The Vernal Invader update celebrates 20 years of Monster Hunter Universe and half a year of Monster Hunter Now game. This celebration brings us one very amazing but complex weapon. From Thursday, March 14th you can now hunt monsters using Charge Blade. Keep in mind that, if you are new to the game, you should also check out our Monster Hunter Now beginner guide for more useful tips. Furthermore, if you are looking for a Charge Blade armor build, you can check out my article on that topic.
What is Charge Blade?
Is it a Sword and Shield, or is it an Axe, no, it’s a Charge Blade. The Superman introduction for Charge Blade is the only suitable introduction for a melee weapon this powerful. This weapon brings fun to the spring hunt. This weapon is a combination of Sword and Shield, and Axe. Charge Blade has two modes: Mobility and Power.
How to play Charge Blade in Monster Hunter Now
Charge Blade Mobility – Sword mode
Whenever you think about a shield, you never connect it with easy mobility and swift movement. That is why Charge Blade is amazing. You will start each hunt in Sword mode, you should use it to get your Phials charged in the first few seconds of the hunt. A long hold on the screen will trigger guard mode, after release your hunter will perform a fast slice. If you time it perfectly, meaning letting go when your Sword starts glowing red, it will use a charged attack combo. This combo is the best for charging Phials. Swipe down will also charge Phials, and if you tap during animation it will turn to Axe mode and hit once. Swiping up during the animation (swiping down) will perform a shield thrust attack. You can also turn to Axe mode by swiping up, and it will also give you a small guard during the transformation.
Charge Blade Power – Axe mode
As mentioned in the previous part, there are a few ways to enter the Axe mode. Besides the previously mentioned you can always go to Power mode by pressing the Special attack button above your health bar. Take a note that Special attack can be performed only in Axe mode. Each tap will use one Phial and make additional damage if you hit the monster. Connecting a three-tap combo will end with elemental discharge. You can do this charged attack also by holding a tap.
Charged Shield mode
There is also a way to turn your Shield red, meaning that it is charged. You will first need to charge your blade and go to the Axe mode. When in Axe mode, hold the tap as you are preparing for the charged attack, and then swipe up when it starts glowing. This will transport charge to the Shield, and make it glow red. Charged Shield will last as many Phials as you transported. Use guard to deal exploding damage when hit, reduce knockback, and possibly stun monsters.
Activating the Charge Blade signature attack
Why is charging Sheild important? Well, because only with a charged Shield and all Phials you can perform the Charge Blade signature move (Super Amped Elemental Discharge). The signature move is activated in Axe mode by connecting the three taps combo, where the last hit will be it, or by long hold. Because it takes a lot of time to do it this way, there are also two shortcuts that will make it much faster. The first way is to do the reload and then swipe up, after which you need to tap and hold, this will trigger the signature attack. The other way is to do the block attack and then swipe up. Using these shortcuts requires a lot of practice, so don’t worry if you don’t make it on the first try.
Charge Blade Phial System
Small jars below your health bar are the source of Charge Blade power. As the name of this weapon says you will need to charge those Phials – jars. The core mechanic of the Charge Blade revolves around the Phials system. In Monster Hunter Now, there are two types of Phials: Impact and Power Element. Impact Phial will deal a large amount of damage when you use exploding attacks on the monster’s head. On the other hand, Power Element Phials will increase the raw damage of the explosions. Sword mode is designed to charge Phials, while the Axe mode is created to use harnessed power.
The Phials will change colors to yellow, red, and glowing red. The Yellow color charges only three Phials, while red charges all five. Glowing red indicates that you overcharged your Blade. You can gain extra Phial if you perform perfect dodge or guard. Each hit in Axe mode will use one Phial and make additional exploding damage. But watch out when attacking in Axe mode, because your movement and hit speed are slower but more powerful.
Best Armor set for Charged Blades
Monster Hunter Now universe has many different armors set that can boost your performance. Each Charge Blade has a unique armor combo that increases power and weapon effectiveness. Among all of the interesting builds Vernal Invader updated brought the best armor set. Namely, if you manage to master the Charge Blade, the Odogaron armor set completely boosts the power and abilities of the weapon. So don’t forget to use the higher appearance of the Odogaron on the map.
All Charge Blades Analyzed
Monster Hunter Now currently has 16 different Charge Blades. There are variations of different elements affiliation, affinity, and strengths. Some have higher brute strength while others have more elemental damage.
Proto Commission Axe
Proto Commission Axe is a basic non-elemental Charge Blade. It is the basic weapon, and easiest to forge. Proto Commission Axe has no affinity, Impact Phial type, and has Poison Resistance skills at grade 4 and 8 (levels 1 and 2).
Bone Strongarm
The Bone Strongarm is a unique Charge Blade, that can be forged using the special 2024 Weapon Ticket. It has no affinity, Impact Phial type, and level 1 Concentration skill at grade 4.
Jagras Strongarm
Jagras Strongarm is a Charge Blade forged by Great Jagras materials. It has no affinity and belongs to the Impact Phial type and water element weapons. Additionally, it has Health Boost level 1 and 2 skills.
