Read this Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Great Sword guide on the best loadout & armor build for this weapon. Includes recommended equipment, elements, decorations, skills, & more!!!
Safijiiva Weapon Builds
- Sheath Armor Build
- Master's Touch Armor Build
Iceborne: Recommended Builds
- Starter Builds
- Sheathed Great Sword Builds
- High Power Great Sword Builds
- Endgame Builds
Top Recommended Builds
- General Purpose Build
- Firepower Focused Build
- High Stability Build
- High DPS Build
Recommended Elemental Builds
- Fire Attack Build
- Water Attack Build
- Ice Attack Build
- Lightning Attack Build
- Dragon Attack Build
Recommended Skills
- Best Skills For Great Sword
Related Article On Great Sword
| How To Use |  Best Builds |
| Best Skills | Endgame Tier List |
Check Out All Weapon Types Here!
Great Sword Sheath Build
Master Rank Safi'Jiiva Great Sword With Frostcraft
| Weapon | AugmentDecorations |
|---|---|
| Safi's Shattersplitter | Affinity Increase 3 Challenger/Vitality Jewel 4 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Rimeguard Helm β + | Charger/Vitality Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Mail β + | Tenderizer/Vitality Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Rimeguard Vambraces β + | Expert Jewel 4 |
| Rimeguard Coil β + | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Garuga Greaves β + | Attack Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Challenger Charm 4 | - |
| Rocksteady Mantle | - |
| Temporal Mantle | - |
| Skills | |
| Agitator Lvl 5 | Attack Boost Lvl 4 |
| Critical Eye Lvl 4 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Focus Lvl 3 | Critical Boost Lvl 3 |
| Health Boost Lvl 3 | Divine Blessing Lvl 2 | Flinch Free Lvl 2 | Coalesence Lvl 1 |
| Quick Sheath Lvl 1 | Critical Element (Set Bonus) |
| Frostcraft (Set Bonus) | - |
Recommended Weapon Skill Awakening
| Skill | No. Of Frames |
|---|---|
| Velkhana Essence | 1 |
| Attack Increase VI | 2 |
| Attack Increase V | 2 |
Points of Recommendations
- Use Velkhana Essence to activate Velkhana's Frostcraft skill
- Frostcraft increases attack power of Great Sword when sheathed
Master's Touch Armor Build
Master Rank Safi'Jiiva Great Sword With Master's Touch
| Weapon | AugmentDecorations |
|---|---|
| Safi's Shatterspear | Health Regen 2 Element/Status Effect Up 1 Charger/Vitality Jewel 4 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Kaiser Crown β + | Charger/Vitality Jewel 4 |
| Buff Chest α + | Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces α + | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Kaiser Coil β + | Tenderizer/Vitality Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Garuga Greaves β + | Challenger Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 Charger Jewel 2 |
| Attack Charm 4 | - |
| Rocksteady Mantle | - |
| Temporal Mantle | - |
| Skills | |
| Critical Eye Lvl 7 | Attack Boost Lvl 5 |
| Agitator Lvl 5 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Focus Lvl 3 |
| Health Boost Lvl 3 | Blast Attack Lvl 2 | Heat Guard Lvl 1 | Fortify Lvl 1 |
| Latent Power Lvl 1 | Master's Touch (Set Bonus) |
Recommended Weapon Skill Awakening
| Skill | No. Of Frames |
|---|---|
| Attack Increase VI | 1 |
| Attack Increase V | 2 |
| Sharpness Increase V | 2 |
Points of Recommendations
- Master's Touch lessens sharpness loss & need for sharpening
- Has purple sharpness with Sharpness Increase awakening skills
- Has good damage & attack power due to activation of skills
Recommended Early Master Rank Great Sword Builds
Jagras Deathclaw Build
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| Jagras Deathclaw 1 | Elementaless Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Jagras Helm α + | Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Bone Mail α + | Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Kestodon Guard α + | - |
| Beo Coil α + | Attack Jewel 1 |
| Beo Greaves α + | Earplug Jewel 3 |
| Attack Charm 3 | - |
| Skills | |
| Attack Boost Lvl 7 | Earplugs Lvl 5 |
| Health Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Ice Attack Lvl 1 | Speed Eating Lvl 2 |
| Focus Lvl 2 | Affinity Sliding Lvl 1 |
| Non-elemental Boost Lvl 1 | - |
Points of Recommendations
- Easily accessible when starting Iceborne
- Able to negate roars thanks to the Earplugs skill
Check Out All Iceborne Starter Build Guide Here!
