The best Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Rise might depend on personal preference. But there’s quite a lot to consider with a weapon like this. Phial types, Rampage skills, and decoration slots all play a role. The Switch Axe remains a great weapon for beginners, but there’s always a way to get the most out of any gear at high levels of play. So let’s take a look at how with this guide to the best Switch Axes in Monster Hunter Rise!
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1. Rex Gnasher – The Best Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Rise
I’m not one for “all damage, all the time.” What works for speedrunners will actually hinder 99 percent of players. That’s precisely why this Tigrex Switch Axe is so, so damn nice. It does big numbers and comes with Exhaust Phials. These were a bit of a joke in Monster Hunter World, but have come out swinging wildly in Monster Hunter Rise. They can exhaust and stun monsters — making this a pretty solid choice for supporting your teammates while you deal damage. Or just take it solo. Either works out great! Phial damage isn’t affected by Affinity, either, which helps make up for the negative critical hit chance on this axe. Just slot in Razor Sharp to maintain that so-so white sharpness (and the damage it adds).
2. Night’s Crescent – MH Rise Best Switch Axe Tier List
If you just want a Switch Axe that you don’t need to think about, check out the Nargacuga option. Sure, the high Affinity won’t affect your phial damage. But you do still hit things with the actual axe part of the weapon often enough. And 40 percent critical chance by default is nothing to sneeze at. A touch of Poison (on the phial attacks at least) and a Level 2 decoration slot help round this weapon out nicely. You can’t improve it with Handicraft, but you won’t need it with Master’s Touch added to the game now. Razor Sharp and Protective Polish are decent alternatives as well. As tried and true fallback options, Nargacuga weapons are hard to deny.
3. Conqueress – MH Rise Best Switch Axe Tier List
The Ore Tree 2 Switch Axe fills a unique niche for its class. It’s essentially a support weapon. Though it does more than respectable damage in the process. It has high base attack and a solid slice of Exhaust Phial damage. As we’ve established, that’s a good thing. Plus you can raise the phial power even higher with the Rampage skill “Boost Equipped Coating.”
You can also grab Silkbind Boost instead. That raises the power of Silkbind Attacks. These, in turn, put monsters in a ridable state. Which gives you another way to knock down monsters for your teammates while dealing significant damage and dropping monster parts. On top of it all, you get some decoration slots.
4. Sinister Shadowslice – MH Rise Best Switch Axe Tier List
The Magnamalo Switch Axe lacks some of the damage available from Rex Gnashing. Though it still sports a respectable 200 raw damage with a bit of Blast. The explosive status ailment isn’t the be-all, end-all it was for a while in MHW, but it is pretty nice. Not to mention you get a Level 2 and a Level 1 decoration slot on this weapon. That’s great, since the new Rapid Morph ability is tremendously strong for Switch Axes. It just requires up to three Level 2 slots to fully include.
As with every Magnamalo weapon, you also get the Magnamalo Soul Rampage skill. This requires a certain level of skill and preparation to fully appreciate. But the gist is that, whenever you’re inflicted with Hellfireblight, you do significantly more damage than usual. And you gain this ability pretty consistently with the Hellfire Cloak skill found on Magnamalo armor. Said armor is also a decent source of Handicraft, which Magnamalo weapons put to fantastic use in reaching white sharpness.
5. Petal Cloud – MH Rise Best Switch Axe Tier List
Here we have the least raw damage of any Switch Axe on this list. Though that number is somewhat deceiving. Switch Axe damage relies heavily on charging up the sword part of the weapon. Said charge depletes over time, and must be managed carefully. But the Rampage skill Coating Switch Boost basically takes that management out of the equation.
The ability triggers any time you switch between axe mode and sword mode. Flipping back from sword to axe in particular provides a huge bump in charge time — allowing you to stay in the powerful sword mode much, much longer. You can combine this with Rapid Morph to make the weapon extra fast, damaging, and totally consistent. Petal Cloud even comes with decent white sharpness that can be extended further using Handicraft.
The real downside is the phial type. Dragon damage isn’t terrible, but like all elements it’s useless on certain enemies. Rajang and Goss Harag stand out as high-level foes that are completely immune to the attack type.
Hopefully this helped you on your way to finding the best Sword & Shield in Monster Hunter Rise for you! We’ll be sure to update this guide as new monsters and weapons appear. Until then, happy hunting!
