Monster Hunter Wilds Charge Blade Guide: SAED & Savaxe

Monster Hunter Wilds Charge Blade Guide

Welcome & Overview
Gameplay Overview
Two Playstyles: Savage Axe & SAED
Standard ED Loop & Variations
Perfect Guard & Guard Mechanics
Charged Shield & Power Axe Buffs
General Gameplan: Focus Strikes & Mounting
Low Rank Progression
Chapter 1: Early Progression
Chapter 2: Mid-Progression
Chapter 3: End of Low Rank
Endgame: Artian Weapons
Raw Savaxe, Element Savaxe, Dragon SAED
SAED & Savaxe Matchups
Infusions, Reinforcements & Upgrades
Final Endgame Upgrades & Recommendations
Appendix: Infusions & Production Bonuses
Endnotes

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Welcome & Overview

Monster Hunter Wilds Charge Blade

Header by T3h Phish

By timmy

Welcome to the MH Wilds Charge Blade Guide! Please feel free to contact me (timee_) in MHGH #charge_blade chat for any questions or feedback.

PLEASE READ:

This guide will be updated as we continue to explore the game, so please understand if there is missing or incomplete info.

Here will aim to go over the general playstyle and flow of Charge Blade, progression options, and endgame sets.

Keep in mind that everything written in here are recommendations and guidelines, so feel free to adjust accordingly based on your preferences.

Gameplay

Gameplay Overview

Standard Loop

Charge Blade has two playstyles in Wilds: Savage Axe and SAED (Super Amped Elemental Discharge). In Wilds, Savaxe is much stronger for most monsters, but SAED can still be used.

The standard damage combo is ED (elemental discharge) loop which is ED I -> ED II -> AED (Amped Elemental Discharge) -> AED Followup. This can be done by pressing the secondary attack button (B for XBox, Circle for Playstation, RMB for PC) four times.

Sometimes, it is better to cut the combo short and stop before AED or AED Followup, or skip AED entirely and go into Rising Slash -> ED I. This will depend on the opening.

For SAED, the goal is to overcharge phials and dump them into the monster as often as possible. In Wilds, SAED was changed so it can not be done from neutral or shield thrust. Instead, it must be used after AED or AED Followup. Guard Point or Perfect Guard into SAED still works.

Two Playstyles: Savage Axe & SAED

Savage Axe (Savaxe): Focuses on phials and Power Axe buffs to maximize raw DPS, often following Perfect Guard inputs into Savage Axe Slash or Shield momentum.
SAED (Super Amped Elemental Discharge): Focuses on maximizing elemental discharge through overcharged phials, typically used after AED or AED Followup for best uptime.

Wilds CB adds a new guard style called Perfect Guard (PG). This is a guard window that allows infinite guard and can chain into following attacks.

Standard ED Loop & Variations

The standard damage loop is ED I -> ED II -> AED (Amped Elemental Discharge) -> AED Followup. This loop can be executed by mashing the secondary attack button four times.

There are variations depending on matchup openings where cutting the loop short, skipping AED, or transitioning into Rising Slash -> ED I may yield better damage or safety.

For SAED, aim to overcharge phials and dump them frequently. In Wilds, SAED can’t be started from neutral or shield thrust; it must occur after AED or AED Followup. You can still use Guard Point or Perfect Guard to enter SAED.

Perfect Guard & Guard Mechanics

PG (Perfect Guard) lets you guard right before you take a hit, acting as an infinite guard with opportunities to follow with Savaxe actions or AED/SAED. Sword -> Axe GP is of limited use and is mostly niche. The core is to sequence PG into Savaxe efficiently.

Charged Shield & Power Axe Buffs

Before you can spam ED for damage, you should do two things: Charge Shield and gain Power Axe buff. Loading phials and then cancelling AED with the Guard button loads phials into your shield, granting all axe hits a 10% raw bonus.

Power Axe lets you spin into Savage Axe. It can be activated via:

Perfect Guard into Savage Axe Slash
Guard into a Power Clash and follow with Savage Axe Slash
Using the focus attack on a wound to enter Savaxe at the end of Focus Strike
Mounting the monster and destroying the wound

Perfect Guard is the most common activation method. The standard gameplan for most monsters is Sneak Attack -> Charged Double Slash -> Perfect Guard roar -> activate Savaxe -> charge shield and phials -> ED Loop. Focus Strikes refresh Savaxe and provide flinches/topples when wounds appear. Mounting is slow and not recommended, but if mounted, create a wound and break it for Savaxe.

Focus Strikes & Mounting

Focus Strikes exist whenever a wound appears and should be used to refresh Savaxe and secure flinches/topples. Mounting is not recommended due to time costs, but if it happens, create and break wounds to maintain Savaxe.

Low Rank Progression

There isn’t much going on in Low Rank, so early progression will focus on a few weapon and armor options.

Chapter 1

Early armor doesn’t provide anything useful, except for maybe some comfort skills. Use whatever you’d like. For the weapon, anything with more attack than the default weapon is fine, but Lala Barina is nice for Paralysis.

