JPM's Complete Switch Axe Guide

The Switch Axe is one of 14 Weapons available in Monster Hunter World. I personally love this weapon, ever since it had to be unlocked from the Argosy in Monster Hunter 3 back in 2010. I loyally have stuck with it since then, and love it in World. However, I see people rarely using it in World, and after looking at the Steam forums, have come to the conclusion that there really isn't a good spot to talk about "What is good about Switch Axe?". A lot of places online, such as Reddit or the Neogaf forums also have wrong information, or conflicting information on Switch Axe as well, so I did a lot of research on Switch Axe in World before and while working on this guide.
That is my goal with this guide. I'm hoping that the information gets across well, and if there are questions or tips, or something I just plain missed, please let me know! I also wish to apologize if the formatting gets funky, Steam Guides only allows so many characters per section, so I had to get REALLY creative with formatting. I also want to note that I use the term "meta" rather loosely. By "meta" I mean "can be very powerful in most situations".
I want to also say something very important: The weapons here are simply the Best in Show choices for Switch Axe. If there's a Switch Axe you see on here that isn't shown, it could simply much more niche for it's own good, or simply beaten by something else. You can use any Switch Axe you want, any skills you want, etc. This guide is simply to show you what is the best option.

What is a Switch Axe?

"A powerful melee weapon, capable of such momentum that the hunter swinging it is dragged around by the momentum of each swing. Described as a marvel of technology capable of phantasmagorical might." - Official Switch Axe Description

The Switch Axe, also known as the Slash Axe in Japan (スラッシュアックス Surasshuakkusu) was first added to Monster Hunter in Monster Hunter 3 in 2009. It has been slowly grown stronger in every title since it's addition, eventually reaching where it is now in World, nine years later.

Lore-wise, the Switch Axe is a morpher-class weapon, meaning it has the ability to change it's own properties during combat. Other morphers include insect glaive, charge blade, and Frontier's tonfas and magnet spikes. In World, it is considered to be one of the more technical weapons, not only with other morphers, but Hunting Horn and Bow as well.

It truly is a combination of two differently functioning weapons, it's Axe Form, a faster, more mobile form, and it's Sword Form, it's far stronger, slower form. The Sword Form, while much stronger, only has a limited amount of uses before needing to be recharged. This charge belongs to it's Phial, a battery-like device that offers additional effects and attributes to it's sword form, giving the weapon far stronger power. Learning both and how they flow together will easily help in learning how to master the Switch Axe.

Axe vs Sword

Switch Axe, as stated before, is a combination of two weapons, a quick moving axe, and a stronger, slower sword. Both forms have pros and cons:

Axe Form Pros

• Faster attacks than sword form
  
• Higher reach than almost all other blademaster weapons
  
• Easier mobility when rolling than with sword
  
• Can enter Power Axe mode, allowing for easier topple and more damage

Axe Form Cons

• Sharpness drains faster due to more attacks
  
• Do not gain additional effects from Phials
  
• Transition Attacks to axe form are significantly weaker

Sword Form Pros

• Stronger attacks than axe form
  
• Gains boosts from Phial
  
• Can entered an "Amped" state for even more damage after enough damage is dealt with sword form
  
• Has the skill "Mind's Eye" built in, meaning no bouncing on attacks that would normally bounce for blademasters
  
• Has skill "Earplugs" Level 4 during "Zero Sum Charge" attack (after first explosion goes off)

Sword Form Cons

• Much slower attack rate
  
• Much more limited mobility
  
• Sword form is limited to a certain amount of swing before needing to be recharged
  
• "Earplugs" passive effect only occurs in one specific attack, and is pointless otherwise

Even though both Axe and Sword have pros and cons, Sword is the big damage dealer, and is always the form you want to the maintain the longest. However, it is important to keep your Power Axe charge as well, allowing for even stronger, morphing combos.

Power Axe, Phials and Amped State

Power Axe is a "charged up" form of Axe Form, which allows for increased toppling of monsters, as well as increased part breaking to Axe Form attacks. Activating Power Axe is easy: Simply do three axe swings during the "Wild Axe" combo, also known as the Axe Infinite Combo, and end the combo with an Overhead Chop. You will know when to land the Overhead Chop when a particle effect will come off of your axe.

However, Phials are probably the most important part of the Switch Axe, especially so for Sword Form. These phials can offer bonus attributes and abilities that can make the Sword Form even stronger than it already is. This can be further increased with the "Amped State" sword form can achieve.
Looking around online, I had to cross check a lot of sources to break down what phials do.

Phial Type	What It Does
Power	Increases Sword Form Attack Damage by 17%. Considered the best choice for highest DPS.
Power Elemental	45% Element Damage Boost for all 5 types of element: Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice and Dragon.
Exhaust	Can drain monster stamina, tiring them faster, as well as deal KO damage on the head. Works great for solo play.
Paralysis	Can apply bonus paralysis to monsters in sword form. Only found on the Barroth line.
Poison	Can apply bonus poison to monsters in sword form. Only found on the "Proto Axe/Chroma Machina" line.
Dragon	Can apply bonus dragon element damage and elderseal to a monster in sword form. Only found on the "Bone Axe/Mighty Gear" line.

Now with Phials out of the way, we can discuss "Amped State". Amped State is a mode Sword Form can go into after dealing enough damage in Sword Form. The Sword Glows with a pulsing energy, and all sword form attacks land a second, weaker hit. This extra hit benefits from the Phial's type, meaning more damage or status can be dealt.
Amped State also allows players to latch onto monsters while doing an elemental discharge attack, allowing for increased damaged to be output. However, this is also called a "Noob Killer", as while latched on, the player will take damage from the monster's movements, and can easily kill a novice player. It's important to learn when it's safe to attach to the monster.
Luckily, you can detonate the Discharge early, which not only can save your skin, it also will put you right next to the monster in sword form (if you have enough sword form charge available). This can be very useful for dealing a powerful, quick, burst of damage without needing to waste too much time. However, detonating early will result in a weaker finishing explosion.

Those who own Iceborne, a word of warning. It has been discovered that you can easily spam Zero Sum Discharge with Switch Axe's Sword Form in the Amped State with the Clutch Claw. However, it is so easy, it has earned the name "Zero Skill Discharge", which is aptly named, as it allows for easy bursts of high damage, taking don't monsters extremely quickly. If you plan on playing Switch Axe this way, just play a different game. World Speed Run Records have found that while Zero Skill Discharge is an effective method, traditional Switch Axe play is still faster.

The following bit of information is for the more technical side of Switch Axe's Amped State. This information is NOT essential for Switch Axe play (it's more for technical backend things), you can ignore this part unless you want to learn some backend numbers. This is confusing, as it's just code translated to English.
The time it takes to charge Amped State varies on the phial type. Internally, the Switch Axe as a property called "Amp", which is the code name for Amped State. "Amp" is simply tracked by a 1-100 charge scale, and certain moves charge a certain amount of Amp.
Certain phial types need to charge a certain amount of "Amp" to activate Amped State. Power, Paralysis, and Poison Phials need to charge 100 "Amp", Power Element Phials and Exhaust Phials need to charge 70 "Amp", and Dragon Phials need to charge 50 "Amp". If no "Amp" is being gained, it will drain by 5 "Amp" every 5 seconds.
Once "Amp" is fully charged, and Amped State is activated, the Amped State will last for 45 seconds before powering down. The skill "Power Prolonger" can increase the time Amped State is charged, increasing the time from 45 seconds to 50, 54, and 63 seconds with levels 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Ore Tree

When it comes to Monster Hunter, there are two base-game upgrade trees, Ore and Bone. This section will cover the Ore Tree. Ore Tree Weapons will usually have much higher sharpness and element than their Bone Tree cousins, so you don't need to worry about skills like "Handicraft" when it comes to these weapons. They are also much easier to make and upgrade, as ores are fairly common to find and easy to obtain.




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Name	Jagras Raider III
Rarity	6
Raw	665
Effective Raw	246
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Sleep (240)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3][2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Exhaust 210

Jagras Raider, heavily named "Baby's First Switch Axe", due to it being the easiest "meta" Switch Axe in World to make. Made almost entirely from Great Jagras parts, it's a great starter Axe for anyone progressing through Monster Hunter.

Pros:
The Jagras Raider has a lot of good going for it. Reasonably decent Effective Raw damage, and blue sharpness, meaning strong hits early game. It's also the only Exhaust Phial Switch Axe in the game, meaning you can tire out the monster quickly. With this, if you get the skill "Awakening", you can use the Sleep element the weapon has hidden, and sleep with exhaust is a VERY tired monster. It also has a healthy amount of slot space for any skills you want to gem in with decorations, and if you ever find the need to reach that point, with it being rarity 6, you can get 3 augmentations, giving you a lot of wiggle room for upgrades.

Cons:
The weakest meta Switch Axe. Really, this should only be used until story is completed at most. Can only reach blue sharpness, and has no power phial. Other Axes from the Bone Tree are much stronger and are only a little harder to make.

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Name	Dying Light
Rarity	8
Raw	700
Effective Raw	258
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon (150)
Elderseal	High
Slots	[1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Dying Light, aka, Baby's First Dragon Switch Axe. Coming from the Iron Axe Tree, and made from Nergigante parts, the flagship monster of World, this Axe boasts high elderseal and decent dragon element, fitting for a Nergigante Weapon.

Pros:
Dying Light is the best Dragon Switch Axe to obtain. While other Switch Axes, like Vaal Hazak's "Hazak Demios II" feature the same raw and more dragon element, Dying Light deals more damage with the sole fact that it has a power phial. While it can't reach white sharpness, it has a lot of blue to make up for it, giving you more time to hack'n'slash, and less time needing to worry about sharpness.
Other bonuses are dragon element, which can help with taking down elders, as well as high elderseal, and can quickly take elders out of their auras (Teostra's burning aura, Kushala's black wind, etc).

Cons:
Can never reach white sharpness, meaning you're stuck with blue. Past this, not really any other downsides.

Bone Tree

The other base upgrade tree is the Bone Tree. Bone Tree Switch Axes have much higher raw damage than their Ore Tree cousins, allowing them to hit much harder. However, Bone Tree Switch Axes tend to have lower affinity, meaning it can be difficult to get good going crit-meta mixsets. They also are a bit harder to obtain, bones usually are gained from killing a lot more monsters than Ore Tree, and they can also be more expensive to make and upgrade, money-wise.




