Guild Wars 2

What about Bonetti’s Rapier if you’re looking for a slick sword?
Besides, the ambrite weapons are very elegant with their fancy decorations and curved blades. I think the designers are doing a good job on providing a style for everyone.

Anet has amazing environmental artists but their designs for weapons and armour are really lacking. I’m picky and prefer minimalist looks but to me 80% of the weapons/armour in GW2 looks pretty terrible for my tastes.

I agree. Sometimes less is more.

Anet’s design team should perhaps take the time to research the design of swords. Elements such as the blade, cross-guard, hilt and pommel, all have a purpose. Their aspect and weight ratio are important, and aren’t merely there as eye candy. If the blade is too broad, in comparison to the hilt, it becomes a bad sword. And if the hilt-size isn’t proportionate to the length of the blade, you get an unbalanced sword. Most swords don’t cut better if they have giant teeth on their cutting edge, they do exactly the opposite.

And I know it is tempting to make weapons that look really over the top, especially in a fantasy game. But when you don’t understand how these weapons work, it just ends up looking stupid.

Case in point, Daedric Weapons from Skyrim:

Or Cloud’s Buster Sword:

Even in a fantasy world, gravity still works pretty much the same way. And beyond a certain size, weapons stop being useful. This goes for all weapons btw, not just swords. Axes do not become more deadly the more spikes you put on it, in fact, quite the opposite.

Lets look at one of the GW2 blades for example, the Bandit Slicer:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/1/1f/Bandit_Slicer.jpg

Not only would this design result into a horridly unbalanced sword, but it would get caught on just about anything, and you’d easily be disarmed. The hilt also has a spike pointed towards the hand of the user, which is an accident waiting to happen.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/2/27/Steamblade.jpg

The Steamblade would also instantly get caught on any piece of armor, or shield, or weapon, and you’d easily be disarmed. Not to mention the grotesque weight ratio. The blade is far too wide to be useful for sword fighting, and the hilt is far too short.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/4d/Centaur_Sword.jpg

How have the centaurs survived as a race, with these sword designs? What is the purpose of that structure at the top? Is it supposed to trap a blade some how? This looks like a sword that was designed to break itself.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/3/35/Norn_Blade.jpg

Ugh, this does not function as a sword. If you made the top of the hilt smaller, and the blade thinner, you’d instantly have a sword that is far easier to wield, and far more effective. And why would anyone add belts in a spot where they could easily be struck by the blade of an enemy?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/2/21/Cryptopidae.jpg

Ignoring the fact that adding a fossil in the middle of a blade does nothing to improve the effectiveness of any sword, the hilt is also far too thin. It looks like this blade would snap at the hilt almost instantly. It also doesn’t look like the pommel is very effective. It looks very fragile. You wouldn’t be able to strike anyone with that pommel without it snapping, plus it doesn’t seem nearly big and heavy enough to counter balance the absurd blade.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/b/bb/Etched_Blade.jpg

The edged blade would instantly be a more effective sword with a much thinner blade. Currently it looks like the proportions are completely off, and not designed by an actual weapon designer.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/0f/Dragon%27s_Jade_Lacerator_Skin.jpg
What is this?! The only thing slightly useful seems to be the hand guard. Everything about the blade however is completely impractical, and would instantly get caught on your opponent. When you strike an opponent, you don’t want the blade getting caught on their armor. You want it to pull out with ease, so you can strike that opponent again. Plus the spikes at the top only make the blade more fragile.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/09/Crystalline_Blade.jpg
This is not a sword. It could not work in any way shape or form.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/7/77/Dreamthistle_Sword_Skin.jpg
Apart from the fact that it’s almost a light saber, do the thorns around the sword help in any way at all? Is it assumed that the wielder is some how impervious to the thorns, but his enemy isn’t? What would be the point of having a sword that is designed to be painful to wield?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/41/Fused_Sword.jpg
Do swords hurt more when they are on fire? Since parts are glowing, doesn’t it damage the structure of the metal? Does it stop burning when you sheath it?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/4f/Godskull_Edge.jpg
You know, I can understand turning the lower jaw of a creature into some improv weapon, that’s fine. But why the bands around the edge? Wouldn’t the blade cut through those bands the very next time you use the sword?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/b/b9/Guild_Spatha.jpg
This sword suffers from broken-buster-sword complex. It’s blade width is obviously far too wide to be a useful weapon, and it also seems a bit is snapped off the top (which is no surprise considering the absurdly wide blade).

