Straight Swords for Samurai?

[Syln]

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

[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.

[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.

[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?

[Jin-]

I'll take this chance to point out that many european swords that could match katanas in cutting power existed.
And please bear in mind, if you argue against giving samurai swords not adhering to the samurai fantasy then you are also disqualified from and argument that every class should be able to glam any armor.

Longevity too, in general they were way better and stronger. Media gives katana more than it really is, a brittle sharp sword.

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?

Good luck man I take anything which doesn't have a gigantic sheath.

[Jybril]

ITT: Real Samurai talk about blades.

[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]

For what it's worth I've mostly made peace with the fact they'll never do this, but I still couldn't help but feel a bit insulted when the Neo "Kingdom" Blade ended up being yet another katana when it felt like the perfect opportunity for another design akin to the Crystarium Samurai Blade...