Monster Hunter Rise | Best Dual Blades Build Guide | High Ground Gaming (2024)

It’s hard not to love the Dual Blades. They’ve been the go-to for speedy, slice-and-dice gameplay since the beginning, and have only gotten better with time. Monster Hunter Rise brings back some of the aerial acrobatics introduced in Generations Ultimate, adding a whole new dynamic to the frantic, flurrying attacks. Whether you prefer to plant your feet or take your assault to the skies, the Dual Blades have something for you.

This week, we’re covering the best Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Rise, discussing the builds and strategies to make you a DPS demon on the field. Let’s get started, hunters!

Monster Hunter Rise | Best Dual Blades

The Dual Blades are interesting in that damage shouldn’t be your first priority. It’s still important, but the sharpness bar should be your primary concern (especially in the endgame). Dual Blades tend to have lower attack power than other weapon types, but they make up for it with high sharpness and rapid attack speeds. This allows them to deal significant damage with quick, successive attacks.

Their high attack speed has another benefit in the form of element and status damage. Because they attack so quickly, the Dual Blades are capable of reaching the monster’s element/status thresholds early on and dealing powerful debuffs. While raw damage is best in Rise, you still can’t go wrong with a solid element build.

With that in mind, here are our picks for the best Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Rise:

Best Dual Blades Overall — Rampage Twinblades S

As is the case with most of our Monster Hunter Rise build guides, the Rampage weapons come out on top. While they’re not necessarily best suited for every build, their power lies in being suited for any build. Their customizability allows you to fine-tune your weapon to best fit your preferred setup and playstyle, giving you a much wider range of possibilities.

The Rampage Dual Blades are a great catch-all for element/status builds if you don’t want to grind out each individual element and status DB set. They can be ramped up to deal your damage type of choice (even allowing you to add secondary damage types!), or you can simply enhance the already powerful base stats for a strong raw set.

Best Raw Dual Blades — Night Wings

If you are going for a raw set, however, we still recommend the Nargacuga Dual Blades. Though their default attack power is lower than the Rampage set, they have higher affinity and a stronger sharpness bar to make up for it.

They have one Rampage slot available, which can be used for Attack Boost III, Affinity Boost II, or Master Rider (which lengthens the Wyvern Riding timer and increases damage dealt while riding). We recommend sticking with Attack Boost III for most builds, as it already has naturally high affinity that can be easily boosted with Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit. Why not really lean into your DPS?

Best Elemental Dual Blades — Reddnaught Dragon Wing, Fire and Ice

The only major exceptions to the elemental superiority of the Rampage Dual Blades are the Valstrax and Teostra sets. Reddnaught Dragon Wing is thoroughly unmatched when it comes to Dragon Damage, and the Valstrax Soul Ramp-Up is indispensable when it comes to certain builds (more on that later).

The only thing to watch out for here is the sharpness bar — Valstrax weapons are known for their weird sharpness, and the Dual Blades are no exception. You get a hefty chunk of white sharpness that immediately dips down to red, meaning you’ll go straight from dealing insane damage to being completely ineffective and bouncing off every attack. Make sure you sharpen your weapon frequently so this doesn’t become a problem!

Fire and Ice have the unique property of dealing two different types of elemental damage by default. (Note that it’s Blast damage, not Fire damage.) While you can technically ramp up your Rampage Twinblades to deal more than one element, you won’t get as much value out of this particular combo by doing so. Combine their substantial damage with the Teostra Soul Rampage Skill (which increases the damage dealt by Blast explosions), and you’ve got a pretty powerful set.

Monster Hunter Rise | Best Dual Blades Switch Skills

The Dual Blades have been fast and flashy weapons since the beginning, and Monster Hunter Rise lets you to choose which of those qualities to enhance through Switch Skills. The DB Switch Skills are reminiscent of the fighting styles from Generations Ultimate in that you can change up the overall flavor of your hunts — you can either boost your DPS with increased attack speed and power, or perform feats of acerbating daring with aerial moves.

