The Charge Blade Stands Alone as Monster Hunter World‘s Hardest Weapon to Master
While every weapon in Monster Hunter World poses its own steep learning curve, none reach the same dizzying heights of complexity as the morphing Charge Blade. This intricate weapon combines the swift combos of a sword and shield with the explosive potential of a massive axe. However, unleashing that potential requires charging phials, managing shield charges, landing complex combos, and executing guard points amidst monster attacks. Mastering just one of those facets proves difficult, let alone all of them in tandem.
That‘s why after hundreds of quests, the Monster Hunter community stands behind the Charge Blade as the most difficult to weapon to truly master in World.
What Makes the Charge Blade So Complex?
The Charge Blade‘s unique morphing abilities are the root of its complexity. At its core, it functions similarly to the standard Sword & Shield weapon type:
- Fast sword combos and shield bashes
- Ability to block attacks
- Exceptional mobility
However, the Charge Blade adds a entirely new axe mode on top of that foundation. This massively increases the damage potential with slow, explosive strikes that discharge phials loaded in the shield.
The central mastery challenge lies in managing those phials.
Charging phials requires using specific sword combos. Those phials can then be unloaded for axe attacks or stored to charge the shield. Charging the shield strengthens guards and enhances axe mode. However, phials only last a limited time before depletion.
This constant shift between charging phials, storing them, and then unleashing them in axe mode forms the core Charge Blade gameplay loop. Mastering the optimal balance poises a major challenge for even seasoned hunters.
Weapon Difficulty and Damage Potential
While Charge Blade sits firmly atop the weapon difficulty summit, other weapons types pose their own barriers to entry:
| Weapon | Difficulty | Damage Potential | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Sword | Hard | Very High | Slow and heavy strikes require precision timing |
| Switch Axe | Moderate | High | Managing sword and axe modes. Less complex than Charge Blade. |
| Long Sword | Easy | High | Long reach and exceptional mobility via Spirit Combos |
| Insect Glaive | Hard | Moderate | Positioning challenges with aerial combat playstyle |
| Bow | Moderate | Very High | Charging & dash dancing facilitate rapid precision damage |
| Dual Blades | Easy | Very High | Mobile flurries with fast elemental damage |
| Light Bowgun | Hard | High | Customization complexity around ammo types and rapid firing |
Based on speedrun times across categories and community perspective, the Bow, Dual Blades, Great Sword and Long Sword consistently output top damage when mastered. However, the Bow and DB offer high mobility to complement that raw potential.
No matter the weapon, attaining mastery stands as an arduous yet rewarding journey in Monster Hunter. But none come close to the Charge Blade in terms of sheer mechanical complexity across a couple thousand hunts.
The True Endgame: Arch-Tempered Elders & Extremoth
While earlier adversaries like Nergigante and Teostra can wall less-prepared hunters, the expanded endgame introduces new tiers beyond Tempered monsters.
Arch-Tempered event quests crank up standard Elder Dragon power to staggering new levels:
- 2-3x normal HP
- Far higher damage per attack
- New mechanics
- Failed Quest rate: ~70%
But even Arch-Tempered Elders pale in comparison to the multi-stage raid boss known as Extremoth. This exponentially more powerful variant of Behemoth stacks numerous one-hit kills alongside already punishing mechanics:
- Charybdis tornado traps
- Large area meteors
- Group wide lightning strikes
- Ecliptic Meteor (party wipe)
Extremoth stands firmly as the hardest challenge in Monster Hunter World. Even well coordinated groups fail over 90% of attempts. Solo attempts border on impossible even for the world‘s best players.
And yet, some elite hunters have managed to topple even mighty Extremoth thanks to 1000s of hours perfecting their chosen weapon of choice – but never without ample struggles along the way.
Looking to Future Installments
Monster Hunter Rise and Sunbreak continue the trademark formula of introducing increasingly imposing monsters with new mechanics to master. Lucent Nargacuga, Seething Bazelgeuse and Scorned Magnamalo all provide intense hunts that push player skill to the brink.
And inevitably, the next major Monster Hunter installment will raise the bar even higher in terms of weapon depth. The Charge Blade will likely receive new phial types or axe modes – increasing complexity further. Not to mention fresh monsters that make Extremoth feel tame.
But such is the allure of Monster Hunter. The promise that no matter how refined your skills may become, there are always exciting new challenges around the corner.
So whether you‘re a greenhorn or veteran, I hope this guide gave some insights on what makes the Charge Blade Monster Hunter‘s hardest weapon as well as the series‘ ascent to a true mastery plateau. Let me know if you have any other topics you‘d like covered!
Happy hunting!