Mudslide Blade
Mudslide Blade is the second water element Charge Blade. It is made of Jyuratodus materials and has no affinity. The special skill is the Last Stand level 1, gained at the weapon grade 8. If I needed to choose between Jagras Strongarm and Mudslide Blade, I would choose the Jyuratodus-based blade due to higher element damage.
Girros Strongarm
Girros Strongarm is forged from the Great Girros elements with no affinity. It has a paralysis element attribute and belongs to the Impact Phial type. A unique skill is Sneak Attacks level 1 at grade 8.
Pulsar Strongarm
Pulsar Strongarm is the Tobi-Kadachi-based Charge Blade with a thunder element. It has no affinity and belongs to the Power Element Phial type weapon. Pulsar Strongarm gains Evade Extender level 1 at grade 8.
Usurper’s Lightning
The Usurper’s Lightning is the Zinogre-based Charge Blade, which is very hard to craft. Phial type is Power Element, with thunder element attributes and no affinity. Special Skill is gained at grade 8 and is Artful Dodger level 1. If you are lucky enough to find a lot of Zinorge this is the thunder element Charge Blade on which you should focus to upgrade.
Dear Lutemis
Dear Lutemis is a poison element Charge Blade with no affinity. It is a Rathian-based Charge Blade with Health Boost level 1 and 2 skills that belongs to the Impact Phial type.
Dear Hecatel
Dear Hecatel is other poison element Charge Blade, also with no affinity and Impact Phial type. The blade is forged by Pink Rathian materials with Evade Extender level 1 at grade 8. Compared to the Ratian Charge Blade and understanding the Phial type, the Dear Hacetel is a better choice when the poison element weapons are in question.
Rathsblade
Rathsblade is the Monster Hunter Now Rathalos-based Charge Blade. It belongs to the Power Element Phial type and has fire element affiliation. Rathsblade has no Affinity and the special skill is Earplugs level 1.
Azure Soulbrand
Just like Rathian variants weapon, there is also a unique Azure Rathalos Charge Blade. It has no affinity and also is fire element based with Power Element Phial. The unique skill is Special Boost level 1 at grade 8, which gives increased damage to the special skills. Comparing Azure Soulbrand to the Rathsblade, one has higher base attack power while the other has higher element damage. Both are good choices, but for me due to the relatively rare appearance of Azure Rathalos, Rathsblade is a better choice.
Weissritter
Weissritter is the ice element Charge Blade, with a 5% starting affinity. Barioth materials are used for forging, and it belong to the Power Element Phial type weapons. The Evade extender level 1 skill is gained at grade 8.
Everfrost Blade
Everfrost Blade is the other ice element Charge Blade. It is based on Legiana and has no affinity. Everfrost Blade belongs to the Power Element Phial type with the Devine Blessing levels 1 and 2 as special skill. Comparing both ice element Charge Blades the Everfrost is the best choice because it has higher both base and element damage.
Garon Strongarm
The Vernal Intruder update brought us new powerful large monsters among which is Odogaron. Garon Strongarm Charge Blade is forged by hunting Odogarons. The Charge Blade has 5% starting affinity, no element affiliation, and belongs to the Impact Phial type weapons. The special skill is Evasive Concentration level 1, which is gained at grade 8. There is a huge recommendation not to waste Odogaron materials on crafting this blade, since there is a better option. Instead use it to craft Odogaron-based armors, which will go fine with other Charge Blades.
Diablos Wall
Diablos Wall is one of the most powerful Charge Blades. It is created from Diablos materials, with no element attribution or affinity. Diablos Wall belongs to the Impact Phial type weapon with Herics level 1 skill.
Thanatos Force
The most powerful Charge Blade is Thanatos Force. It is very hard to craft since it is forged with Black Diablos materials. And as you know by now, Black Diablos is a variant appearing only during selected special events. It belongs to the Impact Phial type weapons with -30% affinity. Yes, you read this correctly, it has a negative affinity. This is not crucial, since it will not affect the brute power of the Charge Blade. The Partbreaker level 1 special skill is the soul of this weapon, giving the weapon wielder higher chances to break large monster parts. When the opportunity appears, concentrate your hunting efforts on the Black Diablos, you won’t regret it.
Tyrant’s Charge Blade
Tyrant’s Charge Blade is a weapon similar to the Thanatos Force. Forging this weapon is also a very complex achievement since hunting down Deviljho is a tricky undertaking. It also has -30 affinity and belongs to the Power Element Phial type weapons. Tyrant’s Blade is one of few weapons in Monster Hunter Now that has Dragon element affiliation. The special skill called Latent Power reabsorbs some of the negative affinity, by increasing it by 20%. This skill also increases the Special Gauge fill rate.
Is Charge Blade for me?
If you are still asking yourself, should I use Charge Blade and is it too complicated for me, the answer is YES. This is one of the most powerful weapons, releasing enormous damage. There are a lot of combos and different attacks that you will need to learn. You will probably get hit a lot in the learning process, but in the end, you will be more than pleased that you learned how to use Charged Blade.
Image Credits: Monster Hunter Now
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