Just been a lurker now and then around here, but then i see this and no one here seem to actually know how it works, i can't let this misinformation go uncorrected. Switch Axe's phials/coating/vials, whichever you wanna call it is not the same as bow's coating at all.

Each switch axe's phial is FIXED, just like how a gunlance's shell type i.e. normal/long/spread types is FIXED for each gunlance. You don't go loading and changing gunlance's shells with bowgun bullets now do you?

The phial's effects only come into play when in sword mode, and your gauge depletes as you use sword mode. The gauge auto regens in axe mode and if it extremely low it says RELOAD you can press R in axe mode that will refill the gauge instead of switching to sword mode.

There's 6 types of phials:
power (boosts the raw)
element (boosts sa's innate element and status effect values)
poison, para, exhaust(deals ko if hit head and fatigues boss and makes em goes drool status like hammer), dragon(adds some dragon element)

Now for example the difference between SA with innate para attribute that has element phial and raw SA that has para phial, for the former you'll be doing para status attacks in both axe and sword mode but the para value is boosted more when in sword mode. For the latter tho, you'll only be doing raw damage when in axe and does para in sword.

In general, an elemental SA will either comes with power or element phial, status ones comes with element phial and raw ones can come with any one of em cept for element.

A noteworthy early SA, the yukumo lookalike one that is made from red ticket given to you by the elder, it comes with very long green bar and good raw and has dragon coating. It's probably one of the easiest and earliest way to get some dragon element weapon for dragon weak stuff.

Just somemore lil tidbits on SA's sword form, you can easily see what phial it has from it's effects just like how you can see which element a weapon has from its effects too...besides reading what's stated in the weapon description screens of course

Power = red glow and sparks
Element = green
Poison = purple
Para = yellow
Exhaust = blue
Dragon = same as dragon element weapon effect, black/dark red sparks

Focus/fast charge skill affects switch axe sword gauge too. As it's widely known focus lets hammer/gs/bow do charge attack faster, but it makes the gauge for ds/ls/sa fills up faster too. In sa's case, the gauge will autofill faster when you're in axe mode or sheathed.

As for reloading speed skill, pretty sure that's a gunner specific skill that only affects bowguns.

Altho manual reloading the gauge when extremely low isn't really that slow but in all honesty, you shouldn't really be doing manual reload of sword gauge in the heat of battle most of the time. Just like how you wouldn't be eating a potion or sharpening your weapon unless there was a big enough opening.

By balancing both axe and sword form usage, the natural regen rate of sword gauge is pretty sufficient. Just remember to keep track of the gauge and dont keep slashing in sword mode once its almost ran out because you'll auto do the switching animation back to axe mode if it runs out during the middle of your slash combos. That delay is enough get you run over by the monster whereas you could have roll/sidehopped away otherwise.

In case anyone didn't know, you can quickly switch forms in the middle of a combo. When in axe mode, pressing R after doing forward stab with analog+triangle will switch to sword mode. In sword mode, attack with circle to do the sideway slash and press R will quick change into axe mode.

Barioth SA? this 上質な鳥竜骨? That's Bird wyvern bone, can carve from high rank jaggi/baggi/furogi small minions

Try out barioth sa on ice weak stuff like peco, jinouga, hapurubokka or.....lol great furogi for something really easy

Bringing along dung bombs on high rank quests is like a must to chase away extra bosses.

As for the rank 4 upgrade of shin yukumo sa, 上質な毛皮 is high quality pelt, just slaughter some high rank kelbi or anteka and carve em

You need to be naked to do the 20 bullfangos dl quest, as in no armor or charms equipped at all. You CAN bring cats along tho.