Sunbreak TU5.5 Switch Axe Builds Guide with Master’s Touch

Q: Help: I’ve just started Sunbreak / I’m behind on title updates / I want to be ready for console release! Can I get some of the old meta docs?

No—those older meta docs are obsolete; they capture a moment in time no longer applicable to the current Sunbreak meta. Instead, follow the progression standard outlined here to reach a solid setup and finish off the current meta builds. The guide assumes access to all high‑rank armor and decorations, no talismans initially, and emphasizes Dragon Conversion and Furious upgrades as you progress.

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Summary

This Sunbreak TU5.5 Switch Axe guide provides a detailed, player-facing layout of builds and playstyle changes centered on Master’s Touch as a replacement for Protective Polish, to improve life quality in high-end Switch Axe setups. It covers skill priorities, Rampage and Switch Skills, practical play sequences, and comprehensive endgame and raw build options across Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’s title update 5.5. The guide emphasizes Dragon Conversion, Element Phial strategies, and Qurious Crafting as tools to tailor gear toward planned builds. It includes progression guidance from MR0 through MR10, with explicit weapon paths including Gnashing Flammenbeil, Volcanic Switch, Magma Switch+, and a variety of elemental and raw configurations. Supplementary resources include kookaburra’s calculator and juzzi’s MoH Wirebug Set, enabling users to tailor augments and talismans for their target meta. The content uses practical equipment lists, skill allotments, and pathing for each monster encounter, ensuring readers can recreate or adapt the builds for their own playthrough or offline progress.

The document focuses on:

Master’s Touch as a core uptime and sharpness management solution
Element Phial and Dragon Conversion integration
Rampage and Switch skill prioritization for optimal damage and gauge management
Step-by-step MR progression and equipment paths for endgame readiness
Detailed build lists for Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice, Dragon, and Raw configurations
Guidance for adapting builds with augments, talismans, and Qurious Crafting

Primary topics include Sunbreak TU5.5 weapon tuning, skill composition, gameplay loops, and endgame matrices designed to maximize damage while maintaining sharpness and amp efficiency.

Skill Priority

Skill Priority | Reason

---|---

Rapid Morph 3|Switch Axe Tax There should be absolutely no situation where you don’t have this slotted in, this gives you everything you could ever want

Critical Eye 6 /|Weakness Exploit 3 /

Master’s Touch 3 /

Handicraft X /

Bloodlust 1|

Switch Axe Tax|Since we’re dropping Protective Polish, we need to replace it with a new method of sharpness management - following from my analysis and a large amount of experience with this style from others, Protective Polish’s uptime should be matched by this combination of skills, assuming that you have at least thirty hits of purple between weapon augments and Handicraft (though obviously more is better)

Evade Extender 1|Comfort You only want one level, and this is optional, but it makes positioning much better for nearly free

Intrepid Heart 1|Comfort If it fits in, why not

Dragon Conversion 3 5|Oops, all element - do note that there’s an upper limit on elemental resistance of 50, meaning if you manage to get it any higher than that it’s actually just wasted effort for the conversion

Teostra Blessing 2 5|Now that blessings are one slot decorations, every weapon in the game with an appropriate element should be using them

Kushala Blessing 2 5|See above

Element Attack 5 5|20% extra element

Furious 3 4|I’m working off the assumption that you can get this via augments

Burst 3 4|You hit often and fast - the first level is basically always on and the second level will happen within seconds of starting a loop

Blood Awakening 3 /

Blood Rite 1 /

Partbreaker 3

3|It’s fine, I guess - you really need all three to be there, but the Primordial Malzeno stuff is so good that you’re just going to have them all anyway. Blood Awakening can technically work without the other two since it also works with Bloodblight, but I’ll leave that to your discretion

Dereliction 1 /

Strife 3|This requires healing, most likely via Blood Rite, and is fucked hard to get since you need to pull it via talismans and augments, but fits very nicely into the current Dragon Conversion / Blood Awakening meta

Element Exploit 1 3|You can probably only fit one level of this in without some real efficiency gains from charms and Qurious Crafting, though it is also a real one point wonder skill

Critical Boost 3|Since we’re working off the assumption that 100% affinity is the aim now, and it comes mostly for free with the pieces used, it’s worth slotting in as much as possible

