I mentioned this in an earlier post, so I'll post the pictures this time.

The above image is the current i270 DRK weapon, as we know the glow effect is wispy and yellow. The image below is the final form of the DRK weapon. It's clear that the glow effect becomes soild and more pronounced, as well as changes color (purple for DRK cause their soulstone I believe)

Another thing to note, the entire questline is about creating a weapon with a soul, a living weapon. The glow effect is representative of the soul, which is why the base weapon is so simplistic. The emphasis is on the glow effect, not the weapon itself.