Any switch axe pro's out there?

[Mare/\thyu]

So recently I have been having a tour of all the weapons lately; I mained mostly bow before iceborne came out, but since then, I would say that I have mastered the Insect Glaive, Hunting Horn, Longsword and this past week, the Charge blade.

One weapon I was always curious about was the switch axe: I have attempted to use it many times, but I never felt very comfortable or very confident using one.

I was wondering if anyone could me give any tips or insights to using the switch axe. It can be anything from tricks, opinions, insights to game plans, don't hesitate to write anything, I'm really interested in what you have to say!

[Macho Chunko]

Yeah don't use it, use the superior axe the Charge Blade.

[Mare/\thyu]

So I'll take that as a "no" so far...

[dyne2alex]

Watch jinjinx tuna's video on iceborne switchaxe. That'll bring you up to a decent level real quick. Also, reason why he laughing at you saying "mastered" is because there's lots of things you still learn about these weapons even hundreds of hours into each one of them. More like, can be functional with them.

But yea, iceborne's a great time to get into swaxe. You should totally try it

[Izzdar]

Learn to use the clutch claw combo in sword mode that leads into Zero Sum Discharge if you already haven't. It's been pretty useful in the hundred or so hunts I've done in MR with switch axe. I also use temporal mantle and clutch onto the enemy to do said Zero Sum Discharge. Might as well do damage while the mantle dissipates rather than dodge on the ground.

[JPM岩]

I feel I can safely say I'm the resident SA guy here because I'm absolutely insane and wrot ea book https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1591169533
The number 1 thing about Switch Axe is that it is two weapons that are mashed together. You're not using an axe, you're not using a sword, youre using both and the trick is learning how to use both, and when to switch between both.
Axe Form is the faster form. You attack faster, have better dodges, and you have the power axe, which charges Axe Form, allowing you to topple monsters and break parts more easily.
Sword Form is slower and hits a lot harder. The big feature of Sword Form is amped state, which allows you to deal bonus chip damage, and use the all powerful Zero Sum Discharge, which is (apparently) one of the hardest hitting attacks in the game.

I'm curious OP what "mastering" means to you.

[Mare/\thyu]

Originally posted by JPM岩:

I'm curious OP what "mastering" means to you.

To me, "mastering" means you can or have the capability utilise everything something has to offer; to bring something out to its fullest potential.

If I say I have "mastered" the bow for example, It doesn't mean I am perfect or flawless 100% of the time; no one is, but it means I don't believe I can learn anything new about the bow, or rather, I have yet to find a way to get any better at it.

I have explored dozens of different builds, playstyles, combos... ways and methods to optimise different aspects of the weapon, it's specific gameplay and mechanics. And after a while, I ultimately stop learning anything new about the weapon or its playstyle.

I can see why my use of "mastered" seems careless, though I suppose I say so because after becoming proficient with the mechanics, combos, nuances and playstyles of a weapon in this game, there isn't much more space for growth.

There are no complex inputs, techs or intricate, frame perfect timings. The closest thing is using i frames when dodging, but it's mostly a universal mechanic apart from some weapon specific I frames, which are usually even more generous than the already lengthy I frames you get in this game

The Hunting horn, however, is a great example of where there is nuances and complexity: Here, there is plenty of optimisation and learning to be done, taking into consideration song order, combos that store songs in specific orders, combos that do so as fast as possible, or in a way that does the most damage or applies the most exhaust. When considering performances, there are a lot of things for you to explore; how you can angle performances and encores for completely different attacks, and how encores are different based on how many notes the first song in a performance has. Of course, that's only scratching the surface, but ultimately, that's all just basic mechanics of how the hunting horn functions once you have sussed all that out, there isn't much more to it other than stuff like your game plan: how you go about actually executing what you know, specific to the monster your fighting, their behaviour etc.

When you learn how to use a weapon: it's combos and nuances, so on and so forth, there really isn't much else to it. You are completely restricted by how many moves and combos are possible on a given weapon, as dictated by the Devs, and once you reach that restriction, there isn't much else to do other than to repeat what you already know in front of different monsters. Once you reach that point, is our wrong to claim you have mastered it?

What does "mastering" mean to you?

[Faust Wither]

use clutch claw alot, see an opening that alow you to land zerosum discharge, without power prolonger you can go 4x discharge, or go spining switching sword axe combo. on team play usualy switch axe go tenderlizing monster part.

[JPM岩]

Originally posted by Maræthyu:

Originally posted by JPM岩:

I'm curious OP what "mastering" means to you.

To me, "mastering" means you can or have the capability utilise everything something has to offer; to bring something out to its fullest potential.

If I say I have "mastered" the bow for example, It doesn't mean I am perfect or flawless 100% of the time; no one is, but it means I don't believe I can learn anything new about the bow, or rather, I have yet to find a way to get any better at it.

I have explored dozens of different builds, playstyles, combos... ways and methods to optimise different aspects of the weapon, it's specific gameplay and mechanics. And after a while, I ultimately stop learning anything new about the weapon or its playstyle.

I can see why my use of "mastered" seems careless, though I suppose I say so because after becoming proficient with the mechanics, combos, nuances and playstyles of a weapon in this game, there isn't much more space for growth.