Unsurprisingly, the DPS-related skills dominate the meta in Rise. While I’m not personally one to say no to a good aerial attack, they’re just not quite as satisfactory as becoming a whirlwind of blades out on the battlefield. Your choices are entirely up to you, though, so we’ve listed all the options below to help you decide:

Switch 1A — Demon Flurry Rush

• Description: A spinning multi-hit attack performed on the ground. Only available when Demon or Archdemon Mode is active. An effective move with reliable dash capabilities and versatility.
• Controls: Press A while in Demon/Archdemon Mode. Also serves as a draw attack while in Archdemon Mode.
• How to Unlock: Available by default.

Demon Flurry Rush is the latest form of the spin attack, which has been a staple move of the Dual Blades for several generations. You can execute this move at any time while Demon or Archdemon Mode is active to launch into a furious, high-damage spin attack.

Something to be aware of is that you’ll be locked into the animation once you’ve activated the skill. Keep an eye out for a decent opening and be smart with your timing, otherwise you’ll be vulnerable to incoming attacks.

Switch 1B — Demon Flight

• Description: An attack performed by slamming down both blades. A successful hit vaults you into the air, slicing your target as you spin upwards. Highly effective against larger monsters and those with weak spots up high. Easy to follow up with a Midair Spinning Blade Dance.
• Controls: Press A while in Demon/Archdemon Mode. Also serves as a draw attack while in Archdemon Mode.
• How to Unlock: Unlock ★3 Village Quests or ★2 Hub Quests.

Demon Flight is the first aerial Switch Skill on our list. Upon landing a successful hit on the monster, you’ll leap into the air and deal additional damage on the way up. This is especially effective if your target monster has a hard-to-reach weak point that you couldn’t normally hit with the Dual Blades, like their wings or back. As an added bonus, it doesn’t consume your Wirebug Gauge to execute!

Something to keep in mind here is that this skill doesn’t synergize well with Piercing Bind. The Dual Blades Switch Skills don’t mix and match particularly well, meaning that you’re better off sticking with all DPS or all aerial skills when you put together your build. If damage is your priority, consider sticking with Demon Flurry Rush.

Switch 2A — Demon Mode

• Description: A move made to exceed one’s limits. While active, your stamina gradually decrease while your attack and evasion change, resisting any knock back. Movement speed increases dramatically, allowing you to roam the field like a force of nature.
• Controls: Press ZR. To exit, press ZR again or wait until stamina runs out.
• How to Unlock: Available by default.

Demon Mode is pretty standard for the Dual Blades. Stamina management is the name of the game here — activating Demon Mode increases your attack speed and opens up an entirely new moveset for the Dual Blades in exchange for a steady stamina drain. With each successful hit, you’ll build up your Demon Gauge, which allows you to keep the movement speed and moveset even after you’ve deactivated Demon Mode.

This is the core strategy of the Dual Blades across pretty much every Monster Hunter game, regardless of your play style. Activate Demon Mode, build up your Demon Gauge before your stamina bar runs out, deactivate and spend your Demon Gauge while your stamina recovers, and repeat.

Switch 2B — Feral Demon Mode

• Description: A move beyond the limits of any other. When active, your stamina gradually decreases while your attack and evasion change, resisting any knock back. You switch to an attack-focused stance, dealing slashing attacks when dodging.
• Controls: Press ZR. To exit, press ZR again or wait until stamina runs out.
• How to Unlock: Craft or upgrade 8 unique Dual Blades.

Feral Demon Mode (or Archdemon Mode) is basically a more aggressive Demon Mode. Everything works the same way, but you sacrifice a bit of extra movement speed for the ability to attack while dashing and dodging. It’s a great way to ensure you stay on the offensive at all times without having to make fundamental changes to your attack pattern.