Sheathed Great Sword Builds
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| Immovable Dharma | Attack Boost 1 Attack Boost 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Rimeguard Helm β + | Critical Jewel 2 Critical Jewel 2 |
| Rimeguard Mail β + | Critical Jewel 2 Attack Boost 1 |
| Rimeguard Vambraces β + | Charger Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Coil β + | Draw Jewel 2 Attack Boost 1 |
| Rimeguard Greaves β + | Elementaless Jewel 2 Attack Boost 1 |
| Handicraft Charm 3 | - |
| Skills | |
| Attack Boost Lvl 5 | Quick Sheath Lvl 3 |
| Critical Draw Lvl 3 | Critical Boost Lvl 3 |
| Handicraft Lvl 3 | Divine Blessing Lvl 2 |
| Focus Lvl 2 | Flinch Free Lvl 1 |
| Non-elemental Boost Lv 1 | Critical Element |
| Velkhana Divinity | - |
High Power Great Sword Builds
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| 滅鬼の凶器【断】 | Attack Boost 1 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Rex Roar Helm α + | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Mail β + | Expert Jewel 4 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Rex Roar Braces α + | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Coil β + | Enduring Jewel 4 Critical Jewel 2 |
| Garuga Greaves β + | Enduring Jewel 1 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Master's Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Attack Boost Lvl 7 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Focus Lvl 3 | Health Boost Lvl 3 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Item Prolonger Lv3 | Free Meal Lvl 1 |
Recommended Endgame Master Rank Great Sword Builds
High Crit Non-Elemental Build
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| Immovable Dharma | - |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Velkhana Helm α + | Divine Blessing Jewel 1 Coalescence 1 |
| Damascus Mail β + | Focus 2 Attack Boost 1 Attack Boost 1 |
| Velkhana Vambraces β + | Quick Sheathe Jewel 1 Flinch Free Jewel 1 |
| Velkhana Coil α + | Flinch Free Jewel 1 Coalescence Jewel 2 |
| Velkhana Greaves β + | Critical Draw 2 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 4 | Health Boost Lvl 3 |
| Focus Lvl 3 | Critical Boost Lvl 3 |
| Non-Elemental Boost Lvl 1 | Attack Boost Lvl 2 |
| Coalescence Lvl 2 | Flinch Free Lvl 2 |
Points of Recommendation
- High critical damage & critical chance
- Good to use against any element
- Multiple additional skills buffs Velkhana Divinity
General Purpose Build For Great Sword
*Following information are Monster Hunter World's best loadout, not Iceborne.
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| Wyvern Ignition "Impact" (Jagras Hacker III) | Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Dragonking Eyepatch α | Mighty Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Mail β | Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 Vitality Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces β | Mighty Jewel 2 |
| Damascus Coil β | Sheath Jewel 1 Sheath Jewel 1 Sheath Jewel 1 |
| Empress Greaves β | Mighty Jewel 2 Elementaless Jewel 2 |
| Skills | |
| Health Boost Lvl 3 | Maximum Might Lvl 3 |
| Handicraft Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Quick Sheath Lvl 3 | Focus Lvl 3 |
| Critical Eye Lvl 4 | Non-elemental Boost |
Skill Activation Is Easy
You will be able to use the skills in this loadout without using any γ equipment. If you do not have enough Expert Jewels, you can substitute them for Paralyzer Jewels or Attack Jewels.
Wyvern Ignition "Impact" is Obtained From Events
You will only be able to acquire the Wyvern Ignition "Impact" weapon from Event Quests. If you do not have the weapon yet, you can substitute this with the Jagras Hacker III for the time being.
Firepower Focused Build For Great Sword
| Weapon | Decorations |
|---|---|
| Wyvern Ignition "Impact" | Expert Jewel 1 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Dragonking Eyepatch α | Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Drachen Mail α | Mighty Jewel |
| Drachen Vambraces α | Mighty Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Drachen Coil α | Elementaless Jewel 2 |
| Drachen Greaves α | Charger Jewel 2 |
| Focus Charm II | - |
| Skills | |
| Critical Eye Lvl 7 | Attack Boost Lvl 4 |
| Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 | Focus Lvl 3 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 2 | Maximum Might Lvl 2 |
| Power Prolonger Lvl 1 | Non-elemental Boost |
| Master's Touch | - |
Loadout With Damage Output In Mind
This loadout is based around the Wyvern Ignition "Impact" weapon. By equipping the Drachen armor & skills, you will be able to easily dish out a ton of damage to enemies you encounter!
Can Further Increase Damage Output
You can also opt to replace the Focus Charm in the loadout with an Attack Charm. This way, you will increase your damage output at the expense of your weapon gauge's fill rate.
