I‘ve been maining the Switch Axe since the early Monster Hunter days on PlayStation 2. Across over 300 hours of axe-wielding gameplay in Sunbreak, I‘ve honed numerous meta builds that can unleash some seriously explosive hunt times.
In this definitive guide, I‘ll be sharing the most OP Switch Axe builds for shredding through Master Rank, along with plenty of spicy combo tips!
We‘ll be covering optimized setups for early game, mid game and endgame. I‘ll also analyze Sword vs Axe mode damage, rapid morph mechanics, and crucial phial management tactics. Time to take this transformable technical weapon to the next level!
Why Choose Switch Axe?
Let‘s quickly go over what gives the Switch Axe its mechanical complexity and visceral appeal:
1. Two Distinct Modes – You morph between a slower but heavier Axe mode for reach and mobility, and acquire phials. Then switch to the rapid Sword mode to unleash the phials in elemental explosions and zero sum discharges! Mastering both forms is pivotal.
2. Phial Management – Your phials passively charge in Axe mode, which you can then expend in Sword mode for huge bursts. Learning to balance between charging phials and then expending them at the perfect times is crucial for pushing damage.
3. High Risk, High Reward – Switch Axe play is very committal due to long animations. But you can pull off insane damage when you flawlessly combo morphing slashes, elemental discharge explosions and zero sum discharges together.
4. Technical Weapon – Unlike slower weapons like Great Sword or Hammer, you need to actively juggle between modes with timed inputs to maximize DPS uptime. This makes Switch Axe rewarding for seasoned players.
Let‘s see how you can build skills to truly elevate these mechanics to their fullest!
Early Game – Forge a Foundation
When just starting Master Rank, our early game builds focus purely on fundamentals:
Overview
Key Skills
- Attack Boost
- Rapid Morph
- Evade Extender
Core Combos
- Axe: Wild Slash > Sliding Slash
- Sword: Double Slash > Heavenward Flurry
Phial Strategy
- Use ZR discharge instead of Zero Sum Discharge
Playstyle
- Focus on learning monster movements
- Stay aggressive with sword mode combos
- Use invincible gambit to reposition
Chrome Razor 1 Early Build
Chrome Razor 1
- 280 Raw
- 150 Fire Element
- Small white sharpness
Excellent starting Switch Axe. Packs respectable damage, sharpness and fire elemental. Easy to craft early.
Armor Skills
Volvidon Helm – Rapid Morph 2, Attack Boost 1
Rhenoplos Mail – Attack Boost 2
Hunter‘s Vambraces – Evade Extender 1
Anjanath Coil – Attack Boost 2
Hunter‘s Greaves – 2 level 1 slots
Decorations
With a basic Attack Boost 1 talisman, we can slot in:
- Attack Jewel 1 x 1 – Attack Boost 4 total
- Jumping Jewel 1 x 3 – Evade Extender 3
Final Skills
All together, we get:
- Attack Boost 4
- Rapid Morph 2
- Evade Extender 3
- Fire Attack 1
This gives us solid early game damage through Attack Boost 4. Rapid Morph speeds up our morph slashes. Evade Extender gives crucial mobility. And we still keep Chrome Razor‘s fire element.
Gameplay Tips
The core gameplan is to use Axe mode to spam Wild Slash into the faster Sliding Slash to build up phials quickly. As the sword gauge charges, look to morph into Sword mode with a rising slash and then unleash the double slash and heavenward flurry combos.
Discharge 1-2 phials at a time with ZR explosions rather than the longer animation Zero Sum Discharge. Use Invincible Gambit to reposition and then go back to the Axe combos.
Make sure to spend time practicing against early monsters to get used to the Switch Axe cadence. Work on balancing phial charging versus expenditure. Once things click, you‘ll have a strong baseline for expanding the weapon!
Mid Game – Element Exploit Builds
As we fight tougher monsters like Magma Almudron, Astalos and Flaming Espinas, we unlock access to more armor skills. At this point, mid game builds focus on exploiting elemental damage more aggressively.
Overview
Key Skills
- Element Attack
- Rapid Morph
- Attack Boost
- Critical Eye
Core Combos
- Sword: Compressed Finishing Discharge
- Axe: Charged Double Slash
Phial Strategy
- Expend with ZR explosions
- Use Zero Sum when knockdowns are long
Playstyle
- Focus elemental hitzones
- Punish openings aggressively
- Max uptime in Sword mode
Now let‘s see some builds.
