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Monster Hunter 3G/3 Ultimate for the 3DS and Wii U
==================================================
A Comprehensive Analysis of the DUAL SWORDS/BLADES
==================================================

By: aquashiram14

Contact: aquashiram14 (at) gmail (dot) com

First things first. I am a girl. I am a girl who plays Monster Hunter.

:D

------------------------
|**********************|
|*DUAL SWORDS: A GUIDE*|
|**********************|
------------------------
Introduction

The game actually officially calls them Dual Blades, by the way.

Dual Swords have a pretty smooth learning curve so they're an excellent weapon 
for beginners (I would still recommend Sword and Shield as the top choice). 
Their controls are easier and most of their function is pretty intuitive and
doesn't require much overthinking.

This guide also has some general tips for beginners. Veteran hunters will 
probably find this guide a lot less useful but beginning hunters should get a 
lot out of this.

So...what gives me the qualifications? Not much, actually. This is why this 
guide is geared mainly for beginners. I played the demo a ton with Dual Swords 
because they looked cool, and I've been hooked on them ever since. Within the
game I have entirely used Dual Swords...I plan on branching out eventually, but 
at this point in the game my money would be sucked out of me if I tried to 
upgrade any other weapons I wanted to try. But considering that I'm currently a 
100% Dual Swords user, I do know how to use them.

For those wondering how experienced I am...I'm not very. I will be honest, I 
haven't hit high rank yet. So why am I writing this guide? Well, disclaimer 
notice: Don't take my guide as a god. What I say is my opinion. The controls
are accurate and the basic mechancics are accurate though--I made sure they
were. And, hey, would you rather me be honest about my in-experience or would
you rather me lie and talk about how awesome and veteran-ish I am with this
game?

What I do have to offer, however, is that I started this game as an absolute, 
rock-bottom beginner. What I have are the feelings and thoughts of a beginner. 
Veteran hunters are not beginners in this game. As a beginner, I am able to 
relate to others struggling, and I will offer my help to the best of my ability.

For your guide happiness, ITEMS are in ALL CAPS. Along with other important 
TERMS and ARMORS and WEAPONS. That way, you won't have to spend a while 
searching for them.

Oh, and the best tip for beginners, outside of PRACTICING? Don't overthink it.
It's weapons. It's armors. Weapons do damage, armors are for defense. Potions
heal you. Traps trap the monster. Tranq bombs will make monsters go into
zzzzz-land. Use your prior knowledge. It might look complicated, and it
certainly can get that way, but only if you let it do that to you.

--------------
 Legal Infos
--------------

This guide is my own original product. Dual Swords lists come from various 
databases on various phone apps, Ping's Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Dex, Monster 
Hunter Wikia, and various .jpgs of upgrade trees. All official names are
copyrighted by Capcom.

Please do not redistribute or post this guide elsewhere without explicit 
permission from me (I check my email frequently, don't worry). If you have any 
questions or criticisms or general questions about the game, email me, I
might be able to answer. Over time, I will add an FAQs section.

This is version 0.6.

Please just Ctrl+F the section names. One day, I will add tags.

Version History

Version 0.6:  Started May 20th, 2013, took about a week.
              Has all basic information and is lacking only
               actual Dual Sword listings
              Very skeletal but isn't devoid of any 
               helpfulness
              First version that was released.
Version 1.00: Been playing game more and adding/subtracting
               a ton.
              Some sections are incredibly shallow, so I
               made them more thorough.
              Grammar and typo fixes
              All Dual Swords listed, all the detailed
                information coming soon
              Added in three crucial sections (how on earth
                could I have forgotten)
              Planning on offering more advanced advice
                soon
              Also added things like nice pretty boxes to
                prevent the text-wall-syndrome.
              Re-formatted, it's allowed to be 80 characters
                wide :D

Credits and Thank-yous

Thanks to me, first, because I'm selfish and I wrote this
     guide :D

Thanks to my friends IRL who critiqued the shit out of this
     guide when it was first released (it was sooo bad)
     and hunted with me while I was still getting the hang of
     the controls.
     Oh and they also contributed a lot to the Recommended
     Armor/Weapons sections.

Thanks to you for reading :D

Thanks to Capcom for making such a great game!
              

====================
 Table of Contents
====================
1.  Introduction
      a. Legal Information
      b. Credits and Thank-yous
2.  Table of Contents
3.  Basic Overview
      a. In-depth Analysis
4.  Preparations
5.  Controls
      a. The Superman Dive
6.  Raw Power vs. Elemental Power
7.  Recommended Armor Sets
8.  Recommended Weapons
9.  Demon/Archdemon Mode
10. Tactics
11. Underwater Combat
12. All Dual Swords

===============
Basic Overview
===============

DUAL SWORDS (or Dual Blades) will be referred to in short hand as DS. Do not 
confuse with Nintendo DS. Dual Swords are what it says: Two swords, one in each
hand, that you use to attack monsters. They're about as freaking cool as
they sound. Unlike bows, bowguns, and gunlances, you have to be extremely up 
close and personal with the monster ("Say ahhh!") since these aren't long, huge 
dual swords, these are small and light ones.

A lot of the controversy over Dual Swords is that they make the game "easier". 
Dual Swords have easy controls and no truly complex attacks. Learning when and 
where and how to use a Charge Attack with a Great Sword is notably harder than
learning how to go into Demon and Archdemon mode with Dual Swords. So if you're
very new to this game, Dual Swords are highly recommended for you. Your first 
weapon choice I would say should be Sword and Shield, but for you offensive
speedsters, the Dual Swords should tickle your fancy.

If you're unsure of what to pick, download the demo, go hunt a Lagombi, and try
out each weapon until you find what suits you best (be sure to look up the 
controls for them, of course). Don't fret if you faint, this is a demo :)

Here's what this guide will do. This guide will explore pretty much every aspect
of Dual Swords that I could think of (I will refer to them as "DSes" throughout 
the walkthrough). It will also provide general help for beginners as they begin
to tackle their first big monsters. At the end, I even provide you people with a
comprehensive list of every Dual Sword you can possibly forge, along with any 
potential comments I might have.

This guide is NOT a hold-your-hand walkthrough of how to tackle every possible
monster with Dual Swords. Over time, you'll find your own attack style.

-----------------
In-depth Analysis
-----------------

DSes are swift and fast. They're the speedsters of the weapon group. It's easy 
to chain combos together almost infinitely (but it's also impractical because
monsters don't just sit there). They have their own special mode, too, called
DEMON MODE, which greatly increases damage output at cost of stamina (unless you
have Dash Juice). If you inflict enough damage to fill up a red bar under
your stamina bar, you'll enter ARCHDEMON Mode, which is Demon Mode without any
stamina depletion! But more on that later.

Dual Swords also have pretty much the highest damage-per-second (DPS).

******************************
* SUMMARY                    *
* 1. Fast, light, and mobile *
* 2. Demon/Archdemon mode    *
* 3. Can easily break out of *
*      a combo by rolling    *
* 4. Easy to chain attacks   *
******************************

But like all weapons, DSes have their drawbacks. The biggest drawback is that 
you cannot BLOCK ATTACKS. Dual Swords DO NOT HAVE SHIELDS. I repeat: Dual Swords
have no shields. ALWAYS keep that in mind. Developing your evasion skills will 
be of utmost importance if you choose to invest time into this weapon class! 
Learn to love the B button.

Another problem with DSes (especially if the monster is bigger than Moga Village
itself) is their SMALL HIT RANGE. Great Swords can hammer tails and heads, 
hammers can hammer heads, and I've used Long Swords and easily broken heads
and ears, but Dual Swords cannot reach such parts easily.

This can be frustrating if the one part of a monster you need is the tail, but 
the tail is too high off the ground for you to slice off, essentially barring 
you from certain equipment (or at the very least, making it tons harder to get).

DSes also rely more on elemental affinity than other weapons. Because of their 
lower raw power when compared to a weapon like a Great Sword (at max power, 
around the high 300s, they still have lower raw power than a low rank Great 
Sword), honing on on a monster's elemental weakness is EXTREMELY important
and can mean the difference between life and death.