High Stability Build For Great Sword
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Wyvern Ignition "Impact" (Jagras Hacker III) | Affinity Increase Expert Jewel 1 Vitality Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Dragonking Eyepatch α | Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Empress Mail γ | Elementaless Jewel 2 |
| Kushala Grip γ | Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 Expert Jewel 1 |
| Damascus Coil β | Sheath Jewel 1 Sheath Jewel 1 Sheath Jewel 1 |
| Empress Greaves β | Mighty Jewel 2 Mighty Jewel 2 |
| Earplugs Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Earplugs Lvl 5 | Critical Eye Lvl 4 |
| Health Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Focus Lvl 3 | Quick Sheath Lvl 3 |
| Maximum Might Lvl 2 | Tool Specialist Lvl 1 |
| Non-elemental Boost | Stamina Cap Up |
Made For Survivability
This build was specifically designed with survivability in mind. It can deal some damage to monsters, but it also gives you the luxury to withstand roars, easy sheathing, & a bigger stamina pool among other things to ensure that you get out of the hunt alive!
Sheath Jewel Can Be Substituted
The Sheath Jewel can be substituted with other decorations to suit your needs! If you feel that the Quick Sheath skill can be replaced with another skill to fit your play style you can swap it out for better ease of use!
High DPS Build For Great Sword
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Wyvern Ignition "Impact" (Jagras Hacker III) | Attack Increase Sheath Jewel 1 Vitality Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Odogaron Helm β | Draw Jewel 2 |
| Kulve Taroth's Ire β | Handicraft Jewel 3 Sheath Jewel 1 |
| Drachen Vambraces α | Draw Jewel 2 Draw Jewel 2 |
| Odogaron Coil β | Elementaless Jewel 2 |
| Nergigante Greaves γ | Critical Jewel 2 Critical Jewel 2 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 4 | Critical Eye Lvl 4 |
| Punishing Draw | Critical Draw Lvl 3 |
| Attack Boost Lvl 4 | Critical Boost Lvl 3 |
| Non-elemental Boost | Stun Resistance Lvl 2 |
| Bleeding Resistance Lvl 2 | Quick Sheath Lvl 3 |
Maximize Attack Damage
The skills in this build bring out the potential of the Great Sword for devastating attacks. Skills along with the augmentation of the weapon increase your attack and critical damage, while stun & bleeding resistances allow you to keep on slashing away!
Kjarr Fellsword "King" Attack Build
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Kjarr Fellsword "King" | Attack Increase Attack Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Kaiser Crown γ | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Nergigante Mail γ | Critical Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Blaze Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces γ | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Kushala Cocoon γ | Blaze Jewel 1 Blaze Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Greaves γ | Critical Jewel 2 Attack Jewel 1 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 5 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Fire Attack Lvl 3 | Master's Touch |
| Maximum Might Lvl 1 | Critical Element |
| Attack Boost Lvl 2 | - |
Increase Fire Damage To The Max
The third level fire attack skill allows you to increase the fire damage of the weapon to its maximum. Aiming for weak spots of monsters will also grant you bonus damage in order to deal the most damage to monsters!
Kjarr Fellsword "Water" Attack Build
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Kjarr Fellsword "Water" | Slot Upgrade Stream Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Kaiser Crown γ | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Nergigante Mail γ | Critical Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Stream Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces γ | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Kushala Cocoon γ | Stream Jewel 1 Stream Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Greaves γ | Critical Jewel 2 Stream Jewel 1 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 5 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Water Attack Lvl 5 | Master's Touch |
| Maximum Might Lvl 1 | Critical Element |
Use Weak Spots To Deal High Water Damage
The Water Attack skill will allow the great sword to deal the most water damage that it can. This build is best used to exploit the weak spots of monsters as you will be dealing critical damage almost all the time.
Kjarr Fellsword "Ice" Attack Build
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Kjarr Fellsword "Ice" | Slot Upgrade Frost Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Kaiser Crown γ | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Nergigante Mail γ | Critical Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Frost Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces γ | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Kushala Cocoon γ | Frost Jewel 1 Frost Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Greaves γ | Critical Jewel 2 Frost Jewel 1 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 5 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Ice Attack Lvl 5 | Master's Touch |
| Maximum Might Lvl 1 | Critical Element |
Unleash The Ice Element's True Power
Just like other builds for elemental weapons, this loadout allows you to deal the most damage that you can with the ice great sword. Deal devastating ice damage to monsters especially when hitting their weak spots!
