The Long Sword is the best all-round melee pick for many players. It teaches spacing, rewards clean reads and has enough reach to stay useful against tall monsters.
The rhythm
Long Sword overview
The Long Sword wants you to stay just outside the monster's reach, bait an attack, and answer with a counter that keeps the Spirit Gauge climbing. In Outlanders the weapon remains accessible, but the gap between a random combo and a deliberate counter chain is enormous.
Midori is the best-known Long Sword Adventurer, and her kit leans into graceful evasions and faster Spirit Gauge generation. The weapon is a strong choice for players who like high uptime without the commitment of a Great Sword.
Weapon snapshot
Melee · Sever damage · Medium difficulty · Best first pick: Rathian tree.
Trade-offs
Long Sword strengths & weaknesses
Strengths
- Long reach makes tails and heads easier to reach
- Strong counter and evasion identity
- High uptime once the Spirit Gauge is rolling
- Good balance of damage, mobility and solo safety
Trade-offs
- Counters require knowing attack timing
- Spirit Gauge management can stall after a failed exchange
- Long animations can leave you locked in place
- Less defensive forgiveness than a Lance or shielded build
Practice route
Long Sword combos & core moves
These are the routes worth learning first. Treat the inputs as a description of the flow, not a controller-specific notation — touch layouts can be customised.
| Move | Input concept | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Blade Combo | Light attack chain into the Spirit finisher | Builds the gauge and creates a clean route into the weapon's higher-damage finishers. |
| Counter Slash | Time the counter input just before an incoming hit | The signature defensive answer. A successful counter keeps momentum and sets up the next Spirit chain. |
| Spirit Roundslash | Spirit chain finisher | A wide, high-reach cut that catches tails and multiple targets. Use it when you know the monster is about to turn. |
| Helm Breaker | Spirit finisher follow-up | A committed downward strike for tall heads and toppled monsters. Do not start it against a fast recovery. |
Build direction
Best skills for Long Sword
prioritize one offensive core and one comfort skill. The exact armor set depends on what the launch forge provides; these are the skills that change the weapon's feel.
- Attack Boost and elemental attack for the chosen tree
- Weakness Exploit for part-focused damage
- Constitution or stamina recovery for dodge-heavy play
- Evade Extender if you struggle to reposition after counters
- Critical Eye for a crit-focused late-game build
Forge targets
Best Long Sword paths to aim for
Rathian tree
TargetA balanced early tree with good reach and matchups into monsters weak to its element.
Odogaron tree
TargetA mobility-focused option for players who want to practice hit-and-run counters.
Nergigante tree
TargetA natural endgame upgrade path for raw Long Sword users.
Tree names and material requirements are based on pre-launch data. Check the live forge after October 29 for the final upgrade layout.
Good hunts
Long Sword monster matchups
These hunts let the weapon do what it is designed to do. Use them to learn the moveset before taking it into an unfavorable target.
Check every elemental weakness before building the next weapon.
Touch controls
Long Sword tips for mobile play
- Keep the counter button under your dominant thumb; timing matters more than combo speed.
- Use a short combo when the monster is about to finish a recovery.
- Lock on only when you need to snap the camera; manual angles are better for tail cuts.
- Practice counter timing on Great Jagras before trying it on Rathalos.
Quick answers