Dual Blades Guide
Dual Blades thrive beside the monster, where every evade matters. Stamina fuels Demon Mode, the stored Demon Gauge fuels Archdemon Mode, and a wound can launch Focus Strike: Turning Tide. Well-timed evades keep that offense moving, while the monster's next opening sets the limit on how far to extend Blade Dance.
Demon Mode changes your attacks and drains stamina, while its attacks fill the gauge. Leaving that mode with a filled gauge activates Archdemon Mode. A perfect Demon Dodge activates Demon Boost Mode, a timed enhancement to your dodges rather than another version of Demon Mode.
Because the weapon has no guard, its defense is movement and evasion. Its many strikes repeatedly apply the weapon's elemental component, so a matching element is a strong starting point when the targeted hitzone supports it. Poor elemental hitzones can make a physical option more attractive.
This guide covers Title Update 4. Complete weapon controls are in the in-game Hunter's Notes; the official manual covers general controls. Combat Mechanics explains why the same swing hits for different numbers. Every move is in Motion Values.
If this weapon is new to you, try it in the Training Area first. Use the in-game Hunter's Notes to practice its basic attacks; this guide explains how to connect them into a hunt.
Demon, Archdemon, Boost
Demon Mode changes your moves and drains stamina continuously. Only attacks made in Demon Mode fill the gauge. When you leave the mode, the continuous stamina drain stops.
After the gauge is filled, leaving Demon Mode activates Archdemon Mode. Its gauge drains over time and is also consumed by its special attacks and Demon Dodge. keeps this powered state active longer.
Demon Boost begins when a Demon Dodge perfectly evades an incoming attack. While Boost is active, the dodge travels farther, has a longer invulnerability window, and attacks as it moves. You can follow it with another corkscrew attack. In Demon Mode, a Demon Dodge can also lead directly into Blade Dance II; that shortcut does not require the dodge to activate Boost again. Demon Boost now remains active after sheathing. lengthens the dodge's invulnerability window, but it does not activate Boost without a successful perfect evade.
slows the continuous stamina drain. reduces the stamina cost of the dodge itself. restores stamina faster. Each skill solves a different stamina problem.
Blade Dance and Turning Tide
Blade Dance I, II, and III are separate commitments, and you can stop between them. Each stage consumes gauge, and III holds you in place the longest. Against a standing monster that may move, use I and then dodge away. Continue into II and III during a knockdown or another opening that will keep the target in place. During III, you can dodge before the final jump to leave the sequence.
Focus Strike: Turning Tide must connect with a wound. It launches you along the monster's body and destroys wounds it contacts. After connecting, you can instead use Turning Tidedrill to cut the traversal short and stay near the part. The wound is spent either way, so choose between consuming it for this Focus Strike and keeping it available for ordinary attacks that benefit from wound-based affinity.
Heavenly Blade Dance is the aerial route into a similar trip along the monster's body. It requires a jump and a suitable contact angle, and unlike Turning Tide it does not automatically destroy wounds.
Fight loop
Enter Demon Mode beside the part you want to attack and build the gauge. Weave Demon Dodges between attacks; a perfect evade adds Boost, while any Demon Mode dodge can provide the shortcut into Blade Dance II. Use Blade Dance I when the monster may move, and extend the sequence only when the remaining opening justifies the added commitment.
Leave Demon Mode before stamina is exhausted. Continue attacking in Archdemon Mode while stamina recovers, then return to Demon Mode before the gauge empties so you can refill it. If an attack closes the opening, dodge through it or disengage rather than forcing the next dance stage.
At the start of a hunt, concentrate attacks on one useful part to create a wound. When practicing on Chatacabra, its tongue and head are strong sever targets, and both favor thunder over its other listed elements. Use Turning Tide when its traversal and wound destruction fit the opening; otherwise keep attacking the wound. During a knockdown, advance Blade Dance through as many stages as the remaining downtime allows.
Skills
Build around the target's elemental hitzones and enough sharpness to sustain a long attack string. Then add stamina or defensive skills according to what most often interrupts your loop. Getting Started explains meals and pouch preparation. Combat Mechanics explains wounds and the two skill budgets. Element attack skills occupy the weapon budget, while occupies the armor budget.