Finally, DSes don't last long. You have to sharpen them. And a lot. Because they
attack so fast, they can make up for their low base power, but that comes at the
cost of swift sharpness decrease. In Low Rank, getting a full set of WROGGI 
ARMOR is highly recommended. Not only does it give a useful POISON IMMUNITY, it 
also has the skill RAZOR SHARP, which slows the rate your weapons dull by half. 
A godsend. (I will go more into armor in a later section)

*********************************
* SUMMARY                       *
* 1. Cannot block, must evade   *
* 2. Cannot roll in the middle  *
*      of an attack, must wait  *
*      until that one attack is *
*      done                     *
* 3. Lower raw power            *
* 4. Small hit range            *
* 5. Dull very quickly          *
*********************************

Some of the best ways to compensate are the following:

1. Learn how to evade. Learn a monster's attack patterns.
2. Bring DASH JUICE for Demon Mode. And for everything.
3. Forge more than one Dual Sword. This applies to any weapon class you want to
     specialize/generalize in. Monsters have elemental weaknesses just waiting
     to be abused, and some monsters are even particularly weak to status
     effects! (Like Duramboros and poison)
4. Know where monsters are most vulnerable. Barroth's arms are its weak points.
     I suggest you use Monster Hunter Wiki to research.
5. ALWAYS have 20 WHETSTONES. No matter what. ALWAYS. I don't even care. Just
     bring them with you.

I will probably repeat these throughout the guide. Because they're important!

================
  Preparations
================

Okay, you're all set to go! You've got your 20 Whetstones, a few Dash Juices, 
and all your extra essentials to hunt a boss class monster!

BUT WAIT. Is your BAG ready?

For beginners that are looking, here is what I normally take. Be aware that low 
rank quests start you out at base camp and the Supply Box will have many useful 
items specific to your quest--a quest involving killing bugs will provide you 
with free POISON SMOKE BOMBS, for example, so you can kill them but leave their 
bodies intact for carving. GET INTO THE HABIT OF PREPARING ON YOUR OWN. Once 
you've completed Low Rank, the training wheels are off, and the Supply Box will 
have nothing for you.

***************************************
* THE BEGINNER'S PERFECT BAG OF ITEMS * (Mainly geared for fighting boss-class
* Mega Potion/Potion x10              *   monsters)
* Iron Pickaxe/Mega Pickaxe x5        *
* Bug Net/Mega Bug Net x 5            *
* Paintball x 10+ (bring at least 10) *
* Well-done Steak x5 (BBQ raw meat)   *
* Whetstone x20                       *
* Pitfall Trap x1                     *
* Shock Trap x1                       *
* Tranq Bomb x8                       *
* Dung Bomb x10                       *
***************************************

Brief description of some of the items

Paintball: It will track the monster's locations regardless of if you have a
     map or not. Wears off after 10 minutes or so, so be sure to paint the
     monster more than once if the fight's long enough.
Well-done Steak: Boosts your Stamina.
Tranq Bomb: Toss 2 at a monster caught in a trap. Monster will say goodnight
     and you'll have successfully captured it!
Dung Bomb: If another monster shows up that you weren't specifically told to
     hunt, toss one at it. It stinks, and the monster will leave the area
     because it's ashamed to show its stinky face :D Because it now stinks.

**If a monster pins you down, detonate a poo bomb in its face. Even monsters
don't appreciate having toilet waste stuffed in their mouth. If you're
fighting with friends, though, let it have its way with you--they can get in
some free hits.

If you are questing in Sandy Plains (Day) or Volcano, bring 5 COOL JUICE. If you
are questing in Sandy Plains (night) or Tundra, bring 5 HEAT JUICE.

DASH JUICE, as said earlier, will make your life easier. TRAPS are optional
but if the quest goes awry or you wasted that EZ Trap for that capture quest,
having an extra is a very good idea.

Even if you're on a hunting quest, PICKAXES and BUG NETS can allow you to
obtain bugs and things as you head off to where the monster's chilling.

Later on, consider bringing other items such as POTIONS and HONEY, so that you 
can COMBINE them to create MEGA POTIONS. This can save you in a pinch if you run
out of the stock of Mega Potions you already brought. If you use this strategy,
it's highly recommended you purchase and bring COMBO BOOKS, which will help
your combos succeed.

Remember to bring ANTIDOTES if your monster can poison (ex. Gigginox), ENERGY 
DRINKS if your monster can put you to sleep (ex. Great Baggi), NULBERRIES if 
your monster can cause any sort of Blight (ex. Royal Ludroth and Waterblight),
etc. (Pretty much all monsters later on can cause Blights lol)

OVERPREPARATION = SUCCESS.

And please, never forget the almight POO BOMB.

**********************************
* FUN TIPS!                      *
* 1. A free DLC gives you 5,000  *
*     resource points! Get them! *
*     Use them to farm Nulberries*
*     which you can SELL!        *
* 2. If you have veteran friends,*
*     farm Lagombis to get the   *
*     Snow Slicers.              *
**********************************

**********************************
* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED             *
* 1. Use the Monster Hunter Wiki *
*    to do your research. IT WILL*
*    HELP YOU.                   *
* 2. Once the monster has spotted*
*    you, its icon will appear   *
*    on the touch screen. Tap it *
*    and the camera will auto-   *
*    lock onto the monster if you*
*    press L. Indispensible!     *
**********************************

All right. You're bored of this text. Time to learn how to use dem weapons!

========================
 Dual Swords: Controls
========================

You need only the following buttons: X, A, Y, B, and the R shoulder. For 
attacking and combat, anyways.

X: Unsheathe if your weapon is sheathed.

X: If you're unsheathing, you'll do a sort of lunge attack.
   Otherwise, it's a basic fancy shmancy short attack.

Press X twice: Combo attack that is longer and flourishes more

Press A: Butterfly-ish swipe

X+A: Lunge attack if weapon is already unsheathed

X and then A: Combo Attack involving a spin. Long attack,
              be careful when using.

R shoulder: Go into Demon Mode (you'll lift the swords
            above your head, cross them, and they'll have
            a red haze around them)

Y: Sheathe your weapon. Press Y while in Demon Mode to exit
            Demon mode. Cannot sheathe your weapon to exit
            Archdemon mode.

B: Roll (weapon sheathed or unsheathed)

Those are your most basic controls for success.

-----------------
The Superman Dive
-----------------

Also called the Safety Dive and the Panic Dive, it involves diving/belly 
flopping onto the ground. Why is it such a lifesaver? The brief moment you're in
the air, you're invincible. That's the one invincibility frame you might need to
dodge, say, a Savage Deviljho's dragon-breath. The invincibility frame granted 
by ROLLING is far shorter and requires pretty insanely accurate timing. This 
makes the Dive far more reliable to save your hide in a pinch.

First off, you have to have sheathed your weapon. You can't go Superman Diving 
if your weapon's out. Sheathe it! If you are in a pinch and there's no time
to sheathe your weapon, then I recommend you not even bother attempting to
sheathe, sprint, and dive. Just roll ASAP!

Next, the monster must have SPOTTED YOU. The easiest way to test is to poke its 
icon in the touch screen and press L. If the camera auto-locks, it's spotted 
you. Also if you've just encountered it and an exclamantion mark (!) has
appeared above its head, it for sure has noticed you.

Now, dash! Dash as fast as you can! Run away! To do so, move around using the 
left circle pad (3DS's only have one so you know which one I'm talking about, 
3DS players) while pressing R. You should be sprinting and your stamina bar,
unless you ingested Dash Juice, should be depleting.

Oh, and you'll probably look pretty silly running like that.

Now, press B. It's hard to fit all your fingers and manage it all at once, but 
just press it! You'll jump into the air and land on the ground on your tummy.

Good job, you made yourself temporarily invincible and have successfully 
performed the Superman Dive! Use it. Love it.