Coalescence 1 2|Since all weapons run Bloodlust now, if you can fit this in you get a free boost per recovery

Critical Element 2|Doesn’t do too much, but if it fits

Mail of Hellfire 1 2|Unfortunately between distribution and the fact that you’d rather have both effects on at once, this is not as good as it is for other weapons

Attack Boost 2|You’re unlikely to be able to fit the Attack Boost 4 breakpoint, though if you can without losing core skills it’s worth it

Element Resistance 3 1|I’m moving this down here only because I’m working off the assumption that you can get Furious 3 easily

Agitator 1|With higher level accessibility fighting Burst and Attack Boost for slots, this is starting to fall off

Power Prolonger 1|Only use this if you’re in multiplayer, otherwise it’s completely worthless, and still better to get things above where relevant

Conditional Attack / Element Skills|N/A Adrenaline Rush, Sneak Attack, etc. are best considered on a case by case basis. Try to keep in mind your uptime on the skills - everything above here is either always on or has very high (>70%) uptime

Heaven-Sent 1 0|I see this occasionally, but frankly if you want to use Heaven-Sent to any effectiveness, you’ve gotta fully invest in it and Intrepid Heart - no good axe has enough sharpness to not be constantly swapping, and you nerf Dragon Conversion by only running the first level

Stormsoul 3 0|Narwa and Ibushi pieces are too bad to use for switch axe, thunder and dragon axes can’t get the extra element boost like the others

Focus 0|This does nearly nothing for your amp or gauge buildup, use the counter and Switch Charger

Rampage Skills|

Phial Switch Boost 5|Makes morph attacks stronger and improves your sword gauge (not amp) gain, definitely the comfiest option, and as of TU5 has eclipsed Anti-Species as the best <25 elementa l hitzone option thanks to the increase in elementaldamage this patch

Bloody Heart 4|This skill can outperform everything else in the game, but you must remain bloodblighted at all times for it to do so

Element Exploit 4|On elemental hitzones ≥25 this offers the highest damage output of any option, but you have to be focusing them down and using an element phial axe

Anti-Species 3|As of TU5, this is worse than Phial Switch Boost when elemental hitzones are less than 25, and so you don’t actually have to set up four different sets for each weapon’s exploit any more

Kushala Daora Soul 3|Best of the “bad” options, you really shouldn’t ever end up in a position where you can use this but not any of the three generalist ones above

Wirebug Wrangler 2|I guess it’s the best one slot man, SA isn’t really hurting for bugs

Self-Improvement 2|Twenty minutes to be worse than anything above here

Buddy Rally 2|You should build so that you’re better, not your dog

Valstrax Soul 1|Thought about it some more, Dragonheart meta sucks too much ass to play solo or in multiplayer

Blight Exploit 1|This will basically never be on, just augment the slot

Narwa Soul 1|You do not want to be using basically any Ibushi pieces

Magnamalo Soul 0|+12 raw while afflicted with Hellfireblight oh my god no

Rampage Skills

Skill Priority | Reason

---|---

Phial Switch Boost 5|Makes morph attacks stronger and improves your sword gauge (not amp) gain, definitely the comfiest option, and as of TU5 has eclipsed Anti-Species as the best <25 element hitzone option thanks to the increase in elemental damage this patch

Bloody Heart 4|This skill can outperform everything else in the game, but you must remain bloodblighted at all times for it to do so

Element Exploit 4|On elemental hitzones ≥25 this offers the highest damage output of any option, but you have to be focusing them down and using an element phial axe

Kushala Daora Soul 3|Best of the “bad” options, you really shouldn’t ever end up in a position where you can use this but not any of the three generalist ones above

Wirebug Wrangler 2|I guess it’s the best one slot man, SA isn’t really hurting for bugs

Self-Improvement 2|Twenty minutes to be worse than anything above here

Buddy Rally 2|You should build so that you’re better, not your dog

Valstrax Soul 1|Dragonheart meta sucks too much ass to play solo or in multiplayer

Blight Exploit 1|This will basically never be on, just augment the slot

Narwa Soul 1|You do not want to be using basically any Ibushi pieces

Magnamalo Soul 0|+12 raw while afflicted with Hellfireblight oh my god no

Switch Skills

As of Title Update 4, Switch Axe no longer has regular access to two scrolls - given this, I’m usually going to recommend sticking with one skill over the other for all slots. On raw power phials which don't run Dragon Conversion you can still use both scrolls with a mix of preferred skills.