It’s the rare loot syndrome. Elegant skins tend to be smaller and not as flashy, so they don’t stand out as much, so they’re not as “prestigious”, so they are mostly used as low-level loot. As far as GW2 goes, I think Krytan weapons have some of the best skins in the game. They stand out and are fairly elaborate, but still look like weapons and not huge, glowing blobs of stuff.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/c/c2/Krait_Machete.jpg
This blade would break. The hole is positioned exactly where the blade should extend into the hilt. The whole point of just about any sword, is that blade and hilt are usually one piece of metal. It is then counterbalanced with the hilt, to allow the user to very easily swing the blade around without requiring a whole lot of upper body strength. But by placing so much of the weight on the side of the blade, the entire weapon becomes way too top heavy. It would snap where the hole is.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/f/f9/Winged_Spatha.jpg
You could not strike an enemy with this sword without it getting caught on everything.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/1/17/Lionguard_Sword.jpg
This weapon looks as if the hilt is actually too long, and the cross guard is too large. This weapon would constantly tilt forward I think.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/a/ab/Tribal_Sword.jpg
Gets caught on everything, and doesn’t seem to have any cutting potential what so ever.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/9/9e/Resonator.jpg
Are swords supposed to get caught in between the two blades? How is this supposed to work?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/a/a2/Twin_Talons.jpg
Again, same question.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/8/81/Vigil%27s_Honor_Sword.jpg
This sword is way too wide. Make it more slender, and you have a sword that is much faster and easier to swing. A far more deadly weapon.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/05/Priory%27s_Historical_Sword.jpg
I don’t think making a blade out of solid crystal would make for a very sturdy sword. It seems like it would shatter quite easily, or bits and pieces would constantly be chipped off in combat.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/b/bb/Etched_Blade.jpg

The edged blade would instantly be a more effective sword with a much thinner blade. Currently it looks like the proportions are completely off, and not designed by an actual weapon designer.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/0f/Dragon%27s_Jade_Lacerator_Skin.jpg
What is this?! The only thing slightly useful seems to be the hand guard. Everything about the blade however is completely impractical, and would instantly get caught on your opponent. When you strike an opponent, you don’t want the blade getting caught on their armor. You want it to pull out with ease, so you can strike that opponent again. Plus the spikes at the top only make the blade more fragile.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/09/Crystalline_Blade.jpg
This is not a sword. It could not work in any way shape or form.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/7/77/Dreamthistle_Sword_Skin.jpg
Apart from the fact that it’s almost a light saber, do the thorns around the sword help in any way at all? Is it assumed that the wielder is some how impervious to the thorns, but his enemy isn’t? What would be the point of having a sword that is designed to be painful to wield?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/41/Fused_Sword.jpg
Do swords hurt more when they are on fire? Since parts are glowing, doesn’t it damage the structure of the metal? Does it stop burning when you sheath it?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/4f/Godskull_Edge.jpg
You know, I can understand turning the lower jaw of a creature into some improv weapon, that’s fine. But why the bands around the edge? Wouldn’t the blade cut through those bands the very next time you use the sword?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/b/b9/Guild_Spatha.jpg
This sword suffers from broken-buster-sword complex. It’s blade width is obviously far too wide to be a useful weapon, and it also seems a bit is snapped off the top (which is no surprise considering the absurdly wide blade).

Not every profession actually strikes with the blade. My mesmer uses swords, but it seems more likely that what does damage is the purple glow that comes off them rather than the blade. Similarly, mesmer greatsword doesn’t even get rear the enemy.

Crovax.7854:

What about Bonetti’s Rapier if you’re looking for a slick sword?
Besides, the ambrite weapons are very elegant with their fancy decorations and curved blades. I think the designers are doing a good job on providing a style for everyone.

the ambrite weapon had potential but the oversized shapes totally ruined it.

leng jai.2961:

Anet has amazing environmental artists but their designs for weapons and armour are really lacking. I’m picky and prefer minimalist looks but to me 80% of the weapons/armour in GW2 looks pretty terrible for my tastes.

Pretty much my opinion – though I would have said 90% of the weapons/armor look terrible to me (also with Krytan weapons as one of a few exceptions).

Oversized weapons with childish or stupid design (made out of Swiss cheese from stoneage for example) are the biggest immersion-breakers for me. I can live with others carrying such crap but couldn´t stand it if I also would have to use such a skin (running out of options though a little).

Infinite Light, Bonetti’s Rapier and the Lovestruck sword to a certain extent are the only good looking swords in this game.

It wouldn’t be very hard to redesign the ambrite weapons into something more practical. For the sword, I wouldn’t put the fossil in the middle of the blade. A more logical place would be on the hilt or pommel. The curved shape of the blade is okay, but there’s no reason for the hilt to be curved as well (that just makes it look fragile).

Belinda’s Katana Sword?

No one says anything about my Rusttooth? I’m disappointed. It’s freaking amazing, you know, to hack, slash and dismember those persistent Risen…

They should have a contest and get some weapon ideas from the player base. I know Rift did that and you could really see a lot of neat designs for things that way. And the top winners could win gems or something.

