Charge Blade Guide
Charge Blade is a weapon of preparation and release. Sword attacks build charge; storing that charge loads phials, and those phials can charge the shield, feed Savage Axe, or be spent together on Super Amped Element Discharge. A short opening favors a guarded counter, a longer one allows spinning axe hits, and a stable one can hold the entire discharge. The right read leads to the right transformation instead of the same finisher every time.
This guide covers Iceborne's final balance. Detailed weapon controls are in the in-game Hunter's Notes, while the official manual covers the general controls. Combat Mechanics explains why the same swing can deal different damage. Phials follow their own rules, and every move appears in Motion Values.
If this weapon is new to you, try it in the Training Area first. Use the in-game Hunter's Notes to practice its basic attacks; this guide explains how to connect them into a hunt.
Phials and charges
Sword attacks build charge. Storing at yellow fills three phials, while storing at red fills all five. Store the charge before the sword overcharges, because an overcharged sword bounces until you store.
Loaded phials do not charge the shield by themselves. Begin an Amped Element Discharge or Super Amped Element Discharge wind-up, then cancel it with Elemental Roundslash. This spends every loaded phial to create a charged shield. Once the shield is charged, begin another discharge wind-up with at least one phial loaded and use Savage Axe Slash to enter Savage Axe. From a phial-loading action, you can instead time Sword: Condensed Element Slash to gain a charged sword.
Charging the sword gives every sword hit bounce protection and adds a small phial explosion. The protection still works after the sword overcharges, but storing the built charge remains the way to load phials and continue the main loop.
With Lv 3, one ordinary sword hit followed by Charged Double Slash and Sword: Spinning Slash reaches red charge. Without , use two Charged Double Slash attacks with a Shield Thrust between them. changes phial buildup and charge time; it does not lengthen Savage Axe.
Impact phials ignore hitzones and sharpness, and they do not crit. Use to increase their damage. They inflict stun only when they hit the head. Aim Power Element phials at a favorable elemental hitzone.
Each phial spent on Elemental Roundslash adds 30 seconds to the charged shield. Charging the shield again adds time to its current duration, up to the duration cap. Merely loading new phials does not extend the shield. extends powered-up weapon states, including the charged shield and charged sword.
adds one phial.
Guard Point
A Guard Point is a timed guard built into a morph or another specified attack. One common guard point occurs during a morph, so time that morph to block the incoming swing. After the block, use Amped Element Discharge or Super Amped Element Discharge when the opening is long enough. To enter Savage Axe instead, use Savage Axe Slash. Holding a normal guard does not count as a Guard Point, and a large knockback prevents all of these follow-ups.
A charged shield and a Guard Point each improve knockback resistance by the equivalent of two levels of . The skill raises knockback resistance at Lv 1, Lv 3, and Lv 5; Lv 2 and Lv 4 add stamina reduction without reaching another knockback breakpoint. Start with Lv 1 when you plan to combine a charged shield with guard points. Raise it to Lv 3 or Lv 5 only when a specific attack still causes large knockback and removes your counter window.
activates when a guard begins just before an attack connects. A timed Guard Point can meet that condition; a shield that was already held up cannot.
reduces knockback so that a successful block can still lead into a follow-up. lets you guard certain attacks that are normally unblockable. It does not reduce their chip damage or knockback.
Savage Axe does not give axe mode a passive guard. Savage Axe Slash has its own brief guard point at startup, but later axe swings leave you exposed.
Savage Axe
In Iceborne, Savage Axe adds spinning contacts to axe attacks. Those contacts reward you for keeping the axe inside a favorable hitzone for the whole swing. A clutch weapon attack serves a different purpose: Charge Blade is a heavy weapon, so one clutch weapon attack wounds the part and leaves you in axe mode, but it does not activate the saw.
To enter from the ground, begin an Amped Element Discharge or Super Amped Element Discharge wind-up and use Savage Axe Slash while at least one phial is loaded. This is the standing entry to the saw. You can reach the same wind-up after a Guard Point if the block causes only small or medium knockback.
The saw ticks are normal hits, so hitzones, sharpness, and affinity all apply. Phial explosions follow separate rules and cannot crit. Favor a part with a physical hitzone of 45 or higher when you can keep the axe there; this also meets the weak-spot condition for . Wounding can improve the physical hitzone and adds the skill's wound bonus.
