Straight Swords for Samurai?

[Theodric_Thorne]

Super bummed that the entry I submitted to the design contest didn't even rate. It was a moon-themed cruciform sword inspired by and named after the (at time of entry not yet used in FFXIV) classic FF PLD weapon called Lightbringer. Of course only a short time after I submitted it, they add Lightbringer as the next PLD relic, so I knew my entry was immediately not going to get any traction. I just can't help but feel a little bitter about it because of the two winning entries, one feels like a katana we already have 50 of, just with a lot of really intricate detailing and the addition of a cosmetic backup sword strapped to the sheath.

[Tsiron]

Hey that's not too bad! Reminds me of the Garo PLD weapon, actually... if only that were available to SAM, especially since it's got a scabbard and there's no Garo weapon for the Job, either...

Yeah I'm kinda with you on the designs they picked (in general), feels like a lot of them were things that were already in-game one way or another?

[Theodric_Thorne]

Hey that's not too bad! Reminds me of the Garo PLD weapon, actually... if only that were available to SAM, especially since it's got a scabbard and there's no Garo weapon for the Job, either...

Yeah I'm kinda with you on the designs they picked (in general), feels like a lot of them were things that were already in-game one way or another?

Thanks. There was a bit of a time crunch in coloring the line art, so the yellow parts aren't as "metallic" as I would like. I submitted this final version with less than a day left on the deadline. In my head, the sword doesn't match the GARO aesthetic at all. I probably should have drawn little diagrams pointing to the color channels and explaining the bright yellow parts are supposed to be gold metal furnishings, and that the red parts (including the crystals) would be where the dye goes. I would've dyed the red parts blue but I was trying to be respectful of the original design for Lightbringer, or at least how it appeared in FFXI. As far as I can tell, that was its most recent appearance in the franchise, though I have only ever played VI and XIV.

Visually I was thinking the final version should resemble the Heavy Metal Longsword, a very elegant but "subdued" look next to relic weapons. But looking at some of the winners, maybe that was the wrong way to go and I should have tried to include particle effects that resembled SAM's "moonlight" abilities like Gekko, Mangetsu, and Midare.

I also probably should have included the layered image in the margins, showing how the sword fits into the sheath perfectly and that little diamond shape on the crossguard slots into the "arch" in the scabbard like a glove. You could click and drag the two image layers and actually "draw" the blade in the editor, lol. The scabbard in both images is ever-so-slightly wider than the blade, specifically cut out and laid over each other and measured to fit.

Honestly I'm just deeply saddened that this sword will never see the light of day, because my Ishgardian knight character would've looked cool as hell wearing it. I have this whole head-canon about how it's the sword equivalent of Happy Gilmore's putter, basically a two-handed PLD weapon made for a knight to use SAM techniques. I don't really have any interest in the parasol sword or the regular katana, and the latter honestly feels like we would've gotten the exact same design as a 7.0 relic weapon anyway. But they're both more refined than mine, especially since the parasol submission included a whole-ass 3D model.

Guess I'll keep using Katana of the Fiend because the gold and blue looks nice with my cape and my chocobo barding.

[Syln]

The question is ... will it bring back Kaiten though ? ... what do you mean Off topic ?!

[KurohNeko]

To be fair it's like a reaper asking for a shovel weapon. Reapers use scythes, samurai use katana, monks use... Those God afoul ugly brass-knuckle looking abominations.

[Theodric_Thorne]

To be fair it's like a reaper asking for a shovel weapon. Reapers use scythes, samurai use katana, monks use... Those God afoul ugly brass-knuckle looking abominations.

DRK has a nodachi. WAR has multiple hammers. Weapons and armor aesthetics are extremely rigid and can never, ever change. Until they can. A little variety wouldn't be a bad thing. Not saying I want to be able to glamour weapons that the animations wouldn't work for, but there's some wiggle room.

[hagare]

To be fair it's like a reaper asking for a shovel weapon. Reapers use scythes, samurai use katana, monks use... Those God afoul ugly brass-knuckle looking abominations.

WAR hammer.

[TheMightyMollusk]

monks use... Those God afoul ugly brass-knuckle looking abominations.

Cesti. (Cestus in singular form, but they dual wield.)

Except when they're using tonfas, or katars, or armored gauntlets, or glowing runes, or bare fists, or.......

[Tsiron]

Logging in today it turns out I made it as one of the runner-ups in the Weapon Design Contest!

Hopefully my entry(ies) making it that far got across that more SAM weapon variety would be nice? My whole reason for entering?

[Jybril]

ITT: Real Samurai talk about blades.