Maybe then they’d add some more elegant looking weapons to the game, so long as they actually pick them of course.

Would love to see a scimitar. Or an actual longsword. Not the blunt object you run around with throughout the whole game.

Iris Ng.9845:

No one says anything about my Rusttooth? I’m disappointed. It’s freaking amazing, you know, to hack, slash and dismember those persistent Risen…

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/0/02/Rusttooth.jpg
Does that even qualify as a sword? It’s a saw!

But to give a more elaborate reason of why this wouldn’t work, first of all there’s no balance. Saws are designed to rest all their weight on the object being sawed, which then helps when sawing through the material. When you are swinging a sword, you want exactly the opposite. You want most of the weight at your grip, so it requires only a simple tumbling motion to swing the blade around.

Also, you don’t want the teeth of the blade to get caught on the victim (you can’t perform a slashing action if it gets caught), and there’s too much weight on the side of the “blade”, in massive quotation marks. The blade also doesn’t extend into the hilt, thus making it very unbalanced.

Now there have been sword designs that had teeth, but those were usually for stabbing. Various bayonets for example had two rows of teeth, that alternated in direction. This meant that if you stabbed someone with it, the serrations on the blade would leave a ghastly wound both when entering and exiting the victim. However when you want to slash at someone, you don’t want teeth on the blade. That is a pretty simple concept that very few designers seem to grasp.

Making a sword curved can help with this slashing action, because there’s a smaller surface touching the victim, so you only need to draw the blade down towards you, to cut through the victim (such as the katana). Many medieval swords are not curved, because they are not just for slashing, they are also for stabbing. Adding teeth to the blade makes it very limited. You can basically only use it to stab effectively, and not very fast either. Stabbing someone with a serrated blade, makes it very slow to pull out the blade, thus it is more effective against a single opponent.

As soon as I finish collecting all the Dragon Balls I’ll make
a wish for (not the replacement) but the addition of weapon and armor design from Dark Souls 2. Soo dark, soo smexi. I’ve always wondered what the target audience is for Gw2, sometimes the skins are so fluffy and exaggerated.

A lot of the weapon designs in Dark Souls are fairly realistic. There’s a few exceptions of course. But most of the weapons and shields make sense, and work as one would expect from those weapons. Two handed weapons and heavy shields slow the player down, and are more cumbersome to use. While single handed weapons are swift, and work well when combined with a small shield.

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

A lot of the weapon designs in Dark Souls are fairly realistic. There’s a few exceptions of course. But most of the weapons and shields make sense, and work as one would expect from those weapons. Two handed weapons and heavy shields slow the player down, and are more cumbersome to use. While single handed weapons are swift, and work well when combined with a small shield.

I feel a more careful and thought out approach to weapon design and functionality can even lead to new mechanics! Like wielding a huge hammer affects my endurance? Or a new bar with stamina? Come on ANet role play with me! Btw…what’s up with Belinda’s Sword?
Spoiler
She doesn't need it anymore - too soon? Lol

I agree, we need more elegant and life-like options to choose from. All these surfboard greatswords and lego weapons are ridiculous. It’s ok that we have them but we have too many of that kind and almost none of the other.

My main Guardian wielded a Krytan sword skin since like Queensdale 2012 or so. :P
I prefer more regular (but still finely crafted) ones as well, such as indeed the Krytan Sword, the Rinblade from the Aureate set, the Ascalonian Catacombs sword, the Honour of Humanity, and even the regular crafted swords. While I think that a lot of sword designs look quite nice, I would definitely appreciate some more pretty-but-not-flashy Krytan-like weapon designs.

@Mad Queen Malafide,

I see your Skallagrim (which is an example of someone who if WAY overthinking things….), and raise you Vsauce3 :::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MejveUjpw8U

And no, I’m not defending the ridiculous excessiveness of some weapons in guildwars 2. Many of them are quite weird looking, even by fantasy standards (like this one, but then again….Fantasy. Some people (such as the guy’s video you linked) like to say that fantasy is no excuse…..but, it actually is. If every single weapon looked practical, from a distance, they would all actually look indistinguishable from each other and have 3 basic looks to them (from a distance), straight longsword, katana, and sabre, and you would have a very hard time identifying the hilt at all.

Sure, you would notice the differences as you get closer, but from a distance, realistic swords all look boring and uninspired, and the exact same. This is probably the reason why Skyrim had such bulky looking weapons, so you would notice them from a distance. (Oh shoot! That bandit has an elven weapon and you’re still stuck on iron and steel. Might be a little above your level…..fight anyways?) The point of an Fantasy MMO to many people is to look better and cooler than everyone else. Bigger and more ridiculous weapons just accentuate that.

P.S. – This is one of my favorite looking weapons in this game, the plain old, realistic looking Mithril sword/greatsword ::::
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/File:