Long Sword

Weapon Overview




Weapon Traits
Long Swords are very special weapons. Their handling is quite different from the Great Swords', even though they may come from the same branch. Hunters will find that one can often upgrade a Great Sword into a Longsword, but almost never vice-versa.


 * LS's are very fast compared to Great Swords and can land hits much faster.
 * You can chain your attacks together very easily. For example, triangle, triangle, circle, triangle makes a good starting combo with a lot of damage output.
 * LS's have 2 main branches, Bone Katana and Iron Katana. Generally both types are weapons with diverse elements imbued. LS's are rich in elemental power as well as raw damage.
 * LS's have the "Spirit" ability, represented with a Spirit Gauge below the Stamina bar. Every time you land a hit, the Spirit bar grows. You can use the Spirit Bar by pressing the R button to unleash a Spirit attack.
 * Spirit attacks can be chained to make devastating combos.
 * Spirit attacks do not bounce, no matter the current sharpness or toughness of your target.
 * If you charge the Spirit bar fully, you get a damage bonus of 120 for 30 seconds.


 * Combining all the different moves with the LS, you can do a maximum of 13 chained hits.


 * You can initiate an infinite chain by pressing (circle, triangle, triangle, circle, triangle, triangle), repeat.
 * You can also tie in an extra attack with triangle after every Spirit attack for an effective combo.

Spirit Bar


One of the most important traits of the longswords is the Spirit bar. Using it right, you can use devastating attacks one after another. To use a spirit attack, the R button needs to be used alone instead of circle or triangle.


 * With the Spirit bar full, it will start flashing slowly, and will give the hunter a damage increase of 12%.
 * Once the spirit bar is full, it will last 30 seconds while flashing and giving the increased attack effect.
 * After 30 seconds without hitting an enemy, the bar will automatically start to decrease. It also decreases as you use spirit attacks, although it still flashes and gives the attack boost.


 * Once the Spirit bar starts decreasing, it will take approximately 35 seconds before emptying itself.
 * Each Spirit attack will slightly deplete the spirit bar in exchange of an attack done with the maximum damage of the weapon, as well as "fixed" sharpness for this attack, this meaning the attack will not bounce despite the natural sharpness from the weapon and the strength of the target (resembling the ESP skill)
 * After the first two Spirit attacks, any other attack can be chained. This attack will have properties of both a Spirit attack and a regular attack, though it charges the Spirit bar instead of depleting it, allowing longer combo attack.


 * The final attack from the Spirit attack combo unleashes 3 consecutive slashes, while depleting the same amount of spirit bar a single attack would do.
 * There is something known as the Spirit Eradicater Combo. This gets in 12 attacks vs. the 5 through normal spirit combo. To perform press Triangle - Triangle - Circle - Triangle - Triangle - R - Triangle - R - Triangle - R - Triangle plus Circle. The added triangles get in 11 attacks allowing for more damage. Best used when creature is stunned, in a Pitfall Trap, caught off guard, or is sleeping. Essentially anytime the creature is open for at lest 7-10 seconds.

Additions in MH3


 * The Spirit Combo has an additional attack that can be chained after the 3-slash combo. The hunter turns and does a forward-dashing slash with an impressive attack area. The hunter then proceeds to do a samurai-esque pose and sheathes the Longsword.

Videos
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Weapon Sheathed
(While Standing) = Draw weapon = Crouch R + = Quick Draw + Spirit Slash Attack (While Moving) = Quick Draw R + = Quick Draw = Roll  + = Quick Draw + Spirit Slash Attack

Weapon Drawn
= Vertical Slash = Second Vertical Slash = Frontal Stab

= Foreward Stab = Vertical upward slash

+ = Horizontal Slash + Small back Jump

The Horizontal Slash & small back jump can be chained after almost every attack, almost like a finishing attack.

Infinte Combo!

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R = Spirit Slash attack (Can be Used up to 3 times) = Frontal Stab (regardless its triangle it will be a frontal stab) NOTE: The Spirit attack can be used 3 times by itself, and the third attack will always be the finishing slash, using 3 slash attacks instead of 1. Also, only the first and second attacks can be chained to an extra attack with the circle button, while the third attack can only be followed by a roll (like all the other attacks) or a Horizontal slash and a small jump back (also just like all the other attacks).