The Long Sword is one of the eight weapon types in Monster Hunter Outlanders at launch. Official material presents it as the game's mobility-and-combo weapon, and its identity here rests on a resource called the Spirit Gauge and on reading a monster's attacks well enough to counter them.
Spirit Gauge
The Long Sword excels at swift movement and combos, and increasing Spirit Gauge levels powers up its attacks. The gauge therefore functions as a build-up meter with discrete levels rather than a simple pool, and a higher level means stronger output across the board rather than access to a single move.
Counterattacks
The confirmed way to raise the gauge quickly is to fight defensively. Official material states that timing monster attacks triggers precise counterattacks, and that certain counterattacks increase the Spirit Gauge level. That makes the Long Sword a weapon rewarded for standing in the danger and answering it, rather than for building the gauge through raw uptime.
Spending the Gauge
Gauge levels are not purely passive. Consuming Spirit Gauge levels unleashes devastating attacks, so a player decides between staying at a high level for sustained damage or cashing the level in for a single heavy hit. This spend-or-hold decision is the main tactical loop the weapon presents.
Confirmed Mechanics
Mechanic | Confirmed behaviour |
|---|---|
Spirit Gauge | Has levels; higher levels power up attacks |
Counterattack | Triggered by timing a monster's attack |
Gauge gain | Certain counterattacks raise the Spirit Gauge level |
Gauge spend | Consuming levels unleashes devastating attacks |
Movement | Described as swift, with a focus on combos |
The Long Sword Adventurer
Midori is the revealed Adventurer carrying the Long Sword, classed as Assault. Her weapon is a long sword concealed inside a shamisen, and she is described as evading attacks with graceful movements. Some of her skills build her Spirit Gauge faster, which stacks directly onto the weapon's own gauge economy rather than replacing it.
Fated Adventurer Skills (First Closed Beta)
Material published for the first closed beta used the player's own Fated Adventurer, an Assault class character, to walk through the Long Sword. The skill names below come from that build and may change at launch.
Skill | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Chain Slash | Basic attacks | Builds the Spirit Gauge |
Spirit Blade Chain Slash | Skill 1 | Raises the Spirit Gauge level |
Foresight Slash | Tap Skill 2 | Counters a monster's attack |
Iai Spirit Slash | Hold Skill 2 | Counters a monster's attack |
Spirit Thrust | Skill 3, at a higher Spirit Gauge level | Deals massive damage |
Not Yet Confirmed
How many Spirit Gauge levels exist and what each one changes numerically.
Whether the gauge decays over time.
Whether the counters and finishers shown for the Fated Adventurer in the first closed beta are the same for Midori, and whether they survive to launch.
Whether a Perfect Guard applies to this weapon. A Perfect Evade is available to every Adventurer.
Whether a helm-breaker style finisher or equivalent exists.
Raw values, sharpness, elemental variants and upgrade paths.