Forward Slash vs Forward Overhead Slash
Forward Slash is a dinky jab while Forward Overhead Slash is a powerful opener which can be used into a solid morph attack - use Forward Overhead Slash 100% of the time on both scrolls.
Finishing Discharge vs Compressed Finishing Discharge
Finishing Discharge gives you access to ZSD when fully amped, Compressed Finishing Discharge is best used immediately after a Switch Charger to get in some free amp build. Finishing Discharge on both scrolls is highly recommended, if you want to use Compressed Finishing Discharge though stick it with Switch Charger.
Axe: Wide Sweep vs 2-Staged Morph Slash Combo
Wide Sweep will still be accessible and more effective via your Rapid Morph combo, and 2-Staged Morph Slash Combo benefits from Rapid Morph while giving you a large chunk of sword gauge. 2-Staged Morph Slash Combo on both scrolls.
Invincible Gambit vs Soaring Wyvern Blade vs Wire Step
Soaring Wyvern Blade should always be paired with Finishing Discharge as a high damage ZSD combo followup. Invincible Gambit is a hyper armour charge, Wire Step is a repositioning tool with high iframes and a short cooldown - honestly you can just pick what you like best here, though Soaring Wyvern Blade has very good synergy with Finishing Discharge.
Switch Charger vs Elemental Burst Counter
Switch Charger builds sword gauge, while Elemental Burst Counter automatically maxes your amp after hitting the counter. Elemental Burst Counter performs the best out of the two while playing solo, and even in multiplayer is highly recommended for easy amp for power phial axes.

Playing Switch Axe

There are a handful of tricks that are useful to know when playing Switch Axe - however, this weapon is like jazz, and sometimes you just have to go where it takes you, so mix things up and use its mobility to reposition while getting hits in.

All of these buttons are using Xbox notation, so adjust what you press according to that.

Rapid Morph Loop (B > RT > RT)
Sword: Double Slash > Sword: Morph Double Slash > Axe: Morph Slash
This is your core damage dealing combo when a monster is downed: find the best spot to hit and just start spinning. This has neutral sword gauge use so as long as you have enough to go into it in the first place you should be able to maintain it.
Opening Charge (LS+Y > RT > B)
Axe: Forward Overhead Slash > Axe: Morph Rising Double Slash > Sword: Triple Slash
Takes advantage of Forward Overhead Slash’s solid gap closing to dish out some quick morph and sword damage, alongside decent amp gain, which can be comboed into the Rapid Morph loop by following up with a Sword: Morph Double Slash.
2-Staged Morph Slash Combo (B > RT > RT)
Axe: Wild Swing > Axe: 2nd Stage Morph Slash I > Sword: 2nd Stage Morph Slash II
This has huge sword gauge buildup and is a mandatory part of your kit if you aren’t running Switch Charger on your main scroll to maintain gauge.
Heavy Slam Buff (B > Y)
Axe: Wild Swing (at least two swings) > Heavy Slam
This combo will activate the Heavy Slam buff, granting increased amp generation and a partbreaker effect to your attacks.
Grounded Amp (RT + LS > B > B > Y > B)
Axe: Morph Slash > Sword: Double Slash > Sword: Heavenward Flurry > Sword: Right Rising Slash > Sword: Double Slash
As long as you’re using an element or exhaust phial, this is exactly enough amp gain from the sword hits to go from zero to full amp, in case you aren’t in a position to use the counter for the free amp.
Fast Discharge Jab (B > Y+B)
Sword: Double Slash OR Sword: Heavenward Flurry OR Sword: Triple Slash > Element Discharge
What it says on the tin: if you use any of your B sword mode attacks before the Element Discharge jab, it’ll come out faster as your hunter does a little flourish.
ZSD Advancing Slash (Y+B > Rapidly press Y > LT+Y)
Element Discharge > Zero Sum Discharge > Advancing Slash
After completing a ZSD, if you have a wirebug available you can cancel the recovery animation after blasting off the monster by immediately performing an Advancing Slash, allowing you to get straight back next to them.
Morphing Advancing Slash (LT+Y > Y > A > RT)
Soaring Wyvern Blade > Advancing Slash > Short Hop > Sword: Morph Slash
This always seemed like a bug to me, but if you use an Advancing Slash, doing a side hop after landing and then immediately a Morph Slash will line up the timing on the Advancing Slash phial burst to give it the bonus damage from Rapid Morph.
Free Compressed Finishing Discharge (LT+B > RT > B > Y+B > Y)
Switch Charger > Axe: Morph Slash > Sword: Double Slash > Element Discharge > Compressed Finishing Discharge
The timing on this is tight so you have to be running Switch Charger and Compressed Finishing Discharge on the same scroll, but if you pull it off you get a large buildup of amp and can use CFD without using up any sword gauge.
Elemental Burst Wakeup (X > LT+B > RT)
Place Barrel Bomb > Elemental Burst Counter > Elemental Burst
Tell the greatsword to move over and let you handle it - not only do you get a big hit in, but completely risk free amp alongside it. Make sure you’re actually close enough to counter the blast.
Endgame Endnotes: Endgame Builds section follows, including Element Phial and Raw Builds.