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Name	Barroth Grinder III
Rarity	6
Raw	735
Effective Raw	256.5
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	-20%
Element	Paralysis (300)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[2] [1]
Defense	15
Phial	Paralysis

Tarroth Grinder is the first heavy-hitting Switch Axe players usually strive for, due it's it's high damage and its strong paralysis. The weapons allows for heavy hits and monster immobilization.

Pros:
Being from the Bone Tree, this Axe has higher raw than those of the Iron Tree, meaning more damage earlier on in the game. This weapon also features being the only Paralysis Phial Switch Axe in the game, meaning paralysis will come to you as you hack away in Sword form. Barroth Grinder III also has a hidden paralysis of 300, meaning if you use the skill "Awakening", you can get even higher boosts in paralysis. However, if paralysis isn't your main draw, "Non-Elemental Boost" can turn this weapon into a stronger powerhouse, giving it an Effective Raw of 269.04, while still being able to paralyze monsters.
Smaller bonuses include a level 2 slot and a level 1 slot, allowing for more skills to be gemmed in, three augmentation slots, and a nice +15 defense boost, great for earlier game. The weapon is also made from Barroth parts, making it the easiest "meta" Switch Axe to make.

Cons:
The weapon has lower sharpness, the highest it can go without the skill "Handicraft" is Blue, meaning less multipliers for damage. There is also a -20% Affinity Boost, meaning you will need to augment this weapon with a level of Affinity, so it can reach -5%. Also, it may be harder to make for newer players due to needing Diablos and Nergigante pieces, though an investigation or two can vastly help this process. The weapon also is the weakest of the "meta" Switch Axes, and can easily outplaced by other Switch Axes in terms of Effective Raw Damage, or even Paralysis.

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Name	Axe of Demons
Rarity	8
Raw	805
Effective Raw	271.95
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	-30%
Element	Ice (180)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[1]
Defense	15
Phial	Power

The Axe of Demons, a name rightly given to this beast of a Switch Axe. Made from Black Diablos parts and a splash of Xeno'jiiva, this bad boy has the highest natural raw on a switch axe in the game.

Pros:
Axe of Demons deals the most damage of any Switch Axe in the game, being able to take down monsters quickly using the strength of the diablos it's made from. On top of it's naturally high raw, it also boasts a power phial, further increasing it's strength to a mighty 272. Heck, throwing on "Non-Elemental Boost" boosts it's strength even more, hitting 285.27 effective raw. With Handicraft +4, you can reach 313.8, a strong weapon for High Rank.
Minor bonuses include hidden ice element (which isn't worth getting, don't bother), a lone 1 slot for a deco, good choice would be the attack deco the 2nd Fleet Commander gives you, and a quaint little +15 defense boost.

Cons:
Low sharpness. It takes Handicraft +4 to even kiss white sharpness, meaning you'll need to build some sharpness-driven mixsets to really utilize the weapon to it's full potential. Also with it's low affinity, an Affinity augment would only get you to -15% affinity, and really, the only augment worth using with the Axe of Demons. Coupled with the fact you get only one augmentation on it, crit-driven sets will not work well for this goliath.

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Name	Power Smasher II
Rarity	6
Raw	665
Effective Raw	252.25
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	10%
Element	n/a
Elderseal	Average
Slots	[3]
Defense	10
Phial	Dragon 420

Power Smasher II is a weapon I feel was over looked by many (including myself). It is a fairly strong Switch Axe, and is the unique holder of the Dragon Phial. I had overlooked it and it's phial, but after looking into the at-the-time World Record Speedrun for [EX] Behemoth, I had found out why Power Smasher II is such a strong Switch Axe. His video has, unfortunately, been removed from Youtube.
This is also the Switch Axe featured in the Witcher 3 collab quest, "Contract: Trouble in the Ancient Forest".

Pros:
Power Smasher II's biggest pro is that it holds the Dragon Phial. This allows the weapon to not only apply dragon element, but also utilize "Non-Elemental Boost", giving it a healthy 275.52 effective raw.
According to だるまゆき, the holder of the at-the-time record, he used Power Smasher II due to it having a lot of customizability, and being able to apply dragon element. This weapon not only boasts a good effective raw and dragon element, it also has a 3 slot, as well as 3 augmentation slots.

Cons:
Only goes to blue sharpness, and lower effective raw than other weapons. Also, it has no power phial, meaning sword form deals less damage.

DLC Trees

This section is for DLC Weapons. Essentially, any Switch Axes that were added after the base game was released. This section, however, does not cover Kulve Taroth weapons, as that is a separate section.

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Name	Terror Tyrannos
Rarity	7
Raw	770
Effective Raw	264.38
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	-25%
Element	Dragon (180)
Elderseal	High
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Terror Tyranos, made from the fearsome Deviljho, a king of carnivores. This Switch Axe is, if anything, a straight upgrade of Dying Light, Nergigante's Switch Axe, in almost every way.

Pros:
As stated, this is Dying Light 2.0: Brute Wyvern Addition. This axe has a high effective raw, much higher than Nerg's, as well as higher dragon element, and can be reach white sharpness with just "Handicraft +1". Combo that with "Sharpness", and you get 60 seconds of high damage output but a really cool looking Switch Axe.
It also boasts high elderseal, making this a better choice for fighting elders than Dying Light. Can also get two augments, allowing a bit of flexibility.

Cons:
Has no slots, meaning it may be a tad bit harder to make strong mixsets. Also, has a -25% affinity, making your only real augment choice Affinity. Some may also consider Deviljho to be a rather difficult monster, thus making this axe harder to obtain than Dying Light for some.

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Name	Empress Axe "Ruin"
Rarity	8
Raw	665
Effective Raw	270.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Blast (150)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[2] [2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Empress Axe "Ruin", one of two Lunastra Switch Axes I'll be bringing up. This one is the unholy matrimony of a Lunastra and Nergigante, allowing the weapon to have the skill "Hasten Recovery", usually given as the set bonus from Nergigante's armor.

Pros:
This weapon has natural white sharpness, giving it an already strong lead over any previously mentioned Switch Axe. The blast damage this weapon gives also gives quick bursts of damage over time, and can help stagger monsters, allowing you and your hunting team a few more seconds to attack.
The weapon also has two level 2 slots, allowing you to put in a lot of good skills for mix sets. This weapon can also be used more effectively in mix sets that use "Master's Touch", the meta skill for blademasters, giving a bit of flexibility.
Before Defender Weapons were added, this was considered the best Switch Axe to start off Iceborne with.

Cons:
Hasten Recovery is not that great of a skill, with a cool down between hits in order to give an extremely small healing boost.

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Name	Empress Axe "Styx"
Rarity	8
Raw	630
Effective Raw	263.83
Sharpness	White
Affinity	10%
Element	Blast (240)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3] [3]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Empress Axe "Styx", the latter of two Lunastra Switch Axes I'm going to mention. This one is the unholier matrimony of a Lunastra and Xeno'jiiva, giving the weapon the everpowerful "Razor Sharp" skill.

Pros:
"Razor Sharp" is the biggest pro this weapon has. Switch Axe can eat through sharpness fairly quick, and "Razor Sharp" helps keep the pain train going for much, much longer. The two 3 slots on the axe also give you room for extra decos you'd need for strong mixes, as well as a natural 10% affinity boost, when with an Affinity Augment, a powerful 25% affinity.
While not a huge deal, the 240 Blast can also be helpful in breaking parts.
Due to Razor Sharp, it's possible to also make effective mixsets without needing "Master's Touch".

Cons:
Less Effective Raw than it's little sister, "Ruin". The "Razor Sharp" skill is also overkill when combined with "Master's Touch", the meta blademaster skill of World.

Kulve Taroth: Wave 1

This next section will be about Kulve Taroth Switch Axes. I've put this in a seperate section because Kulve Taroth weapon drop rates are extremely RNG-based. So, you may not even be able to get one of these when Kulve comes around.

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Name	Taroth Axe "Horn"
Rarity	7
Raw	805
Effective Raw	271.95
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	-30%
Element	Ice (240)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	25
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "Horn", considered one of the best Switch Axes in the base game. Which, it technically can be, seeing as it's the Axe of Demons with a solid gold paint job.

Pros:
Some consider Horn to be an upgrade of Axe of Demons. It has a little bit more defense, and two augments. "Non-Elemental Boost" brings it's Effective Raw to 285.27, just like Axe of Demons. It also looks much flashier with the gold plating.

Cons:
Same cons as Axe of Demons. However, it doesn't have a slot like Axe of Demons, so for it to be an "official" direct upgrade, you would need to augment in a slot. I also has two augment slots instead of one.

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Name	Taroth Axe "Sleep"
Rarity	8
Raw	665
Effective Raw	246
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Sleep (360)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	20
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "Sleep" is considered an upgrade of Jagras Raider III. While losing it's Exhaust Phial, it gains harder hits with it's new Power Phial.

Pros:
Ultimately, a direct upgrade of Jagras Raider III. A power phial already means more damage, as well as being able to unlock white sharpness. Also, with "Awakening" you can apply a lot more sleep to a monster. It can also boost to white sharpness with "Handicraft +2".

Cons:
The biggest weaknesses of "Sleep" are that it loses a 2 slot, which means less deco options, and losing two augments. A bit harder to customize mixes for this weapon.

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Name	Taroth Axe "Paralysis"
Rarity	8
Raw	735
Effective Raw	270
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Paralysis (450)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	25
Phial	Power

Personally, I think this is one of the strongest Kulve Taroth Switch Axes. Not only can it be used with "Awakening" to make the strongest paralysis Switch Axe in the game, you can switch out "Awakening" with "Non-Elemental Boost" turning it into an extremely hard hitter of a Switch Axe.

Pros:
As stated, this is one of the best paralysis Switch Axe in the base game, easily beating out Barroth Grinder III. This will need the skill "Awakening" to utilize, however, "Non-Elemental Boost" can boost it's effective raw damage to 283.2, easily beating out Barroth Grinder III in terms of both paralysis and damage. "Paralysis" also has a 3 slot, allowing for a bit of flexibility in mixsets.

Cons:
The only con with "Paralysis" is that it's stuck at blue sharpness, and requires "Awakening +3" to fully unleash it's powerful Paralysis.

