What's the point of SNS again?

[对不起我只会说英语]

Hi! I'm thinking of doing another playthrough, this time with the Sword and Shield. For that, I want to understand it first.

I know that it's a fast weapon like the dual blades, but I don't get what's the point of its shield. I mean, isn't it weaker than CB guard points, or Lance and Gunlance shields? I know that for weapons like GS, there are defensive options such as tackles. As for SNS, I just want to know the general playstyle and the point of having a shield 🧐.

To those who use them or understand, please explain, I'm opening my mind. It looks fun anyway 🙂.

[CraftedC]

Actually blocking with SnS is rarely used for defense, maybe if its an emergency block sure.

The block is typically used to get into Backhop when sheathed, Claw Uppercut when sheathed, and is another button needed to use items from the Itembar(IIRC if Radial you don't need to block to use items) so you can use items when weapon is out.

The shield can also deal blunt damage, from moves like Falling Shield Bash.

[Suzaku]

The shield is basically your last defensive option; to cover for your mistakes. It's when you're out of position, a dodge won't save you, or when you just don't know what to do with an incoming attack.

It's also your blunt weapon. The combos for it aren't particularly strong, but it does mean you can bash a monster's head in and deal KO damage. Another bonus is that this doesn't consume sharpness, but the downside is it also doesn't apply the element/status if your weapon has one.

As for general playstyle, if you have Iceborne, then you focus on using the Perfect Rush attack when possible since it just hits so hard. Otherwise, general quick swipes and infinite combo to deal damage when possible, with backhops and normal dodges as your main defensive options.

With all that said, the shield can still be quite a strong defensive option if you pick up some points in the Guard skill. Maxed Guard allows you to shrug off even some of the strongest attacks with barely a reaction and then quickly get your attacks in afterwards. Certainly not meta in the slightest, but I've made great use of it against dangerous and aggressive monsters like Black Diablos or Tigrex.

[CookedMeat]

So, let's start by taking a dive into Monster Hunter's 20 years of history, where there used to be only a few weapons and how shields has evolved through times along with each titles.
What? There's a word limit for Steam comments?

Well long story short, it is not meant to be used to block many things other than moments when you are absolutely desperate. With how World gave rolling and backstep a much longer i-frames, it would actually be better to just i-frame evaded through attacks rather than blocking and lose DPS uptime due to knockback.

[Ninja Savior]

I've only played sns since safi jiva's introduction. Weak though as it is when comparing to other weapons' shields, sns's shield is far from useless. I block a lot, at the cost of a little stamina, yes... but I always include black belt in my meals and I drink dash juice during my hunts. It works really well for me. And I don't even have a single level of guard. What I do have, though, is the guard up skill. Which allows you to block unblockable attacks, such as teostra's super nova, rajang's lightning vomit or fatalis's 360. All at the cost of a little stamina and negligible chip damage.

Take a look at the best SNS guide on the internet

https://youtu.be/emmIGYeKpuk?list=LL

https://youtu.be/sxt6oiHD_q4?list=LL

[Gralzeim]

If you don't want to rely on subtitles, I've found these guides quite useful!

https://youtu.be/lz624ugG4Lg


https://youtu.be/P8tNJVuktCA

[𝔸𝕣𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝟙]

As many have already said, it will rarely see use for defense but sometimes it will. An example case may be you do a clutch claw tenderize and then block an incoming tail swing after landing. It’s basically just when rolling is no longer an option. Otherwise, the shield is a weapon for doing the aerial bash that can stun monsters if you aim for the head.

[对不起我只会说英语]

Thank you for the response guys! It's kinda hard to reply to everyone 😅but I appreciate the help. Thank you especially for giving insight on how to use the Shield itself because that's the part I had trouble understanding, lol.

@Suzaku and @CookedMeat, I see that you guys are still active in this community 👀and still helpful as always.

[Mini]

Its a fun weapon. Idk.

[MarcoPants]

The Guard skill is fun as hell to run on this or CB. Turns your normal guard into an absolute beast that's able to withstand most attacks. One interesting note with CB specifically is it can allow you to go into a SAED off of normal guarding since most attacks will not hit hard enough to cause a stagger and prevent it

[对不起我只会说英语]

Publicado originalmente por Mini:

Its a fun weapon. Idk.

It looks fun (TBH I think most melee weapons looks fun), I agree 🙂. My main concern though is that I didn't understand it, like the point of the shield being to cover for your mistakes instead of counter attacking like with the Lance and CB as pointed out by Suzaku.

Anyway I'll try it out when I find time. These days it's just hard to find time to play games. But really do look forward into trying out the SnS.

[Ninja Savior]

Publicado originalmente por A.:

Publicado originalmente por Mini:

Its a fun weapon. Idk.

It looks fun (TBH I think most melee weapons looks fun), I agree 🙂. My main concern though is that I didn't understand it, like the point of the shield being to cover for your mistakes instead of counter attacking like with the Lance and CB as pointed out by Suzaku.

Anyway I'll try it out when I find time. These days it's just hard to find time to play games. But really do look forward into trying out the SnS.

My two cents: judge for yourself how good the shield actually is, either with or without the guard skill. My humble opinion is that people often over-emphasize the "you're not supposed to block but rather dodge attacks and the shield is to be used only in worst case scenarios" conversation. Like I said, I use it all the time

[Bobucles]

SnS has high mobility, high quality dodges and a low quality shield.
Lance/gunlance have low mobility, low quality dodges and a high quality shield.

You CAN invest shield points into SnS to have a decent guard value. But those points can also go into making your good dodges even better. Try to focus on your class strengths.

The light shield is still handy for turning a nasty hit into a nasty chip. It may be worth 1 or 3 points of guard for that reason alone. Don't count on it doing more than that, especially because SnS blocking negates your greatest strength, mobility.

[对不起我只会说英语]

Hi guys, I'm back! I have another question:

Are Raw Damage SNS worth building or should I go with Elemental SNS? I know that some weapons like the Charge Blade for example excel in Raw Damage, while weapons like Bow excel on Elemental Damage. I think longswords are good with both? (Not sure).

Which side does SNS leans towards again? Raw Damage or Elementals?

As for preference, I am lazy with building multiple weapons for specific encounters and prefer flexibility, which is why I tend to build Raw Damage, but I will adjust accordingly to which is "META" or close to it at least.

[Suzaku]

SnS can pretty much work either way, though it leans slightly more in favor of raw, especially if you have Iceborne. Iceborne adds the Perfect Rush combo, which is a more raw-focused, high-damage combo recommended as your main damage-dealer in whatever situations it can fit in.

[Mini]

Publicado originalmente por A.:

Hi guys, I'm back! I have another question:

Are Raw Damage SNS worth building or should I go with Elemental SNS? I know that some weapons like the Charge Blade for example excel in Raw Damage, while weapons like Bow excel on Elemental Damage. I think longswords are good with both? (Not sure).

Which side does SNS leans towards again? Raw Damage or Elementals?

As for preference, I am lazy with building multiple weapons for specific encounters and prefer flexibility, which is why I tend to build Raw Damage, but I will adjust accordingly to which is "META" or close to it at least.

I prefer raw due to it being easier (also cause Fatalis weapons are sick nasty), but SnS definitely works as an elemental weapon too.