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Endgame Builds

All endgame builds in this document assume two things - you have a Handicraft 4 or Master’s Touch 3, 2-2-2 equivalent or better talisman, targetable via Cyclus melding, and that one augmented skill per piece is an acceptable grind. For details on what exactly is being Qurious crafted and how, check out the build links which detail what you need for the set to come online.

Element Phial

As with the last patch, Dragon Conversion is still king, with the only major change being that it’s now available as an augment. For best results, pair these sets with hopping skewer element resistance dango, prioritising your lowest resist and working up. The general game plan for all of these axes is to get your thirty hits in blue scroll to activate the bonus 75 elemental resistance from Dragon Conversion before swapping back to red and never leaving it.

For monsters with consistent element hitzones ≥25 consider using Element Exploit in the Rampage Slot, otherwise use Phial Switch Boost, which has overtaken the Anti-Species rampage skills.

All of these sets assume that you’ve gotten +2 Dragon Conversion and +3 Furious across the five pieces you use. I recommend targeting Dragon Conversion on the helms and coils to keep things consistent and simple, but it should end up the same regardless.

Fire - Volcanic Switch (Magma Almudron)

The dust has settled, the winner is still Volcanic Switch, despite Capcom’s best efforts.

For augments, spend eight points on Element 8, and the remainder on Attack 1.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Volcanic Switch Phial Switch Boost Critical Eye 6

Fire Attack 5

Handicraft 4

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Stamina Surge 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Furious 3

Burst 3

Dragon Conversion 3

Blood Awakening 3

Critical Boost 2

Teostra Blessing 2

Element Exploit 2

Attack Boost 1

Risen Kaiser Horns Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Hard Blaze Jewel 3 ×1

Blaze Jewel+ 2 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Mastery Jewel+ 4 ×1

Mastery Jewel 2 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Chain Jewel+ 4 ×1

Flamescale Jewel 1 ×2

Element Exploit Jewel+ 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Valstrax Coil - Epoch

Primordial Greaves

Handicraft 4, 2-2-2

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Bloodlust 1

Powder Mantle 1

Water - Void Bringer Axe (Almudron)

Old reliable is keeping it up as usual, you build this in much the same way as most element phial axes this patch.

For augments, spend eight points on Element 8, and the remainder on Attack 1.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Void Bringer Axe Phial Switch Boost Critical Eye 6

Water Attack 5

Handicraft 4

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Stamina Surge 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Furious 3

Burst 3

Dragon Conversion 3

Blood Awakening 3

Critical Boost 2

Kushala Blessing 2

Element Exploit 2

Attack Boost 1

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Bloodlust 1

Powder Mantle 1

Risen Kaiser Horns Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Stream Jewel+ 2 ×2

Stream Jewel 1 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Mastery Jewel+ 4 ×1

Mastery Jewel 2 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Chain Jewel+ 4 ×1

Ironshell Jewel 1 ×2

Element Exploit Jewel+ 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Valstrax Coil - Epoch

Primordial Greaves

Handicraft 4, 2-2-2

Thunder - Fullmark+ (Khezu)

Originally I thought Fullmark+ and Thunderclap were equal, but further analysis has led me to the conclusion that a level 3 rampage slot is always better, edging out the win for Khezu.