Kulve Taroth: Wave 2

"Wave 2" is referred to the first update Kulve Taroth got to her weapon drop table on August 13th, 2018. This update added 14 new weapons, one for each weapon class. On January 4th, 2019, PC Monster Hunter World also had received these weapons.

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Name	Taroth Axe "Water"
Rarity	8
Raw	700
Effective Raw	258
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Water (480)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	20
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "Water" was argued for being the strongest Switch Axe in base game World. Relying only on RNG to obtain, it is one of the best effective raw Switch Axes, not only from Kulve, but in all of High Rank.

Pros:
From what I can tell, "Water" can be a very easy-to-mix weapon. It has a built in 3 slot decoration spot, allowing you to use "Non-Elemental Boost" right out the gate, giving you a boosted 270 Effective Raw. Wear a "Handicraft +3" charm, and you can boost it further to 310.2 Effective Raw. Mix those in with some strong armor pieces, and you can get a very beefy damage dealer. An Affinity Augment can boost it's Effective Raw to 297, making it even stronger.

Cons:
Requires "Handicraft +3" to gain white sharpness, meaning making mixsets can be trickier to make.

Kulve Taroth: Wave 3 (Element)

In Monster Hunter World, there is a special event quest type called "Arch Tempered", where Elder Dragons are even stronger, gain more attacks, and give better armor. On December 21st, Kulve Taroth got her 3rd Wave of weapons, and Arch Tempered status, giving her not only new armor, but new weapons as well. These weapons had built-in skills, namely "Crit Element" and "Crit Status", depending on what the element was for the weapon.
This section is for Elemental weapons, due to Steam Guide formatting and space limits.

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Name	Kjárr Axe "King"
Rarity	8
Raw	665
Effective Raw	258.3
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	20%
Element	Fire (300)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Normally, Switch Axe users shouldn't prioritize element when it comes to choosing a power Switch Axe. However, with the built in skill "Crit Element", element becomes much more viable. And while all five of the elemental Wave 3 Switch Axes have this skill, only Kjárr Axe "King" is the hardest hitting elemental Switch Axes of Wave 3.

Pros:
Extremely high fire element damage. While normally this doesn't mean much, as most monsters don't have severe fire weaknesses, this weapon will hit much harder on those that are weak to fire. Plus, Crit Element built into the weapon, which stacks with the Power Element phial, means that you'll be dealing a lot more fire damage.
Elemental damage aside, with the right set, this weapon can reach an effective raw of 430.58, making it a hard hitter, even on monsters that resist fire damage.
This SA is also credited with being a powerful Ancient Leshen slayer when comboed with Master's Touch and Weakness Exploit, allowing you to deal massive damage quickly to the monster.

Cons:
Doesn't have a power phial, meaning weaker attacks in Sword Form. Also, many consider fire to be the worst element due to many monsters resisting it to a degree, and many monsters that are weak to it are early game monsters.

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Name	Kjárr Axe "Water"
Rarity	8
Raw	665
Effective Raw	222.23
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	15%
Element	Water (360)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Kjarr Axe "Water" is a healthy alternative to Taroth Axe "Water" in terms of elemental damage, and arguably, the best Water SA to choose from. Due to it's heavy elemental damage coming from Crits, when mixed an already strong Crit Meta Mixset, can deal massive damage to monsters, especially those weak to water.

Pros:
It's largest pro is the built in skill, "Critical Element", which allows critical hits to deal additional elemental damage. Also, due to it's elemental damage being based off of crits, the already strong crit meta mixes lets you to use element while still landing heavy hits. This allows it to be extremely strong against water weak monsters, like Teostra, while dealing more raw damage.

Cons:
To really get it's full power at white sharpness, you'll need Handicraft +2. Also, it relies heavily on critical hits, meaning you'll more than likely need end game gear, such as Drachen or Gamma, which are quite difficult to obtain. This weapon is also significantly weaker than most when used against monsters that have little water resistance, making it more situational.
Also, due to a lack of Power Phial, this weapon will deal much less damage than others.

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Name	Kjárr Axe "Thunder"
Rarity	8
Raw	595
Effective Raw	253.56
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Thunder (330)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Name	Kjárr Axe "Stream"
Rarity	8
Raw	595
Effective Raw	253.56
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Ice (330)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

This special section here is shared by both Kjarr Axe "Stream" and Kjarr Axe "Thunder", due to them sharing the exact same stats, save for element (ice and thunder, respectively).

Pros:
"Stream" and "Thunder" are heavily considered Switch Axe's Kulve slayers, with "Thunder" being used for Phases 1 through 3, and "Stream" being used for Phase 4. They boast the best thunder and ice elemental for SA, and can be used with crit meta mixes, allowing for high elemental damage output. Another bonus being that a majority of monsters in World have either ice or thunder weaknesses to a degree, allowing them to be much for useful as all arounder-type weapons.
They also boast a natural white sharpness, allowing much for freedom with mixes.

Cons:
Their largest cons are their low base damage outputs. When used without a high affinity, or against monsters with low resistance to ice and thunder, their performance significantly drops, also making them the weakest meta SAs from Kulve's Wave 3.
They are also more niche to Kulve Taroth due to her weaknesses to both elements. While many monsters are weak to some degree to either ice and thunder, other weapons excel in pure damage than these two due to the damage increases from Non Elemental Boost and Power Phials.

Kulve Taroth: Wave 3 (Status)

In Monster Hunter World, there is a special event quest type called "Arch Tempered", where Elder Dragons are even stronger, gain more attacks, and give better armor. On December 21st, Kulve Taroth got her 3rd Wave of weapons, and Arch Tempered status, giving her not only new armor, but new weapons as well. These weapons had built-in skills, namely "Crit Element" and "Crit Status", depending on what the element was for the weapon.

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Name	Kjárr Axe "Paralysis"
Rarity	8
Raw	700
Effective Raw	264.45
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	10%
Element	Paralysis 330
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

While Kjárr Axe "Paralysis" doesn't have a high raw or high paralysis like it's little brother, Tarroth Axe "Paralysis", it can do what it's little brother can't: Have both high raw AND high paralysis at the same time, allowing for both power and para in one weapon.

Pros:
The biggest pro about this weapon is it's ability to have high paralysis and high raw damage without needing "Awakening". Taroth Axe "Paralysis", can either have an effective set for being a raw-based weapon, or a paralysis-based weapon, and not both at the same time. It's effective raw is 264.45, the same as Terror Tyrannos, and coupled with the right set can boost this weapon to an Effective Raw of 433.44.
However, the big seller for this weapon is the built-in "Critical Status" skill. This skill increases the chance you can apply abnormal statuses to a monster with each critical hit. If you get a set with 100% Affinity, you greatly increase the chances of applying said abnormal status.
Overall, this weapon combines both high attack power, with moderate paralysis application, resulting in a strong, crippling weapon.
With the right mixset, this Switch Axe can deal more damage than an awakened Taroth Axe "Paralysis", meaning more damage, for less paralysis. "Master's Touch" is also unnecessary, as while it can't reach white sharpness, it has at least 90 hits worth of blue sharpness, allowing more freedom in making mixsets.
Also, thanks to how Arch Tempered Kulve Taroth works, this Switch Axe can be easier to obtain than other Kulve Taroth Switch Axes.

Cons:
Deals less damage than other Kulve Taroth Switch Axes, due to not being able to reach white sharpness, as well as having a lower, natural effective raw and paralysis.

DLC Tree: Defender

On December 5th, 2019, Defender Weapons were added to Monster Hunter: World. The purpose of these weapons were to add weapons that new players could use to get through Low Rank and High Rank quickly, to get to Master Rank's content in the Iceborne Expansion.
Fun fact: the Defender armor and weapons are used in Monster Hunter Frontier, to help players reach G-Rank (the old name for Master Rank), to get to the big bulk of the game.

==========================================================================

Name	Defender Switch Axe V
Rarity	7
Raw	770
Effective Raw	310.2
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Blast 300
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

As stated, the Defender Switch Axe tree was added to help push players along through Low and High Ranks, to reach the Master Rank portion of the game. While it is not the strongest Switch Axe, it still is a very powerful weapon to use.

Pros:
Defender Switch Axe V is a very formidable, with a lot of good going for it. It has a very high natural dame, comparable to the Terror Tyrannos, deviljho's Switch Axe. It has the same raw, 770, but better affinity, and natural white sharpness, putting it at a much higher level than what is considered one of the strongest Switch Axes. It also has 300 Blast, meaning you'll get a few extra bursts of damage, making it stronger than Empress Axe "Ruin", another extremely powerful Switch Axe. It takes two very strong Switch Axes, and combines them.
The next big thing about this Switch Axe is that it is extremely easy to make, locked only behind story progression. Requiring only 1 Iron Ore, 1 Anjanath Scale, 1 Commendation, 1 Pink Rathian Scale, and 1 Nergigante Regrowth Plate, making it the easiest Switch Axe to craft.

Cons:
The first big weakness to Defender Switch Axe V is that it has no affinity, sitting at a 0% affinity. The second major weakness is no slots. Take these two traits and it limits mixed sets that you can use. However, both of these can be ignored, as it's still a strong switch axe with both of these downsides.

Iceborne: Ore Tree - Power Phials

With Iceborne, Ore Tree Switch Axes have not lost their perks from base game World. However, Iceborne brought with it too many Iron Tree Switch Axes to keep in one section, due to Steam limits. So, I've separated each segment by the phial type.






==========================================================================

Name	Ruinous Light
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	402.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon 210
Elderseal	High
Slots	[1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Fitting that the Eater of Elder's Switch Axe is top dog once again, arguably one of the best Switch Axes in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne.

Pros:
Ruinous Light boasts an extremely high raw, at 1015, and an equally high white sharpness. Not needing handicraft, or arguably Master's Touch, to stay afloat, this Switch Axe holds a lot of power in an easy to use package.

Cons:
Really, the biggest con is the rarity for augmentation. Due to how augmentation works, higher rarity means less augmentation slots. The weapon also can't reach purple sharpness, but this can be ignored. The biggest limitation, however, is that you need to be at least MR100 to fight Ruiner Nergigante, making it locked behind MR.

==========================================================================

Name	Silver Rathbringer
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	395.01
Sharpness	White
Affinity	20%
Element	Fire 300
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Made from the Silver King of the Skies, Silver Rathbringer brings Silver Rathalos' burning power to Switch Axe.