*****************************
* SUMMARY BOX               *
* 1. Monster should have    *
*     spotted you.          *
* 2. RUN by moving while    *
*     pressing R.           *
* 3. Press B (while still   *
*     running.              *
*****************************

=================================
 Elemental Damage vs. Raw Damage
=================================

Dual Swords are the undisputed king of Damage-Per-Second, or DPS for short. They
are also the undisputed losers of the greatest single-hit power contest (there's
no acronym for that as far as I'm aware), so having such high DPS helps
compensate for this.

There's one other mechanic that helps save the Dual Swords from being the 
weakest weapon class available, and that's elemental affinity and power.

Elemental affinity is one of the more intricate aspects of Monster Hunter, and 
isn't often easily understood. Raw damage is a bit more intuitive for people to 
get, so I'll go over that first, then I'll talk about elemental affinity
and power, and how the two are related, particularly when talking about Dual 
Swords. Here we go.

------------
 Raw Damage
------------

Raw Damage is a weapon's BASE POWER negating all other skills and elemental 
affinity. You can view it by going to your ITEM BOX and viewing your equipment, 
or by looking at your forgeable/upgradeable weapons when talking to the SMITHY.
If you wish to see the power of your equipped weapon, press the START button and
go to STATUS to view your general equipment summaries.

You'll see a NUMBER and a COLOR BAR. Matched Slicers has the number of 98 and 
has a red and orange and yellow bar. 

Ludroth Pair has the number 168 and has a red, orange, yellow, and a teensy bit 
of green in its bar.

As you've probably guessed, the longer the bar, the better its SHARPNESS. 
Ludroth Pair can reach green sharpness, while Matched Slicers can only reach 
yellow sharpness. Sharpness is very important, it acts as the damage multiplier 
of your base power, which is indicated by the number. Sharpness is
also important because some monsters have very hard skin/scales/fur/whatever.

For example, green sharpness weapons bounce off a low rank Barroth's head. Only 
blue sharpness or impact weapons can damage that shovelhead's head. Bouncing 
literally looks like you bouncing. There will be no blood effect. Number-wise,
only a fraction of damage will be dealt and you cannot chain combos if you 
bounce.

So what exactly does the number 168 represent? I'll tell what it doesn't 
represent:

It DOES NOT represent actual damage. Smashing a monster in the face will not 
auto-deal 168 damage.

The number 168 is "theoretical power". If the world of Monster Hunter were 
super-duper perfect, then you'd deal 168 damage.

But it's not always perfect. Monsters have weak points and strong points, and 
hitting either one results in difference in damage, not to mention you hitting 
the monster spot-on or not. Each weapon class has its own individual damage
multiplier in the first place, and let's not go into things like which attack 
you used, which part of the blade connected with the monster, etc. As you can 
probably tell, it gets complicated.

The following table shows you basic damage multipliers. What I want you
beginners to take away from this is that BETTER SHARPNESS IS BETTER and to
ALWAYS STAY AT MAXIMUM SHARPNESS WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

The sharpness levels you will want per rank:

Low Rank: GREEN SHARPNESS
High Rank: BLUE SHARPNESS
G Rank: WHITE or PURPLE SHARPNESS (PURPLE is the best)

I will mention that there are in-depth game formulas on how exact damage is
determined, similar to games like Pokemon and Fire Emblem. But this guide
will not cover them. Instead, here's a very simple table about sharpness
damage multipliers!

************************************************
* Color      |    Raw      |     Elemental     *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Red        |   0.50      |    0.25           *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Orange     |   0.75      |    0.50           *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Yellow     |   1.00      |    0.75           *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Green      |   1.05      |    1.00           *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Blue       |   1.20      |    1.0625         *
*----------------------------------------------*
* White      |   1.32      |    1.125          *
*----------------------------------------------*
* Purple     |   1.50      |    1.20           *
************************************************

You'll probably see that the base-level Great Sword has power in the high 300s 
while Ludroth Pair, which is higher-up in the Dual Swords hierarchy, only 
musters 168 base power (if you were to look at the weapons the game starts you 
out with) This shows just how much more raw power other weapons possess.

So how could you possibly compensate for such low power?

Elements!

----------
 Elements
----------

Monster Hunter has the following "ELEMENTS":

Water
Fire
Thunder
Dragon
Ice

SLIME is technically an element but is exclusive to Brachydios and its weapons 
so I will not cover it here. Just know that SLIME is broken and is great for 
breaking monster parts and that once you finally unlock Brachydios it'll be in 
your best interest to forge a pair of Dios Slicers.

Some consider SLIME to be the noobiest of noob elements because of its
overpoweredness, but while no monster ever is immune to slime, some monsters
have higher tolerance to it than others. In my opinion, slime is as legitimate
as any other element/status to attach to your weapon.

For the most part, element weakness can be pretty up in the air. Wait, that
Royal Ludroth is weak to FIRE? And Lagiacrus is a water monster, not an
electric one? BOTH?

So what does this mean for you?

It means that nothing's ever guaranteed. Yippee!

For example, Barroth likes to coat itself in mud. If Barroth is coated in mud, 
it's weak to water, meaning Ludroth Pair, a water-element weapon, will be great.
But once you break all that fancy mud armor off, it's immune to water and weak 
to fire.

********************
* NOTE             *
* Immune to element*
* does NOT equal   *
* immune to weapon *
* altogether.      *
********************

Continuing with our Ludroth Pair, it says "WA 120". This means it is of the 
WATER element (durr) and has 120 elemental power. This is factored in with 
things like your sharpness (refer to table above), the weakness of the monster
to a particular element and the PART of the monster you are attacking, a 
dividing constant, and a defense constant. Again, complicated. 

The end result is that under your average conditions you'll probably be dealing 
around 1 - 5 points of extra damage if monster is weak to element. Beginners, 
just remember this: Higher elemental power = more extra damage. Yay.

Let me guess: You're thinking that that's so puny it hardly matters. Well, it 
does, especially when you consider that in one opening, Dual Swords can attack 
3 or 4 times to make up for their lower power. Like car gas bills, Dual
Swords damage can add up.

All I can tell you is that do yourself a favor and research your monsters.
Monster Hunter Wiki is always a great site, and in terms of videos,
iCEMANnoob has GREAT video guides on, literally, every monster in MH3U,
including subspecies.

----------
 Statuses
----------

Some Dual Swords you'll notice don't have "WTR" or "DRG" or "THD", but instead 
"PAR". What on earth is PAR? A golf element?

Not quite.

Bloodwings, for example, a dual sword available at 4-star quests, aren't of any 
of the specific elements and can instead POISON a monster. In addition to 
poison, they can also inflict extra damage, just like elemental weapons can, but
this depends on the monster. (Poison WRECKS Duramboros! OHO! A HINT!)

The two main statuses you'll want to care about are PARALYSIS and POISON. 
Paralysis is essentially a free shock trap and gives you extra time to, say, go 
into Demon Mode and attack a lot. Poison inflicts constant damage over a period 
of time just like any other game with poison involved and is a good way to 
whittle down the monster even if you yourself are unable to find an attack 
opening.

Each monster has its own specific "Tolerance" to a status effect. Higher 
Tolerance = harder to inflict status. Obviously monsters like Gigginox can never
and will never be poisoned because they themselves are poison. ACTUALLY I'M 
JUST KIDDINNG. Gigginox can be poisoned o_o but she has incredibly high 
tolerance to it. Anyways, do yourself a favor and look online at tolerance 
values for a monster you're about to face if you are considering something like 
Bloodwings or Gobul Stunprongs. That way, you won't find yourself in for a
nasty surprise when your monster just won't get itself poisoned or paralyzed.

Oh, and please don't go trying to poison Gigginox unless you just want to
see it for the lolz. WHICH YOU PROBABLY DO BUT DON'T.

========================
 Recommended Armor Sets
========================

Armor comes with its set SKILLS. Just like Final Fantasy characters can learn 
skills, just like Fire Emblem classes each have their unique skills a character 
can equip, just like Pokemon each have unique abilities. Skills for armor
sets are based off of how many SKILL POINTS you accumulate.