Chapter 2

At this point, still no great armor pieces. Hirabami is an option if you want some comfort skills, but not needed. A couple weapon recommendations:

• Feel free to upgrade the Lala Barina CB, it gains 10 raw and some sharpness.

• Nerscylla CB is slightly stronger since it comes with Offensive Guard 1. Also has sleep, but para is better.

Chapter 3

Guardian Ebony allows us to get to finally some decent damage skills. Burst 2 with the 4p set bonus gives a solid +25 raw. Anything works for the chest; Rey Sandmail is just there as a placeholder.

Guardian Rathalos CB is the best option at the end of Low Rank with good raw, decent sharpness, and some base affinity. Comes with Master’s Touch which doesn’t do much yet, but better than nothing.

Endgame: Artian Weapons

In endgame we switch to Artian weapons. Artian weapons are strong because they come with great slots, customizable Status/Element, and good base stats once upgraded. Artian weapons can be forged with parts obtained from Investigations. To forge an Artian weapon with a specific Status or Element, it’s best to use 3 of the same type. Whether you choose attack or affinity affusions will depend on the set.

To upgrade an Artian weapon, you need to reinforce with ores melded from the smithy in Azuz. The available reinforcements for Charge Blade are as follows:

+5 attack
+5 element
+5% affinity
+30 sharpness

Unfortunately, reinforcements are completely random. Good luck!

Raw Savaxe

Standard raw Savage Axe set, try to maintain Offensive Guard as much as possible. If playing multiplayer, Load Shells/Handicraft decoration can be used instead. Swap Weakness Exploit charm for Agitator depending on owned decorations.

2 more raw (lmao) while Frenzy is active compared to the previous set, but loses by 8 raw after cure. However, gets an additional 25 raw for 1 minute after a Power Clash. Also has Evade Window 2, but loses 3 lv1 slots and Flinch Free, so not recommended for multiplayer.
Infusions and Reinforcements:
Paralysis is used for the free CC.
If you happen to roll for one affinity, drop a Weakness Exploit decoration for Agitator.

Element Savaxe

Elemental Savaxe is quite strong, beating raw in certain matchups. Unfortunately, this means we have to farm 5 different Artian CB. Swap out the weapon and ele atk decoration according to the matchup.

Dragon Savaxe

Convert Element is strong, but only works with Dragon, so a separate build is used.

Infusions & Reinforcements:

Element Infusion +30
Affinity Infusion +5 (x4)
Element Type: Paraylsis
Affinity Boosts (repetition shown across several upgrades)
Element Boosts and Status infusion choices evolve across Artian weapons.

Dragon SAED

SAED is actually quite strong for some matchups if you max element. There is a lack of decent lv2 decorations for SAED, so Earplugs help ignore most roars.

Dragon SAED: Dragon SAED

SAED Upgrades:

Affinity doesn’t matter here; can be replaced with Attack or Sharpness. The 4 Element Boosts are what you need.

SAED Matchups

The main target hitzone is the head, unless noted otherwise.

Matchups with Savaxe indicate SAED is not worth using, though Savaxe remains strong in most cases.

Monster Element

Rathian Dragon

Rathalos Dragon

G. Rathalos Dragon (Legs)

Gravios Water (Belly)

Yian Kut-Ku Raw (Torso or Wings)

Gypceros Fire

Congalala Raw

Blangonga Fire

Nerscylla Raw

Gore Magala Raw

G. Fulgur Anjanath Ice

G. Ebony Odogaron Water

Doshaguma Fire

G. Doshaguma Dragon (Arms)

Balahabra Thunder

Chatacabra Raw

Quematrice Raw

Lala Barina Raw

Rompopolo Water

Rey Dau Raw

Uth Duna Raw

Nu Udra Raw

Ajarakan Water (Arms)

Arkveld Raw

G. Arkveld Raw

Hirabami Fire

Jin Dahaad Raw

Xu Wu Ice

Zoh Shia Dragon

SAED Matchups

The main target hitzone is the head, unless noted otherwise.

Matchups that say ‘Savaxe’ are due to SAED being so bad, it's not even worth considering. Keep in mind that Savaxe will still be stronger even for ‘good’ SAED matchups, except for Gravios and maybe Odogaron.

Monster Element

Rathian Dragon

Rathalos Dragon

G. Rathalos Dragon (Legs)

Gravios Water (Belly)

Yian Kut-Ku Savaxe

Gypceros Fire

Congalala Savaxe

Blangonga Fire

Nerscylla Savaxe

Gore Magala Savaxe

G. Fulgur Anjanath Ice (Head/Nose/Wings)

G. Ebony Odogaron Water

Doshaguma Savaxe

G. Doshaguma Dragon (Arms)

Balahabra Thunder

Chatacabra Savaxe

Quematrice Savaxe

Lala Barina Savaxe

Rompopolo Water

Rey Dau Savaxe

Uth Duna Savaxe

Nu Udra Savaxe

Ajarakan Water (Arms)

