The Great Sword in Monster Hunter Now is a formidable weapon, known for its high damage output per swing, although it requires careful handling due to its size and slower attack speed. To create an effective Monster Hunter Now Great Sword build, it's crucial to incorporate elements that can slow down the enemy, such as sleep-based weapons, which have become craftable following game updates. To maximize the effectiveness of sleep-inducing attacks, you'll need to equip the right skills and gear. Here's a detailed guide on crafting the best Great Sword build for sleep-focused gameplay.

Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build

While the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Now is optimized for poison, the Great Sword excels with sleep effects. This build requires materials from a somewhat rare monster, but most parts can be sourced from more common encounters.

Full Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Build

Weapon

The Frilled Blade stands out as the prime choice for a sleep-based Great Sword in Monster Hunter Now. It includes the Evade Extender skill, which is handy for gaining distance after dodging, enhancing your defensive strategy. To craft this weapon, you'll need to hunt Somnacanth for the necessary materials.

Helmet & Greaves

A significant portion of this build utilizes materials from the Nightshade Paolumu, introduced during the first paid event. This monster provides essential parts and skills like Rude Awakener, which boosts damage by 100% for the first attack on a sleeping monster. Nightshade Paolumu may appear more frequently now but still require patience to encounter, especially outside of specific events or after completing the main story quest.

Mail, Gauntlets, & Coil

The remaining gear focuses on maximizing the Status Sneak Attack skill, ensuring sleep buildup when attacking from behind. Additional skills like Evade Extender and Artful Dodger enhance your evasion capabilities. Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, a more commonly encountered monster thanks to the paintball tracker, is your go-to for these parts.

Best Monster Hunter Now Great Sword Driftstone Slots

This build benefits from a relatively low threshold to unlock all its Driftstone slots. Ideally, you should aim for five slots in Sleep Attack to maximize sleep buildup. Alternatively, you can enhance your evasion with Artful Dodger and Evade Extender or boost your damage with Sneak Attack when striking from behind.

• Sleep Attack - Increases the weapon's sleep buildup value. 50 at rank 1 and 150 at rank 5. (Azure only)
• Sneak Attack - Increases the damage dealt to a monster when attacked from behind. 10% at rank 1 and 30% at rank 5. (Pale only)
• Artful Dodger - Makes evading easier to perform. Slightly easier at rank 1 and significantly so at rank 5. (Azure only)
• Evade Extender - Extends evasion distance. Very slightly at rank 1 and massively at rank 5. (Pale only)