There are no complex inputs, techs or intricate, frame perfect timings. The closest thing is using i frames when dodging, but it's mostly a universal mechanic apart from some weapon specific I frames, which are usually even more generous than the already lengthy I frames you get in this game

The Hunting horn, however, is a great example of where there is nuances and complexity: Here, there is plenty of optimisation and learning to be done, taking into consideration song order, combos that store songs in specific orders, combos that do so as fast as possible, or in a way that does the most damage or applies the most exhaust. When considering performances, there are a lot of things for you to explore; how you can angle performances and encores for completely different attacks, and how encores are different based on how many notes the first song in a performance has. Of course, that's only scratching the surface, but ultimately, that's all just basic mechanics of how the hunting horn functions once you have sussed all that out, there isn't much more to it other than stuff like your game plan: how you go about actually executing what you know, specific to the monster your fighting, their behaviour etc.

When you learn how to use a weapon: it's combos and nuances, so on and so forth, there really isn't much else to it. You are completely restricted by how many moves and combos are possible on a given weapon, as dictated by the Devs, and once you reach that restriction, there isn't much else to do other than to repeat what you already know in front of different monsters. Once you reach that point, is our wrong to claim you have mastered it?

What does "mastering" mean to you?

To me, Mastering means you can prove you are the best with a weapon multiple times. Whether that means crazy fast speed runs, or doing insane runs like naked runs or what have you. Like, I know the math and technically calculations that are done to charge up amped state, which is different across the phial types, and wrote a Steam Guide based on which SAs are the best in the game. But I won't call myself a master because I've seen Masters use Switch Axes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SSmu3SS-wg
Being able to pull off 1:22 makes you a master. I dont think you can just declare yourself a master.

[puzzlefox]

Being a master is being able to kill a Kelbi in under 20 minutes with no carts

[Mr. Orion Quest]

Originally posted by puzzlefox:

Being a master is being able to kill a Kelbi in under 20 minutes with no carts

Nah fam, being a master means you can handle a Poogie and take no hits.

[lexilogo]

Originally posted by Maræthyu:

What does "mastering" mean to you?

My personal definition of mastering is a lot more strict.

Weapons do have vastly different skillcaps but "mastering" a weapon is about far more than being able to chain its moveset together well.

You still need to work on positioning, knowing which moves to use when (for Bow specifically with Thousand Dragons existing, that's actually a pretty complex question), Stamina management in combination with Bow, maintaining Critical Distance against a variety of monsters, reliably netting hitzones, and so on.

I mean, to think about your analogy, it kinda seems like a lot of experience is being drawn upon from traditional fighting games here.

If you compare traditional fighting games to platform fighters (I've heard some people call them "brawlers" but IMO "platform fighter" works best. I'm talking stuff like Smash Bros), for example, even though they lack frame-perfect inputs, almost all combos, and so on but they're still pretty complex games.

Or, if you go deeper, you can get "mini-fighters" like Divekick or Footsies that are actually aimed towards the exact same fanbase, and are pretty popular with them, but strip nearly all the actual mechanics from the equation.


Of course that's not a 1:1 comparison because those are PvP games, but my point is that while advanced combos or frame-perfect inputs are great and all, factors like positioning or prediction are a huge part of mastery, and you can create games that you can explain in minutes but take a lifetime to master.

[Shogun Hunter]

I've actually always wanted to use SA in previous games but couldn't get into it so this time when I started MHW on PC (used Lance on PS4) I said screw it and mained SA to get used to it and it's actually a lot of fun to play you just have to get used to your more limited mobility and the fact that you're stuck in animations so knowing the monsters moves and patterns is quite important. Id suggest using it against either an easy monster like Great Jagras or something that you've fought a lot and can confidently know what moves and tells they have so you know what you're up against while learning it. As for combos and main attacks Arrekz or GaijinHunter have always been great at making videos for that and could explain it all far better than I can. Have fun!

[Pascal_QC]

People think you have to be in sword mode all the time . This is not true your biggest hit comes from axe combo .
1. In Iceborne new moves , always prime your axe ( swing -flash red - press y ) this is altually a very strong move and gives a huge attack bonus . So even if not hitting monster prime that %#%%#
2. Always roll to morph from sword to axe .
3. Only go for discharge when using mantle or monster down .
That’s it your good to go

[Yian Yan]

True mastery is utilizing your upswing, the best upswing in the game, to save those dear to you and punish those who cross you.

[urthpainter]

just like any other weapon in MH just gotta get some hours under your belt. obviously practicing in the training area is helpful, especially while looking at a youtube tutorial on all moves and combos. once you know everything - then adjust it to your play style. Switch ax is obviously geared toward DPS, with mobility for defense. I really like adding evasion extender, and if you max it out, you'll find you don't need to sheath it as often as rolling around really covers some distance. If you find you like it in sword mode, there's the power prolong skill that keeps it charged longer. a trick worth mentioning would be the activated sword (glowing) mount - you don't have to spam the entire amount in on each mount, and if you time your releases (by counting the hits) you can release and remount without transforming the weapon. Obviously this can only be done a couple times before the weapon auto transforms to ax