Arkveld Savaxe

G. Arkveld Savaxe

Hirabami Savaxe

Jin Dahaad Savaxe

Xu Wu Ice

Zoh Shia Dragon

A couple weapon recommendations

Nerscylla CB is slightly stronger since it comes with Offensive Guard 1. Also has sleep, but para is better.
Guardian Rathalos CB is the best option at the end of Low Rank with good raw, decent sharpness, and some base affinity. Comes with Master’s Touch which doesn’t do much yet, but better than nothing.
Lala Barina CB has less raw than Rathian CB, but Paralysis and better sharpness can make up for it.
Gore Magala tools and Artifact sets deliver strong Endgame DPS. The Gore Magala CB has good white sharpness, 210 base raw, and 20% affinity. This allows us to reach 70% affinity, and 100% if you have Max Might. Slot any Critical Boost and Handicraft/Razor Sharp decorations you may have.
Rathian CB for its good sharpness, raw, and affinity. From here on, slot any Razor Sharp/Handicraft or Offensive Guard decos that drop.
Guardian arcs: Nerscylla Claw or Lala Barina Decor, etc.

Endgame: Artian Weapons Continued

Raw Savaxe and Element Savaxe evolutions require careful selection of infusion and reinforcement bonuses.

Endgame: Individual Armors & Sets

Rathian CB upgrade path emphasizes sharpness, raw, and affinity with high-grade decorations.
Gore Magala-exiled variants emphasize aggressive skill lines and Shield/Guard synergy.

Artian Weapons Upgrade Path & Reinforcements

To upgrade an Artian weapon, you need to reinforce with ores melded from Azuz smithy. The available reinforcements for Charge Blade are:

+5 attack
+5 element
+5% affinity
+30 sharpness

These reinforcements are randomly rolled; luck plays a role in selecting the best combination for your build.

Raw Savaxe: Details & Setup

Standard raw Savage Axe set, maintain Offensive Guard as much as possible. In multiplayer, you may prefer Load Shells/Handicraft decorations. Swap Weakness Exploit charm for Agitator depending on owned decorations.

Element Savaxe: Details & Setup

Elemental Savaxe is strong in fights where element is advantageous. You may need to farm several Artian CBs to maximize elemental output; adjust decorations accordingly.

Dragon SAED: Details & Setup

SAED requires careful element management; Dragon SAED uses Dragon element to maximize damage on dragon matchups.

Infusions & Reinforcements: Production & Boosts

Production Bonus: Element Infusion +30, Affinity Infusion +5 (four times), Element Type: Paralyis
Reinforcement Bonus: Affinity Boost +5, Element Boost +50, etc. The exact values differ per weapon upgrade stage and are shown in the equipment UI.
Paralyis is used for the free CC in some builds; you may swap or adjust depending on your decorations and weapon choice.

One Final Weapon Upgrade Before Endgame

Gore Magala CB has good white sharpness, 210 base raw, and 20% affinity. This allows us to reach 70% affinity, and 100% if you have Max Might. Slot in Critical Boost and Handicraft/Razor Sharp decorations you may have. This is considered a key final upgrade prior to entering endgame.

Endgame: Artian Weapons (Continuation)

In endgame you switch to Artian weapons. Artian weapons are strong because they come with great slots, customizable Status/Element, and good base stats once upgraded. Artian weapons can be forged with parts obtained from Investigations.

To forge an Artian weapon with a specific Status or Element, it’s best to use 3 of the same type. Whether you choose attack or affinity affusions will depend on the set.

To upgrade an Artian weapon, you need to reinforce with ores melded from the smithy in Azuz. The available reinforcements for Charge Blade are as follows:

+5 attack
+5 element
+5% affinity
+30 sharpness

Unfortunately, reinforcements are completely random. Good luck!

Raw Savaxe (revisited)

Element Savaxe (revisited)

Dragon SAED (revisited)

SAED requires precise overlay of Element and Affinity bonuses. Dragon SAED builds rely on Dragon infused weapons and high Elemental Attack values.

SAED & Savaxe Matchups (Summary)

The document contains extensive matchup data and loadout recommendations for various monsters across both SAED and Savaxe strategies. See the tables above for detailed element, weapon, and skill choices per monster.

Infusions, Upgrades, & Visual Guides

Several pages illustrate the upgrade paths, materials lists, and recommended decorations for Artian weapons. The visuals show specific item names, rarity, and required costs for each upgrade step.

Final Notes on Endgame Upgrades

This section consolidates the recommended endgame armor and weapon options, emphasizing the synergy between Guard skills, offensive options, and high-damage weapon builds. The emphasis is on maximizing offense while maintaining guard efficiency in multiplayer contexts.

Appendix: Infusions & Production Bonuses

Production Bonus details include Element Infusion +30, multiple +5 Affinity Infusions, and Element Type Paraylsis.
Reinforcement bonuses include Attack, Element, and Affinity boosts along with Sharpness boosts.
Paralyis-based CC remains a core feature in many builds; adjust based on weapon choice and decorations.

Endnotes

1. This guide is an evolving document intended for discussion and refinement within the community.

2. Armor and weapon recommendations depend on available decorations and playstyle preferences.

3. Endgame Artian weapons provide robust customization options through Investigations.