Axe of Asura Element Build
Axe of Asura
- 280 Raw
- 240 Thunder
- Long blue sharpness
First, let‘s utilize Thunder element with the Axe of Asura. It may have slightly lower raw but packs insane Thunder – perfect against monsters weak to it.
Armor
Zinogre Helm – Attack Boost 2, Latent Power 1
Desperado Mail – Critical Eye 2, Critical Boost 2
Rathalos Braces – Attack Boost 2
Aelucanth Braces – Thunder Attack 1, Stun Resistance 2
Ingot Greaves – 2 size 2 slots
Decorations
With a simple Attack 2 talisman with 2 size 1 slots, we can add:
- Thunder Attack Jewel 2 x2 – Thunder Attack 4 total
- Critical Jewel 2 x 3 – Critical Eye 5 total
- Antipara Jewel 1 x 1 – Paralysis Resistance 1
Final Skills
- Attack Boost 4
- Critical Eye 5
- Critical Boost 2
- Thunder Attack 4
- Latent Power 1
- Paralysis Resistance 1
- Stun Resistance 2
Skills maximize the Thunder Attack offense for Axe of Asura. Healthy affinity through Critical Eye and Critical Boost too. Stun Resistance provides safety for intense fights.
Gameplay Tips
Use charged double slash combo in axe mode and alternate into sword mode with compressed elemental discharge combo. Only go for longer zero sum discharge when there is a long knockdown. Otherwise expend phials with quicker ZR explosions.
Make sure to repeatedly slam Thunder weakzones. The Axe of Asura puts out nearly 500 Thunder when amped, which shreds most Master Rank monsters. Use trap tools to easily enable paralysis and create longer punish windows to spam zero sum!
Endgame – True Meta Builds
Once we hit the final Master Rank quest tiers, it‘s time to optimize with endgame gear. Our builds now heavily lean into maximizing raw affinity damage rather than elements. This is where things get spicy! 🥵
Overview
Key Skills
- Critical Eye
- Weakness Exploit
- Critical Boost
- Attack Boost
Core Combos
- Axe: Compressed Charged Double Slash
- Sword: Compressed Morph Slash Combo
Phial Strategy
- Expend with both ZR and Zero Sum
Playstyle
- Exploit small weak point openings
- Use dodgebolt often for repositioning
- Maximize uptime with sword combos
True Endgame Meta Build
This setup utilizes the mighty Risen Axe combined with Gold Rathian and Teostra for an affinity monster:
Risen Switch Axe
- 420 Raw
- Neutral white sharpness
- Solid all rounder
Armor
Gold Rath Helm – Divine Blessing 2, Critical Boost 1
Vaik Mail – Attack Boost 2, Critical Boost 2
Silver Solbraces – Weakness Exploit 2
Archfiend Armor – Weakness Exploit 1, Chain Crit 1
Ingot Greaves – 2 size 2 slots
Decorations
Thanks to a godly Handicraft 2 charm with 2 size 1 slots, we can slot:
- Shield Jewel 2 x1 – Guard 3
- Attack Jewel 2 x2 – Attack Boost 4 total
- Critical Jewel 2 x 2 – Critical Eye 4 total
Final Meta Skills
Giving us:
- Attack Boost 6
- Critical Eye 4
- Weakness Exploit 3
- Critical Boost 3
- Chain Crit 1
- Divine Blessing 2
Nearly 80% affinity! This ensures Risen Axe hits incredibly hard thanks to stacking raw Attack Boost, Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit. And thanks to Teostra‘s Master Touch, we retain sharpness almost infinitely!
Gameplay Tips
Make sure to exploit minor weakpoints relentlessly with your sword mode combos. With compressed charge double slash, you can two cycle into the compressed morphing slash combo seamlessly to dish out savage damage in quick attacks.
Use the enhanced switch charger silkbind skill often for repositioning and finding new weak angles. While innate sharpness and sharpness skills helps, I still recommend occasional sharpening when the monster flees to ensure you keep in purple range for max damage.
Of course punish any trips or stuns with 1-2 high damaging zero sum discharges peppered in between your standard combos. And with the shield from Guard 3, you can confidently use Invincible Gambit for even more aggressive uptime.
This meta build truly embodies the explosive damage potential of mastering the Switch Axe when you combine positioning, combos and phial management together.
I‘ve broken fangs, wings, tails and slayed 100+ MR monsters using this specific setup and suggest all axe mains test it out!