Pros:
Silver Rathbringer is the strongest fire element switch axe in World. It has a high, natural effective raw at 395.01, but when boosted to purple sharpness, increases to 415.96, a massive boost in strength. With Fire Attack +6, you can boost your fire element to 460. Combine that with a natural 20% affinity and 415.96 effective raw, you can eat through anything weak to fire.

Cons:
To awaken it's true power, you need Handicraft +3 and Fire Attack +6, making it much more niche. It also benefits heavily from True Critical Element, making it even more niche. It also requires hunting Silver Rathlos, one of the fiercest end game monsters in Iceborne, making it harder to craft.

==========================================================================

Name	Golden Crescent
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	417.7
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Poison 390
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Golden Crescent is considered the best status switch axe in game, due to it's extremely high raw and sharpness, as well as bonus damage over time with poison. It is heavily debated if it's better than Ruinous Light or not.

Pros:
It has a high raw of 1015, and high white sharpness, as well as 390 poison. This makes it out to be a dangerous weapon for long-term fights, with bonus damage over time. It also has 15% affinity, making Master's Touch a more viable choice skill.

Cons:
The biggest con is when it's compared to Ruinous Light, which is lack of elder seal. Elder Seal in Iceborne has been greatly buffed, meaning that certain elder dragon fights where elderseal helps greatly, such as kushala daora, may be a bit harder. It also is considered an extremely difficult weapon to craft, due to require Golden Surspikes, only carvable from Gold Rathian's tail. It's Rairty 12 also means it has less augmentation slots.

Iceborne: Ore Tree - Element Phials

In the past, Element Phials have fallen short in terms of damage due to element always being weak. However, with element damage changes in Iceborne, element phial is much more viable, in some cases, being even an alternative choice to power phial switch axes.

==========================================================================

Name	Hector Glacia
Rarity	11
Raw	840
Effective Raw	336.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Ice 540
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Hector Glacia is the Power Element Phial choice for an ice-based switch axe. A great choice against monsters weak to ice.

Pros:
What it lacks in raw, it makes up for in element. It's 540 element is extremely powerful, even without Ice Attack +5. With Attack +5, you boost up to 1000 Ice Element, capable of freezing anything scared of the cold. With Handicraft +2, you can boost into purple sharpness, giving you an effective raw of 354.45, a nice boost to damage.

Cons:
It's more niche, requiring more specific skills, Handicraft and Ice Attack. It also only is really effective towards monsters weak to ice, limiting your choice of target. This, however, can be ignored due to the sheet amount of monsters weak to ice.

==========================================================================

Name	Thundercleave II
Rarity	11
Raw	875
Effective Raw	349.8
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Thunder 420
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[2][1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Thundercleave II is the best power phial thunder switch axe in Iceborne, giving more damage to it's sword form, especially in amped state.

Pros:
Thundercleave II has a pretty good raw, and natural white sharpness, giving it a cutting edge in fights. It's bonus 420 Thunder Element also helps deal more damage to monsters, especially those weak to thunder. With Handicraft +4, you can reach purple sharpness, raising the effective raw to 368.35. With Thunder Attack +5, you can boost to Thunder 810, a great choice to have for when dealing with Thunder-Weak Monsters. It also has a lvl 2 slot, a nice little bonus.

Cons:
You need Handicraft +4 to reach purple sharpness, making it much harder to get and keep purple sharpness. It also requires zinogre parts, a late game monster, which some consider to be a harder fight. It also is not the strongest damage dealer, meaning it can be easily outdone by other switch axes.

==========================================================================

Name	Deep Lagoon II
Rarity	10
Raw	840
Effective Raw	336.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Water 540
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

I try to keep these little segments before the "Pros" and "Cons" formal, and maybe even a little inspiring, if not cheesy. But Deep Lagoon II is such a powerful Switch Axe, that I just can't be formal about this Switch Axe.

Pros:
Deep Lagoon II is the embodiment of water element, almost as if Neptune and Poseidon worked together with Atlaua, Orisis, and Yamata no Orochi to make this switch axe. On the surface, it has 540 Water Element, which isn't anything too crazy. However, with it being a Rare 10 Weapon, it can get more augments than other switch axes, and with Water Attack +6, you can have Deep Lagoon II reach 1380 Water Element. Combine that with it's Power Element Phial, and you can physically drown any monster with a weakness to water.
It's also extremely easy to make, augments aside, and can reach purple sharpness with Handicraft +1.

Cons:
It's a much weaker switch axe physically, but makes up significantly for this through element. However, this weapon is terribly against monsters immune to water, such as Great Jagras (for whatever reason), Kushala Daoara, Namielle, the Pukeis, and a few others, so it's limited to those weak to water.
A personal con I have is that the augments take away the lovely coral pukei feathers, making it look like a bazelguese weapon.

Iceborne: Ore Tree - Exhaust Phials

Finally, Exhaust Phials! Exhaust Phials have, unfortunately, never been great in the series as a whole, usually just downgrades to other Switch Axes. However, Iceborne has come through, and has made one of the arguably worst phials into a competitor to power.

==========================================================================

Name	Accursed Raider
Rarity	11
Raw	980
Effective Raw	360.2
Sharpness	White
Affinity	-30%
Element	Sleep (270)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[1]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Exhaust 300

A Switch Axe made from the mighty Brute Tigrex, an end game monster known for it's brute force and many roars. It also gives exhaust phials a strong push in competing with power and element phials.

Pros:
Accursed Raider on the surface is not very strong, but when given tender love and care, can be quite the powerhouse. With Handicraft, it's sharpness can be boosted to purple, raising it's effective raw to 379.3. While still not as strong as other end game switch axes, it's biggest perk is it's sleep and exhaust. With Awakening 3, you have access 270 sleep status, which is now being considered better than paralysis with the addition of the clutch claw. Sprinkle on exhaust phials, combined with switch axe's exhaust effects in Power Axe form, leaves the monster wide open for attacks. Work's great in groups.

Cons:
Accursed Raider is not the physically strongest of switch axes, have a lower damage output than others, as well as not having a power phial, meaning less damage in sword form. It also needing Handicraft and Awakening to fully use's power, making it more niche. To top it off, it has a -30% affinity, meaning it requires a niche mix set to full use it's strengths.

Iceborne: Bone Tree

Bone Tree, surprisingly, has been dethroned for being the best provider for strong Switch Axes, as many bone SAs from base World are quickly outclassed.








==========================================================================

Name	Wicked Niddoq
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	376.2
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Ice 300
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

The flapship weapon of Iceborne, Wicked Niddoq was featured in many promotional images for Iceborne, and was wielded by internet model Vampy Bit Me, who wore a matching suit of velkhana armor.

Pros:
Wicked Niddoq is the one of the best Ice Element Power Phial Switch Axe in Iceborne, featuring a high raw, and decent ice element. With only Handicraft +1, you can reach purple and boost the effective raw to 396.15. It also comes with a level 4 deco slot, great for adding in a few extra skills.

Cons:
In terms of element damage, it's rather weak, with Ice Attack +5 only boosting Ice element to 430. This means an early mentioned Switch Axe, Hector Glacia, would be a better choice for monsters weak to ice.

==========================================================================

Name	Deathedge Vaal Demios
Rarity	11
Raw	875
Effective Raw	349.8
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon 510
Elderseal	Average
Slots	[2][2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

While in base game World, Vaal Hazak weapons are rather subpar, Deathedge Vaal Demios gives the weapon much better combat capabilties.

Pros:
Deathedge Vaal Demios is a heavily element-driven switch axe, boasting a 510 Dragon element. When combined with Dragon Element +6, boosts it's element to 710 Dragon, amazing for taking down monsters weak to dragon element. While it's out shined by Ruinous Light in terms of raw damage, it's an excellent alternative until you're able to fight Ruiner Nergigante at MR99. It also features two level 2 deco slots, meaning you have extra room for meta skills such as crit boost or weakness exploit.

Cons:
The biggest con is that Deathedge has a weaker overall damage output on anything not weak to dragon element. It also cannot reach purple sharpness, but this also means you can focus on other skills than handicraft. Deathedge also has lower elderseal, meaning it won't be as effect against elder dragons.

==========================================================================

Name	Acidic Smasher II
Rarity	11
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	366
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	0%
Element	Paralysis (390)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

While Acidic Smasher II isn't a brute powerhouse like many other switch axes, it still can hold it's own when compared to other switch axes.

Pros:
Acid Smasher is tied for highest raw in base Iceborne, with 1015 raw. It is considerably easier to make than Ruinous Light and Golden Crescent, the hardest to obtain materials being Vaal Hazak Hardclaws from Blackveil Vaal Hazak. At Handicraft 3, you can boost Acid Smasher II to white sharpness, boosting it's effective raw to 402.6, and at Handicraft 5, you can boost it to purple sharpness, giving it an effective raw of 423.95, making it the strongest out of the "1015 Gang" in Switch Axes. With Awakening 3, you can also give it an extra 390 Paralysis, allowing you to lock down monsters. It also has a strong combo of a Lvl 4 deco slot and no negative affinity, a rare trait for Bone Tree Weapons.

Cons:
The biggest con for this weapon is it's sharpness. It needs Handicraft 5 to have it reach full potential, and even, gives only 10 hits in purple, requiring Master's Touch or Protective Polish to keep it going. Awakening 3 is also needed to gain the extra paralysis, requiring a more niche mix.

Iceborne: Dragonbone Tree

The Dragonbone Tree is a special tree that includes weapons made from elderdragon parts. Base game World did not provide anything worth while, but Iceborne adds a few new Switch Axes that really shake things up.






==========================================================================

Name	Archbeast Kirin
Rarity	11
Raw	840
Effective Raw	336.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Thunder 540
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Archbeast Kirin is formed from the horns of the mystical kirin, and is an excellent choice for monsters weak to thunder.

Pros:
Archbeast Kirin is an excellent alternative to Thundercleave II. While slightly weaker in raw power, it does better in terms of elemental damage, comboed with the fact it has a power element phial, giving it an extra kick in fights with monsters weak to thunder. With Thunder Attack +5, you can boost it's Thunder element to 750, eating through your prey with ease. It also is easier to make, as many find kirin to be an extremely easy monster to hunt.

Cons:
In terms of raw power, it's weaker than Thundercleave II, meaning it only use is really against thunder-weak monsters. It also can't reach purple sharpness, further hindering it.