For example, your Leather Armor has +10 points Spirit's Whim, because each of 
the five pieces (head, chest, waist, arms, and legs) adds +1, +2, or +3 to the 
total. Thus, because you had at least 10 points, Spirit's Whim activated. If you
were to miraculously have 15, Divin Whim would activate. And if you had -10 
(yes, negative skill points ARE possible), then Spectre's Whim would activate. 
It is a BAD SKILL.

You can view the SKILL POINT TABLE by viewing your STATUS and scrolling to the 
third page.

The following skills are king for any blademaster, and Dual Swords especially:

*************************************************************
*   SKILL            |       DESCRIPTION                    *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Razor Sharp        | Halves the rate your weapon sharpness*
*                    | decreases                            *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Sharpness+1        | Boosts your sharpness by (most       *
*                    | commonly) one level. About the only  *
*                    | way to reach PURPLE sharpness        *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Speed Sharpener    | Speeds up your sharpening speed. Less*
*                    | time spent being vulnerable!         *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Critical Eye       | Boosts weapon Affinity (the chance   *
*                    | you might land a CRITICAL HIT,       *
*                    | which scores approx. 3x damage!)     *
*************************************************************

Another skill that's useful for underwater combat is QUICK SHEATHE. You'll
sheathe your weapons super fast so you can sprint-swim away without wasting
a second of time! The easiest way to obtain QUICK SHEATHE is to either forge
Decorations (look online to see what they are) or to forge a full set of
the beautiful dapper BNAHABRA ARMOR. Yeah, I know, you hate killing bugs, but
it's the easiest thing to do. One does not die by doing pest control.

The top two skills you'll absolutely want if you choose Dual Swords are: RAZOR 
SHARP and SHARPNESS+1. They are CRUCIAL, especially SHARPNESS+1.

So, where to get these?

Low Rank hunters you'll only get (and need) RAZOR SHARP, which will in essence 
halve the number of Whetstones you use. It is NOT simply a minor convenience, 
it's a huge help.

Razor Sharp is available through a full set of GREAT WROGGI armor, which you
will have access to after 2-star quests, when you unlock FLOODED FOREST,
the Great Wroggi's domain. Bring ANTIDOTES when you fight the thing.

In fact, WROGGI ARMOR is singlehandedly the most useful armor you'll ever
need for Low Rank. Theoretically you could only ever forge Wroggi Armor and
be done with it (although, as you transition into High Rank, you'd better
forge some Lagiacrus or Rathalos armor. JUST SAYING)

Here is a table listing what you'll need for WROGGI ARMOR.

*************************************************************
*   PART     |              RESOURCES                       *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Helm       | King's Beak x1, Great Wroggi Hide x2,        *
*            | Wroggi Scale x2, Killer Beetle x2            *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Mail       | Great Wroggi Hide x2, Great Wroggi Claw x1,  *
*            | Poison Sac x3, Ice Crystal x5                *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Vambraces  | Great Wroggi Claw x2, Great Wroggi Hide x2,  *
*            | Wroggi Scale x2, Carpenterbug x3             *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Faulds     | Wroggi Hide x3, Wroggi Scale x2,             *
*            | Monster Bone S x6, Killer Beetle x3          *
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
* Greaves    | Great Wroggi Claw x2, Great Wroggi Hide x2,  *
*            | Wroggi Hide x3, Carpenterbug x3              *
*************************************************************

=====================
 Recommended Weapons
=====================

All right. Here's the best weapons that will go along wonderfully with your
newfound, beautiful, cowboy/cowgirly Wroggi Armor! Or whatever-armor-you-
chose armor.

The game starts you out with Matched Slicers, but of course, that's like
BLEAH. Upgrade them as soon as you can to Matched Slicers+! Or, better yet,
forge a pair of JAGGID SHOTELS, which you can easily obtain once you've
unlocked GREAT JAGGI! Upgrade them to JAGGID SHOTELS+, then once you've unlocked
GREAT BAGGI, upgrade them to LEADER'S SHOTELS.

But BEFORE YOU DO THAT, go kill a lot of ROYAL LUDROTH and forge a LUDROTH
PAIR. Then once you've got GIGGINOX, go upgrade 'em quick to BLOODWINGS.
Finally, once you've hit 5-star, and you've unlocked AGNAKTOR, kill him a
few times (or capture him, you know, it gives better awards), and upgrade
your LEADER'S SHOTELS to FLAMESTORM, one of the rare fire element Dual Swords
available (when I say rare, I mean it). Alternatively, kill RATHALOS and
RATHIAN and forge their corresponding Dual Swords (they share one, isn't that
romantic?)

Once you've unlocked the Tundra area, fight LAGOMBI (they're easy, don't
worry, they're like slidey Arzuros). Then you can have your very first Ice
weapon, SNOW SLICERS! They'll upgrade to SNOW SLICERS+ once you've unlocked
the BARIOTH in the 5-star tier of quests.

And that will set you just fine for Low Rank, and even into early High Rank.

If you wish to know what resources are necessary, I have a list of all Dual
Swords at the end of this guide. So you can Ctrl+F to find what you need!

[High Rank and G Rank weapon recommendations coming soon]

Once you're around G Rank-ish, you'll notice some Dual Sword with more than
one element attached to them. Namely, DICHOTOMY, forged from Agnaktor and
Glacial Agnaktor parts, with Fire AND Ice attached to it (albeit at lower
powers). They are a lot more impractical than their coolness would suggest.
Oftentimes a monster is weak to Fire but immune to Ice, or the other way
around. This means you're better off just using higher powered single-element
weapons. The only truly notable monster that you could use those Fire+Ice
DSes on would be Alatreon.

Of course, if you're a hunter who would NEVER get caught using last season's
weapons (like me), you'll probably forge a pair because they look so darned
AWESOME.

======================
 Demon/Archdemon Mode
======================

I said I'd give it its own section. Here it is. This is the selling point of the
Dual Swords, and what makes up for their low raw power.

Earlier I said if you press the R shoulder button with your weapon unsheathed 
and at the ready, you go into DEMON MODE. If you look at the touch screen (or 
top screen, depending on your settings) you will notice a slim horizontal
bar below your stamina bar. It's much smaller and shorter. That's your DEMON 
BAR, as I'll call it.

When you go into Demon Mode, your stamina bar will deplete at a constant and 
fairly quick rate. If you wish to exit Demon Mode, you have the following 
options:

1. Get hit. This normally happens on accident lol, don't get
     hit on purpose to exit Demon Mode.
2. Sheathe your weapon.
3. Stamina depletes all the way and your Demon Bar isn't full.
4. Press R again. This enables you to exit Demon Mode
     without having to sheathe and unsheathe, saving time.

But if you're in Demon Mode and your Demon Bar fills up (it will become totally 
red) then it will flash red and white and you'll see the red haze has spread to 
your entire body.

This is a GOOD THING. You have entered ARCHDEMON MODE. Your attacks are amped 
up even further, you attack faster, and even better, your stamina bar will not 
deplete! Your Demon Bar will, but at a fairly slow rate.

------------
 Demon Mode
------------

First, let's just talk about Demon Mode. In Demon Mode, if you press B to dodge,
you don't roll. Instead, you do a Demon Dash (as I'll call it) and you flit 
quickly to one side or another depending on where you're going. DEFINITELY
superior to the roll. It costs STAMINA, however, and in Demon Mode your 
Stamina's already depleting, so be careful.

Unless, of course, you bring...DASH JUICE! I highly recommend you bring Dash 
Juice if you've got some. Or Mega Dash Juice. DASH EXTRACTS, one of the 
Dash Juice's ingredients, is a potential carve reward from Royal Ludroth. I
hope you like Royal Ludroth, cos you're gonna need those extracts.

Anyways.

Another thing about Demon Mode is that your attacks are not only sped up, but
pressing X just once will give you a pretty long attack (and combo-ing it with
the A button is even longer). It may not be the biggest time difference, but
considering it's monster's we're talking about, you'll want to plan your hits
carefully. Your attacks are Demon Flurries, so they're supah cool but leave you
supah vulnerable.

Being in Demon/Archdemon Mode theoretically is supposed to give you some
resistance to wind and water pressure from monsters taking off in your face
or torpedoing right past you underwater, respectively, but I don't really see
much of a difference.