Players tend to prefer Feral Demon Mode, hands down. The Dual Blades are already a highly offensive weapon, and the extra attacks are just icing on the cake. The slight difference in movement speed isn’t significant enough to really be a downside, so you essentially get free DPS just by equipping this skill.

Switch 3A — Piercing Bind

• Description: An attack that drives a blade bound by Ironsilk into the target like a stake. The blade remains connected to the hunter by Ironsilk, dealing additional slash damage to the same spot every time you attack. The added damage accumulates over time, eventually unleashing massive damage. (Wirebug Gauge recovery speed: Slow)
• Controls: While holding ZL, press X (Wirebug Gauge cost: 1). This skill ends when a certain amount of time elapses, or when target becomes out of range.
• How to Unlock: Available by default.

Piercing Bind is the final meta Switch Skill on the list, and it’s a DPS-lover’s dream. This powerful Silkbind attack sticks a kunai into your target monster, anchoring them to your blades. You can jump to close short distances between yourself and the monster if they reposition (though you won’t be able to keep up if they’re retreating). Better yet, the anchor point becomes a weak spot where you can deal extra damage with each attack. After a short period, the kunai will explode and deal even more damage.

As you can imagine, this attack is a great way to deal a lot of continual damage. If you specifically target weak points with your kunai, you’ll be able to take better advantage of that final damage burst.

Switch 3B — Tower Vault

• Description: Launches a Wirebug upwards and you with it. This action does not do any damage, but allows you to move through the air in most cases, even with your weapon drawn. (Wirebug Gauge recovery speed: Fast)
• Controls: While holding ZL, press X (Wirebug Gauge cost: 1). Can be used in mid-air.
• How to Unlock: Complete the ★6 Hub Quest “Dissect the Dual Blades.”

Tower Vault is the black sheep of the DB Switch Skill family, as it doesn’t deal any additional damage to the target. It’s great if you’re a fan of aerial attacks and want to stay airborne as much as possible, but there’s not much advantage to it otherwise.

I hate to say it, but this move isn’t really worth the trouble. It’s nice that you can recover the Wirebug cost fairly quickly, but Demon Flight gets you airborne just as easily without expending a Wirebug and you get to actually deal damage on the way. Most hunters prefer to stick with Demon Flight if they’re going for aerial moves, though the meta strongly prefers staying grounded with Piercing Bind and Demon Flurry Rush.

Monster Hunter Rise | Best Dual Blades Builds

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, it’s time to get into our recommended builds. We’ve put together four builds for you today — one to help you through early ranks, two endgame builds based around raw and elemental damage, and one for some crazy fun DPS.

Build 1 — Early Ranks

When you first pick up the Dual Blades, the stamina management can be sort of a pain. This set is designed to help make the most of your stamina bar and boost your DPS, and can be crafted early enough to carry you through most of Low Rank.

As you can see, the majority of this build is Izuchi gear. You’ll be able to grind out a full set of Izuchi armor after defeating the Great Izuchi at ★2 Village Quests, which should serve you well for the next few difficulty levels. Hunt the Great Wroggi at ★3 to start your Dual Blades set, the Rathian at ★4 to upgrade it, and the Pukei-Pukei at ★4 to craft your leg armor and complete your build.

This set comes with a few points into Critical Eye, as well as some points into Constitution to help with your stamina management. Once you’re confident with swapping in and out of Demon Mode, consider cycling in some Barioth and Zinogre pieces at ★5 and ★6 to further increase your DPS.

Don’t worry too much about slotting in decorations in Low Rank, and just stick with the built-in skills for now. The same goes for Switch Skills — most players prefer the default skills anyway, though you’re welcome to swap in Feral Demon Mode as soon as you unlock it.

Build 2 — Endgame DPS (Raw)

This build is all about raw DPS. It’s the latest endgame build if you’re not going for an elemental set, so check this out if you’re all about dealing a ton of damage as fast as possible.

