CapcomThe first agonizing choice you’ll need to make in Monster Hunter Wilds is which weapon to choose, and with 14 different options, it’s no easy choice. You can, of course, swap weapons at any time, but if you really want to hunt the most dangerous beasts out there, you’ll need to commit to a couple of weapons, craft their best versions, and learn the movesets inside and out. If you want an agile build, there’s no better weapon than the Dual Blades — a pair of short swords that let you unleash blisteringly fast attacks. Of course, these can be a bit difficult to use properly, and much different from the slow lumbering weapons like the Great Sword. With that in mind, we’ll help walk you through the various attacks the Dual Blades have, and how to use the weapon. Dual Blades Moves in Monster Hunter WildsThe Dual Blades are all about combos. You need to consistently land your attacks to use them properly. | CapcomThe Dual Blades aren’t quite as complex as some of the other weapons that have two different modes, like the Switch Axe, but you do still have two different modes to keep in mind — regular and Demon Mode. This weapon heavily benefits from a super aggressive playstyle, and that’s entirely because of Demon Mode. Press the R2 right trigger to enter Demon Mode, boosting your attack power, movement speed, evasion, and making you immune getting knocked back. But your stamina gradually depletes while in the mode, and once entirely depleted, you’ll leave Demon Mode. However, you also have a Demon Gauge that fills up as you use attacks while demonic. If you can fill the gauge before your stamina runs out, you’ll enter Archdemon Mode — further boosting your attack power. Archdemon Mode lasts until the gauge runs out. All this essentially means that the more aggressive you are, the more damage you’ll be causing. With all that in mind, here are the rest of the Dual Blades properties and attacks. As a note, we’ll be using PlayStation inputs for button commands. Demon Boost Mode - Enter a brief empowered state after a successful Perfect Evade, boosting regular and element damage. Double Slash (Triangle) - A basic attack that starts a combo. Hit triangle again for Double Slash Return Stroke, then one more time for Circle Slash. Lunging Strike (Circle) - A slashing attack that sends you forward in the direction you’re facing. Hit again to follow up with Spinning Slash. Focus Strike: Turning Tide (L2+R1) - The Dual Blades’ Focus Strike is a quick forward slash straight head. Use it on orange glowing spots to open a wound on monsters. Demon Mode - Press R2 to enter Demon Mode - Your combos will slightly change in animation, but use the same buttons. Blade Dance (Triangle+Circle) - A powerful combo of attacks that uses a large chunk of the Demon Gauge. The combo will happen automatically if you have enough gauge. Blade Dance II (Triangle+Circle) - A continuation of Blade Dance. You don’t need to hit the input again, if you have the gauge it’ll play out. Blade Dance III (Triangle+Circle) - Another extension of Blade Dance.Demon Flurry I and II (Triangle+Circle) - Only usable after entering Archdemon Mode, and the attack can be maneuvered using the left stick. Also, after starting the attack you can press R2 to chain it together with Blade Dance. It looks like this — Blade Dance (Triangle+Circle) ->R2 after Blade Dance to use Demon Flurry I -> R2 again for Blade Dance II -> R2 again for Demon Flurry II -> One final R2 for Blade Dance IIIDemon Dodge (X) - Only during Archdemon Mode, press X to use an extra quick dodge. Best Weapon Pairings For Dual Blades in Monster Hunter WildsMonster Hunter Wilds makes a big change over previous games by letting you equip two weapons at once, swapping between them while on your Seikret. That means if you want to use the Dual Blades, you’ll need to put some thought into what else to bring along. There are essentially two options you have here — a ranged weapon or a heavy weapon that causes huge damage. In our experience, a ranged weapon is usually the better option, as it gives you a ton of versatility for how you battle monsters — especially flying monsters. When using a quick weapon like the Dual Blades you’re typically better off pairing it with the Light Bowgun or Bow, as it helps you lean into that agile build that uses light armor and tricky strategies. Our preference is the Bow as it has a better range of special ammo that can be used, and is generally just more versatile. If you’d rather choose a heavy weapon to give you a slower offense option, your best bet is the Great Sword or Long Sword. These weapons are the opposite of the Dual Blades, focusing on slow and deliberate attacks — and that sheer difference is why you’d want to pick them. Going in with the Dual Blades and one of these weapons will give you two drastically different offensive options that can be used to adapt to a number of situations. How to Use the Dual Blades in Monster Hunter WildsBecause the Dual Blades are so light, you can keep up with monsters much better than hunters using heavy weapons. | CapcomAs we’ve already said multiple times, when using the Dual Blades you want to play as aggressive as possible. Because this weapon is focused on multiple repeated strikes, the only way you’ll be causing good damage is by pulling off combos — unlike other weapons where a single strike can do a lot. The Dual Blade combos are quick but they still lock you in place, or send you shortly forward. Because of that, your best location is typically directly under the monster so you can strike their soft bellies. This will, of course, vary depending on the monster, but it’s a good rule of thumb. What’s most important to keep in mind is that the Dual Blades don’t have any kind of guard ability, so you’ll need to dodge everything. Because of that, you’ll want to practice darting in and out of danger. Keep an eye out for big attacks from monsters, as that lack of guard means that any area-of-effect attacks will just hit you if you can’t dodge perfectly. The Dual Blades should be used like a guerrilla weapon — dash in and unleash a combo, dodge, and then get some distance for safety. You should also use and abuse your Demon Mode, there’s literally no downside to it. Try and stay aggressive and dish out combos, but make sure you’re using Demon Mode when the monster is at least somewhat stationary. You don’t want to waste your gauge, so wait until it’s settled in one spot and then go nuts with combos. Mastering the Dual Blades means constantly balancing offense and dodging, and learning how to make perfect use of Demon Mode — so you’ll need to get in some practice time.Monster Hunter Wilds launches on February 28 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.