So once you're in Demon Mode, just attack stuff, and your bar will fill up.
Don't get hit though, or else you exit Demon Mode and your only reward is
a half-filled Demon Bar. The best times to go into Demon Mode are as follows,
in order of best-ness.

1. You placed a Pitfall Trap/Shock Trap and the monster got caught.
2. You flinched the monster (i.e. it's flailing on its back/side).
3. The monster's asleep and is pretty much screaming for you to hit it.
     Also, the monster's eating something.
4. The monster's very visibly tired and is standing for a long time doing
     nothing between its attacks, leaving wide opening for attack.

----------------
 Archdemon Mode
----------------

Congratulations! You're in Archdemon Mode. Your attacks will no longer be 
ridiculously long but you will still attack and move faster than outside of 
Demon or Archdemon Mode. You will retain your Demon Dash, by the way, but it 
will take Stamina so be careful about your Stamina. Hooray for quick dodging!

Once your bar depletes, you exit Archdemon Mode. You cannot exit Archdemon Mode 
by taking damage or sheathing your weapon. But being in Archdemon Mode doesn't 
hurt you, so don't worry about it.

In Archdemon and Demon Mode, your attack power is exponentially higher (I do 
not know the actual figures. If you do, I will be more than happy to give you 
credit) and easily makes up for the lack of initial raw power granted by other 
weapons. It's similar to Spirit Dancing with the Long Sword, by the way, for 
those of you familiar with the Long Sword.

Other than that, Archdemon Mode is pretty much the same as Demon Mode.

It's a high risk high reward sort of manuver. But "high risk high reward" is
basically Dual Swords, so you should just get used to it because otherwise
it's just too bad for you.

====================
 Dual Sword Tactics
====================

I will not give you a guide on how to dual sword every single monster. Learn it
on your own, research, and have fun with it, ok?

That said, the overall tactics of monster hunter also apply to Dual Swords, so 
veteran hunters feel free to not take this with a grain of salt. Beginner 
hunters, read carefully.

This, my friends, is the golden rule of Monster Hunter:

Don't get hit, hit it till it dies.

Once again:

Don't get hit, hit it till it dies.

Easier said than done? Of course. But as no-duh and captain-obvious as it 
sounds, saying this in your head WILL help you become a better hunter.

1. OBSERVE.

I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT DIVE STRAIGHT INTO THE FRAY. I KNOW you
want to just kill the thing. But please. Your life is more important!!!

All I can say is this: If you've fought the monster before, then you know its 
attack patterns and you know exactly when and where you can strike. So go on 
ahead. Monsters' AIs aren't so complex that their attacks shuffle up to 
something different each time you fight them.

If it's your FIRST time ever hunting a monster, then you'd best prepare 
yourself for anything. First off, I dearly hope you did your research. Don't 
dive straight into any hunt without doing research. Why not make use of the 
gifts other hunters have bestowed upon you in the form of video guides and 
Monster Hunter Wiki?

Once you've got a general idea of at least its attacks, go on ahead, take your 
quest, find its area, watch its biology video (Gigginox's is particularly 
disgusting). Make sure you keep your camera locked onto it at all times. Play a 
bit defensively at first. Once you have a better feel for how the monster works 
(e.g. when Gigginox is "giving birth", she is particularly vulnerable to attack)
go on ahead.

But strike a balance between offense and defense. Just because I tell you to
stand back and "fight without fighting" for a bit, doesn't mean you should spend
20 minutes running in circles believing you ought to 100% KNOW a monster. THAT
will only come with time.

2. Be prepared for RAGE MODE.

Sometime during the process, you'll notice that the monster suddenly isn't 
having such an opening anymore. It charges at you, somersaults, and then charges
right back at you even though you ran in the opposite direction. It's moving
faster, and attacking like a tank. That means the monster has gone into RAGE 
MODE. When this happens, it's CRUCIAL that you be ever more aware of your 
surroundings. If a monster is in Rage Mode, never assume that once it finishes
an attack, it'll leave you an opening. It might chain two, three, up to even 
four or five attacks together before you get an opportunity.

Rage Mode can easily catch even experienced hunters off guard, so make sure you 
know the monster's signs that it's in Rage Mode. The most common one is that 
white puff of smoke. Others include eyes turning red, parts of the monster
change color, etc.

Rage Mode can be especially dangerous to Dual Swords user. If you catch 
yourself up in a length combo with no way to break out of it, the monster might 
just whirl around and break your attack for you. So dive in, press the X button
once, dive out.

So what do you do about Rage Mode in general? One option is to just leave the 
area, pull yourself together, and come back when the monster has calmed down.
If you're seriously about to fall apart, there is never any shame in leaving,
healing, sharpening up, and mining and bug-catching while you gather your
brain back together and allow the monster to cool off. 

The more commonly taken path, though, is to just tough it out, deal with it, 
and keep your cool. Monsters won't stay in Rage Mode for forever.

3. PRACTICE.

This is painfully self-explanatory.

3. Keep your gear UP TO DATE.

Trust me on this. As soon as you can, upgrade your armor and your weapons, or 
forge new armor and weapons. You can't expect to use the Matched Slicers the 
game started you out with on a Lagiacrus, right? Better weapons can reach 
better sharpness levels, ensuring you don't bounce off. Better armor helps your 
ability to take hits, and comes with better skills (most of the time).

Simply making sure your armor and weapons are appropriate for your quest can go 
a long way in giving you success after success. (By the way, this same 
philosophy applies to your items.)

4. Know your ELEMENTS.

I went over this earlier and I'll say it here again. Also be aware of monsters 
who are weak to one element in one state and weak to another only in another
state.

There are three solutions to this. The first one, and the one I recommend you 
don't use, is to bring a weapon of one of the elements said monster is weak to 
and only attack during one of its states. This can be time-consuming however. 
The second solution is to find the monster's secondary weakness. Sometimes, 
though, at the stage in the game you're in, this may not be possible.

The final, and best solution for beginners, is to simply use a neutral weapon. 
In Low Rank, it's not desperately necessary that you always have elemental 
weaknesses in check. Just remember that by the time you hit High Rank, you'd 
better have at least one weapon per element.

5. Never give up! And fight with friends :)

Trust me. Fighting with friends, local or online, is always more fun. Plus,
you get the added bonus of possibly being able to obtain better weapons and
armor before you actually would unlock a monster in solo play.

I, for example, got the Snow Slicers before I completed my 1-star quests. This
not only made my solo campaign (up until 4-star anyway) a tad easier, but it
was fun fighting Lagombis together and it developed my skills while still giving
me a "crutch". I also felt much safer and could attempt more reckless things
that I never would have done if I were soloing, when stakes are much higher.

===================
 Underwater Combat
===================

Premiered in Tri and continues to be integral in Moga Village in 3 Ultimate...
which is basically the same as Tri but this time there's DUAL SWORDS which is 
why this guide exists.

Infuriating for some, fun for others, but overall regarded as much more 
difficult than land battle, especially for beginners.

Considering that this guide is for you beginners, here is the basics on how to 
manuver around underwater.

The biggest difference between land and sea is that you can not only move left 
right, forwards and backwards, but also up and down. As long as you're moving 
forward, move around your camera angle and you'll be able to move up and down.

If your camera faces up to the surface (you'll see glimmering rays of sunlight) 
you'll eventually get your head above the water. If you've just dove into the 
water and you point your camera down, you will only see the top of the water.
But eventually the camera will "break" through this and you'll see yourself in 
your underwater glory.

Another crucial difference is that you obviously have to hold your breath 
underwater. Your oxygen level is indicated by a small vertical bar next to your 
health and stamina meters. If it goes all the way down, your health will drain. 
Bring along Mini Oxy Supplies (sometimes if your monster is an underwater 
monster, the supply box will have 2 for you).

Occassionally, once you have Cha-cha and/or Kayamba, they may do a dance that 
replenishes your oxygen. The two Shakalaks DO have AI that tells them to do
a particular dance when you're critical in a certain way. If you're low on
health, at least one of them is pretty much guaranteed to do a Health Recovery
dance for you. Same goes for oxygen. Still, bring the Oxygen Supplies.

