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Great Sword is the clearest answer if “most damage” means the biggest individual hit. It is built around slower, committed attacks that can deal very large damage when they connect. But it is not automatically the best weapon for sustained damage or the fastest hunt: results depend on the monster, the part you hit, your build, the game version, and how reliably you land attacks.
What does “most damage” mean?
Three different measures often get bundled into that question:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Monster Hunter Rise - Nintendo Switch Standard Edition | $29.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Monster Hunter Rise: Nintendo Switch | $49.97 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate - Nintendo Switch | $33.97 | Buy on Amazon |
- Burst damage: the damage from one attack or a short sequence. Great Sword is the clearest pick for the biggest individual hit.
- Sustained damage, or DPS: damage dealt over time. The available comparisons do not establish one universal winner for every target, build, and player.
- Clear time: how quickly a particular quest is completed. A fast run shows what was achieved under its recorded conditions, not that the weapon used will always finish hunts fastest.
Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Official Web Manual describes Great Sword as a weapon whose slower swings can produce very large damage on a landed hit. It also advises hunters to learn which monster parts are weak to which attack types, because matching attacks to weak parts helps maximize damage.
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Monster parts and attack types matter
A weapon does not deal the same damage to every part of a monster. Capcom’s manual explains that a part’s weakness to the relevant attack type affects the damage dealt. Hitting a suitable weak point can matter more than choosing a weapon based on a general ranking.
#1 Best Overall
- The debut of the new “wirebug” mechanic allows for wire-based grappling actions that can be used to scale cliffs and other hard-to-reach areas, providing new traversal and aerial attack options.
- The game will introduce magnamalo, a menacing new flagship monster, as well as other new monsters like the shape-shifting aknosom, the amphibious tetranadon, and more.
- New hunting partners called palamutes can be personalized and used to ride across the terrain, providing players with all-new traveling and attack options.
- In addition to the plethora of solo and multiplayer quests, the immersive story mode will task aspiring hunters with discovering the secrets behind the puzzling “rampage” events that threaten kamura village.
- Play solo, or join up to three other hunters in local or online co-op play. The Nintendo Switch system also allows for hunting anywhere, anytime and with anyone!
Sharpness and the build change results
For melee weapons, sharpness affects damage, according to the official manual. Skills, equipment, and other build choices also shape what a hunter can do, so a weapon comparison is meaningful only when its target and build conditions are clear.
Execution and the chosen measure matter
A large attack only pays off if it connects. In its Sunbreak weapon ranking and evaluation, GameWith cautions that practice can narrow weapon differences and that time-attack results are not easy for everyone to reproduce. A weapon you can use consistently may produce better results for you than a nominally stronger option you struggle to execute.
Rank #2
- Go on the hunt whenever and wherever you want, in Monster Hunter Rise for Nintendo Switch
- Explore wide areas in this spectacular action role playing game, launch wild monsters alone or with friends and forge the real weapons and armour
- A variety of giant monsters await you from fearsome new enemies such as Magnamalo to well known and popular monsters such as Tigrex and Mizutsune
- Gigantic blades, pointed lances, solid H mmer, bow rifles for long distance combat and more with a selection of 14 unique weapons you will find the equipment that suits your hunting style
- With the new rope you can ride through the air in no time at all and can ride monsters
How to read rankings and speedrun times
Rankings are useful as editorial guidance, not as controlled proof that one weapon will lead every hunt. Pocket Tactics describes its Monster Hunter Rise weapon tier list as subjective: it weighs damage potential along with flexibility, ease of use, strengths and weaknesses, and skill synergy. Its description of Great Sword’s highest single-hit damage supports the burst-damage answer, not a universal claim about sustained DPS.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The Monster Hunter Rise leaderboard on Speedrun.com records run times alongside details such as weapon, platform, and game version. Those entries document successful runs under differing conditions. They are not a same-build, same-target trial of every weapon’s damage per second.
Rank #3
- Colossal roster - Take on the series' largest roster of monsters to date including all-new monsters, Deviant variants, and the mysterious new Elder Dragon Valstrax.
- Co-op multiplayer - join up and hunt online with up to three other hunters, or meet-up and play together via local play.
- Play anywhere! - with Nintendo Switch, for the first time gamers have the flexibility to either play online with friends on a TV in tabletop mode or play on-the-go in handheld mode.
- New level of challenge - “g” rank is introduced to test experienced hunters' battle tactics. Formidable versions of familiar foes enter the fields with different moves and abilities never before.
- Highly customizable gameplay - Expanding on the four Styles and supermoves called Hunter Arts introduced in Generations, two Styles are introduced for even further refined personalization options
For a fair comparison, specify the game version, target monster and quest, build, platform where relevant, and whether you mean a top speedrun or ordinary play. Without those conditions, a single overall ranking can be misleading.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which weapon might suit your goal?
These are conditional guide assessments, not results from a controlled damage test:
- For the biggest single hit: Great Sword is the clearest choice.
- For rapid-fire pierce damage and a safer-feeling approach: GameWith highlights Light Bowgun.
- For damage built around repeated weak-point hits: GameWith describes Bow as capable of high damage when its shots land on weak points.
- For powerful elemental pierce ammunition: GameWith highlights Heavy Bowgun.
- For damage with matchup flexibility: GameWith praises Switch Axe.
GameWith’s rankings also report weapon-use shares announced on an official broadcast: Long Sword 21.8%, Dual Blades 13.1%, Light Bowgun 11.5%, Bow 7.1%, and Great Sword 6.8%. GameWith’s page was updated October 6, 2026. Those figures describe reported use, not damage or win rate, and the broadcast itself was not independently verified here.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
