Dual Blades

The edgiest weapon besides the Insect Glaive, Dual Blades is the fastest-hitting weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds. This weapon is a double-edged sword, meaning you must master its mechanics to maximize its potential. Otherwise, poor positioning and gameplay will lead to severe punishment. Additionally, the right builds are essential to making Dual Blades work effectively. In this guide, you'll find the best Dual Blades builds and progression in Monster Hunter Wilds.

This guide will be updated regularly along with future content!

Dual Blades Gameplay and Combo in MH Wilds

The Dual Blades gameplay in Wilds revolves around three different modes: Powerless, Demon Mode, and Archdemon Mode. You can activate Demon Mode by pressing R2, which grants more damage, speed, and an enhanced moveset at the cost of constant stamina reduction.

When you hit the monster while in Demon Mode, you will fill the Archdemon Gauge. If you turn off Demon Mode while the gauge is filled, you will enter Archdemon Mode, which grants some of the Demon Mode moveset and speed without draining stamina.

When using Dual Blades, your first goal is to quickly activate Demon Mode to fill the gauge and balance between Demon Mode and Archdemon Mode. You never want to be in Powerless Mode. This requires good stamina management, which I will explain later in the builds.

The best combo for Dual Blades is the basic Demon Slash and Blade Dance.

Basic Demon Slash Flurry Combo

To initiate the fight, always unsheathe your weapon by activating Demon Mode (R2), then press Circle to close the gap, followed by Triangle-Triangle-Triangle-Circle as the basic Demon Flurry Slash. You can loop this combo, and you can also reposition while pressing the last Circle.

Blade Dance Combo

The bread and butter for this weapon is the Blade Dance combo. If you have an opening and at least half a gauge, unleash Blade Dance by pressing Triangle + Circle, and keep the dance going by following up with R2 up to three times. Make sure you use Focus Mode to not miss a hit. This is the highest damage combo for Dual Blades.

Lastly, you never want to miss the chance to use Turning Tide by activating Focus Strike on open wounds. This will lead to a cinematic roll from the monster's head to its tail.

With that in mind, here are the best builds and progression.

Dual Blades Low Rank Build and Progression

Dual Blades thrive on elemental damage rather than raw damage, so when you start your story, quickly craft the Quematrice Silexes I after defeating Quematrice, as it provides decent elemental damage with good sharpness and affinity.

Use the default Hope armor set because it grants 3 Divine Blessing, which is more than enough to carry you through late Low Rank missions. However, after defeating Hirabami and Guardian Rathalos, it is recommended to craft their armor as they offer higher defense and valuable skills like Weakness Exploit and Evade Window.

Best Dual Blades for Low Rank

Quematrice Silexes II
Twin Albiraths I
Chthonian Kusarigamas I
Barina Faucilles II

Dual Blades High Rank Build and Progression

Upon reaching High Rank, you can immediately craft the Kut-Ku armor to gain Constitution and Agitator skills while also enhancing your defense, as you will be facing tougher monsters.

For the weapon, continue upgrading Quematrice Silexes until level III, as it provides decent blue sharpness along with great elemental and raw damage. Additionally, you can switch to Lala Barina's weapon, Barina Faucilles III, for Paralysis status, which is also highly effective in MH Wilds.

Crafting Exploiter Charm or Chain Charm is also advisable, as you will need Weakness Exploit and Burst skills when progressing through High Rank missions.

Late High Rank Build

After defeating High Rank Guardian Rathalos and Ebony Odogaron, immediately craft their armor set as shown above. This will grant you Weakness Exploit and Burst, two essential skills for Dual Blades.

Placing Physique Jewels in the armor slots is also advisable to gain the Constitution skill, which is crucial since Dual Blades heavily drain stamina.

For the weapon, Chthonian Kusarigamas II is the perfect choice, as you will be facing monsters with Dragon weakness at the end of the main story.

Best Dual Blades for High Rank

Chthonian Kusarigamas II
Quematrice Silexes IV
Barina Faucilles IV
Twin Flames I
jin Dhakoo I

Dual Blades Best Endgame Builds

After reaching HR 40, this is where Dual Blades truly shine, as you gain access to endgame armor and the Artian weapon. Ultimately, it depends on your playstyle, but regardless, here are the best endgame builds for Dual Blades.

DB Endgame 4-Gore Burst Meta Build

This build is currently the highest damage-dealing Dual Blades build. Focusing on Black Eclipse II for the added attack and affinity, combined with Burst 5, makes it the meta build right now, and it hits incredibly hard.

Since Dual Blades excel in elemental matchups, the Tiltkreise (Artian weapon) used here is elemental. For all elements, it is recommended to use Tiltkreise, so if you main Dual Blades, expect to grind heavily to obtain all the elemental Artian weapons.

For infusion, 3 Attack is the optimal choice. As for reinforcement, go for 4 Element + 1 Sharpness. This will deal huge elemental attacks and great for elemental matchups.

If you prefer monster variant elemental weapons, I will list the best elemental weapon alternatives at the end of the build sets.

DB Endgame 4-Ebony Ele Burst Boost Build

This second build focuses on the Burst skill, enhanced with Burst Boost II. Burst Boost extends the duration of Burst, allowing you to deal more elemental damage over time.

This build is perfect for elemental matchups, making it highly effective against element-heavy monsters such as Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad.

DB Endgame Risky Heroics Build

This build is made for those confident in their perfect evading gameplay and who have mastered the mechanics of Dual Blades. The main focus is on Heroics, which boosts your damage when you're low on health, making it a high-risk, high-reward tradeoff.

With 4-Gore activated and Burst 3, you gain an even greater damage boost. If played perfectly, this build can surpass the damage output of the 4-Gore Burst build.

Evade Window and Constitution are crucial to maximize your perfect dodge potential and aggressive playstyle.

Try this build if you're truly a thrill-seeker.

DB Endgame Comfy Build

This last build is perfect for those looking for a more relaxed gameplay. 4-piece G. Arkveld grants Decimator II, which heals you whenever you destroy wounds. Flayer makes it easier to wound monsters, and Recovery Up further boosts healing from Decimator, making it a solid sustain build.

However, this build doesn’t neglect damage—this is where Burst and Weakness Exploit come into play. You also get Constitution 2, which helps manage stamina consumption.

Overall, if you just want to relax and have fun, this build is perfect for you.