Switch Axe Mechanics – Digging Deeper
Now that we‘ve covered builds top to bottom across the game‘s progression, I wanted to analyze a few key mechanics in detail:
Sword Mode vs Axe Mode Damage
A quick comparison on the two distinct forms:
Sword Mode
- Faster moves and combos
- Applies status and elemental better
- Charged sword state boosts amp state damage by 20%
- Easier to sustain combo chains
- Expends phials for explosions
Axe Mode
- Higher motion values on moves (larger hits)
- Reach makes hitting weak points easier
- Applies exhaust and stun better
- Charges phials passively
In most cases, sword mode comes out ahead in overall DPS thanks to quicker combos and phial detonations. But axe mode is very efficient at charging said phials up safely. Finding the balance between the two modes based on matchups and phial levels is key to mastering the weapon!
Managing Your Phials
Since phials directly charge up your sword state and discharge explosions, managing them properly is pivotal. Here are some key tactics:
1. Charge Early – Make sure to work in Axe mode combos early in a fight to rapidly build phials. Don‘t only rely on passive charging.
2. Don‘t Waste Discharges – If a monster will get up quickly, use cheaper ZR explosions over lengthy Zero Sum animations to conserve phials.
3. Sharpen Only When Charged – Since sharpening now clears phials, do it only when your gauge is powered up to retain sword charge longer.
4. Use Morph Slash Generously – The morphing slash into sword converts phial charge quickly. Use it whenever you have openings to transform between modes.
Follow these guidelines and your hunts will have perfect uptime between powering up and then spending phials for carnage.
Rapid Morph Analysis
Rapid Morph speeds up numerous switch axe animations related to – you guessed it – morphing! This offers faster damage combos.
Faster Animation Cancelling – You can quickly double slash out of fade slashes to loop combos faster thanks to quicker animations.
Enhances Mobility – Morph leaps, fade slashes and rising slashes helps reposition rapidly during intense fights.
Charges Sword Mode Faster – Get amped up quicker to dish out full powered sword combos sooner.
In my experience, Rapid Morph provides a major quality of life boost in terms of mobility and combo chaining. I consider it almost mandatory in all my builds. Once you get used to the accelerated timing, it‘s a game changer!
Matchup Advice – Slaying With Style
While this guide has focused mostly on gear and mechanics, I wanted to drop some matchup knowledge as well:
Magma Almudron – In sword form, carefully position and punish only during vulnerable tail slams. Use overhead axe slashes to cut the tail.
Pyre Rakna Kadaki – Time sword combos between projectile attacks. Wyvern stake into her to create punish windows between web bursts.
Scorned Magnamalo – Stay mid-ranged baited ranged explosion blasts you can evade through. Overall be patient stripping with axe hits until Hellfire is depleted for all out aggression.
Shagaru Magala – When arms enrage, focus them in axe mode for exhaust KOs. Otherwise carefully exploit sides and chest spikes with ZR discharges after de-armorization.
Lunagaron – Stay mobile with fade morph slashes to avoid brutal claw swipes and charges. Focus back legs and go for topples using dodgebolt silkbind for repeated knockdown punishes.
Hopefully these quick hit matchup snippets gives you an idea of how to adapt Switch Axe‘s mobility, combos and pettent reminders on skill points and what they offer.
Budget & Comfort Options
I wanted to quickly cover alternatives if you lack certain talismans or armor pieces for the suggested builds:
Need Sharpness? – Grinder Jewels or even Bludgeoner skill works. Can also slot Razor Sharp through arcade tickets to ease sharpness hunger.
Missing Affinity Skills? – Latent Power is great when you take hits. Or boost Maximum Might uptime with dodgebolt.
Lacking Evasion? – Try mock builds with Blood Rite instead for iframes after wirefall. Also boosts attack!
Too Low On Defense? – Defiance is super cheap melding skill for +50 defense. Or slot Divine Blessing, Stun Resist, etc. for more security.
Mix and match these alternatives to still achieve comfy, functional builds even if you lack ideal talismans or armors for hyper optimized meta sets!
Conclusion
And that‘s pretty much everything you could ever need for slaughtering Sunbreak with the sickest Switch Axe builds! Let‘s do a quick recap:
- Why Switch Axe is so versatile but challenging
- Fundamentals to learn during early progression
- Mid game elemental exploit playstyle
- True endgame meta builds and matchups
- Crucial mechanics like phial management
- Plenty of spicy combo tips and benchmarks
I hope this guide has inspired you to give Switch Axe a shot or take your Axe skills to the next level! Let me know which builds worked best for you against Metal Raths, Lucent Nargacuga or Scorned Magnamalo in the comments! 🤘
Happy Hunting!