For augments, spend eight points on Element 8, and the remainder on Attack 1.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Fullmark+ Phial Switch Boost Critical Eye 6

Thunder Attack 5

Handicraft 4

Critical Boost 3

Risen Kaiser Horns Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Hard Bolt Jewel 3 ×1

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Stamina Surge 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Furious 3

Burst 3

Dragon Conversion 3

Blood Awakening 3

Element Exploit 2

Attack Boost 1

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Bloodlust 1

Intrepid Heart 1

Powder Mantle 1

Bolt Jewel 1 ×2

Critical Jewel 2 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Mastery Jewel+ 4 ×1

Mastery Jewel 2 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Chain Jewel+ 4 ×1

Element Exploit Jewel+ 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Intrepid Jewel 1 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Valstrax Coil - Epoch

Primordial Greaves

Handicraft 4, 2-2-2

Ice - Splitear Weiss (Lagombi)

Lagombi stays ahead by being the only real option.

For augments, spend eight points on Element 8, and the remainder on Attack 1.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Splitear Weiss Phial Switch Boost Critical Eye 6

Ice Attack 5

Handicraft 4

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Stamina Surge 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Furious 3

Burst 3

Dragon Conversion 3

Blood Awakening 3

Critical Boost 2

Kushala Blessing 2

Element Exploit 2

Attack Boost 1

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Bloodlust 1

Intrepid Heart 1

Powder Mantle 1

Risen Kaiser Horns Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Hard Frost Jewel 3 ×1

Frost Jewel+ 2 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Mastery Jewel+ 4 ×1

Mastery Jewel 2 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Chain Jewel+ 4 ×1

Ironshell Jewel 1 ×2

Element Exploit Jewel+ 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Intrepid Jewel 1 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Valstrax Coil - Epoch

Primordial Greaves

Handicraft 4, 2-2-2

Dragon - Silver Slasher (Primordial Malzeno)

With Master’s Touch this axe pulls ahead of Calamitous Axe finally (marginally), mostly due to the expensive slot costs required for Master’s Touch.

For augments, spend eight points on Element 8, and the remainder on Attack 1.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Silver Slasher Phial Switch Boost Attack Boost 7

Critical Eye 6

Dragon Attack 5

Critical Boost 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Stamina Surge 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Furious 3

Burst 3

Dragon Conversion 3

Blood Awakening 3

Handicraft 2

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Bloodlust 1

Element Exploit 1

Intrepid Heart 1

Powder Mantle 1

Risen Kaiser Horns Attack Jewel+ 4 ×3

Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Hard Dragon Jewel+ 4 ×1

Dragon Jewel 1 ×1

Critical Jewel 2 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Chain Jewel+ 4 ×1

Handicraft Jewel+ 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Element Exploit Jewel 2 ×1

Intrepid Jewel 1 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Valstrax Coil - Epoch

Primordial Greaves

Master’s Touch 3, 2-2-2

Power Phial

Element-based power phials are no longer ever a valid alternative to element phials in most matchups - if you’re element matching (which you should) use one of the axes above as appropriate. For the bad (<20) element hitzones, make use of the raw build below.

Raw Builds

The revised build here is more generalist than the previous one - I’d recommend its use in cases where a monster’s common element hitzones are <20 and the equivalent raw hitzones are ≥45.

General - Vengeful Fellcleave (Scorned Magnamalo)

Reanalysis and the Master’s Touch-based build requirements have pushed me back towards Vengeful Fellcleave - this build is also more generally applicable than the old Reconqueress one.

For augments, spend six points on Attack 3, and the remainder on Rampage Slot.

For this set, you need to augment Buildup Boost +3 and Mail of Hellfire +2 onto the pieces.

