws Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Zorah Magdaros (HR) Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Dodogama Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Pink Rathian Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Bazelgeuse (HR) Fatalis Dual Skies Taroth Daggers "Ice" Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Deviljho (HR) Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Lavasioth Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Uragaan Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Water” Azure Rathalos Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Black Diablos Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Nergigante (HR) Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Teostra Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Lunastra Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kushala Daora Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Vaal Hazak (HR) Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kulve Taroth (HR) Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kulve Taroth Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Xeno’jiiva (HR) Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Fatalis Dual Skies Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Beotodus Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Banbaro Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness ** Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Viper Tobi-Kadachi Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Nightshade Paolumu Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Coral Pukei-Pukei Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Barioth Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Nargacuga Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Glavenus Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water”

Tigrex Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Brachydios Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Shrieking Legiana Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fulgur Anjanath Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Acidic Glavenus Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Ebony Odogaron Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Velkhana Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Seething Bazelgeuse Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Blackveil Vaal Hazak Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Namielle Safi’s Hellclaws Safi’s Hellclaws Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Kjárr Daggers “Rage” Savage Deviljho Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Ruiner Nergigante Fatalis Dual Skies Alatreon Madness Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Shara Ishvalda Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Zinogre Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Yian Garuga Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Scarred Yian Garuga Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Brute Tigrex Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Gold Rathian Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Silver Rathalos Taroth Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Kjárr Daggers “Water” Rajang Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Stygian Zinogre Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Kjárr Daggers "Spark" Safi’jiiva Alatreon Madness Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers “Dragon” Furious Rajang Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Raging Brachydios Taroth Daggers "Ice" Taroth Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Kjárr Daggers "Ice" Frostfang Barioth Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Alatreon Fatalis Alatreon Madness Alatreon Madness ** Fatalis Dual Skies Behemoth (HR) Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Fatalis Dual Skies Ancient Leshen (HR) Fatalis Dual Skies Safi’s Hellclaws Fatalis Dual Skies Kjárr Daggers “Rage”

_* For Alatreon, use the Fire Element set for “Dawn of the Death Star,” and use the Ice Element set for “Blazing Black Twilight,” “The Evening Star,” and “Dawn’s Triumph.”_

_** Use the Alatreon Madness Standard variant. It performs better._

7.3 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: "Should I go Raw or Element?" A: To quote myself from the introduction, "Dual Blades are designed to utilize Element damage." Saying that, Fatalis Dual Skies is really strong in almost all matchups on average. Nonetheless, the hunter should prioritize for the appropriate Element matchups.

Q: "What if I want just one set?" A: Stop it.

Q: “I don’t like Protective Polish.” A: If that’s the case, hunters should remove some of the damage-related skills that are recommended on the endgame sets for Handicraft, or use the endgame armour Transcendence. It has True Razor Sharp. Hunters can also do a mix of Inheritance and Master’s Touch.

Q: "What's my skill priority?" A: In general for a mixed build in endgame, Sharpness comfort (durability should be 120 hits minimum with Protective Polish or 300 hits minimum), Mind’s Eye (if weapon is at Blue Sharpness tier), Weakness Exploit Lv1-3, Element Attack Lv1-3, Critical Boost Lv1-3, Agitator Lv1, Agitator Lv6-7 (requires Agitator Secret/Inheritance), Element Attack Lv4-6, Critical Eye Lv1-7 (until Affinity reaches 100%), Clutch Claw Boost and Item Prolonger Lv3, Agitator Lv2-5, Resentment Lv1-5 (if using Dragonvein Awakening), Attack Boost Lv4, Attack Boost Lv5-7, Attack Boost Lv1-3, Coalescence Lv1-3, Peak Performance Lv1-3.

Q: "I found a better set!" A: There's always room to improve with your own preferences. These are just our recommendations for places to start making endgame Dual Blades’ sets.

Q: "I saw a speedrunner using X." A: I appreciate the extreme proficiency runners have with their weapons, but you shouldn't assume that the builds they use are the best possible builds because the said runner is using it. Use math and what applies to you to decide what you should build instead of simply copying that runner. They may be fighting with a different philosophy for that specific hunt.

Q: “I like to use X set/skill.” A: There is no wrong way to play. If you're having fun, you don't have to adjust to the uniform meta. Some people like to play in their own unique ways. As long as you're having fun, that's ok!

That being said, if you're coming to a set guide for validation in your personal sets, I can’t really help you.

Q: “Should I use Flinch Free?” A: Completely up to you. Demon Mode has built-in Flinch Free. It will only be useful in the other stances, but is a valuable skill in cooperative play.

Q: “Dual Blades love to dodge! Why aren’t the sets using Evade Extender?” A: Evade Extender actually may make playing Dual Blades worse. You can absolutely get used to it, but more often than not, you will overshoot your destination.

Q: “Dual Blades love to dodge! Why aren’t the sets using Evade Window?” A: Evade Window is a fantastic skill! It is nonetheless a comfort skill that is not pushing damage or time, but can make difficult fights significantly easier.

Q: “When do I unlock layered weapons?” A: It unlocks in the Guiding Lands once the hunter unlocks the Tundra region, which is the hunt with Stygian Zinogre named “Across the Lost Path.”

