Soooo these relics... lets talk.

[Irisdina_Wiloh]

I agree OP, I've barely bothered with relics this expac when they've been something I always looked forward to. Ever since we got the Hydatos relics I've started feeling pretty iffy about the team that are designing these. I don't know what happened but the relic models prior to Law's Order are really good for almost every single job and the effects are also really good for most of them too. What went wrong?

I think your first suggestion of making the effect rotate would at least something more to the relics and maybe even improve them a bit but it's pretty telling that these relics have been poorly received when 90% of the time I see people with relics have glamoured over them, with the exceptions usually being GNB (which I might actually go for because the final one is perhaps the only good one) and WHM and it's usually the relics from Law's Order onwards that are glamoured over, the i500 and lower ones I will usually see glamoured on top of other weapons.

[Ultimatecalibur]

I agree OP, I've barely bothered with relics this expac when they've been something I always looked forward to. Ever since we got the Hydatos relics I've started feeling pretty iffy about the team that are designing these. I don't know what happened but the relic models prior to Law's Order are really good for almost every single job and the effects are also really good for most of them too. What went wrong?

Ever since 2.45 and the transition from Relic Nexus to Zodiac Weapon, the devs have been alternating between new model and new glow. This actually gives the player base a greater variety of weapon models options than ARR's Unfinished Relic to Relic Nexus steps with all the pallet swaps and glow variations.

Seems like the art team has gotten bit by the guild wars bug ?

Instead of spending time A/B testing out new designs, it's far easier to re-use/rehash older art models and then just start adding increasing levels of glow and colors.

I get it though - it's a financial decision. When times are tough and resources are restricted, art is the first thing to get axed.

The relic weapons have always had unique models and then had glows added.