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Vengeful Fellcleave Phial Switch Boost Attack Boost 7

Critical Eye 6

Peak Performance 3

Critical Boost 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Master’s Touch 3

Partbreaker 3

Rapid Morph 3

Mail of Hellfire 3

Buildup Boost 3

Blood Awakening 3

Evade Extender 1

Blood Rite 1

Coalescence 1

Bloodlust 1

Burst 1

Intrepid Heart 1

Powder Mantle 1

Risen Kaiser Horns Attack Jewel+ 4 ×3

Expert Jewel+ 4 ×2

Flawless Jewel 2 ×3

Critical Jewel 2 ×1

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel+ 4 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Bloodening Jewel 3 ×1

Bloodlust Jewel 4 ×1

Intrepid Jewel 1 ×1

Primordial Mail

Primordial Vambraces

Sinister Grudge Tassets

Primordial Greaves

Master’s Touch 3, 2-2-2

Progression

Help: I’ve just started Sunbreak / I’m behind on title updates / I want to be ready for console release! Can I get some of the old meta docs?

The answer to this question is no, because those documents represent a moment in time which is now gone, and building towards them is actually a worse idea than building towards the current meta, making you waste time and materials chasing things which you do not need. What I will recommend, however, is to follow the following standard to get through to a point where you’re pretty well set-up and ready to finish off the current meta builds.

Builds

As some ground rules, I’m going to lay down the following:

I assume that you have access to every piece of high rank armour and every decorations available in high rank. You won’t need them all, but working from that assumption just makes life easier for me.
Until a bit later (MR10), I’ll work off the assumption that you have absolutely no talismans, so don’t say I do nothing for you.
You have to be fine with an element phial progression - it might not be the most theoretically optimised set of builds, but then it’s also progression. If I told you to change everything each time you killed a new monster you’d be at MR1 forever.
You must have access to the following high rank axes:
Gnashing Flammenbeil
Splish Splax
Doom Bringer Axe ×2
Khezu Cleaver
Abyssal Storm Axe
Amber Hoarfrost
Longear Weiss
Reddnaught Dunat
Hellish Edge

MR0 (Post Daimyo Hermitaur)

Once you beat the tutorial Daimyo Hermitaur you’ll unlock the Shrine Ruins and Jungle - run around them to collect materials for the Velociprey Braces and Hunter’s Greaves X.

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil, Doom Bringer Axe, Abyssal Storm Axe, Amber Hoarfrost,

Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Power Prolonger 2

Evade Extender 1

Quick Sheathe 1

Almudron Helm S

Jyuratodus Mail

Velociprey Braces

Anjanath Coil S

Hunter’s Greaves X

MR1 (Pre Blood Orange Bishaten)

Fight Royal Ludroth first to upgrade the Splish Splax+ and then once you get to the second half of MR1 get the Jaggi Gauntlets X from the Sandy Plains and the Longear Weiss+ from Lagombi. Make the Element Jewel+ 2 decorations as they become available to futureproof your sets.

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil, Splish Splax+, Abyssal Storm Axe, Longear Weiss+,

Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 7

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Power Prolonger 2

Almudron Helm S

Jyuratodus Mail

Evade Extender 1

Quick Sheathe 1

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil S

Hunter’s Greaves X

MR2 (Pre Garangolm)

Fight Khezu to upgrade to the Khezu Cleaver+, Pukei-Pukei to unlock the Hard Steadfast Jewel 4, then once you beat Anjanath at the midway point explore the Frost Islands to build the Alloy Mail X and hunt Anjanath to build the Gnashing Flammenbeil+ and Anjanath Coil X.

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil+, Splish Splax+, Khezu Cleaver+, Longear Weiss+,

Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Hard Steadfast Jewel 4 ×1

Grinder Jewel 1 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 5

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Speed Sharpening 3

Rapid Morph 3

Evade Extender 1

Almudron Helm S

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel S

MR3 (Pre Lunagaron)

Immediately take on Almudron to upgrade to the Night Bringer Axe and Almudron Helm X, send the Meowcenaries to the Sandy Plains to get Sinister Gloomcloth for Death Stench Heel X and Hellish Edge+. After these, fight Barioth to get the Amber Snapfrost and then Auroracanth for materials for the Fullmark at MR4.

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil+, Night Bringer Axe, Khezu Cleaver+, Amber Snapfrost, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Attack Jewel 2 ×1

Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Hard Steadfast Jewel 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 7

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Almudron Helm X

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Evade Extender 1

Power Prolonger 1

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR4 (Pre Malzeno)

Fight Astalos to get the Astalos Helm, then Magma Almudron to upgrade the other Doom Bringer Axe into the Magma Switch. Once you have both of these, take out Zinogre to make the Zinogre Mail X in preparation for MR6 and then Tigrex in preparation for the Amber Snapfrost+ in MR5.