But the more reliable way to replenish your oxygen without having to swim all 
the way back up to surface is to find oxygen bubbles along the sea floor. Swim 
through them and you'll hear a noise and see white rays of light swirl around
you, indicating that your oxygen has been replenished.

One of the more annoying aspects of underwater combat is that the camera will 
sometimes screw with you and be above water, so that all you can see is 
yourself underwater and the monster half in, half out of the water. This 
severely limits your ability to manuver successfully because water is NOT 
transparent in this game (it's even worse if you're in Flooded Forest, where 
the water is murky already).

In order to rectify this, you will have to point your camera down as far as 
possible and swim as fast as you can, then press L and reorient yourself to 
face your monster.

You will find yourself pressing L more often than not. Because you will not 
only be orienting yourself left/right, but also up/down, auto-target locking on 
the monster will enable you to swim towards it without having to manually move 
around the camera. If you're on a 3DS without a Circle Pad Pro, I'm sure you 
know by now that if you want to move the camera, you have to stop moving, 
orient the camera, then return your thumb to the circle pad. This costs time 
and leaves you vulnerable to attack (if you can afford it, get out there and
buy a Circle Pad Pro. Please. Or you could, you know, use the claw that the
Sony players had to use lol. But it could give you CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME!).

Poking the B Button will not cause you to roll. Instead, you will put on a 
short spurt of speed in the direction your circle pad is pointed in and you 
will spin as you swim fast, like a human torpedo. This does not give you, as 
far as I'm concerned, any appreciable invincibility. So evading underwater WILL 
be a bit of a pain. Learn how to sheathe your weapon and swim away as fast as 
you can and make it a habit. It will benefit your land-mongering skills too, 
and will benefit you later if you choose to use heavier weapons, such as
Lances.

You can use every single item that you can use above land underwater.

Okay seriously how do you make a hole in the water.

One last thing: Underwater combat is plagued with hitbox diassociation and
sometimes, even worse, hitboxes from hell. Prepare yourself for damage even
if Lagiacrus's tail DID NOT hit you. Suck it up and just steer clear the
next time...if you can.

You WILL need underwater combat all throughout the game. It will never go
away!

So...now...

How exactly do you go about using those Dual Swords to fight
underwater?

Dual Swords are both advantaged and disadvantaged. They are light and mobile, 
meaning you can swim around while they're unsheathed...and actually get a 
decent speed. If you need to swim fast to avoid a Gobul charge though, sheathe 
your weapons and sprint-swim (Superman diving, for obvious reasons,
does not work underwater).

What makes Dual Swords oftentimes hellish to use underwater, though, is their
small hitzone. What is a mere annoyance on land can be your literal death
underwater. Having to get up close and personal with a SEA SERPENT is never
a good idea, especially considering you're a human (I hope) and water is
not exactly a human's best element.

This also leads to the issue of spatial perception underwater. You WILL run 
into the scenario where you thought you were SUPER FAR AWAY from the monster, 
only to swim closer and BUMP! you've bumped into the monster. TOO CLOSE. The 
only solution I have is to either turn on the 3D (which will require some 
getting used to but IS helpful) or to just get used to it and learn to force 
yourself to attack before you think you're supposed to. This can become 
annoying, but that's just too bad for you!

So. Some tips for fighting underwater.

1. PRACTICE. When you're done practicing, PRACTICE SOME MORE.

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. And it is still painfull self-explanatory.

2. Keep a dry washcloth or some sort of dry fabric at your
side.

...What is this kind of tip doing here? Trust me. If you're a beginner fighting 
a Royal Ludroth, your hands are going to sweat. And the last thing anyone needs 
is for your sweaty little thumb to SLIP OFF the circle pad as you attempt to
dodge an attack. IT WILL HAPPEN. So just close your 3DS or pause your Wii U, 
wipe your hands, wipe the 3DS or Wii U gamepad, and continue. The more
confident you grow in your abilities, the less this issue will pop up.

But don't SWEAT it.

*groan*

Closing your 3DS and putting it to sleep, by the way, will
automatically pause your game when you open it back up.

3. Turn up the brightness.

Like, turn it WAY WAY UP. I nearly always keep my 3DS on minimum brightness 
simply for the sake of battery. But if you're fighting underwater and 
ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE FIGHTING UNDERWATER IN FLOODED FOREST...

TURN THE BRIGHTNESS UP TO AT LEAST TWO OR THREE. OR FOUR OR FIVE. I DON'T CARE. 
TURN IT UP.

4. Overprepare.

And you thought you were overprepared for land combat! Underwater combat is out 
of your element. And fighting a leviathan who's totally at home in the water 
doesn't really help things out. So prepare EVEN MORE. Got your 10 Mega Potions? 
Yay you. Go back and bring 10 Potions and 10 Honey so that you can combine
them and make 10 more. Got 20 Whetstones? Grab the 2 Mini Whetstones you're 
provided with anyways. Just. Bring. EVERYTHING.

Also, never forget your OXYGEN SUPPLIES. And if you're in Low Rank, grab those
MINI OXY SUPPLIES too.

5. Stick closer to the floor.

Does not apply to Flooded Forest, where underwater battle is a nightmare no
matter what. But if you're on Deserted Island, Tundra, Volcano, or Misty
Peaks (yeah yeah most of them don't even HAVE water areas but whatever) if
there is an ocean or lake for you to swim in, sticking closer to the bottom
will prevent the camera screw. You will also be able to not get lost and
if the monster is above you, you can swim UP to it and attack it's soft
underbelly, thus netting you more damage!

Plus, those oxygen bubbles are always coming up from the ocean floor, so
you'll be swimming down there anyways. Not to mention mineable ores are
on the bottom. Aw yeah, mining underwater!

=========================
 Tackling Large Monsters
=========================

======================
 All 100+ Dual Swords
======================

Here is a comprehensive list of all the dual swords except the 
Japanese-exclusive ones, which I will list ONLY IF they are released to the 
West. For the beginners' sakes, I will not confuse them more than they already 
are confused. I know how it feels, so I will attempt to make the layout
simple and easy.

I will not use random characters to draw actual upgrade trees, instead, I will 
provide a link to a picture with the upgrade trees. Also check out Ping's 
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Dex, which has EVERYTHING you could ever need to
know about carves, locations, and supplies necessary for this, that, and the 
other.

For further simplification, I will order the weapons by upgrade tree. And to 
make things even EASIER, I will notify you when you hit a new "level" of each 
tree. A level of an upgrade tree is similar in that each weapon tends to have
similar raw power and can be obtained around the same time frame.

Layout:

WEAPON
Base power:
Sharpness: (max possible sharpness excluding armor skills)
Element:
Upgrades from:
Upgrades to:
Resources:
Resources: (second resources list only if weapon is
           produceable by forging AND upgrading)
Forge: (cost to forge, if possible)
Upgrade: (cost to upgrade, if obtainable via upgrade)
Personal Comments:

Any elemental affinity with parentheses () around it will
need the armor skill Awaken, which is only obtainable in
G Rank. Unless you're at Low Rank, where having something is
better than having nothing, try to avoid these. If a
High Rank weapon needs Awaken to unlock its full potential,
don't even bother. Dual Swords rely heavily on elemental
affinity because of low raw power and needing a G Rank skill
for a High Rank weapon is just stupid because once you've
hit G Rank, you'll need G Rank weapons.

Low Rank Awaken-necessary weapons, however, definitely can be used. Likely, you
won't really have a choice anyways.

Then you can simply use Ctrl+F to figure out what upgrades to what.

Some of the information may be blank simply because it is a bit difficult for 
me to forge EVERY SINGLE WEAPON to see its max sharpness. I am doing extra 
research so bear with me.

ELEMENTAL and STATUS ABBREVIATIONS
Wtr = Water
Thd = Thunder
Drg = Dragon
Fir = Fire
Ice = Ice

Par = Paralysis
Psn = Poison

Slime = Slime

---------------
 Starting Tree
---------------

Named so because it all branches off the weapon the game starts you off with: 
the Matched Slicers.