Hold the axe-attack input while the blade passes through the monster to produce the extra contacts. Those contacts can apply element or status and can consume sharpness, although not every contact does. A saw-focused set therefore values physical affinity, elemental or status investment when applicable, and enough sharpness management to keep its chosen color.
Power Axe drains one loaded phial every 12 seconds on an Impact weapon and every 18 seconds on a Power Element weapon. Spending or loading a phial resets that drain timer, and loading more phials can keep the saw running. The saw ends as soon as no phials remain, so both Super Amped Element Discharge and Elemental Roundslash end it by spending the entire load. Preserve the phial stock when continued axe pressure is the better use of the opening.
Amped Element Discharge and Super Amped Element Discharge
The charged shield turns Amped Element Discharge into Super Amped Element Discharge. During that wind-up, choose one of these outcomes:
- Hold back relative to your facing to change the attack into Amped Element Discharge. This shorter attack spends one phial and preserves the saw, so you can resume saw attacks afterward.
- Use Savage Axe Slash to enter Savage Axe.
- Use Elemental Roundslash to charge the shield.
Amped Element Discharge is the shorter axe attack after a Guard Point or while in axe mode. It costs one phial, returns you to sword mode, and preserves Savage Axe as long as another phial remains. Choose it when the opening is too short or the target too small for the full Super Amped Element Discharge.
Super Amped Element Discharge is one committed dump: it spends every loaded phial and ends Savage Axe. Impact bursts travel in a line, while Power Element bursts spread in a wider fan. The physical axe hits and the bursts have different positions along that path, so angle and distance matter. Use it only when the monster will remain in the attack long enough for the parts you value to connect.
Use for an Impact Super Amped Element Discharge, and aim at the head when you also want stun. Aim a Power Element Super Amped Element Discharge at a favorable elemental hitzone. Neither type of phial burst can crit, so does not increase the explosions.
Fight loop
Build charge with sword attacks and store the phials. Begin an Amped Element Discharge or Super Amped Element Discharge wind-up, then use Elemental Roundslash to charge the shield. Build and store another set of phials. From there, choose a sustained axe loop or a discharge loop according to the monster rather than treating one as universal.
For a sustained axe loop, use Savage Axe Slash, then reload phials before they reach zero. Use Amped Element Discharge for a short counter and repeated axe attacks when the monster is immobilized. Return to sword mode when movement or incoming attacks make the axe unsafe.
For a discharge loop, stay in sword mode where you can guard and build charge. Use Super Amped Element Discharge when the monster's position and the length of the opening let the intended axe hits and phial bursts connect, then rebuild the spent phials.
After a Guard Point, use Amped Element Discharge when the opening is short, or use Savage Axe Slash to return to the saw. Both choices let you counterattack the nearby part without first repositioning. Do not use Super Amped Element Discharge after a flinch if the monster will move out of its burst path. Return to sword attacks when you need to build charge again.
At the start of a hunt, a successful Flinch Shot into a wall creates time to build and store phials, charge the shield, or wound the part you plan to attack. The clutch weapon attack leaves you in axe mode; activate Savage Axe separately with Savage Axe Slash. Against Great Jagras, the head and inflated stomach are favorable physical targets.
When the monster is down, spend the opening according to your current state. A saw loop preserves Power Axe and concentrates ordinary hits on one part. A Super Amped Element Discharge trades every phial and the saw state for its physical hits and burst path. Recharging the shield is another valid use of the opening when its remaining time is low.
When an attack threatens the loop, time a Guard Point. Hold a normal guard when the timing is uncertain, because Savage Axe does not provide a guard.
Skills
When hits start to hurt, upgrade the armor and add the defense that addresses the interruption before spending remaining slots on damage. Getting Started explains meals, the progression, and how to use Armor Sphere. Combat Mechanics explains Defense, the 20-resistance threshold, and . The saw benefits from attacking a wounded part with a physical hitzone of 45 or higher; Impact explosions ignore that physical hitzone.