Use Magma Switch, Night Bringer Axe, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Evade Extender 1

Burst 1

Astalos Helm

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR5 (Pre Gaismagorm)

Nothing changes at MR5 besides the Amber Snapfrost+ becoming available, however you can take out Teostra in preparation for making the Magma Switch+ and Night Bringer Axe+ at MR6 and Kushala Daora for the Kushala Cista X at MR10.

Use Magma Switch, Night Bringer Axe, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost+, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Evade Extender 1

Burst 1

Astalos Helm

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR6 (Post Gaismagorm)

Build the Magma Switch+ and Night Bringer Axe+, then fight Gaismagorm until you get the materials to build the Archfiend Armor Ura.

Use Magma Switch+, Night Bringer Axe+, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost+, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×2

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Grinder Jewel 1 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Element Attack 5

Attack Boost 4

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Burst 3

Rapid Morph 3

Thunder Attack 2

Speed Sharpening 1

Evade Extender 1

Astalos Helm

Zinogre Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Archfiend Armor Ura

Death Stench Heel X

MR10

Given that the meta is now almost completely accessible to even offline players from MR10, just adjust the meta sets so that they’re using all Primordial and once you fight Risen Teostra and Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax toss on their stuff on where appropriate - Gamecat can help you start figuring it out from there as you augment and meld. Finding the right augments will take you a while anyway, so it’s better to just get started on it early.

Supplementary Material

kookaburra’s calculator: Master Rank Switch Axe Calculator v4.4

juzzi’s example MoH Wirebug Set

Progression

Help: I’ve just started Sunbreak / I’m behind on title updates / I want to be ready for console release! Can I get some of the old meta docs? The answer to this question is no, because those documents represent a moment in time which is now gone, and building towards them is actually a worse idea than building towards the current meta, making you waste time and materials chasing things which you do not need. What I will recommend, however, is to follow the following standard to get through to a point where you’re pretty well set-up and ready to finish off the current meta builds.

MR0 (Post Daimyo Hermitaur)

Once you beat the Daimyo Hermitaur you’ll unlock Shrine Ruins and Jungle - collect materials for Velociprey Braces and Hunter’s Greaves X. Use Gnashing Flammenbeil, Doom Bringer Axe, Abyssal Storm Axe, Amber Hoarfrost, Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Power Prolonger 2

Evade Extender 1

Quick Sheathe 1

Almudron Helm S

Jyuratodus Mail

Velociprey Braces

Anjanath Coil S

Hunter’s Greaves X

MR1 (Pre Blood Orange Bishaten)

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil, Splish Splax+, Abyssal Storm Axe, Longear Weiss+, Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×2

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 7

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Power Prolonger 2

Almudron Helm S

Jyuratodus Mail

Evade Extender 1

Quick Sheathe 1

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil S

Hunter’s Greaves X

MR2 (Pre Garangolm)

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil+, Splish Splax+, Khezu Cleaver+, Longear Weiss+, Reddnaught Dunat

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Hard Steadfast Jewel 4 ×1

Grinder Jewel 1 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 5

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Speed Sharpening 3

Rapid Morph 3

Evade Extender 1

Almudron Helm S

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel S

MR3 (Pre Lunagaron)

Use Gnashing Flammenbeil+, Night Bringer Axe, Khezu Cleaver+, Amber Snapfrost, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Attack Jewel 2 ×1

Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Hard Steadfast Jewel 4 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 7

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Almudron Helm X

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Evade Extender 1

Power Prolonger 1

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR4 (Pre Malzeno)

Use Magma Switch, Night Bringer Axe, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Evade Extender 1

Burst 1

Astalos Helm

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR5 (Pre Gaismagorm)

Use Magma Switch, Night Bringer Axe, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost+, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Tenderizer Jewel 2 ×3

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Attack Boost 6

Element Attack 5

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Rapid Morph 3

Speed Sharpening 2

Evade Extender 1

Burst 1

Astalos Helm

Alloy Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Anjanath Coil X

Death Stench Heel X

MR6 (Post Gaismagorm)

Build the Magma Switch+ and Night Bringer Axe+, then fight Gaismagorm until you get the materials to build the Archfiend Armor Ura.

