Swaxe Master Guide
About the Run:
The Switch Axe Master achievement is a challenge on the MezeLounge server. This guide will walk you through the essentials of achieving this feat including optimal gear setups, strategic monster selections, and tips/tricks. Upon completing the challenge, a choice between the following rewards will be granted:
Note: This guide is based on my own experience completing the run. It is not absolute and is subject to any change or adaptation you or your team prefers to make. - Blaze
Criteria :
- Achieve the required floors with a team all equipped with Switch Axe
- 1 & 2 Player Groups need to reach floor 60
- 3 Player Groups need to reach floor 80
- 4 Player Groups need to reach floor 100
Length of the Run:
| Entry | Run Time | Party Size | Run Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run #1 | 4:10:48 | 2 Players | Swaxe Master Run #1 |
| Run #2 | 3:31:50 | 2 Players | Swaxe Master Run #2 |
| Run #3 | 2:55:23 | 2 Players | Swaxe Master Run #3 |
Recommended Party Size:
For this challenge, I recommend a group size of 2 players for max efficiency.
Team Composition
With 2 Switch Axe users in the group, I recommend the following setups for compositions:
- 2 Full DPS
Given that Switch Axe is a well self-sustaining weapon, the need for a support player in this run is minimal. I believe that in a setting with 2 or even 3 players, it is best to run Full DPS optimization.
Set Building and Optimization
Weapon Choices
Recommended Switch Axe: The Despair Boltaxe “Flash” or Black Charaxt “Flash” are highly recommended for this achievement. The Boltaxe provides a good DPS source while also offering the ability to use Thunder Hexaflash. Meanwhile, the Charaxt provides the most DPS overall on the run.
Weapon Outlier: If your team has an Enrapture Axt “Solo” available, this weapon can substitute for any other Switch Axe. The damage this provides is far above the other alternatives and can greatly impact kill times and efficiency of the run.
Buffs and Enhancements: Prioritize buffs that boost your weapon’s attack for this challenge. DPS is key, as this weapon has high self-sustaining capabilities. Slotting in skills such as Hearing Up+1 and Fortification+2 will heavily increase survivability options as well.
Armor Sets
Here are some recommended armor sets for the Swaxe Master achievement run:
- Set 1: Full DPS - The set is designed for maximizing DPS potential while also including important Z4 Road Utility such as Z Earplugs and Fortification +2.
Daimyo Hermitaur: Weak to Fire/Thunder, is not very tanky which allows two well-optimized Swaxe to shred him. Aim to kill him in the range of 2:10 - 2:30 to avoid having to fight his Blast Phase.
Doragyurosu: Not too much to say, popular pick and very comfortable to fight on Swaxe. You can break the horn not too far into the fight and kill without much difficulty.
Bogabadorumu: Very easy fight, dies very fast with this weapon. Focus the arms both before and after phase transition, break them as fast as possible and aim for his AI to loop into his arm slam.
Tigrex: Comfortable with Swaxe, avoid getting hit by his launch + bleed attack and it should be smooth. If you do end up with Bleeding, be wary when attempting to cure it, he will almost always go for his grab attack on a bleeding target, and sometimes it is buggy to parry.
Hypnoc: Would not normally place high on this list. Due to slotting in Fortification+2 however, this fight becomes much more viable. Low risk fight and a target that dies quickly. Save teammates who get affected by Z sleep and should be an easy fight.
Rathalos: Optimal pick for Swaxe. With the SAF (Guard) Sigil burn damage from blocking his fire attacks is essentially nullified, making the fight even less risky.
Plesioth: With Z earplugs and access to highly effective elements, Plesioth is a great pick for Swaxe. In this case, having either Fire/Thunder Swaxe will turn off his bubble phase relatively quickly, very fast if both elements are present. With immunity to his roars as well, there is not much danger outside of his water slide attack.
Blangonga: Weak to fire/thunder, and has a very low HP pool. You can parry all his attacks including the ice beam and the snowball, making the only dangerous move the ground slam into spin attack (this launches you and can potentially leave you vulnerable to the ice beam) which floor 40+ will most likely 100-0 you if hit by both attacks. Be sure to avoid/parry this move properly and Blangonga should die with ease.
Hyujikiki: Weak to fire/thunder, is a good pick for Swaxe, especially during his 2nd phase as his special needle attack has a guaranteed KO on successful parry. The KO duration is actually perfect timing to land a full discharge. Utilizing this with multiple players will cause Hyuji to die extremely quickly. Additionally, Thunder Hexaflash can be used on him for 2 paralysis.
Gravios: To me, Gravios is an incredibly good pick on Swaxe. Danger in this fight depends on positioning. Playing directly in front of him can be dangerous as he’s much more likely to use his fire beam attacks. You can parry these with Fortification +2, but I still prefer to avoid the risk. Playing closer to the chest Z part and back legs can make the fight much safer and efficient. He is also susceptible to Thunder Hexaflash, being afflicted by paralysis twice. Be wary of his launcher into explosion attack. The initial jump has wind pressure; you can parry or dodge this to avoid getting caught.
Baruragaru: Normally I would place Baru lower on the list, but with Z Earplugs, the danger level of this fight goes down a lot. The most optimal way to fight him is to have players each on one side of Baru. He will repeatedly loop between one random attack, and his side tongue attack. Eventually he will dig underground and emerge in his weakened state, allowing for a large window of DPS. If he manages to get blood, you can still loop him into one random attack and his side tongue attack with the same positioning.
Khezu: Not too much to say here. Weak to fire, only has one dangerous move against Swaxe (the vore attack). Play carefully to avoid this and should be able to kill without issue. When he does the crawling attack, drag him to a wall and he will be forced into his idle animation.
Akura Vashimu: Placed in B simply based on tankiness. Survivability wise should not be an issue on Swaxe. Avoid getting tremored or grabbed by the pin attack and should be killed relatively easily.
Toridcless: Torid is an excellent matchup for Swaxe, however on higher floors can be punishing on parry mistimings/positioning mistakes. If you are comfortable with the fight, you can pick him over options in C Tier and below. Avoid the beam at all costs (easy with Extreme Swaxe run speed) time your parries well and should be a good pick.
Espinas: Not the worst possible pick, is fairly easy to live against it outside of the instant charge attack. Can be a beneficial pick early in the run to gain some anti-venoms for threats on higher floors. If you have a fire Swaxe available, utilize Fire Hexaflash for the most possible anti-venoms.
Harudomerugu: Haru is not an incredibly difficult fight with Swaxe, but is incredibly punishing on mistakes due to his high damage multiplier. Almost any attack from Haru Floor 30+ and above will instantly kill you. Play extra careful when choosing him and prioritize timing evades/dodges properly. You may also utilize Thunder Hexaflash on Haru to paralyze him twice, giving ample opportunity to go for a break on the head.
Giaorugu: Sub-optimal pick for Swaxe in my opinion, however can be made less of a threat with the use of Thunder Hexaflash. Using this on Gia will paralyze him twice, providing plenty of free damage. Additionally, Gia has a guaranteed roar animation on his paralysis recovery, ensuring you can refresh gauge afterwards.
Midogaron: Mido is mainly placed in C due to his high damage scaling late in the run. Play patiently, avoid being in front of him, and capitalize on his downtime after his teleport sequence. Swaxe can comfortably run away from his fire tornado attack and return in time to get a lot of free damage in.
Rukodiora: I chose to place Ruko in the C tier based on a few factors. While he can be killed on Swaxe comfortably, the vacuum nuke, his tankiness, as well as volatility in multiplayer (positioning) presents a higher risk compared to other options.
Gasurabazura: Avoid at all costs.