==========================================================================

Name	Black Strobila
Rarity	12
Raw	980
Effective Raw	404
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Water (270)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Black Strobila is a beautiful Switch Axe made from the fearsome Namielle, and is a wonderous trophy of a weapon for those who have conquered the Coral Highlands.

Pros:
While it's raw on the surface doesn't look as strong as others, it's effective raw is a beefy 404, naturally making it a strong contender against other Switch Axes. It also has a high white sharpness, allowing it to stay afloat without needing skills like Handicraft and Protective Polish. It has a decent Water Element of 270, giving it a strong boost against monsters weak against the element. Finally, it has a kiss of affinity, 15%, allowing skills like Master's Touch to be more applicable.

Cons:
The biggest con of this weapon is making it. It requires Namielle parts, a fearsome Elderdragon that many players find to be a difficult hunt, due to the intensity of it's fight. It also can't reach purple sharpness, but this can be ignored.

==========================================================================

Name	Evanescent Glow
Rarity	12
Raw	980
Effective Raw	389.4
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon (510)
Elderseal	High
Slots	[1] [1]
Defense	30
Phial	Power

Evanescent Glow is a switch forged from the mighty Shara Ishvalda, the final boss of Iceborne's main story. It is as powerful as Shara itself, and all it's Hindu mythos that comes with it.

Pros:
Like many Switch Axes, on the surface, it looks much weaker, with only an effective raw of 389.4. However, with Handicraft 3, it's sharpness jumps to purple, and it's effective raw jumps to 410.05, making it a hard hitter. With Awakening, you can also unlock it's fearsome 510 Dragon Element, comboed with it's High Elderseal, making a strong Elderdragon slayer. It's two level 1 deco slots, and +30 Defense are also just nice bonuses to have, making Evanescent Glow a strong all-around Elderslayer.

Cons:
Like many other Switch Axes, Handicraft and Awakening are needed to use Evanescent Glow to it's strongest. It also requires Shara Ishvalda parts, which many consider to be difficult to hunt. It also is not as strong as other Switch Axes, being weaker on the meta side of things.

Iceborne: Blacksteel Tree

The Blacksteel Tree has never brought good Switch Axes in World. However, with the Second Major Content Update on December 5th, 2019, a strong Switch Axe has been brought forth.

==========================================================================

Name	Xeno Martshu+
Rarity	12
Raw	980
Effective Raw	404
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Dragon 270
Elderseal	Low
Slots	[4][4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

While base game World's Xeno'jiiva Switch Axe was very underwhelming in terms of everything. However, it's Master Rank version gives it a lot of power to really push the weapon to being a strong choice.

Pros:
Right off the bat, it's biggest perks are it's two level 4 decoration slots. This means you can effortlessly slot in up to 4 bonus skills, which for Switch Axe could be Evasion, or Evade Extender, or even something like Attack +4. It also has a good effective raw at 404 and strong white sharpness. The bonus 15% Affinity, Dragon 270 and Elderseal are also just nice little bonus touches to this very strong weapon. It's great for making strong mixed sets.

Cons:
It's only real downside is that it's out damaged by other Switch Axes, as Ruinous Light, Golden Crescent, and the like can out damage it by a good amount. It also can't boost to Purple Sharpness, meaning it's stuck at white, and can't gain any bonus damage.

Iceborne: DLC Trees

As tradition, this section is for DLC Weapons. Essentially, any Switch Axes that were added after the Iceborne expansion was released. Safi'jiiva Weapons, while DLC, will be in a separate section, due to their complexity.

==========================================================================

Name	Undying Light
Rarity	12
Raw	1085
Effective Raw	438.9
Sharpness	Blue
Affinity	-15%
Element	Thunder 120
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

A switch axe made from the mighty Rajang, a monster know for going toe to toe with the likes of deviljho and kirin, usually coming out on top. It's Switch Axe matches it's terrifying strength, becoming the strongest Switch Axe in Iceborne.

Pros:
Undying Light is easily one of the strongest Switch Axes around. It's natural 1085 raw damage is nothing to be scoffed at, especially when comboed with a handicraft boosted white sharpness, making it a terrifying weapon. Add in it's level 4 deco slot, and the bonus 120 Thunder Element, and you have a Switch Axe fitting for someone who'd killed Rajang.

Cons:
It's only downside is the -15% affinity, which is negligible. It also requires you to hunt Tempered Rajang, a fearsome fight. It also needs Handicraft to get up to white sharpness.

==========================================================================

Name	Infernal Cleave-axe+
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	396.15
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon 300
Elderseal	Average
Slots	[2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

The big brother to Thundercleave II, made from the Hell Wolf himself, Stygian Zinogre. Just like stygian zinogre, Infernal Cleave-axe+ is a dragon alternative to Thundercleave II.

Pros:
Infernal Cleave-axe+ biggest draw is that it's the best dragon element switch axe until you unlock Ruiner Nergigante at MR100. It has a very nice effective raw at 396.15, easily being able to hit more than 400 effective raw, and 300 Dragon Element, making it a healthy choice for a dragon switch axe. It also gets a natural purple sharpness, and a little bonus level 2 deco slot.

Cons:
The biggest con is that this at best, a carry-over weapon. In terms of raw damage, it's outclassed by Ruinous Light, Ruiner Nergigante's switch axe, and is outclassed in terms of dragon element by Deathedge Vaal Demios, Blackveil Vaal Hazak's switch axe. However, both of these are locked behind either MR or Guiding Lands.

==========================================================================

Name	Royal Titan Axe
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	390.31
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Water (510)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

The Royal Titan Axe is a beautiful switch axe, in terms of power and design. It's also the fourth event switch axe in franchise, making this an amazing trophy switch axe to use.

Pros:
The first big perk is that it has a decent natural effective raw, at 390.31, which can be boosted to 411.01 with purple sharpness with only Handicraft +1. Next, it has a natural 15% affinity, which is a rare trait for strong switch axes, meaning it's easier to slide in higher affinity. Next, it has a water element of 510, although this would require Awakening +3 to be fully useful. Finally, the icing on the cake is the level 3 decoration slot, allowing you to put in an extra skill, more than likely Handicraft or Awakening.

Cons:
While it boasts the second highest water element of any switch axe, it unfortunately needs Awakening +3 to fully utilize this. Even then, it's element it easily beaten by Deep Lagoon II, an extremely easy switch axe to make. This then leaves it to raw damage, which is also outclassed by many others. Overall, a strong switch axe, but more a generalist's switch axe than a dedicated element or pure raw damage dealer.

Iceborne: DLC Trees (cont.)

Also as tradition, Steam limits each section to a certain amount of characters. Onto more DLC weapons!

==========================================================================

Name	Lightbreak Axe
Rarity	12
Raw	1050
Effective Raw	437.85
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	0%
Element	Blast 270
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[4][3]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

The Lightbreak Axe is an extremely powerful axe, reigning in the sheer power of a Raging Brachydios into a beautiful Switch Axe.

Pros:
Not counting Safi weapons, Lightbreak Axe is the strongest Switch Axe in the game. It has the highest natural raw at 1050, bringing it's effective raw to 437.85. It also has not only a level 4 slot, but also a level 3 slot, allowing for more flexibility with decos. It also has a bonus Blast 270, for extra damage, and some purple sharpness, allowing even more damage to be let lose. Truly a powerhouse of a weapon.

Cons:
While it does reach up to purple sharpness, Lightbreak Axe's largest downfall is that it has low sharpness, being able to only deal out a handful of hits before going down to blue. Handicraft or Master's Touch can aid with this, but this means less flexibility with mixed sets.

==========================================================================

Name	Demonlord Edge
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	439.85
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	15%
Element	Thunder 300
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Just as rajang has grown stronger with Furious, his switch axe also grows stronger, matching Furious Rajang's brutality.

Pros:
This is almost an upgrade to Undying Light. Demonlord Edge has 1015 Raw, tying it with Ruinous Light and Golden Crescent in terms of raw strength. However, it beats both, due to it's natural purple sharpness. It also boasts a Thunder 300 and 15% Affinity, giving it an even stronger edge. It is easily the best non-Safi Power Phial Switch Axe in the game.

Cons:
Compared to it's little brother, Undying Light, it has no level 4 slot. Other than that, not too many downsides.

==========================================================================

Name	Black Harvest
Rarity	12
Raw	980
Effective Raw	410.05
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon 660
Elderseal	Low
Slots	[2][2]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Alatreon's Switch Axe has, historically, been one of the best Switch Axes in every game Alatreon is present. In Iceborne, this is no different.

Pros:
Where to start with this beautiful Switch Axe. We'll start off with Black Harvest's decently high raw, starting at 980, as well as it's extremely high element, 660 Dragon, making it the highest element Switch Axe in the game. This can be further boosted with skills like Alatreon's Element Conversion Set Bonus, and Safi'jiiva's Dragonvein set bonus. If you play your cards right, you can hit over 2000 dragon element damage, making it the first Switch Axe in all of MH to even hit element that high. Combine it with with it's Power Element Phial, delicious, long lasting purple sharpness, and the bonus pair of Lvl 2 slots, you can get yourself a Switch Axe as deadly as Alatreon. I've seen this Axe also have a higher raw than Lightbreak Axe, Raging's Brachydios' Switch Axe, making it an all around powerhouse.

Cons:
The biggest con for most players, is the fact you have to slay Alatreon to get it. It is nowhere near an easy fight, and requires gems and wings, rare items obtained from Alatreon. And while this baby can hit well over 2000 Dragon Element, not many monsters are weak to Dragon, reducing it's elemental power significantly.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: DLC Trees (cont.)

Thanks, Steam text limits!
==========================================================================

Name	Moonstone Hoarfrost
Rarity	11
Raw	945
Effective Raw	411.01
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	15%
Element	Ice 480
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power Element

Moonstone Hoarfrost is an interesting Switch Axe in terms of stats, and while isn't the best Switch Axe for Ice Power Element, it honestly can give Kjárr Axe "Stream", one of Kulve Taroth's Switch Axes, a run for it's money.

Pros:
It starts off at Rarity 11, allowing for more augments, allowing you to sneak in an element augment. It also has a good raw of 945, and 480 Ice Element, which can hit pretty hard when comboed with it's natural 15% Affinity and it's Purple Sharpness. Plus, with it having a Power Element Phial, it means your elemental damage will be greatly increased. To top it off, a lot of monsters are weak to Ice, making this a very powerful choice for hunting, especially for those of you who aren't able to get Kjárr Axe "Stream" from Kulve.

