Best Charge Blades In MHW

Key Takeaways

• Saber’s Maw offers Sleep status for strategic hunts, decent Attack, and white sharpness, and extra slots for armor skills.
• Despot’s Thundergale focused on Thunder element, boasts purple Sharpness, Power Element Phial, and Handicraft skill benefits.
• Hydros Kardia provides powerful Water Element attacks, white sharpness, and high attack power, upgrading from Vaal Hazak Charge Blade.

Allowing players to seamlessly switch between a heavy two-handed axe and a swift sword and shield, the Charge Blade debuted in 2013’s Monster Hunter 4, occupying a similar space among the fourteen weapon types as the Switch Axe.

In Monster Hunter World, the Charge Blade is just as powerful as ever, but users may find themselves torn as to which version of the weapon they should opt for. These six Charge Blades may not be the easiest to acquire in Monster Hunter World, nor its DLC expansion Iceborne, but they’re more than worth the trouble to craft.

Updated September 27, 2024, by Blaise Santi: Although this list of the best Charge Blades in Monster Hunter World comprises many excellent choices for both Charge Blade veterans and those new to the weapon, some hunters may prefer some Elements or status effects more than others. There’s no shortage of great Blast weapons in the game, nor Fire or Paralysis. However, some of these Elements and status effects may be underrated by Monster Hunter players, especially those who use the Charge Blade. This list has been updated to include three additional Charge Blades, each of which features an Element or status effect that was previously ignored.

12 Saber’s Maw

An Early Game Monster Makes A Great Endgame Weapon

Sleep can be an especially useful status effect in multiplayer hunts, as a monster being put to sleep can allow for strategic bombing or regrouping. Thankfully, this incredible Sleep Charge Blade requires materials from the Great Jagras, one of the first monsters hunters encounter in Monster Hunter World, albeit requiring fights against its Master Rank version.

The weapon boasts decent Attack and Sharpness, as well as a Power Phial that will make each hit do even more damage. It also comes with two level-3 slots for decorations, which can be really useful for certain armor sets that need an extra boost in skills like Attack Up or Defense Up. As far as sleep Charge Blades go, this is one that players can easily craft.

11 Despot’s Thundergale

The Power Of Zinogre Brings The Thunder

It’s no surprise that the best Thunder element Charge Blade comes from the fearsome Zinogre. The Zinogre can be a tough fight at any rank, but this weapon also requires a Large Elder Dragon Gem, meaning that players are going to have to get lucky after fighting an incredibly difficult monster like Teostra, Namielle, or Kushala Daora.

However, if they’re able to craft the Despot’s Thundergale, it offers a lot of benefits for hunters who want a more shocking playstyle. With Handicraft, its Sharpness level reaches purple level, boasting a decent chunk of white level to boot. It also gets the Power Element Phial, making it a strong choice against monsters that are especially weak to Thunder.

10 Hydros Kardia

Pretty Sharp For A Weapon Made Of Bones

Namielle is one of the most intimidating Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter World, but conquering it will reward players with access to some pretty great Water Element weapons. The Hydros Kardia is the Namielle’s Charge Blade, fully upgraded from the lowly Bone Strongarm, an early game weapon that doesn’t boast much in terms of Sharpness.

The Hydros Kardia, on the other hand, has pretty impressive specs, with a heap of White Sharpness, 10% affinity, and 972 attack. The biggest downside is that it upgrades from the Vaal Hazak Charge Blade, so players will have quite the fair amount of Elder Dragon hunts to survive before they’re able to wield this very powerful Water weapon.

9 Alatreon Morphblade

A Blade Only For The Strongest Of Hunters

The Alatreon is one of the most terrifying monsters in the Monster Hunter franchise, as its various form changes during battle allow it to utilize every single elemental blight. While this can be a detriment to hunters, defeating the monster numerous times will allow Charge Blade users to acquire the Alatreon Morphblade, which prioritizes the Dragon Element.

With over 1000 base Attack and a whopping amount of Purple sharpness, the Alatreon Morphblade is one of the best Dragon Element weapons in Monster Hunter World. Since most Elder Dragons are also weak to the Dragon Element, it’s one of the best options for farming battles against the normally difficult monsters, though it’ll take a lot of work to craft and upgrade.

8 Elder Wolf Fang

Give Monsters A Chill With This Weapon

Although this weapon’s design takes after the Barioth, it also requires materials from the Velkhana, a monster introduced in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. This weapon comes with a lot of bonuses, from 900 Attack to a good amount of White and Blue-level Sharpness. However, its best feature is the 360 Ice Element, as well as the 30% Affinity.

With these attributes, the Elder Wolf Fang is one of the best Ice weapons that doesn’t require the Free Elem/Ammo Up skill. Plus, with the Handicraft skill, players will get a lot more bang for their buck when it comes to the amount of White Sharpness this weapon offers. Players should make sure that this weapon is equipped for fights against fiery monsters that are weak to the Ice Element.