Shared priorities
Choose skills according to whether the set preserves Savage Axe or repeatedly spends phials on Super Amped Element Discharge. These skills explain the main levers; they are not a fixed package.
| Offensive | Why |
|---|---|
| Adds one phial. That gives Super Amped Element Discharge another burst or gives Savage Axe another phial before it expires. | |
| Lv 3 | One sword hit, one Charged Double Slash, and Sword: Spinning Slash reach red charge. Use it when faster reload cycles create more useful openings than direct damage skills. |
| Extends the charged shield and charged sword. Use it when refreshing those states is interrupting the fight loop. | |
| Raises Impact phial damage, not saw ticks. Lv 5 needs . Skip it on Power Element phials. | |
| Lv 1 | Multiplies attack by 1.05x on an Impact weapon with no active element. Skip it on Power Element. |
| Lv 3 | Adds affinity while you attack a part whose physical hitzone is 45 or higher, which is already the saw's preferred target. |
| plus weapon affinity to 100%, then Lv 3 | The saw crits. Impact phials do not. only multiplies affinity you actually have. Affinity past 100% does nothing. |
| Adds attack and affinity while the monster is enraged. Lv 7 needs . | |
| Maintain the weapon's best practical sharpness color | Saw ticks can consume sharpness, although phial explosions ignore it. Choose a sharpness-management method below when the axe loses that color before you can sharpen. |
| Defensive | Why |
|---|---|
| Lv 3 | Adds 50 health. Chip damage still comes through the shield. |
| Armor Sphere | Raises Defense at the smithy. Use this item on armor you expect to keep when hits start to hurt. |
| 20 matching resistance | Reaching 20 resistance prevents the matching blight. Use , , , , , or . |
| Lv 1, 3, or 5 | A charged shield and a Guard Point each add knockback resistance equivalent to two Guard levels. Start at Lv 1, then raise it when a planned counter still suffers large knockback. |
| A guard that begins just before the hit increases attack temporarily. A timed Guard Point can activate it. | |
| A chance to reduce the damage you take through the shield. Lv 5 needs . | |
| Lv 3 | Prevents stun. Use it when getting stunned is a recurring cause of faints. |
In a group, add Lv 1 to prevent common teammate knockbacks. Give wide axe swings a clear lane instead of aiming their arc through teammates. Solo, skip it.
Often added, not required:
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Lets you guard certain attacks that are normally unblockable. It does not reduce their chip damage or knockback. | |
| Lv 4+ | Adds attack in remaining slots. Lv 4 also adds 5% affinity. |
| Lv 1 | Slinger ammo drops from the clutch weapon attack. Charge Blade already wounds in one clutch attack. |
| Adds physical damage at full health. Chip damage from a guard turns it off. | |
| Extra attack while recoverable (red) health is on the bar. Pair with or . | |
| Adds affinity at full stamina. Below Lv 5, spending stamina interrupts the effect and it takes time to return. | |
| Raises Attack, element, and status buildup after you recover from a blight or abnormal status. | |
| Conditional affinity and stamina reduction after enough time or damage taken. Less controllable than . | |
| Produces faster knockouts when Impact phials hit the head. It does not increase health damage or benefit saw ticks. | |
| Extra rounds do not increase Flinch Shot damage or wall-collision damage. | |
| Breaks tails and horns faster. It does not raise damage to health. | |
| Extra attack and defense after a faint, up to two times. Do not plan to faint. |
Maintaining sharpness
The saw's extra contacts put more pressure on the sharpness gauge than attacks without those contacts. Add a management skill when the axe loses its useful sharpness color before your next chance to sharpen. Phial explosions ignore sharpness.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
| Adds sharpness when the gauge is not already full. | |
| Prevents sharpness loss on critical hits, including saw ticks that crit. | |
| Prevents sharpness loss for a fixed time after you sharpen. | |
| Reduces the number of sharpness ticks consumed on average. | |
| Provides the stronger set-bonus version of . | |
| Helps a full sharpen fit into a small opening. In World, an interrupted whetstone restarts from the beginning. |
Recovery and mobility
Use these skills while frequent faints, healing, or interruptions are breaking the fight loop. When the problem stops recurring, those slots can return to the offense or guard requirement the hunt actually uses.
