MH4U: Long Sword (LS) Overview!

(Image from MHwikia)

Long Swords or LS is a weapon that infuses skill and spirit! But must be handled with care when playing online or with others. The LS can't block but you can delay your evade out of an attack animation making use of the Evade + (Most notably just Evade +1) skill worthwhile. The combo system for the LS revolves mostly for the damage multiplier it'll get from the Spirit Gauge located at the top left corner under your stamina bar.

The LS motion values for attacks may look weak when compared with other weapons but like what I said earlier, the LS is bound by spirit! When you fill the gauge by attacking the monster with X & A attacks, it'll light up and give you 5% more damage. This gauge allows you to do the Spirit Combo which is R, R, R, R. The gauge depletes by itself or when using an R attack so always keep an eye on that gauge!

The final hit of the Spirit Combo the Roundhouse, when it connects, it'll make the LS glow from white-yellow-red for each Roundhouse you do to a monster. The color of the glow depicts the damage multiplier you'll have.

White is 5% more and lasts for 6 mins
Yellow is 10% more and lasts 4 mins
Red is 30% more and lasts for 2 mins

See the jump in damage for red?

Also, when you hit the monster with the center of the LS you do 12% more damage as well! So to sum that up, you have your multiplier of 1.12 x 1.05 x 1.30 whilst in Spirit Mode with red glow! Once the red glow goes away, you'll have to build up that gauge again. Sounds like a lot of work right? But it's not actually that hard to build it up again, why you ask? That's for the Fade Slash to answer.

The LS has a Fade Slash X+A that you can do in mid combo. You can either fade sideways by holding the analog left or right or just go backwards like a normal Fade Slash. This is key in positioning yourself out of harms way or you can press R to do a close-in Upward Slash that combos straight to the 3rd Spirit Combo (which is the 3-hit attack) and do a Roundhouse afterwards. This is why it is a lot easier building up your Spirit Gauge again and again through out the fight.

Reposition yourself, exploit those openings and combo away! I'm sure you'll be doing quick work of quests! So hone those LS skill of yours and let's hunt! Happy hunting!

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