Build priorities
| Offensive (weapon) | Why |
|---|---|
| Matching element, then | Repeated blade hits apply element often, and raises elemental damage when those hits crit. |
| and | Raise affinity and Attack respectively. |
| Raises the physical portion of critical blade hits after affinity is established. | |
| Sharpness preservation | Keeps repeated hits from consuming the current sharpness color too quickly. |
| Offensive (armor) | Why |
|---|---|
| Raises affinity on weak points and adds more affinity when that point is wounded. | |
| Consecutive hits raise both Attack and elemental attack; Dual Blades can maintain that condition readily. | |
| Raises Attack and affinity while the monster is enraged. | |
| Slows the continuous stamina drain of Demon Mode. |
| Defensive | Why |
|---|---|
| Upgrade the armor | Reduces incoming damage when monster attacks start to hurt. |
| Has a chance to reduce incoming damage. | |
| Lv 3 | Prevents a stun from leaving a weapon with no guard exposed to the next attack. |
In a group, prevents reactions when you and another hunter hit each other. It has no teammate interaction to prevent in a solo hunt.
The following skills are useful additions, but none is required:
| Skill | Why | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Reduces the stamina cost of evasive actions, including the dodge used for a perfect evade. | Armor | |
| Restores stamina faster after leaving Demon Mode. | Armor | |
| Extends the Demon Gauge consumed by Archdemon Mode. | Weapon | |
| Grants a temporary Attack bonus after a perfectly timed evade. | Armor | |
| Lengthens the invulnerability window of the dodge that activates Boost, but you must still time the dodge. | Armor | |
| Temporarily raises elemental attack and status buildup after you recover from a blight or abnormal status. | Armor | |
| Temporarily adds affinity and reduces stamina depletion after its condition is met. | Armor | |
| Increases part damage and the damage dealt when a Focus Strike destroys a wound. | Armor | |
| Raises Attack and Defense after a faint; it helps recover a hunt rather than defining the build. | Armor |
Keep a color
Frequent hits consume sharpness quickly, so choose a sharpness skill whose condition fits the build. becomes more dependable as affinity rises; the other options do not depend on critical hits.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Adds sharpness when the gauge is not already full. | |
| Prevents sharpness loss on critical hits. | |
| Prevents sharpness loss for a fixed time after you sharpen. | |
| Gives each hit a chance not to consume sharpness. | |
| Shortens sharpening, but an interruption still forces you to start the whetstone sequence again. |
Comfort
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Increases the health restored by healing items. | |
| Shortens the time spent drinking. | |
| The red portion of the health bar returns faster. | |
| Adds Defense after the armor itself has been upgraded. | |
| Reduces elemental blight duration and prevents all elemental blights at Lv 3. | |
| Trades Defense for Attack at first and can prevent one lethal hit; after it triggers, its bonuses change to Defense and resistances. | |
| Shortens the recharge time of mantles and other specialized tools. | |
| Prevents roars from canceling a committed attack when its level covers that roar. | |
| Extends evasive movement, but can carry the blades away from the intended part. | |
| Sometimes uses a consumable without removing it from the pouch. |
Styles
| Style | Skills |
|---|---|
| Physical | Use non-elemental Dual Blades when the monster's element hitzones are poor. |
This hunt
These skills answer specific monsters or plans. Add one when its condition will occur often enough to displace a general damage or stamina skill.
| Skill | When |
|---|---|
| Makes wounds easier to create and can add non-elemental damage after its buildup condition is met. | |
| Prevents wind pressure from canceling Blade Dance. | |
| Prevents a nearby tremor from canceling Blade Dance while you are already in range. | |
| Raises Attack while a blight is active, benefiting every Blade Dance hit until the blight ends. | |
| Helps a flash ground a flying monster and create an opening for Blade Dance. | |
| Raises explosive-item damage when the hunt plan uses barrel bombs. | |
| Draws more monster attention while you attack, creating more chances to attempt a perfect evade but also directing attacks toward you. | |
| Makes mounting easier and helps create wounds while mounted. | |
| Reduces stamina depletion while health is at 40% or lower, but asks you to remain in a dangerous condition. | |
| Prevents water or oilsilt from slowing movement during a close-range attack sequence. |
A hunt can also make , , , , , or more important than a general damage skill. Dung Pods answer unwanted large monsters without consuming a skill slot.
Skills that look better than they are
- does not fill Demon Gauge.
- does not slow Demon drain; does.
- does not reduce the stamina cost of rolls; does.
- Blade Dance III is a poor commitment when the monster is about to turn.
- is unreliable because Demon Mode continuously drains the full stamina that the skill requires.
- does not activate from the perfect evade because that action is not a slide.
Settings
Set automatic sheathe to Manual if an unwanted sheathe keeps ending Demon Mode or breaking your attack flow. Sheathing no longer removes Demon Boost Mode, but the stamina-draining mode still ends when the weapon is put away.
Keep evade camera behavior predictable while you circle the monster. Dual Blades spend long stretches in close range, so a camera that snaps away on every perfect evade makes the next target harder to read than a slight camera lag you already know.