Slashing with speed and precision (sometimes not), Dual Blades are one of the most iconic and stylish weapons in the Monster Hunter series. Thanks to their speed, Dual Blades can deal extremely high elemental damage, but they require the right skill setup to truly shine. In this guide, you’ll find the best Dual Blades builds and progression in Monster Hunter Wilds.
*This guide was updated for Title Update 4
Dual Blades Gameplay and Combo
Dual Blades in Monster Hunter Wilds operates across three distinct modes: Powerless, Demon Mode, and Archdemon Mode.
Activating Demon Mode (R2) enhances your damage, speed, and moveset at the cost of continuously draining stamina. Landing hits while in Demon Mode fills the Archdemon Gauge. Deactivating Demon Mode with a filled gauge transitions you into Archdemon Mode, which retains most of Demon Mode’s enhanced moveset and speed without the stamina drain.
The goal is to never remain in Powerless Mode. Effective play requires constantly balancing between Demon Mode and Archdemon Mode through smart stamina management.
Demon Flurry Slash Combo
To open a fight, unsheathe directly into Demon Mode (R2), press Circle to close the gap, then follow with Triangle → Triangle → Triangle → Circle for the basic Demon Flurry Slash. This combo can be looped continuously, and the final Circle input allows for repositioning as needed.
Blade Dance Combo
The Blade Dance is Dual Blades’ highest damage combo and your primary tool whenever an opening presents itself. With at least half an Archdemon Gauge remaining, press Triangle + Circle to initiate, then follow up with R2 up to three times to extend the dance.
Use Focus Mode throughout to ensure every hit connects.
Focus Strike – Turning Tide
Never pass up the opportunity to use Turning Tide via Focus Strike on open wounds. Beyond its impressive damage, it delivers a satisfying cinematic sequence as your hunter rolls from the monster’s head to its tail.
Low Rank DB Build & Progression
Unlike most weapons, Dual Blades thrive on elemental damage rather than raw damage, so weapon choice is particularly important right from the start.
After defeating Quematrice, prioritize crafting the Quematrice Silexes I as soon as possible. It offers solid elemental damage, good sharpness, and decent affinity, making it a strong early weapon that will serve you well through Low Rank content.
The default Hope Armor is sufficient for the majority of Low Rank, providing Level 3 Divine Blessing as a reliable defensive skill.
However, once you have defeated Hirabami and Guardian Rathalos, it is recommended to transition into their respective armor pieces. Both offer improved defense along with valuable skills such as Weakness Exploit and Evade Window.
Best Dual Blades for Low Rank
- Quematrice Silexes II
- Twin Albiraths I
- Chthonian Kusarigamas I
- Barina Faucilles II
High Rank DB Build & Progression
After defeating High Rank Guardian Rathalos and Ebony Odogaron, prioritize crafting their armor set immediately. This combination provides Weakness Exploit and Burst, two essential skills for maximizing Dual Blades’ damage output.
Slotting Physique Jewels into available armor slots is strongly advised. These grant the Constitution skill, which is particularly important for Dual Blades, given how rapidly the weapon drains stamina during Demon Mode.
The Chthonian Kusarigamas II is the ideal weapon choice at this stage. As the latter portion of the main story features numerous monsters with Dragon elemental weakness, its Dragon element will provide a consistent and meaningful damage advantage throughout this phase of progression.
Best Dual Blades for High Rank
- Chthonian Kusarigamas II
- Quematrice Silexes IV
- Barina Faucilles IV
- Twin Flames I
- Jin Dhakoo I
Best High Rank to Endgame DB Builds
These builds are the best options to carry you from the end of the story quests and help increase your HR until you reach true endgame monsters, such as arch-tempered monsters and Gogmazios.
4-Gore Status Build
The 4-piece Gore set remains one of the strongest armor choices for Dual Blades heading into endgame. It provides full Weakness Exploit, Counterstrike, and Antivirus, all of which contribute to maximizing affinity and sustaining status buildup damage.
Both weapon slots should be filled with status-based Artian Dual Blades, choosing any two from Paralysis, Blast, Sleep, or Poison. This is intentional, monsters build resistance to each status effect every time it is successfully applied, so alternating between two different status weapons throughout the hunt ensures you are always applying a fresh status and maintaining consistent pressure.
The Corrupted Mantle is mandatory for this build. It provides a significant boost to damage output and should be used whenever available during hunts.
4-Gore Element Build
This build retains the 4-piece Gore set as its foundation, with the final armor slot switched to the G. Ebony Helm. This adjustment shifts the build’s focus toward Burst rather than Weakness Exploit, as Burst provides a significant boost to elemental damage, an essential skill for this particular setup.
Unlike the previous build, weapon selection here is entirely dependent on the monster you are hunting. Swap to the appropriate elemental Dual Blades that exploit each monster’s specific weakness. This flexibility makes the build effective across all elements and suitable for virtually any hunt.
Comfy Dragon DB Build
This build strikes a balance between strong damage output and comfortable, sustainable gameplay. The two-piece Arkvulcan set bonus activates Hasten Recovery, providing passive lifesteal as you continuously land hits on a monster. Pairing this with the Evasion Mantle further enhances survivability, making hunts noticeably more forgiving overall.
It is important to note that this build is specifically optimized for Dragon element Dual Blades. If you intend to hunt monsters weak to other elements, the previous build is the more versatile and effective choice.
Best Endgame Dual Blades Builds in MH Wilds
The builds below are the best options for Dual Blades for endgame content in the latest update. Choose the one that best fits your playstyle.
Endgame Elemental Burst DB Build
With the introduction of Arch-Tempered Arkveld in Title Update 4, this build has risen to become the highest elemental DPS setup currently available for Dual Blades.
The Gogmartian Dual Blades are the weapon of choice, and the skills you want active on them are Gore Magala’s Tyranny and Lord’s Soul, with full Attack infusion for maximum damage output.
Aim for Critical Eye Level 3 as the primary roll, paired with either Weakness Exploit or Agitator in the secondary slot for the best overall performance.
It is important to note that this build is optimized for Fire, Water, Thunder, and Ice elements only. For Dragon element hunts, refer to the dedicated Dragon build instead.
Endgame Dragon Convert DB Build
This build is a slight variation of the previous elemental build, centered around the Convert Element skill, which significantly increases Dragon attack damage after you take an elemental hit from a monster.
The Gogmartian Dual Blades are once again the weapon of choice, but the required skill for this build is specifically Gogmapocalypse. Make sure to configure a separate skill setup on your Dragon Gogmartian to distinguish it from the one used in the previous elemental build.
Use the same charm as the previous build, Critical Eye Level 3 paired with either Weakness Exploit or Agitator in the secondary slot. Additionally, slot in one Burst decoration to complete the build’s skill requirements.
Currently, these are the best Dual Blades builds in Monster Hunter Wilds as of the latest update (TU 4). This page will be updated as new meta builds emerge in future updates.