Cons:
The first con is that while it does have natural Purple Sharpness, it's very short, needing either Master's Touch, or Protective Polish to maintain sharpness. Master's Touch would be exceptionally hard to fun, as this weapon get's a huge boost in element from Alatreon / Safi'jiiva Armor mixes. It's other weakness comes from that it has no slots for decorations, making mixset building a bit harder to pull off.

==========================================================================

Name	True Fatalis End
Rarity	12
Raw	1225
Effective Raw	469.3
Sharpness	Purple
Affinity	-30%
Element	Dragon 150
Elderseal	High
Slots	[4][4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

Fatalis is known by many as the monster of all monsters, having destroyed countless lives and empires. It's Switch Axe reflects the Black Dragon's power.

Pros:
This is straight up the strongest Switch Axe in the game. There's no if's, and's, or but's about it. It has the highest natural raw of any Switch Axe, with 1225 attack. This is also increased further with it's Power Phial, and 150 Dragon Element, with a bonus High Level Elderseal for dealing with any elders you're grinding. It also boasts natural purple sharpness and two level 4 decoration slots, allowing for you to deal a lot of damage with a lot of flexibility.
It's the Switch Axe to end all Switch Axes for World and Iceborne.

Cons:
It's only two weaknesses really are it's small amount of purple sharpness, and it's -30% affinity. Both of these, however, are negated by Fatalis' armor set bonus, Fatalis Legend. With Fatalis Legend, Max Might Secret is easy to get to negate the affinity, and the set's natural True Razor Sharp will negate the low sharpness. You can throw on a few Handicraft decorations as well for a little more purple as well.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: Safi'jiiva

On December 12th, 2019, Safi'jiiva's Siege was added to console versions of Iceborne, and brought with it, some of the strongest weapons in Iceborne. Similar to Monster Hunter Frontier's Tower Weapons, they are customizable, allowing hunters to change the weapon's stats to what suits them best.

==========================================================================

Name	Safi's Axe (see below)
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	380.9
Sharpness	White
Affinity	5%
Element	(see below)
Elderseal	(see below)
Slots	[4]
Defense	n/a
Phial	Power

As stated previously, Safi'jiiva's weapons are customizable, allowing you to change them to what you need. All base Switch Axes have the same base stats, raw, sharpness, slots, etc., with their only difference being their element or status.

Name	Element/Status	Additional Notes
Safi's Hellaxe	Fire 180	-
Safi's Aquaaxe	Water 180	-
Safi's Boltaxe	Thunder 180	-
Safi's Frostaxe	Ice 180	-
Safi's Drakaxe	Dragon 180	Has Average Elderseal
Safi's Bindaxe	Paralysis 180	Best paralysis Switch Axe
Safi's Dreamaxe	Sleep 180	-
Safi's Shatteraxe	Blast 240	Considered the strongest Switch Axe in game when upgraded and augmented correctly.
Safi's Venomaxe	Poison 240	Very strong in endgame.

But, how does this whole customization progress work? It's nothing like Kulve Taroth's grind! Well, this video here by Arekks Gaming does a better job explaining the process than I ever could in text, so I highly recommend giving it a watch:

If you wanted, you could grind out nine Safi Switch Axes, and make the best Switch Axes in Iceborne, but that can take quite some time, most folks saying it takes about one day to fully grind out a perfect weapon. So, you'd want to prioritize certain Switch Axes before others.

The first two you are going to want to work towards are Safi's Shatteraxe and Safi's Venomaxe. Both of these are extremely strong, as they use statuses that help with endgame grinding. Shatteraxe has a natural Blast 240, and Blast is used heavily for when grinding the Guiding Lands, due to it assisting greatly in breaking parts. Venomaxe has a natural Poison 240, and can help quickly kill monsters due to the damage over time poison can deal, as well as quite a few monsters being weak to poison. Both of these weapons also do increased damage to Safi'jiiva itself, thanks to Safi'jiiva being exceptionally weak to Blast and Poison.

The next two to focus on would be Bindaxe and Dreamaxe. Bindaxe has a natural Paralysis 180, and can be boosted into the best Paralysis Switch Axe in the game, allowing for tons of monster immobilization, similar to Taroth Axe "Paralysis" and Kjárr Axe "Paralysis" in base World. Dreamaxe has a natural Sleep 180, and like Bindaxe, can be used to keep a monster in place, and get a strong burst of damage with a wake-up attack. Dreamaxe can also combo well with the "Exhaust Phial" augmentation, which allows you to change your Phial from Power to Exhaust, and turn you into a Sleep/KO monster. The Exhaust VI upgrade has an Exhaust of 360, making it the best choice for tiring out monsters.

From there, any of the elemental Switch Axes should be next. Aquaaxe and Boltaxe in the first batch, due to no good Water and Thunder Power Phial Switch Axes, then Hellaxe, Frostaxe, and Drakaxe. Hellaxe, Frostaxe, and Drakaxe can easily be stronger than Silver Rathbringer, Wicked Nidoqq, and Ruinous Light, the current best Fire, Ice, and Dragon Power Phial Switch Axes, but if you're running low on time or energy grinding Safi'jiiva, these can be ignored or delayed to a later date. Power Element Phial Upgrades exist, however, there are much stronger Element Switch Axes to choose from, outside of Safi'jiiva's weapon pool.

At level 23, all Safi'jiiva weapons make a dramatic visual change.

Iceborne: Kulve Taroth - Gold

On April 22nd, 2020, Kulve was added to Master Rank, and brought with her upgrades to her High Rank weapons. Many of these weapons were, of course, game changers to the meta, and some were healthy alternatives to what is currently available.
Due to the length of how many Kulve Switch Axes are solid choices, the Kulve section will be split up into multiple sections, once again thanks to Steam loving to limit characters per section. Apologies if this section gets a bit hectic.
Gold, also called Gold Chopper or Chopper Gold, is the lowest tier of Kulve weapons.

==========================================================================

Name	Horn Gold Chopper
Rarity	10
Raw	945
Effective Raw	347.99
Sharpness	White
Affinity	-30%
Element	Ice (300)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	45
Phial	Power

Horn Gold Chopper is like an echo to the old glory day's of when Axe of Demons was the go-to Switch Axe.

Pros:
Horn Gold Chopper, as stated, is a strong hitter, bringing power similar to late game weapons, as early as MR24. With Non-elemental Boost, you can boost it's effective raw to 365.08, and with proper augments, you can boost this further to 405.71. It also has a natural white sharpness, making this the only Rare 10 Kulve Switch Axe worth using.

Cons:
It's biggest con is that it has a hefty -30% affinity, requiring extra tinkering to make it as effective. You can, however, boost past that without much issue. While having white sharpness, it has low white sharpness, needing handicraft, Master's Touch, or Protective Polish to maintain it's strength. Finally, it does rely on RNG to be able to get the base Horn Gold Chopper, either through fighting Kulve, or melding for her weapons. Luckily, it is a Rare 6, so obtaining it shouldn't be too difficult.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: Kulve Taroth - Taroth

Taroth weapons are the second "classification" of Taroth weapons, being better than Gold.

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "Decay"
Rarity	11
Raw	875
Effective Raw	349.8
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Dragon 390
Elderseal	Average
Slots	n/a
Defense	40
Phial	Power

While the weakest of the Taroth batch, it boasts similarities to Zinogre's Switch Axe, Thundercleave II.

Pros:
It's pros are simple, strong raw, natural white sharpness, it's a great early endgame weapon for dragon element, as stronger alternatives like Ruinous Light and Infernal Cleave-axe+ require MR100 or higher to obtain. It's bonus Elderseal and 40 defense are also great for early endgame as well.

Cons:
It really is an "early endgame" weapon, for right after killing Shara. It'll last for a while, but isn't a grand weapon that'll carry you forever. It's also locked behind RNG in obtaining.

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "Sleep"
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	402.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Sleep (480)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	40
Phial	Power

"Sleep" once again returns as a strong Switch Axe that gets slept on by many (please laugh).

Pros:
It's first big feature is it's natural 1015 Raw, matching it with Ruinous Light and Golden Crescent, two kingpins of Switch Axe. With Non-Element Boost, you can also buff it's true raw to 422.4, making it a strong choice. You can also Awaken it's 480 sleep instead of using Elementless to get a strong Sleep Switch Axe. Finally, it has a bonus Lvl 3 slot, and 40 defense, giving it some flexibility.

Cons:
Not too many cons, with this one. Really, it's Lvl 3 slot does get outclassed by later weapons boasting Lvl 4 slots, pushing this one aside in terms of flexibility. It's 40 bonus defense also becomes kind of useless as later game armors get extremely high defense as it's upgraded. It's also locked behind RNG in obtaining.

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "Thunder"
Rarity	12
Raw	910
Effective Raw	402.6
Sharpness	White
Affinity	10%
Element	Thunder (660)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	40
Phial	Power

"Thunder" is another strong Kulve Switch Axe, though it's strength doesn't need to come from just it's element.

Pros:
It has a natural 910 raw, which can be boosted to 1008, with 389.66 effective raw. You can also Awaken it to give it 660 Thunder, something not to scoff at. It also has 10% Affinity and bonus 40 defense, as well as a lvl 3 slot.

Cons:
It's first con is that it needs either Elementless or Awakening to a strong weapon of choice, limiting flexibility by quite a bit. It's bonus defense also doesn't mean a whole lot once you have higher defense armor. The Lvl 3 slot also gets outclassed by other weapons boasting Lvl 4 slots.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: Kulve Taroth - Taroth (cont.)

WIP Words

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "Horn"
Rarity	11
Raw	1085
Effective Raw	396.83
Sharpness	White
Affinity	-30%
Element	Ice (420)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	45
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "Horn" once again is a powerful go to Switch Axe, just like how it was when Kulve was first added.

Pros:
"Horn" is essentially an alternative to Rajang's Switch Axe, Undying Light. It has a strong 1085 Raw, with Elementless boosting it's effective raw to 416.36. It also has natural white sharpness, and a bonus 45 Defense, giving it a strong boost that's great for early game, since Rajang's Swith Axe requires MR100 to fully upgrade.