This tree contains more than 50 weapons. That's almost half of all possible 
Dual Swords.

LEVEL ONE

=Matched Slicers=

Base Power: 98
Sharpness: Yellow
Elemental: (Ice 50)
Upgrades from: None
Upgrades to: Matched Slicers+
Resources: Machalite Ore x1, Earth Crystalx2
Forge: 1,500 z
Upgrade: -
Comments: Your first starting weapon, so you'd have to use it anyways. Upgrade
          it ASAP though, it's weak and stupid.

LEVEL TWO

=Matched Slicers+=

Base Power: 112
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 50)
Upgrades from: Matched Slicers
Upgrades to: Dual Slicers
             Jaggid Shotels
Resources: Earth Crystal x3, Machalite Ore x2,
           Carpenterbug x2
Forge: -
Upgrade: 2,000 z
Comments: Definitely decent and anything's better than those Matched Slicers.

LEVEL THREE

=Dual Slicers=

Base Power: 140
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 50)
Upgrades from: Matched Slicers+
Upgrades to: Dual Hatchets
Resources: Ice Crystal x3, Iron Ore x6, Earth Crystal x4
Forge: -
Upgrade: 3,000 z
Comments: More powerful Matched Slicers+. Obviously better. Personally, though,
          I prefer the Jaggid Shotels upgrade path.

=Jaggid Shotels=

Base Power: 154
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Psn 150)
Upgrades from: Matched Slicers+
Upgrades to: Jaggid Shotels+
Resources (forge): Jaggi Scale x3, Jaggi Hide x3,
                   Bird Wyvern Fang x5, Ice Crystal x3
Resources (upgrade): Jaggi Scale x2, Jaggi Hide x2
                   Bird Wyvern Fang x4, Ice Crystal x2
Forge: 5,400 z
Upgrade: 3,600 z
Comments: Highly recommended. Jaggi gear can get you through a good part of
          the game. Plus, its upgrades are awesomes.

LEVEL FOUR

=Dual Hatchets=

Base Power: 154
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 80)
Upgrades from: Dual Slicers
Upgrades to: Dual Hatchets+
             Insecticutters
Resources (forge): Pelagicite Ore x5, Iron Ore x10,
                   Killer Beetle x6
Resources (upgrade): Pelagicite Ore x4, Machalite Ore x7,
                   Earth Crystal x8
Forge: 6,750 z
Upgrade: 4,500 z
Comments: I don't think it's worth the resources and cost. But you'll
          absolutely need these if you want Insecticutters or, eventually,
          Gobul Stunprongs.

=Jaggid Shotels+=

Base Power: 168
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Psn 170)
Upgrades from: Jaggid Shotels
Upgrades to: Leader's Shotels
             Twin Acrus
Resources: Great Jaggi Claw x2, Great Jaggi Hide x4,
           Pelagicite Ore x3
Forge: -
Upgrade: 5,800 z
Comments: Basically the equivalent to the Ludroth Pair and Snow Slicers, only
          it's obtainable lots earlier. Always recommended.

LEVEL FIVE

=Dual Hatchets+=

Base Power: 168
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 80)
Upgrades from: Dual Hatchets
Upgrades to: Dual Cleavers+
             Twin Chainsaws
Resources: Isisium x4, Pelagicite Ore x6, Machalite Ore x10
Forge: -
Upgrade: 6,500 z
Comments: If you want cool-looking swords, don't use these lol. But otherwise
          they're not bad.

=Insecticutters=

Base Power: 168
Sharpness:
Elemental: Drg 50
Upgrades from: Dual Hatchets
Upgrades to: Insecticutters+
Resources: Bnahabra Shell x6, Altaroth Stomach x4,
           Monster Fluid x4, Monster Bone+ x1
Forge: -
Upgrade: 7,900 z
Comments: They look nice but you can't get them until you unlock Lagiacrus.
          If you're lucky enough to get a Monster Bone+ from the Repel the
          Lagiacrus quest, then lucky you! A rare dragon element weapon.

=Leader's Shotels=

Base Power: 182
Sharpness: 
Elemental: (Psn 200)
Upgrades from: Jaggid Shotels+
Upgrades to: Flamestorm
Resources: Great Baggi Claw x2, King's Frill x2,
           Baggi Scale x2, Great Wroggi Claw x4
Forge: -
Upgrade: 8, 100 z
Comments: Expensive and upgrade-only, but it upgrades to what is one of, like,
          not very many fire-element Dual Swords.

=Twin Acrus=

Base Power: 182
Sharpness:
Elemental: Thunder 100
Upgrades from: Jaggid Shotels+
Upgrades to: Twin Acrus+
Resources (forge): Lagiacrus Claw x4, Lagiacrus Scale x5,
                   Lagiacrus Horn x1, Great Baggi Hide x2
Resources (upgrade): Lagiacrus Tail x1, Lagiacrus Claw x3,
                   Lagiacrus Scale x4, Lagombi Plastrom x1
Forge: 14,250 z
Upgrade: 9,500 z
Comments: They look cool and they're a great Thunder-element weapon. You will
          ABSOLUTELY need these if you want to kill Ceadeus in an efficient
          manner!

LEVEL SIX

=Dual Cleavers+=

Base Power: 182
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 100)
Upgrades from: Dual Hatchets+
Upgrades to: Hurricane
Resources: Firestone x4, Dragonite Ore x6, Machalite Ore x10
Forge: -
Upgrade: 8,500 z
Comments: For so late in the upgrade tree, its power is a bit lacking.

=Twin Chainsaws=

Base Power: 196
Sharpness:
Elemental: Thd 70
Upgrades from: Dual Hatchets+
Upgrades to: Twin Chainsaws+
Resources: Dragonite Ore x6, Thunderbug x5, Nibelsnarf Hide x3
Forge: -
Upgrade: 8,800 z
Comments: Boy, these are ugly :D

=Insecticutters+=

Base Power: 196
Sharpness:
Elemental: Drg 80
Upgrades from: Insecticutters
Upgrades to: Insectirippers
             Gobul Stunprongs
Resources: Altaroth Jaw x2, Bnahabra Wing x4, Hercudrome x5
Forge: -
Upgrade: 11,000 z
Comments: Hefty price tag. Plus, you can't practically get it until High
          Rank. Hercudromes in Low Rank are only available in one particular
          area of the VOLCANO (not unlocked until 5-star) and the chance of
          getting them is 3%. wut

=Flamestorm=

Base Power: 196
Sharpness:
Elemental: Fir 200
Upgrades from: Leader's Shotels
Upgrades to: Flamestorm+
Resources: Agnaktor Shell x4, Agnaktor Hide x2,
           Agnaktor Fin x2, Agnaktor Scale x4
Forge: -
Upgrade: 12,000 z
Comments: These look so awesome! Expensive but recommended.

=Twin Acrus+=

Base Power: 224
Sharpness:
Elemental: Thd 110
Upgrades from: Twin Acrus
Upgrades to: Twin Acrus+
Resources: Lagiacrus Horn x2, Lagiacrus Hide x8,
           Lagiacrus Plate x1, Voltstone x3
Forge: -
Upgrade: 22,000
Comments: Powerful but expensive! Can't get 'em uuntil High Rank.

LEVEL SEVEN

=Hurricane=

Base Power: 196
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 100)
Upgrades from: Dual Cleavers+
Upgrades to: Hurricane+
             Dios Slicers
             Sworn Rapiers
Resources: Barroth Carapace x3, Earth Crystal x20,
           Machalite Ore x20
Forge: -
Upgrade: 15,000 z
Comments: 

=Twin Chainsaws+=

Base Power: 210
Sharpness:
Elemental: Thd 90
Upgrades from: Twin Chainsaws
Upgrades to: Guillotines
             Type 51 Macerators
Resources: Carbalite Ore x6, Thunder Sac x4,
           Slagtoth Hide+ x6
Forge: -
Upgrade: 12,200
Comments: 

=Insectirippers=

Base Power: 238
Sharpness:
Elemental: Drg 100
Upgrades from: Insecticutters+
Upgrades to: Insectiscythes
Resources: Bnaha Carapace x6, Quality Sac x4,
           Monster Brother x4, Rare Scarab x2
Forge: -
Upgrade: 18,800
Comments: 

=Gobul Stunprongs=

Base Power: 210
Sharpness:
Elemental: Para. 150
Upgrades from: Insecticutters+
Upgrades to: Gobul Stunprongs+
Resources: Gobul Hide+ x5, Gobul Fin+ x4, Gobul Lantern x3
Forge: -
Upgrade: 13,000
Comments: These are the dual swords of the demo! Just a fun fact.