7 The Melting Grasp

It Needs Materials From A Paralyzing Threat

The Acidic Glavenus is a variant of the Glavenus introduced in Monster Hunter World. While the original version of the Glavenus gives off fiery attacks, the Acidic Glavenus has no elemental attacks, though its Charge Blade, The Melting Grasp, can acquire 270 in Paralysis with the skill Free Elem/Ammo Up. Plus, the weapon boasts a whopping 1044 in base Attack.

What makes this Charge Blade easy to acquire is the Acidic Glavenus’s weakness to Fire. That means that Charge Blade users who were smart enough to craft and upgrade the Glavenus Bardred will have the perfect weapon to farm Acidic Glavenus materials. Plus, The Melting Grasp can also be upgraded from the Diablos Tyrannis III rather than the next weapon.

6 Thanatos Force

A Blade Worthy Of The Devil Himself

The Diablos is one of the fiercest monsters in the entire Monster Hunter franchise, but the plus side is that its signature weapons are among the strongest in base power. When fully upgraded, the Thanatos Force consists of materials from both the Diablos and its variant, the much more sinister Black Diablos.

Thanatos Force boasts a stellar base Attack of 1044, with solid blue Sharpness at the cost of -30% Affinity. When combined with the useful Armor Skill known as Free Elem/Ammo Up, players will also gain access to Ice elemental damage and an Impact phial, making their attacks super-effective against monsters and more likely to stun.

5 Safi’s Shattershield

A Rare Reward For The Dedicated Hunters

Many Monster Hunter fans are partial to Blast weapons, as they accrue damage over time to deliver serious explosive blows against monsters. When it comes to Charge Blade, the best choice for hunters is Safi’s Shattershield, which boasts 972 base Attack, stellar Sharpness in the white level, 5% Affinity, and 120 Blast damage, as well as an Impact phial.

The only downside of Safi’s Shattershield is that it can only be obtained after players complete the “Safi’jiiva Siege” quest. The reward for defeating the Elder Dragon in this quest is one of many Safi’jiiva weapons, but the Event Quest is only available online every two weeks. Even when players face it, victory is not guaranteed against this fearsome foe.

4 Glavenus Bardred

Sharpness Is The Name Of The Game

Although Glavenus is far from the easiest fight in Monster Hunter World, it is still incredibly fun, which might make acquiring this fully upgraded Charge Blade a thrill. The Glavenus Bardred can be upgraded steadily from the Great Jagras weapon line, proving to be one of the best Fire element weapons in the game.

With a huge amount of white Sharpness, players will likely get the most out of Glavenus Bardred’s 936 base Attack and 390 Fire. It also comes with the Power Element Phial, which will increase the strength of elemental attacks. This weapon is the perfect choice against any monster that’s acclimated to a cold environment.

3 Luna Eostre

The Golden Choice For Poison Lovers

There aren’t many monsters who aren’t susceptible to Poison as a status element, which makes weapons of the Rathian line quite handy to keep around. In Monster Hunter World, Charge Blade users can fully upgrade their Rathian weapons into the illustrious Luna Eostre, made out of Gold Rathian materials and offering some of the best stats in the game.

As if 10% Affinity and 420 Poison element aren’t enough to make this weapon incredible, 1044 base Attack and a whopping amount of white Sharpness will make it hard to un-equip. Plus, Luna Eostre comes with two level-2 Armor slots, allowing players to utilize this weapon to increase their proficiency in skills like Attack Up or Guard.

2 Fate’s Curtain

Perfect For The Savage Hunters

Few monsters terrify Monster Hunter fanatics as much as the Savage Deviljho, the superpowered version of one of the most difficult monsters in the game. While defeating it is no easy feat, the Savage Deviljho’s signature Charge Blade, Fate’s Curtain, is a magnificent reward for the best hunters in Monster Hunter World.

With an Attack of 1008, white Sharpness, and 270 Dragon Element (not counting buffs from the Power Element Phial), this weapon will make mincemeat of the monsters it’s used against. The only downside to it is the -30% Affinity, but with a base Attack that high, critical hits aren’t exactly needed often.

1 True Fatalis Charger

A Dragon Killer For An Elder Dragon Slayer

Fatalis is one of the most iconic Elder Dragons in the Monster Hunter franchise, making its debut in the first-generation games. Its Charge Blade is easily the best of its weapon type by a large margin, offering incredible stats that make farming the monster well worth it. Just a glance at its base Attack of 1224 will make any Charge Blade user eager to get their hands on it.

That’s not the only benefit the True Fatalis Charger possesses. Some of its other attributes include Sharpness in the purple level, 150 Dragon Element, an Impact Phial, and two level-4 slots for Decorations. Its -20% Affinity isn’t stellar, but it’ll be hard to complain about all the other benefits that this Charge Blade grants.