Cons:
The first con is it's -30% affinity, though affinity is not too difficult to boost in Iceborne. Ir will still, however, require a more specialized mix. It also has no slots, being outpaced there by other stronger weapons. Finally, it's white sharpness is low, requiring Master's Touch or Protective Polish to keep up.

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "King"
Rarity	11
Raw	945
Effective Raw	390.31
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Fire 390
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	40
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "King" originally wasn't going to make this list, until I saw it's better than Silver Rathlos' Switch Axe, Silver Rathbringer.

Pros:
It matches Silver's raw damage at 945, as well as boasts natural white sharpness. It also has higher element than Silver, at 390 Fire. Finally, it has a bonus 15% affinity, and gives an extra 40 defense, making it is a strong alternative, if not a better choice to Silver Rathbringer. It is the best choice for a Power Phial Fire Element Switch Axe for those wanting one without needing MR70.

Cons:
Continuing the trend of comparing it to Silver Rathbringer, the first big issue is while it has white sharpness, it has less white sharpness than Silver. "King" also lacks a Lvl 2 slot, and is short 5% affinity compared to Silver.

==========================================================================

Name	Taroth Axe "Water"
Rarity	12
Raw	1050
Effective Raw	415.8
Sharpness	White
Affinity	0%
Element	Water (660)
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	[3]
Defense	40
Phial	Power

Taroth Axe "Water" once again boasts being the strongest non-Kjárr Kulve Switch Axe, once again.

Pros:
First thing is it's high 1050 Raw, rivaling Raging Brachydios' Switch Axe, Lightbreak Axe. With Elementless, it boosts it's effective raw to 435.6, a higher effective raw than Lightbreak. With Awakening 3, you can also have it go down the route of utilizing it's 660 Water Element. It also has a bonus Lvl 3 slot, and 40 defense, a strong alternative to those who have yet to kill Raging Brachydios.

Cons:
It's Lvl 3 slot gets outclassed by anything with a more useful, Lvl 4 slot. It also has no natural affinity, but this can be easily fixed.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: Kulve Taroth - Kjárr

Kjárr is the highest tier for Kulve weapons, and for good reason. The Master Rank versions of these weapons completely changed the Meta of Iceborne. They made Power Element Phials the new meta, out damaging Power Phials, as well as encourage a much smarter play style.
You'll notice a pattern with Kjárr weapons, and some copy-pasting, cause it'll be for the most part, the same upsides and downsides per Kjárr.

==========================================================================

Name	Kjárr Axe "Decay"
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	385.61
Sharpness	White
Affinity	10%
Element	Dragon 450
Elderseal	Average
Slots	[1]
Defense	20
Phial	Power Element

"Decay" is the weakest of the Kjárr Switch Axes, but it still packs a powerful punch.

Pros:
The biggest pro is the natural Critical Element skill, allowing elemental hits to naturally crit. It also has a strong raw at 945, as well as a bonus 20 defense, Lvl 1 Slot, White Sharpness, and 10% Affinity. However, the biggest strength comes from it's Dragon Element, starting at 450, but can be boosted up to 820 with Dragon Element +6 and all element augments and upgrades. When boosted with Safi's Armor Set Bonus, True Dragonvein, it gets boosted to 970. Combined with Power Element Phial's natural element boost, crit element, and the fact just wearing the full armor set gives you a natural 50% Affinity boost, you're dealing massive damage to anything weak to Dragon.

Cons:
As strong as this is, there's two major downsides. The first being, only one monster has a high weakness to dragon, and that Nergigante and it's Variant, heavily limiting the usefulness of this set. It also heavily relies on using Dragonvein Awakening, which is a very high risk, high reward effect. It's also locked behind strict RNG, so obtaining this may be a struggle.

==========================================================================

Name	Kjárr Axe "Thunder"
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	390.31
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Thunder 510
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	20
Phial	Power Element

"Thunder" brings the power of Thor riding the Thunderbird that's been blessed by Zeus rigged to a car battery.

Pros:
The biggest pro is the natural Critical Element skill, allowing elemental hits to naturally crit. It also has a strong raw at 945, as well as a bonus 20 defense, White Sharpness, and 15% Affinity. However, the biggest strength comes from it's Thunder Element, starting at 510, but can be boosted up to 890 with Thunder Element +6 and all element augments and upgrades. When boosted with Safi's Armor Set Bonus, True Dragonvein, it gets boosted to 1040. Combined with Power Element Phial's natural element boost, crit element, and the fact just wearing the full armor set gives you a natural 55% Affinity boost, you're dealing massive damage to anything weak to Thunder.


Cons:
The biggest con is that it heavily relies on using Dragonvein Awakening, which is a very high risk, high reward effect. It's also locked behind strict RNG, so obtaining this may be a struggle.

==========================================================================

Name	Kjárr Axe "Stream"
Rarity	12
Raw	945
Effective Raw	390.31
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Ice 510
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	20
Phial	Power Element

"Stream" was blessed by goddess Morana, and given to Hoder, who then slain by Iokul Frosti, who later became known as Jack Frost.

Pros:
The biggest pro is the natural Critical Element skill, allowing elemental hits to naturally crit. It also has a strong raw at 945, as well as a bonus 20 defense, White Sharpness, and 15% Affinity. However, the biggest strength comes from it's Ice Element, starting at 510, but can be boosted up to 890 with Ice Element +6 and all element augments and upgrades. When boosted with Safi's Armor Set Bonus, True Dragonvein, it gets boosted to 1040. Combined with Power Element Phial's natural element boost, crit element, and the fact just wearing the full armor set gives you a natural 55% Affinity boost, you're dealing massive damage to anything weak to Thunder.

Cons:
The biggest con is that it heavily relies on using Dragonvein Awakening, which is a very high risk, high reward effect. It's also locked behind strict RNG, so obtaining this may be a struggle.

==========================================================================

Iceborne: Kulve Taroth - Kjárr (cont.)

Blah blah Steam limitations blah blah Kjárr is new meta. You all know the shpeal.

==========================================================================

Name	Kjárr Axe "King"
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	422.73
Sharpness	White
Affinity	20%
Element	Fire 480
Elderseal	Average
Slots	[1]
Defense	20
Phial	Power Element

"King" was created by Ra, stolen by Promethius, and given to Konohanasakuya-hime, before being given to Switch Axe users to harness into Fire Element.

Pros:
The biggest pro is the natural Critical Element skill, allowing elemental hits to naturally crit. It also has a strong raw at 1015, as well as a bonus 20 defense, Lvl 1 Slot, White Sharpness, and 20% Affinity. However, the biggest strength comes from it's Dragon Element, starting at 480, but can be boosted up to 860 with Fire Element +6 and all element augments and upgrades. When boosted with Safi's Armor Set Bonus, True Dragonvein, it gets boosted to 1010. Combined with Power Element Phial's natural element boost, crit element, and the fact just wearing the full armor set gives you a natural 60% Affinity boost, you're dealing massive damage to anything weak to Fire.

Cons:
The biggest con is that it heavily relies on using Dragonvein Awakening, which is a very high risk, high reward effect. "King" has a low sharpness as well, the easiest remedy being Protective Polish, but that would require some upkeep every 60-90 seconds. It's also locked behind strict RNG, so obtaining this may be a struggle.

==========================================================================

Name	Kjárr Axe "Water"
Rarity	12
Raw	1015
Effective Raw	417.7
Sharpness	White
Affinity	15%
Element	Water 540
Elderseal	n/a
Slots	n/a
Defense	20
Phial	Power Element

"Water" is by far the strongest of the five Kjárr Switch Axes. They took the insane power of Deep Lagoon II, painted it gold, and added more Crits. It's said that Moses used this to part the Red Sea.

Pros:
The biggest pro is the natural Critical Element skill, allowing elemental hits to naturally crit. It also has a strong raw at 1015, as well as a bonus 20 defense, White Sharpness, and 15% Affinity. However, the biggest strength comes from it's Water Element, starting at 540, but can be boosted up to 930 with Water Element +6 and all element augments and upgrades. When boosted with Safi's Armor Set Bonus, True Dragonvein, it gets boosted to 1080. Combined with Power Element Phial's natural element boost, crit element, and the fact just wearing the full armor set gives you a natural 55% Affinity boost, you're dealing massive damage to anything weak to Water.

Cons:
The biggest con is that it heavily relies on using Dragonvein Awakening, which is a very high risk, high reward effect. "King" has a low sharpness as well, the easiest remedy being Protective Polish, but that would require some upkeep every 60-90 seconds. It's also locked behind strict RNG, so obtaining this may be a struggle.

==========================================================================

Go-To Mixed Sets and Skills

This section is one I put in with hesitation, simply because I don't want to be the guy who says what armor set everyone HAS to use when using Switch Axe. While I, personally, like following meta, I don't like being super hardcore in your face about running everything perfect and killing monsters within 30 seconds. So, some disclaimers for this section:
1. These mixes are for the highest possible DPS. These sets are mathematically the best sets you can make for high hitting damage.
2. I did not make these mixes, most of these are from Reddit. Normally, I use Athena's Armor Set Search to make mixes, but since that isn't up to date, I reference other mixes and modify them to my needs. You honestly should do the same.
3. These are end game mixes. You will need to have cleared the main story, and have gotten into the late game of the Guiding Lands.
4. You DO NOT have to follow these mixes. You can make your own, start from scratch, whatever. You can even try to make a mix for a weapon that isn't considered meta, which is for me, one of the most fun parts of Monster Hunter.

That being said, let's get right into the mix sets!

This first batch of mixes is from when Iceborne first came out, so it's just base game gear. These are great for starting with mixing.
https://imgur.com/a/Ai8wIwh

This batch is from after the Rajang Update. Just some tweaks and changes to the above mixes.
https://imgur.com/a/Zy7q5tM

Next is the Safi'jiiva update. A bit more variety with armor.
https://imgur.com/a/g1RAcKM

This link is from Reddit, but will update with new options for Meta as the game updates.
https://imgur.com/a/higkyc2

You've looked at some mixed sets, and now you want to start making your own, but what skills do you use? Many mixed sets will use high damage skills, something to always keep an eye out for. However, I will specifically address skills that directly effect Switch Axe, or are considered "must haves" by other players.