| Skill | Why |
|---|---|
| Potions and other heals restore more. Chip still comes through the shield. A Health Regen augment pairs with it. | |
| Shortens the time needed to drink. Sheathe the weapon, move to safety, then drink. | |
| The red (recoverable) part of the health bar returns faster. | |
| Adds Defense after you have upgraded the armor with Armor Sphere. | |
| Lv 3 prevents elemental blights; lower levels shorten their duration. Use it when matching resistance cannot reach 20. | |
| Survives one otherwise fatal hit when health is above its activation threshold. The next hit can still faint you. | |
| Reduces mantle cooldowns. Temporal can avoid some clutch interruptions; Rocksteady prevents interruption but does not prevent damage. | |
| Prevents a roar from interrupting Super Amped Element Discharge, but it is expensive and a Guard Point already covers many roars. | |
| Longer invulnerability on rolls, not on Guard Point. | |
| Lengthens rolls, but the extra distance can carry your next saw attack away from the target part. | |
| Reduces the fixed stamina cost of rolls and similar actions. It does not reduce sprinting or clutch drain. | |
| Reduces stamina drain while clutching or sprinting. | |
| Sometimes lets you use an item without consuming it. |
Styles
The weapon supports two separate damage plans and two phial types. Combine them according to the target's openings and hitzones.
| Style | Skills |
|---|---|
| Super Amped Element Discharge Impact | raises the Impact bursts, and adds another burst. affects the physical axe hits when they crit, not the bursts. Add enough to preserve the counter openings you intend to use. |
| Savage Axe | Physical affinity and sharpness improve the ordinary saw contacts. affects only Impact phial explosions, so its value depends on how often your axe sequence triggers them. |
| Power Element | Use the matching skill, or its water, thunder, ice, or dragon equivalent. and can improve elemental damage on physical hits that crit; phial bursts cannot crit. and do not improve Power Element phials. |
| Status | The matching status skill raises buildup, while or applies only when a status-bearing physical hit crits. Saw contacts can apply status; Impact explosions cannot. |
This hunt
Choose these skills only for a target or environment that creates the stated problem.
| Skill | When |
|---|---|
| Use it against monsters with normally unblockable attacks. A Guard Point can then block those attacks and lead into the saw if the knockback is small enough. | |
| Prevents tremors from interrupting Super Amped Element Discharge or knocking you out of the saw sequence. | |
| Prevents wind from interrupting Super Amped Element Discharge or knocking you out of the saw sequence. is not enough against some elder dragons. | |
| Greatly improves evasion invulnerability and reduces stamina depletion while a blight or status is active. It does not add Attack. | |
| Lv 3 prevents Defense Down; lower levels shorten its duration. Use it only when the target can inflict the ailment. | |
| or | While a mantle is active, grants protection from roars, wind pressure, tremors, and small knockbacks. Only the True version reaches the highest levels. |
| Makes a Dung Pod more likely to send a monster away. | |
| Increases Flash Pod range. It can make the flash easier to place when the target is susceptible. | |
| Increases barrel-bomb damage. Use it only when bombs are part of the hunt plan. | |
| Stronger elderseal on a dragon-element Charge Blade. | |
| Increases the attention drawn by your attacks. In a group, use it only when this weapon benefits from holding the monster's attention. | |
| Prevents the Rotten Vale environment from draining health during the saw sequence. | |
| Increases the health restored by usable environmental interactables. |
Skills that look better than they are
- prevents deflection, as does a charged sword. Neither changes a hard part's hitzone, so bounce protection does not make that part a strong saw target.
- does not benefit Power Element phials.
- does not increase Impact phial damage, because Impact phials do not crit.
- does not increase Savage Axe saw ticks, because those ticks are normal hits.
- changes sword charge times and phial buildup; it does not stop Power Axe from draining loaded phials.
- does not help fill phials; does. instead reduces stamina drain while clutching or sprinting.
- activates on a precisely timed guard, not on a saw tick.
- does not increase Super Amped Element Discharge.
- begins at yellow sharpness, while the saw's ordinary hits also gain damage from higher sharpness multipliers.
- requires low health, and chip damage through the shield makes that condition easy to lose.
- does little for a saw-only set, because stun comes from Impact phials hitting the head.
- requires a slide, and Super Amped Element Discharge does not count as one.
- offers little value because this style rarely leaves the ground.
- requires 40% health to reduce roll stamina costs, while the saw itself does not spend stamina.
Settings
Set Automatic Sheathe to Manual so the game does not sheathe just because you stopped attacking.
Guard direction follows the shield's orientation, not the camera's direction.
Before a long axe discharge, center the camera on the wound or head you mean to finish on. A camera left on the body after a morph often dumps the locked swing into a weaker zone than you planned.