Core Mechanics

Charging System

Great Sword revolves around the mechanic of charging your attacks up to three levels. Higher charge level = higher damage. However, holding charge too long results in an overcharge (same damage as level 2 charge).

Most attacks can be charged:

• Draw Slash
• Strong Charge Slash
• True Charge Slash
• Offset Rising Slash

Offset Rising Slash

Offset Rising Slash is your primary offensive tool in Wilds. This mechanic is entirely new to the weapon.

How It Works

After charging, when you release the attack, if any physical attack part of the monster connects with your sword, the monster dramatically fumbles over and triggers a powerful Follow-up Cross Slash.

Key Properties

• 3 charge levels (each determines Follow-up damage)
• 70% damage reduction (excellent for defense)
• Can be dodged out of (unlike other charges)
• Can take chip damage if monster body part touches you upon release
• Zero damage if sword exclusively contacts monster (perfect dodge)

Charge Levels and Damage

Level	Offset MV	Follow-up MV	Total MV
Level 1	44	180	224
Level 2	49	200	249
Level 3	58	230	288

Positioning After Follow-up

During the Cross Slash lunging animation, control your direction with directional inputs. This is crucial for positioning on monsters where the head isn’t the primary weak spot (Uth Duna, Seregios, Arkveld).

Important Limitations

Caution

Not all physical attacks can be offset. Certain hard crowd-control effects resist this mechanic. Examples:

• Sir Regios’s super dive kick
• Certain grab attacks require other approaches

Offset Buildup Threshold System

You’ve probably noticed: sometimes the offset effect (sparks + shotgun sound) appears but the monster doesn’t actually topple.

This is the threshold system. Every successful offset increases a threshold that resets throughout the hunt:

Charge Level	Buildup Per Use
Level 0	75
Level 1	100
Level 2	150
Level 3	200
Overcharged	200 (same as Level 3)

Hunt Start: Threshold begins at 150, maxes at 601

Each successful offset Rising Slash that actually topples the monster increases the threshold. You must hit the new threshold to trigger the next topple.

Pro Tip

Even if your Offset doesn’t topple the monster, you still get the Follow-up Cross Slash! Use these moments to land a high-damage True Charge Slash afterward.

Focus Mode

Focus Mode is a new mechanic that allows you to freely adjust the aim of your attacks via camera movement. This is a huge change for every weapon, but GS in particular sees a very large benefit; it’s now much easier to consistently hit weak points and correct your positioning without needing to predict the monster’s movement as much. Monster knowledge and prediction is still an important facet of GS play, but the margin for error is much larger than in previous games.

The degree to which you can adjust your aim is essentially unlimited; you can literally turn 360 degrees while charging an attack. Focus Mode actually moves you closer to the monster as well, giving you even more ability to reposition yourself and connect with your attacks.

Focus Slash

Focus Slash: Perforate is a new attack executed by pressing L2 + R1 while in Focus Mode. Your hunter drags the GS along the monster, destroying wounds it comes into contact with for heavy damage. Depending on your held directional input, you can either perform an overhead or a horizontal slash. The overhead version allows you to adjust the direction of the perforation by holding that direction. You can chain Focus Slash into a Leaping Wide Slash, a Strong Charge Slash, or an Offset Rising Slash.

Focus Slash inherits the charge level of the preceding attack, and also transfers it to the following attack. For example, if you perform a level 3 Strong Charged Slash and chain it into Focus Slash, the Focus Slash will be level 3. You can then chain that into a Leaping Wide Slash which will also be level 3.

From Wounded State

When you Perforate into a wound:

• Extended version with many additional strikes
• Can transition into True Charge Slash
• TCS starts at Level 1 (no charge carry-over on this specific transition)

Follow-up Transitions

From Focus Slash, you can go into:

• Leaping Wide Slash
• Strong Charge Slash
• Offset Rising Slash

Perfect Tackle

Tackles are multi-purpose:

• Deal KO damage
• Negate 90% of oncoming damage
• Enable charge skip to next attack

Perfect Tackle

Time your tackle right before the monster’s attack connects - if timed perfectly, you’ll hear a distinct sound effect and see a different animation.

Perfect Tackle = Charge Carried Over!

Normal Tackle skips to next charge (loses previous charge). Perfect Tackle retains your charge level.

Example: Level 3 Strong Charge Slash → Perfect Tackle → True Charge Slash immediately becomes Level 3.

Tip

Perfect Tackle is one of the highest-skill-ceiling mechanics in Wilds GS. Practice getting the timing consistent.

Perfect Guard

Guarding has been completely reimagined in Wilds.

Perfect Guard Benefits

• Fast animation compared to standard guard
• Zero sharpness loss
• Rapid follow-up attacks from guard position
• Creates offensive opportunities instead of just blocking

How to Perform

React to the monster’s attack by pressing guard + forward at the right moment. You’ll hear a distinct “ting” sound effect and animation difference when successful.

Faster Input Method

Forward key + Guard button simultaneously (after ending any motion) = Much faster guard startup than holding guard button alone.

Perfect Guard Into Offense

After Perfect Guard you can follow up with:

• Overhead Slash
• Focus Strike
• Offset Rising Slash (significantly faster execution)

Note

Perfect Guard → Offset Rising Slash with proper tech can add an extra charge level compared to standard guard transitions. This is the most integral tech to master.

Charge Slash Types

Different slashes serve different purposes:

Slash	Purpose	Typical Charge
Overhead Slash	Gap closer, opening attack	L1-L3
Charging Slash	Basic combo builder	L2-L3
Strong Charge Slash	High damage, versatile	L2-L3
True Charge Slash (TCS)	Highest single-hit damage, finisher	L1-L3
Leaping Wide Slash	Wide AOE, positioning	Any level

Caution

TCS is powerful but vulnerable during its long animation. Set it up with defensive mechanics or when monster is vulnerable.