The Switch Skills listed here are the current and clear meta for the Dual Blades. They all synergize well and are largely DPS-oriented, so there’s no need to change things up. The Ramp-Up you choose is largely based on personal preference, but since Night Wings has such naturally high affinity already, we recommend Attack Boost III to kick your damage up a notch.

As far as the armor is concerned, you’ve got a handful of great skills to work with here. Altogether, you end up with five points of Critical Eye, four points of Attack Boost, two points of Weakness Exploit, and a point of Critical Boost.

You’ve got a lot of decoration slots to work with, thanks in part to the Vaik Mail. Use what slots you can to max out Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Critical Boost. Don’t worry so much about Weakness Exploit, as the two points are more than enough with all the other affinity boosts you’re getting. You’ll also want to invest in a little bit of Constitution, so play carefully with your slots and try to get a lucky talisman roll. If you’re extra lucky, you might even end up with a free slot for Speed Sharpening to boost the build’s quality of life.

Build 3 — Endgame DPS (Elemental)

Once you hit the endgame, the meta builds for Dual Blades really begin to look the same. Rather than showing you a slightly modified version of the set above, we’re going to go for a slightly less meta build that’s focused on dealing elemental damage. We’ve created a fire build here, but you’re welcome to swap things out for your element of choice.

We’ve chosen the Rampage Twinblades here due to their customizability. They work with any element or status build, as you simply have to swap out the relevant Rampage Skill and can change it around at any time. If you’re more interested in sheer attack power, feel free to use the elemental/status DB set of your choice. We’re sticking with the meta Switch Skills, so don’t worry about making any changes there.

This build is all about boosting your critical chance to make the most of your every attack. The armor alone gives you seven points of Critical Eye, three points of Critical Boost, two points of Weakness Exploit, and a point of Critical Element. We’re aiming to max these skills out as much as possible, so take advantage of any lucky talisman rolls you may get.

Otherwise, use your decoration slots to this effect. Once you’ve maxed out the above skills, focus on boosting your elemental attack as much as possible. Again, we’re using Fire Attack for our example, but you can substitute it with your element of choice.

Build 4 — Violent Valstrax

This last build requires very little finagling — simply wearing all the armor pieces gets you most of the way there. The real challenge is beating Valstrax enough times to successfully make the Valstrax Dual Blades and a full set of armor.

First up, let’s talk about Reddnaught Dragon Wing. The sharpness bar on these babies is insane — like we mentioned in the Weapons section above, it’s basically all white with a small chunk of red on its lower end. This may seem a little ridiculous, but it won’t be a problem if you keep up on your sharpening. We’re also adding the Valstrax Soul Rampage Skill, which will be important for reasons we’ll discuss shortly.

The most important skills on the Valstrax armor set are Dragonheart, Resuscitate, and Resentment. Dragonheart boosts your elemental damage and makes you contract Dragonblight at 50% health or lower (80% at max level). Resuscitate boosts your attack power when you’re suffering from an abnormal status effect and are under 80% health. Resentment boosts your attack power as long as you have recoverable health, which is the red portion of your health bar. All of this synergizes particularly well with Valstrax Soul, which boosts your Dragon attack while you’re inflicted with Dragonblight.

See the pattern here? Once your health bar goes below 80%, you’ll contract Dragonblight from your armor and your damage will immediately go through the roof. A full Valstrax set maximizes Dragonheart, Resuscitate, and Weakness Exploit, so you basically become a raging DPS machine. Decoration-wise, you only have to worry about slotting in Dragon Attack, Attack Boost, and Critical Boost to make the most of all those insane damage skills.

Note: This set relies on being below maximum health for the majority of the fight. Keep an eye on your health bar and time your dodges carefully!

Join the High Ground

That’s it for our guide to the best ways to use the Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Rise — thanks for reading! Feel free to share your favorite Dual Blades build in the comments, and subscribe to our email list for more Monster Hunter build guides.

Happy hunting!