This is a guide about the best skills for Switch Axes. Read on to know which skills to look out for when making a Switch Axe build and why.
List of Contents
- Offensive Skills
- Defensive Skills
- Utility Skills
- Related Monster Hunter World (MHW) Guides
Offensive Skills
| Recommendations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Affinity Skills | Agitator | Partbreaker |
Critical Boost, Weakness Exploit
Switch Axes do not need much in terms of offensive skills because they naturally place high up in the damage charts. That is not to say that Affinity Skills have no place in a Switch Axe's build.
The Switch Axe's Phial attacks (including Phial discharges) can crit and have amplified damage on tenderized parts. This is where skills such as Weakness Exploit and Critical boost come in as they synergize well with the Switch Axe's Clutch Claw-reliant moveset and mechanics very well.
A High-Affinity Switch Axe in the hands of an experienced hunter can lead to some of the most insane damage outputs seen in Monster Hunter World.
Agitator
The introduction of the Clutch Claw made the Agitator Skill a community staple when making builds. When active, Agitator grants hunters +20 attack and affinity by 10% at level five. (Level six and seven are unlocked via the Agitator Secret Skill.)
The Clutch Claw, specifically its Flinch Shot Attack, gave hunters the ability to enrage the monster whenever the opportunity presents itself. This gave hunters a way to maintain their Agitator's up-time.
Partbreaker
The Switch Axe's damage output is comparable to a Charge Blade's but paired with the precision of a Lance. This makes the Switch Axe one of the most efficient part breakers in the Monster Hunter World.
Partbreaker increases Part Damage by 30% at level three, complimenting the Switch Axe's methodical playstyle perfectly.
Defensive Skills
| Recommendations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Evasion Skills | Earplugs | Divine Blessing |
| Health Boost | ||
Evade Extender, Evade Window
Switch Axes are notorious for having terrible evade distance and invulnerability frames in Sword Form. These Evasion Skills ensure that hunters have great dodge rolls and invulnerability frames regardless of which Form their Switch Axes are currently in.
Earplugs
Earplugs offer total protection against a monster's roar at level five. This synergizes well for the Switch Axe as its damage combos are often long and slow.
It is important to note that during a Sword Form's Zero Sum Discharge Attack, Hunters will have level four Earplugs naturally, This means hunters need only one level in Earplugs to be completely immune during the full duration of Zero Sum Discharge.
Divine Blessing
Switch Axes need to be in constant close-range to deal its high damage. Divine Blessing offers an extra layer of protection for hunters as it reduces the damage infliced by the monster attack that triggered it by 50% at level three.
Divine Blessing levels four and five are unlocked via the Divine Blessing secret.
Health Boost
It never hurts to pump up one's HP! Health Boost increases a hunter's Health by 50 at level three, making it a solid addition to any build - especially early on in the game.
Utility Skills
| Recommendations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Power Prolonger | Focus | Quick Sheath |
| Mind's Eye/Ballistics | ||
Power Prolonger
Power Prolonger greatly increases the duration of the Switch Axe's weapon buffs at level three. This ensures that a hunter can spend more time dealing damage before recharging their Axe Form's flinch buff and Sword Form's Amped State.
Focus
The Focus Skill's benefits are targetted towards the Switch Axe's Sword Form. The skill Increases gauge fill rates by 20% at level three, making it easier for hunters to re-apply their Sword Form's Amped State.
Quick Sheath
The Switch Axe's sheathing speed is one of the slowest in the game. Hunters who find this an issue may consider using Quick Sheath in their builds. This skill greatly improves the sheathing speed at level three.
Mind's Eye/Ballistics
Unlike its Sword Form, The Switch Axe's Axe Form can deflect off a monster's hide if it is thick enough.
Hunters who find this an issue can consider using Mind's Eye/Ballistics to completely prevent attacks from deflecting off a monster, no matter how hard its hide is!
Related Monster Hunter World (MHW) Guides
All Skills
List of All Skills
Best Skills for Each Weapon
| Recommendations for Other Weapons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Charge Blade | Dual Blades | Long Sword | |
 Switch Axe | Insect Glaive | Hunting Horn | Great Sword |
| Lance | Gunlance | Hammer | Bow |
| Heavy Bowgun | Light Bowgun | ||
Weapon Related Guides
| Melee Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Great Swords | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Great Sword for Each Element | ||
| Best Great Sword for Iceborne | ||
 Long Swords | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Long Sword for Each Element | ||
| Best Long Sword for Iceborne | ||
 Swords and Shields | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Sword and Shield for Each Element | ||
| Best Sword and Shield for Iceborne | ||
 Dual Blades | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Dual Blades for Each Element | ||
| Best Dual Blades for Iceborne | ||
 Hammers | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Hammer for Each Element | ||
| Best Hammers for Iceborne | ||
 Hunting Horns | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Hunting Horn for Each Element | ||
| Best Hunting Horn for Iceborne | ||
| Hunting Horn Notes and Effects | ||
 Lances | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Lance for Each Element | ||
| Best Lance for Iceborne | ||
 Gunlances | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Gunlance for Each Element | ||
| Best Gunlance for Iceborne | ||
 Switch Axe | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Switch Axe for Each Element | ||
| Best Switch Axe for Iceborne | ||
 Charge Blade | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Charge Blade for Each Element | ||
| Best Charge Blades for Iceborne | ||
 Insect Glaive | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Insect Glaive for Each Element | ||
| Best Insect Glaive for Iceborne | ||
| Kinsects | ||
|---|---|---|
 Kinsects | Kinsect Tree and Complete Kinsect List | Best and Recommended Kinsects |
| Ranged Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
 Bows | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Bow for Each Element | ||
 Light Bowguns | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Light Bowgun for Each Element | ||
 Heavy Bowguns | How to Use | |
| Overall Best List | Best Skills | |
| Layered Weapon Augments | ||
| Best Heavy Bowgun for Each Element | ||
