Sharpness | Monster Hunter World Wiki
Sharpness in Monster Hunter World (MHW) is a factor in determining the cutting power of a Weapon and its damage output.
For a more complete rundown on combat with Monsters, see Weapon Mechanics, Defense, and Elemental Resistances.
The Sharpness level of a weapon will degrade over the course of a fight. When wielding a Blademaster Weapon, it is important to keep it at its maximum Sharpness with Whetstones. This will make cutting Monster parts easier (blade weapons only) and lower the chance of an attack being deflected.
There are 7 levels of Sharpness. Damaging Monster parts sometimes requires a weapon to currently be at a certain level.
Low Level Sharpness
Red - This is the first and lowest level of Sharpness possible. Most if not all attacks made at this Sharpness will cause a blade (or blunt weapon) to bounce off the hides of monsters.
Orange - The second level of Sharpness that is not much better than red. Many attacks will be deflected.
Yellow - The third level of Sharpness. At this level some hits can be landed on a monster in the early stages of the game.
Medium Level Sharpness
Green - The fourth level of Sharpness. This is where most attacks will be successful.
Blue - The fifth level of Sharpness. Attacks will be even more successful unless striking monsters hard parts.
High Level Sharpness
White - The sixth level of Sharpness. All attacks will be successful unless striking some monsters hard parts (particularly on Master Rank monsters).
Purple - The seventh level of Sharpness. Master Rank weapons only. All attacks will be successful unless striking some monsters hard parts.
In addition to reducing chance of deflection, Sharpness will also increase Raw (Physical) Damage and Elemental Damage.
See Attack Power for more information.
Sharpness Raw Damage Multiplier
| Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | White | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 1.05 | 1.20 | 1.32 | 1.39 |
Sharpness Elemental Damage Multiplier
| Red | Orange | Yellow | Green | Blue | White | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 1.0625 | 1.15 | 1.25 |
Sharpness Consumption by Weapon and Motion
Sharpness consumption rate is often -1 Sharpness per hit. Some weapons or attacks for specific weapons may consume Sharpness at a faster rate.
Please note that guarding against roars, wind pressure and tremors does not cost any Sharpness.
| Motion | |
|---|---|
| Any weapon regular attacks (hit) | -1 |
| Any weapon regular attacks (bounce) | -2 |
| Guarding (Great Sword or Charge Blade), resulting in small knockback | -1 |
| Guarding (Great Sword or Charge Blade), resulting in medium knockback | -2 |
| Guarding (Great Sword or Charge Blade), resulting in large knockback | -10 |
| Gunlance Normal Shells | -2 |
| Gunlance Long Shells | -2 |
| Gunlance Wide Shells | -3 |
| Gunlance Wyvernfire | -10 |
| Weapon | When | |
|---|---|---|
| Great Sword | Level 3 charged attacks | Significant Bonus |
| Great Sword | Level 2 charged attacks | Medium Bonus |
| Melee attacks | Effect of Demon Ammo is active | Small Bonus |
| Great Sword | Level 1 charged attacks | Small Bonus |
| Long Sword | When at maxed spirit gauge | Small Bonus |
| Sword & Shield | All attacks | Very Small Bonus |
| Great Sword | Hitting monster with the middle portion of your sword | Very Small Bonus |
| Long Sword | Hitting monster with the middle portion of your sword | Very Small Bonus |
| Lance | Using Cut damage in a Blunt hitzone | Significant Penalty |
| Blademaster weapons | Hitting monster at end of a swing, during yellow Sharpness | Significant Penalty |
| Blademaster weapons | Hitting monster at start of a swing, during yellow Sharpness | Very Significant Penalty |