Q: "Should I use Fortify?" A: Up to you. Fortify only works if the hunter carts with the skill attached. The boost is nothing to scoff at, but the guide does not enforce it as it requires the hunter to cart, wasting time and valuable resources.

Q: "Why is Sharpness such a big deal?" A: It is because each tier of Sharpness increases Raw and Element via a multiplier. Getting to white is going to be the best source of damage for a lot of meta options. Sharpness loss mitigation is required because Dual Blades eat through Sharpness as an owl goes through tootsie pops. If you want to stay at your optimal Sharpness levels without stopping to sharpen too often, you're going to need the appropriate armor skills.

Q: “Why Protective Polish and no Master’s Touch?” A: The philosophy of the guide is to push damage within reason, which is an expectation of 300-ish hits per sharpening. The hunter gets 90 seconds of Protective Polish, which by itself is enough time to get 300 hits in. There are hunts where the hunter does have to wait, so a minimum of 120 hits base is enforced. Master’s Touch is recommended when it is stronger in practical terms. It is up to the hunter if they want to focus on a set skill that forces three Teostra armour pieces over a Lv2 decoration.

Q: “Wow, True Critical Element’s boost is huge! Is it usable in the endgame?” A: True Critical Element is indeed strong. In fact, too strong. The developers likely limited it to Silver Rathalos and Azure Era armour because of this. Once the hunter reaches endgame, Fatalis and Arch-tempered Velkhana’s armour has so many decoration slots that the hunter is quite spoiled. Fatalis’ Inheritance enables Agitator Secret and Arch-tempered Velkhana’s and Kjárr Daggers offer easy access to normal Critical Element, causing True Critical Element to drop in value and lose the arms race.

Q: “How is Element Acceleration?” A: The skill itself is fine and arguably stronger than other set skills. The issue comes down to the armour it is attached to. Arch-tempered Namielle’s armour has a lot of comfort skills so it is fine as a fringe fun armour, but is otherwise pretty bad.

Q: “Why is Elemental Conversion so bad?” A: The skill is awful. It sounds great on paper, but the increases are so low and the ceiling for Element Resistance is too low to the ground that it ends up becoming a comfort skill more than a damage skill.

Q: "Where's Constitution, Stamina Surge, Marathon Runner, and Power Prolonger?" A: All comfort skills. Considering you still get access to some strong moves and movement options with Archdemon mode, there's no reason to use these instead of damage options. Remember, these are templates; If you wish to add comfort to your build, you are free to do so.

Q: "Should I be using Dash Juice?" A: Definitely. The buff is effectively Constitution Lv.2.5, reducing stamina use on dodges by 25%. Dash Juice lasts four minutes and once the hunter reaches postgame, Item Prolonger is prioritized due to its relevance, increasing Dash Juice’s duration to six minutes! With Felyne Black Belt which is 20%, stamina use reduction becomes 40% (due to diminishing returns).

Q: “Why aren't dual-element/status Dual Blades the meta? The values are so high!” A: Monster Hunter’s presentation is misleading in how dual-elements work. You see, each blade has its own Element and Status, so this effectively cuts those high values in half. It sounds cool at first as monsters like Shara Ishvalda, who is weak to Blast and Ice, should be extra weak to Blizzard and Blaze Dual Blades. Shara Ishvalda is _actually_ weaker to Ice, so the Blast portion falls behind. A set of pure Ice Dual Blades will be more effective.

Q: "What ingredients should I eat for?"

A: Attack Boost L always. For guaranteed Felyne Skills, there’s a few to look at. The major one is Felyne Black Belt, but there is also Felyne Groomer, Felyne Polisher, and Felyne Safeguard. Be aware that the last one does not give the hunter an Attack Boost. The random Felyne skills to look out for are Felyne Weakener, Felyner Booster, and Felyne Insurance. Gourmet Tickets are not easily farmable, so the Felyne boosts should be considered as suggestions.

Conclusion

This is my fourth time playing through World but my first time cracking down on the numbers. I hope the guide is useful to you. I will be improving it over the next couple of months and adding information. I have nothing super interesting to say honestly, just hope you are doing well and staying safe.

Sincerely, A nameless pilgrim

Credits

pilgrim2092, the writer/mather/graphic-thinga magig. Definitely has a name but continues to say he is nameless. What a weirdo,

Cartiledge, for providing a database of all Dual Blades’ Weapon data for the calculator,

Deathcream and MoonBunnie, for the awesome collection of data,

Awenth, refiamontes, and rhytmwiz for their articles,

Wiki-DB, for its amazing set engine tool,

Kiranico, Robomeche, and fextralife for supplying data and images,

Monster Hunter Gathering Hall Discord channel and its emotional support animals (anti, Bro4U, Darthe, Diro, inker, July, juzzi, Kino, Krea, Latias, moose, Poker, Shon, timmy, Zero, and others), for dealing with Pilgrim’s baloney,

The Monster Hunter team and Capcom, for working on this masterpiece of gaming entertainment,

Asteroid, for having been a great friend and an invaluable hunting partner,

And… you guessed it. You, the reader. Thank you.

“People keep asking if I’m back, and I really haven’t had an answer. But now yeah, I’m thinking I’m back! So you can—” muffled sounds