Why are Glowy Weapons...

[RinaB]

... the ones that can just be bought off the MB?

It seems backwards, given that people tend to gravitate towards them since they're flashier and etc. The fact that Artifact Weapons only get their various effects once upgraded just makes this weirder.

I'm (apparently) something of a minority in that I much prefer weapons that don't glow or sparkle or whatever, so it's kind of frustrating that those are the ones that require the most work*...?

*for someone who's neither a crafter nor does Savage and/or Extreme content

Meh, im in the same boat. I love the deepshadow striking set and katana so that's what I currently glam. I wish there were some type of enchanting items to give your weapon of choice a certain effect purely for glam purposes.

[Iscah]

I just wish you could "downgrade" the purchasable version to the non-glowing form. I rarely like the glow effects so I have to do the trials to earn the plainer weapons.

[Packetdancer]

So far as I know, the glowy weapons are to give an incentive to run older extremes, which means people who already have the mounts may still see a benefit to running those extremes (for materials), thus helping those who still do need the mounts to get said mounts by ensuring more people want to run the extremes.

The non-glowy weapons are combat-relevant when current; they'll generally be one of the best options for weapons stats-wise when they're first out. Witness that people farmed Emerald Weapon EX for their weapons when the final Eden tier landed, because the Emerald weapons were generally better than HQ Exarchic weapons in terms of base stats. When the trials are no longer combat-relevant, the crafted weapons eventually get added so there's a use for the material (beyond 'housing miniatures' or 'chocobo barding') to make the extremes stay relevant in another way -- i.e., glam, whether making it for yourself or making it to sell on the marketboard.

(Now, as to whether or not this is the best way to handle things, that's a different matter. But there is at least a rational reason why it's done that way.)

[Equitable_Remedy]

I'm (apparently) something of a minority in that I much prefer weapons that don't glow or sparkle or whatever

I'm with you—had to farm Tsukuyomi for sweet weapon glams without the glow.

Moonlit? Not in this house.

[Nihility]

people like them and it keeps groups farming for the rarer drops so why not?

the glows that make you go wow are always ultimate or legendary weapons anyways so not too big a deal really