The first major expansion for Monster Hunter Rise, Sunbreak, added many new challenges to the game. There are new monsters, maps, and a whole new difficulty level for hunters to contend with. To overcome these new obstacles, each weapon got a pair of new Switch Skills: one standard move and one Silkbind Attack. For added flexibility, you also have the ability to change between Switch Skill loadouts at will by using the new Switch Skill Swap.

What is Switch Skills and what they do in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

  • Great Sword: Surge Slash ComboThis combines a series of three powerful downward slashes, allowing for a follow up with a Strong Charged Slash.Long Sword: Sacred Sheathe ComboThis can be used to sheathe the weapon slowly and charge up an attack that spends the Spirit Gauge. It makes the user impervious to damage while charging, but taking damage spends one level of Spirit Gauge.Sword and Shield: Twin Blade ComboThis changes the opening of the X combo to a circular attack followed by a thrust, both with the sword.Dual Blades: Slide Slash ComboThis is a combined evade and attack that allows for quick repositioning.Hammer: Spinning Bludgeon: ChargeThis allows the user to perform multiple fully charged attacks in succession.Hunting Horn: Swing ComboThis can be used after a Left Swing or Right Swing to attack and reposition simultaneously.Lance: Shield TackleThis is a forward hop with the shield raised that grants hyper armor and allows for follow up attacks.Gunlance: Erupting CannonThis fires a round at the target, and follow up slashes deal extra damage.Switch Axe: 2-Staged Morph Slash ComboThis is a short combo that follows the Wild Swing combo, where the first attack switches to Sword Mode and the second morphs back to Axe Mode.Charge Blade: Phial Follow-up: Firing PinThis uses Sword Mode to build up the charge of a Phial. Attacking with Axe Mode detonates it.Insect Glaive: Kinsect SlashThis is a forward dash that allows the user to attack and collect an extract simultaneously.Bow: Stake ThrustThis is a quick melee attack that attaches an explosive stake to your target. The stake deals additional damage with follow up attacks.Light Bowgun: Critical FirepowerThis is a new firing style that narrows the weapon’s critical distance window for more added damage.Heavy Bowgun: Crouching ShotThis causes the bowgun to fire in succession, speeding up over time. As a tradeoff, this overheats the bowgun quickly.

All new Silkbind Attacks and what they do

  • Great Sword: Strongarm StanceThis is a counter that quickly charges the Great Sword.Long Sword: Harvest MoonThis places a large circle on the ground. While the circle is present, you can only attack while inside it, but your Spirit Gauge will not deplete and your counters will hit more times.Sword and Shield: Destroyer OilThis applies oil to your weapons, causing the monster to stagger more often.Dual Blades: Spiral SlashThis is a forward lunge followed by a series of spinning attacks that can be used while airborne.Hammer: Impact BurstThis applies shockwaves to each charged attack, dealing damage and causing monsters to stagger more often.Hunting Horn: Silkbind ShockwaveThis is a quick upward strike that applies a buff which causes follow up attacks to hit additional times.Lance: Skyward ThrustThis is an upward strike that launches you into the air. It can be followed up with a downward attack that hits multiple times.Gunlance: Bullet BarrageThis reloads the gunlance before quickly dashing forward and firing all rounds at point blank range.Switch Axe: Elemental Burst CounterThis counter spends all of your axe’s energy. Landing it allows for a follow up attack that allows you to immediately enter Amped State.Charge Blade: Ready StanceThis causes you to enter a stance that reduces your stagger when receiving hits.Insect Glaive: Awakened Kinsect AttackThis fires your Kinsect forward in a powerful attack that consumes all extracts. After impact, you will dash to the Kinsect, collect an extract, and launch into the air.Bow: Butcher’s BindThis attaches a thread to a monster that causes follow up attacks to deal extra slashing damage.Light Bowgun: Wyvern CounterThis fires an explosive shot that causes you to evade backwards and into the air very quickly, dealing damage to monsters in the explosion.Heavy Bowgun: Setting SunThis temporarily increases the number of hits for your shots.

  • This combines a series of three powerful downward slashes, allowing for a follow up with a Strong Charged Slash.

  • This can be used to sheathe the weapon slowly and charge up an attack that spends the Spirit Gauge. It makes the user impervious to damage while charging, but taking damage spends one level of Spirit Gauge.

  • This changes the opening of the X combo to a circular attack followed by a thrust, both with the sword.

  • This is a combined evade and attack that allows for quick repositioning.

  • This allows the user to perform multiple fully charged attacks in succession.

  • This can be used after a Left Swing or Right Swing to attack and reposition simultaneously.

  • This is a forward hop with the shield raised that grants hyper armor and allows for follow up attacks.

  • This fires a round at the target, and follow up slashes deal extra damage.

  • This is a short combo that follows the Wild Swing combo, where the first attack switches to Sword Mode and the second morphs back to Axe Mode.

  • This uses Sword Mode to build up the charge of a Phial. Attacking with Axe Mode detonates it.

  • This is a forward dash that allows the user to attack and collect an extract simultaneously.

  • This is a quick melee attack that attaches an explosive stake to your target. The stake deals additional damage with follow up attacks.

  • This is a new firing style that narrows the weapon’s critical distance window for more added damage.

  • This causes the bowgun to fire in succession, speeding up over time. As a tradeoff, this overheats the bowgun quickly.

  • This is a counter that quickly charges the Great Sword.

  • This places a large circle on the ground. While the circle is present, you can only attack while inside it, but your Spirit Gauge will not deplete and your counters will hit more times.

  • This applies oil to your weapons, causing the monster to stagger more often.

  • This is a forward lunge followed by a series of spinning attacks that can be used while airborne.

  • This applies shockwaves to each charged attack, dealing damage and causing monsters to stagger more often.

  • This is a quick upward strike that applies a buff which causes follow up attacks to hit additional times.

  • This is an upward strike that launches you into the air. It can be followed up with a downward attack that hits multiple times.

  • This reloads the gunlance before quickly dashing forward and firing all rounds at point blank range.

  • This counter spends all of your axe’s energy. Landing it allows for a follow up attack that allows you to immediately enter Amped State.

  • This causes you to enter a stance that reduces your stagger when receiving hits.

  • This fires your Kinsect forward in a powerful attack that consumes all extracts. After impact, you will dash to the Kinsect, collect an extract, and launch into the air.

  • This attaches a thread to a monster that causes follow up attacks to deal extra slashing damage.

  • This fires an explosive shot that causes you to evade backwards and into the air very quickly, dealing damage to monsters in the explosion.

  • This temporarily increases the number of hits for your shots.