Kjarr Fellsword "Thunder" Attack Build
| Weapon | Augmentations |
|---|---|
| Kjarr Fellsword "Thunder" | Affinity Increase |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Gala Suit Top Hat α | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Bolt Jewel 1 Bolt Jewel 1 |
| Drachen Mail α | Attack Jewel 1 |
| Drachen Vambraces α | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Drachen Coil α | Minds' Eye Jewel 2 |
| Drachen Greaves α | Expert Jewel 1 |
| Shock Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Master's Touch | Elemental Airborne |
| Attack Boost Lvl 4 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Thunder Attack Lvl 5 | Critical Element |
| Power Prolonger Lvl 1 | Mind's Eye/Ballistics |
Deal High Thunder Damage Against Monsters
This build was made to pump out the most thunder damage out of the great sword weapon. Aiming for weak spots will also increase the thunder damage dealt to monsters.
Kjarr Fellsword "Decay" Attack Build
| Weapon | Augmentations Decorations |
|---|---|
| Kjarr Fellsword "Decay" | Attack Increase Dragon Jewel 1 |
| Armor | Decorations |
| Kaiser Crown γ | Tenderizer Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 |
| Nergigante Mail γ | Critical Jewel 2 Tenderizer Jewel 2 Dragon Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Vambraces γ | Critical Jewel 2 |
| Kushala Cocoon γ | Dragon Jewel 1 Dragon Jewel 1 |
| Kaiser Greaves γ | Critical Jewel 2 Dragon Jewel 1 |
| Handicraft Charm III | - |
| Skills | |
| Handicraft Lvl 5 | Critical Eye Lvl 7 |
| Critical Boost Lvl 3 | Weakness Exploit Lvl 3 |
| Dragon Attack Lvl 4 | Master's Touch |
| Maximum Might Lvl 1 | Critical Element |
| Attack Boost Lvl 1 | - |
Deal as Much Dragon Damage as You Can
This build allows you to dish out as much dragon damage as you can in order to exploit and defeat monsters that are weak to the Dragon element easily. You will also deal extra dragon damage when aiming for weak spots!
Best Skills For Great Sword
Recommended Skills For Attacking
| Skill | Recommendation / Overview |
|---|---|
| Weakness Exploit | |
| Handicraft | |
| Maximum Might | |
| Non-elemental Boost | |
| Attack Boost | |
| Critical Eye | |
| Critical Boost | |
| Master's Touch |
Recommended Skills For Support
| Skill | Recommendation / Overview |
|---|---|
| Health Boost | |
| Earplugs | |
| Focus | |
| Quick Sheath | |
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MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE Official Website
Alright, let's delve into the world of Monster Hunter: Iceborne and the intricacies of the Great Sword loadouts, armor builds, and skills.
The provided information offers comprehensive details on various builds for the Great Sword, covering everything from starter builds to high-level endgame configurations. It outlines two primary builds, Safi'Jiiva Weapon Builds and Master's Touch Armor Build, each emphasizing different strategies and utilizing different equipment, decorations, skills, and recommended weapon skill awakenings.
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Safijiiva Weapon Builds focus on the Safi'Jiiva Great Sword and incorporate the Frostcraft and Critical Element set bonuses, enhancing attack power when sheathed and during critical hits.
-
The Master's Touch Armor Build centers around maintaining sharpness with Master's Touch set bonus, reducing the need for frequent sharpening and optimizing damage output.
The article covers a range of builds catering to various playstyles:
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Starter Builds like the Jagras Deathclaw Build provide accessible setups with skills like Attack Boost and Earplugs, beneficial for beginners entering Iceborne content.
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Sheathed Great Sword Builds emphasize Critical Draw, Quick Sheath, and Handicraft for critical hits and faster sheathing.
-
High Power Great Sword Builds leverage skills such as Critical Eye, Weakness Exploit, and Critical Boost to maximize damage output.
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Endgame Builds like the High Crit Non-Elemental Build focus on critical damage and skill synergies for advanced players tackling high-level content.
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Elemental Builds, including Fire, Water, Ice, Thunder, and Dragon Attack Builds, cater to exploiting monster weaknesses and maximizing elemental damage.
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The article also details a General Purpose Build for the Great Sword, irrespective of Iceborne, utilizing the Wyvern Ignition "Impact" and a blend of armor skills like Weakness Exploit, Handicraft, and Maximum Might.
The recommended skills for the Great Sword across these builds emphasize offensive capabilities, including Weakness Exploit, Handicraft, Maximum Might, Non-elemental Boost, Attack Boost, Critical Eye, Critical Boost, and Master's Touch for damage maximization. For support-oriented gameplay, Health Boost, Earplugs, Focus, and Quick Sheath are highlighted as beneficial skills.
These builds cater to a wide spectrum of playstyles, allowing players to optimize their Great Sword setups based on their preferences, whether focusing on raw damage, elemental damage, or utility skills.