=Flamestorm+=

Base Power: 238
Sharpness:
Elemental: Fir 230
Upgrades from: Flamestorm
Upgrades to: Salamanders
Resources: Agnaktor Beak x4, Agnaktor Claw+ x3
           Agnaktor Hide+ x4, Agnaktor Carapace x5
Forge: -
Upgrade: 26,000
Comments: 

=Levin Acrus=

Base Power: 308
Sharpness:
Elemental: Thd 130
Upgrades from: Twin Acrus+
Upgrades to: Neo Twin Acrus
Resources: Shell Shocker+ x3, Lagiacrus Claw+ x5,
           Lagia Sapphire x1, Blackcurl Horn x1
Forge: -
Upgrade: 40,000 z
Comments: 

LEVEL EIGHT

=Hurricane+=

Base Power: 252
Sharpness:
Elemental: (Ice 120)
Upgrades from: Hurricane
Upgrades to: Cyclone
Resources: Uragaan Carapace x5, Carbalite Ore x15
           Machalite Ore x30
Forge: -
Upgrade: 25,000
Comments: 

=Dios Slicers=

Base Power: 266
Sharpness:
Elemental: Slime 170
Upgrades from: Hurricane
Upgrades to: Dios Slicers+
Resources (forge): Brach Carapace x5, Brach Ebonshell x3
                   Brach Scalp x2, Firecell Stone x3
Resources (upgrade): Brach Carapace x3, Brach Ebonshell x2
                   Brach Scalp x1, Mystery Slime x3
Forge: 36,000 z
Upgrade: 24,000 z
Comments: These are incredibly sexy. Slime is a very powerful element/status
          thing. Get 'em!

=Sworn Rapiers=

Base Power: 238
Sharpness:
Elemental: Wtr 70
Upgrades from: Hurricane
Upgrades to: Sworn Rapiers+
Resources (forge): Carbalite Ore x6, Lightcrystal x4,
                   Gracium x4, Luminous Organ x2
Resources (upgrade): Gracium x5, Lightcrystal x4,
                   Plesioth Webbing x3
Forge: 21,900 z
Upgrade: 14,600 z
Comments: 

=Guillotines=

=Type 51 Macerators=

=Insectiscythes=

=Gobul Stunprongs+=

=Salamanders=

=Neo Twin Acrus=

LEVEL NINE

=Cyclone=

=Dios Slicers+=

=Sworn Rapiers+=

=Golem's Saws=

=Deathsnarfs=

=Entomotheos=

=Plegion Stunsword=

=Ignis Noire=

=Dichotomy=

=Neo Acrus Whitebolt=

LEVEL TEN

=Tornado Hatchets=

=Demolition Blades=

=Holy Sabers=

=Golem's Maneaters=

=Uber Deathsnarfs=

=Agnaktor Inferno=

=Elemenders=

LEVEL ELEVEN

It's a rare weapon that goes this far.

=Typhoon=

=Spectral Demolisher=

=Guild Knight Sabers=

-----------
 Bone Tree
-----------

Named after their starting weapon, the Bone Scythes, which are available very 
early. Another extremely big tree. And the second big tree: The rest are all 
small trees. This tree is home to two Dual Swords I highly recommend for Low 
Rank: Ludroth Pair and Snow Slicers.

In fact, don't get the Bone Scythes. Both Ludroth Pair and Snow Slicers are
forgeable right off the bat :D

LEVEL ONE

=Bone Scythes=

LEVEL TWO

=Bone Scythes+=

LEVEL THREE

=Chief's Scythes=

LEVEL FOUR

=Ludroth Pair=

=Snow Slicers=

LEVEL FIVE

=Ludroth Pair+=

=Bloodwings=

=Snow Slicers+=

=Diablos Bashers=

LEVEL SIX

=Double Droth=

=Plesioth Cutlasses=

=Bloodwings+=

=Brother Flames=

=Snow Sisters=

=Diablos Bashers+=

LEVEL SEVEN

=Hidden Gemini=

=Userper's Fulgur=

=Plestioth Cutlasses+=

=Venom Wings=

=Boltgeist=

=Brother Blaze=

=Blizzardioths=

=Diablos Mashers=

LEVEL EIGHT

=Night Wings=

=Despot's Blitz=

=Plesioth Machetes=

=Grimgrim Wings=

=Double Boltwings=

=Wyvern Lovers=

=Blizzarioths+=

=Diablos Sinidex=

LEVEL NINE

=Vimar Slicers=

=Eclipse Slicers=

=Oppressor's Miracle=

=Brimstren Drakeclaws=

=Verdant Slashers=

=Jade Plesioth Fans=

=Grimmest Noxwings=

=Double Deathbolts=

=Wyvern Strife=

=Raider's Icecarvers=

=Ventus Vindictus=

=Sinistrus Dextraos=

LEVEL TEN

=Midnight Blackwings=

=Alkaid's Asterism=

=Nether Twinblades=

=Stygian Superbia=

=Alluvion Slashers=

=Jade Battlefanzers=

=Wyvern Conciliation=

=Raider's Savagery=

LEVEL ELEVEN

It's a rare weapon that gets this far.

=Nether Confidants=

--------------
 Big Appetite
--------------

Start with Glutton's Tools, which are essentially silverware. Yeah. This is a 
very silly line in terms of looks. A small tree with an entirely edible theme.
Kinda borders onto Joke Item territory, but they're not THAT bad...

LEVEL ONE

=Glutton's Tools=

LEVEL TWO

=Gorger's Tools=

LEVEL THREE

=Stewbry Stirfoils=

LEVEL FOUR

=Deepshake Frybakers=

-------------
 The Planets
-------------

Named after the starting weapon Mercury's Edges. A very small tree based 
entirely around Ceadeus and Goldbeard Ceadeus.

LEVEL ONE

=Mercury Edges=

LEVEL TWO

=Neptune Edges=

LEVEL THREE

=Pelagic Deublades=

---------------
 Scaredy Crows 
---------------

Named after the starting weapon Shaka Scarecrows. Another silly looking and 
small tree. If you want to get these weapons, Kayamba and Cha-cha have to be 
good friends!

LEVEL ONE

=Shaka Scarecrows=

LEVEL TWO

=Chum Scarecrows=

LEVEL THREE

=Chum-Chum Scarecrows=

-----------
 The Devil
-----------

The Deviljho Dual Swords line. Yeah, the Deviljho is so awesome it gets its own
(small) upgrade tree.

LEVEL ONE

=Wrath & Rancor=

LEVEL TWO

=Wrathful Predation=

LEVEL THREE

=Nero's Wrath=

-----------
 Worn Tree
-----------

When it starts out, it SUCKS. When it ends, it still sucks. And it costs a ton. 
And it needs 99 Earth Crystals. Buuuut if you're like me and you like smexy 
weapons, go on straight ahead.

Oh, it's not obtainable until G RANK! Ha ha ha.

LEVEL ONE

=Worn Blade=

LEVEL TWO

=Weathered Blades=

LEVEL THREE

=Enduring Schism=

LEVEL FOUR

=Enduring Sacrifice

-----------
 Dire Tree
-----------

Dire Miralis tree. Extremely small tree based around yet another final boss.

OOOOOPS I JUST SPOILED THE GAAAAAAME.  

LEVEL ONE

=Megiddo Nova=

LEVEL TWO

=The Fistolution=

Thanks for reading~