Use Magma Switch+, Night Bringer Axe+, Fullmark, Amber Snapfrost+, Hellish Edge+

Set Build Link

Equipment Decorations Skills

Element Axe Element Jewel 1 ×5

Sharp Jewel 2 ×2

Steadfast Jewel 1 ×1

Quickswitch Jewel 2 ×2

Grinder Jewel 1 ×1

Jumping Jewel 2 ×1

Element Attack 5

Attack Boost 4

Protective Polish 3

Weakness Exploit 3

Stun Resistance 3

Burst 3

Rapid Morph 3

Thunder Attack 2

Speed Sharpening 1

Evade Extender 1

Astalos Helm

Zinogre Mail X

Jaggi Gauntlets X

Archfiend Armor Ura

Death Stench Heel X

MR10

Supplementary Material

kookaburra’s calculator: Master Rank Switch Axe Calculator v4.4

juzzi’s example MoH Wirebug Set

Raw Build Examples and Progression Details

The document provides a collection of endgame and progression builds including Element Phial and Raw builds with detailed gear lists; you should adapt augments and talismans to your available resources and progression goals. The provided examples show how to structure sets and how to approach augment choices, with a focus on Dragon Conversion and Furious-related amplification. It also covers pathing for MR0 to MR10 progression, including the required equipment pieces and talismans for each stepping stone.

Progression Notes and Offline Accessibility

The document notes that with TU5.5, a large portion of the meta becomes accessible offline down the line, encouraging players to leverage Primordial pieces and plan augmentation and melding as they progress. It also indicates that Gamecat can help you start figuring out augment choices and melding once you have your core set online. The progression suggestions emphasize a practical approach to achieving the current meta rather than chasing eski, time-bound builds.

Supplementary Material

kookaburra’s calculator: Master Rank Switch Axe Calculator v4.4
juzzi’s example MoH Wirebug Set

MR0 to MR10 Progression

MR0 through MR10 progression details are provided as a practical, step-by-step path to reach endgame with current TU5.5 changes, including the acquisition of specific weapons and armor pieces at various MR levels, with recommended mats and upgrade paths. The progression guidance is designed to help players reach the ideal target set for endgame builds, including Dragon Conversion, Element Phial, and Raw configurations, and to prepare for Risen Teostra, Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax, and other late-game content. The document emphasizes progression planning, augments, and talisman targets to reach the endgame meta.

Endnotes

The document mentions a calculator and forum references for augment and tuning data.
The content is intended as a guideline and planning resource to build toward the current meta in Sunbreak TU5.5 for Switch Axe.
It also notes that a number of changes were introduced to the game and weapon tuning in TU5.5 that influence how the endgame sets are constructed, including shifts away from Protective Polish to Master’s Touch-based sharpness management and the emphasis on Dragon Conversion, Element Phial, and Rampage skills.

Supplementary Material (continued)

kookaburra’s calculator: Master Rank Switch Axe Calculator v4.4
juzzi’s example MoH Wirebug Set

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Final Notes

This document is intended to provide players with a robust, long-form plan for building and playing Switch Axe in Sunbreak TU5.5, including detailed endgame and raw builds, progression strategies, and guidance on augments and talismans. It emphasizes contextual play, adaptation, and practical goals to reach the current meta efficiently, with a clear focus on Master’s Touch, Dragon Conversion, and Element Phials as core mechanics for TU5.5 Switch Axe performance."} }plus{

Sunbreak TU5.5 REV 2 Switch Axe

Skill Priority
Rampage Skills
Switch Skills
Playing Switch Axe
Endgame Builds
Raw Builds
Progression
MR0 to MR10 Progression
Supplementary Material

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Summary

The document focuses on:

Master’s Touch as a core uptime and sharpness management solution
Element Phial and Dragon Conversion integration
Rampage and Switch skill prioritization for optimal damage and gauge management
Step-by-step MR progression and equipment paths for endgame readiness
Detailed build lists for Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice, Dragon, and Raw configurations
Guidance for adapting builds with augments, talismans, and Qurious Crafting