Power Prolonger / Enhancer
This is a very nice skill to have on Switch Axe, but many consider it to be a waste of slots. At level 3, Power Prolonger doubles the time Switch Axe will stay in Amped Sword Mode or in Power Axe Mode. An amazing skill to have, I would almost say a "must have" skill for Switch Axe, but charging Power Axe and Amped State aren't terribly difficult to do, so this can be skipped.

Focus / Charger
This is a skill that loosely effects Switch Axe, and some folks do recommend it, so I've included it here. What Focus does is that at level 3, is increases the Fill Gauge of Amped State by 20%. While on paper, it's a good idea, in practice, it means only a few less sword slashes to charged Amped, and honestly, an actual waste of space when it comes to decoration slots.

Earplugs / Earplugs
While it can reach level 5, for Switch Axe, the most you need is level is level 1. Switch Axe's strongest move, the Zero Sum Discharge, grants the player level 4 earplugs while latched onto a monster. With level 1 Earplugs, you can boost this to level 5, making you immune to all monster roars while performing ZSD.

Evade Extender / Jumping
At level 3, Evade Extender more than doubles your evade distance, whether its rolling, side hoping, or even doing transitional attacks between Axe and Sword Forms. Many people recommend this skill for Switch Axe, but I personally feel this is heavily a crutch skill, taking up slots for much better skills. If you do use it, level 2 is at most what you would need.

Finally, I want to share what could easily be the best armor piece in Monster Hunter World, for Switch Axe.

Escadora Arm Guards a+
These gloves are extremely powerful for a Switch Axe user, as it has Attack 3 and Power Prolonger 3. It also has a Level 3 and a Level 1 slot, meaning you can add Earplugs and an Attack Decoration, making this armor piece an almost must-have. Plus it has 160 Defense, to boot, a nice bonus. Keep in mind though, it does require you to hunt Alatreon a handful of times to make it, but it's definitely worth the effort.

Conclusion and Credits

Thank you for reading my guide! I hope the information was presented in an understandable way. It took me a few weeks to really sit down and write this guide, and I plan to update it for any upcoming Switch Axes being added, whether from AT Kulve, event quests, and even Iceborne! If you have any questions, see any conflicting info, or anything else, please let me know!

Thank you everyone who helped me with this guide. Monster Hunter World was an absolute blast of a Monster Hunter title, and Iceborne really drove the game home for me. I don't plan on updating my guide any further (unless a surprise update drops, adding a new Switch Axe). As of writing this, Monster Hunter: Rise, is the next adventure, and due to it being on the Nintendo Switch, I more than likely won't be writing another Monster Hunter Guide for a few years. So, until then:
Happy Hunting!
~ JPM
Switch Axe Master

============================================================================

Credits:
- My friend Shae for helping me do reformatting for the Iceborne update
- Monster Hunter Wiki: https://monsterhunter.fandom.com/wiki/Monster_Hunter_Wiki
They overall helped with providing good, base, information.
- Monster Hunter World Fextralife Wiki: https://monsterhunterworld.wiki.fextralife.com/Monster+Hunter+World+Wiki
They provided images, but most of their information had a lot of errors. Mentioned them out of courtesy, but I don't advise using them.
- Honey Hunter: https://honeyhunterworld.com/
Their armor set building program automatically calculates things like Effective Raw, making math breakdowns significantly easier.
- Kiranico: https://mhworld.kiranico.com/guide/switch-axe
A good guide for the base game, and uses info from official sources. Unfortunately, they are not 100% up to date on MHW because of this.
- @Daftgeg on Steam, he provided images for almost all Kulve Taroth Switch Axes, as well as images for all Master Rank Switch Axes, thank you so much!

============================================================================

Guide Update Notes:
v 4.0.0 - 13 October, 2020 - Completed Edition
- With the addition of Fatalis being the final update, I believe me working on this guide is now: COMPLETE. Thank you everyone who checked out this guide and helped me out. With that, I can now move on to other projects.

v 3.3.0 - 13 July, 2020 - Powerful Elementals Update
- Added information on Alatreon's and Frostfang's SAs
- Added information on a piece of armor that's hella good for Switch Axe (spoiler altert: it's alatreon's alpha gloves).

v 3.2.0 - 1 May, 2020 - Kjárr is the New Meta, God Bless Update
- Added info on a large handful of worth while Kulve SAs.
- Cleaned up and updated outdated numbers and info.

v 3.1.0 - 27 March, 2020 - The Very Angry Update
- Added Furious Jang's and Raging Brachy's SAs. Pics again credit to Daftgeg.
- Cleaned up some other info throughout the guide.

v 3.0.0 - 21 February, 2020 - Mixed Sets Update
- Added a section for mixed sets and recommended skills. Unfortunately, text limits on Steam make this section very hard to thorough, so I need to figure out how better format it and break up the text. I've been thinking of adding in in game pictures, but any suggestions will help!

v 2.3.1 - 23 December, 2019 - Clean Up
- Cleaned up some sections, adding the Switch Axe changes coming with Iceborne to the overall guide, as some changes will effect the base game as well.

v 2.3.0 - 16 December, 2019 - Safi'jiiva Update
- Added the section on Safi'jiiva Switch Axes, hopefully this section reads well.

v 2.2.0 - 13 December, 2019 - Jiiva Update
- Added information on the Master Rank Xeno'jiiva Switch Axe.
- I'm currently looking into Safi'jiiva Switch Axes, the whole system is a bit confusing. I'll post info when I can.
- Removed Jojo. They made the Page of Contents on the side look bleh.

v 2.1.0 - 8 December, 2019 - Update #2 Update
- Added information on Stygian Zinogre's Switch Axe, as well as information on a datamined event switch axe.

v 2.0.0 - 7 November, 2019 - Iceborne Ready!
- Thanks again to Daftgeg, The guide is now ready to go for Iceborne! I may do some logistics stuff and whatnot later, but the guide is now officially ready to go!

v 1.9.9 - 2 November, 2019 - The Almost There Update
- Added the missing info and such for Iceborne Switch Axes. Just need to do a few tweaks, and get a picture of Ruinous Light, and this guide is ready to go for Iceborne!

v 1.9.0 - 29 October, 2019 - The Iceborne Update
- Added a ton of info for meta Iceborne Switch Axes. I need a picture of Ruinous Light if anyone can provide it, and Undying Light isn't added into HoneyHunter, so I'm missing it's effective raw values. If anyone has any other Switch Axe recommendations that are meta, please let me know!

v 1.8.0 - 10 September, 2019 - The Powered Update
- Added a lot of information provided by the MHW Modding Discord about the technicalities of the Amped State

v 1.7.0 - 15 August, 2019 - The Clean Update
- Added official Iceborne changes, video, etc

v 1.6.2 - 3 June, 2019 - Iceborne Infodump
- Added all info for the Switch Axe changes to Iceborne

v 1.6.0 - 2 May, 2019 - Kulve Taroth's Kjarr Adventures
- Redid the Kulve Taroth sections, specifically, Wave 3, due to extensive research being done on Kjarr Axes. Turns out, a lot are pretty good, and SA can do pretty alright with element.

v 1.5.1 - 22 April, 2019 - Overhauls (Part 1 - Phantom Axe)
- Beginning work on reworking a few things after doing extensive research on Kjárr Switch Axes. They're a lot better than I thought.
- Removed "What Switch Axes Are Worth It" from every section title. It was excessive and messy. It not has it's own section!
- I also will be adding an armor section once AT Nergigante comes out. I've thought about it a lot, and while I wont make a guide for every SA listed, I'll make a set for highest Raw, strongest of the 5 main elements, and paralysis. No poison, blast, or sleep planned, as they arent so great for SA in World. However, if Iceborne changes this, I'll make Iceborne sets.

v 1.5.0 - 21 March, 2019 - As Good As It'll Get
- The WR EX Behemoth run video was broken, so I've removed it.

v 1.4.1 - 2 February, 2019 - Clean Up
- Cleaned up all Pros and Cons for each weapon to sound better and make the info flow a little bit more.

v. 1.4.0 - 15 January, 2019 - Adding Images
- Added images for: Taroth Axe "Horn", Kjárr Axe "Paralysis", Kjárr Axe "King"
- Added info on Kjárr Axe "King"
- Cleaned out the "I need help" blip

v. 1.3.0 - 2 January, 2019 - Kiranico Info
- Reorganized information on the "Phials and Amped State" section

v. 1.2.1 - 27 December, 2018 - HELP!
- Added some bits to the "I need help" blip

v. 1.2.0 - 24 December, 2018 - Speed Run Stuff
- Added "Power Smasher II" to the bone tree, including WC Speedrun of EX Behemoth

v. 1.1.0 - 21 December, 2018 - The Kulve Tweaks and Notes
- Added more to Kulve Tarroth Wave 2
- Added more to Kulve Tarroth Wave 3
- Added "Kjarr Axe 'Paralysis'" to Kulve Tarroth Wave 3

v. 1.0.0 - 19 December, 2018 - Guide is released!
- Awaiting information on Arch Tempered Kulve Switch Axes
- Need help looking for pictures of "Horn" and AT Kulve SAs

[JPM岩]

Raw Damage is king in World. You can ignore element until you hit GRank Kulve or Safi.

[Average At Best]

Just starting a new playthrough to main Switch Axe and wanted to avoid the defender set and just play with the normal sets as I go. Should I prioritize raw damage over element for most of the game until I get to any of these meta weapons you have in the guide? Or should I tailor the element to the monster weakness?

[Lasko]

There are parts I'm kinda confused about pulling it off so many times, like how do you manage the switch gauge and what to do when your mantles are on cooldown, do you just play regularly until your mantles comeback?

[JPM岩]

ZSD spam is meta. It's just stupidly easy to pull off, and shits out damage. You can even double ZSD in one clutch claw if you time things properly.

[Lasko]

been experimenting with switch axe for a bit and wanna try out the funny zsd spam, but is it still a "effective" way to play switch axe, especially in Iceborne?

[JPM岩]

That significantly reduces the damage from the explosion.

[SuperChris64]

ZSD when latching you need to stop attacking before the end (11 ticks roughly?) and you dismount faster

[JPM岩]

That's genuinely horrible, you should feel like an idiot, not like a beast.

[Mr Smiley]

I run around with swaxe in axe mode. I almost never use sword mode. I have now solo'd fatalis and I feel like a beast. Viper tobakadachi armor completely changed how I swaxe, and I've never looked back

[JPM岩]

Yep yep!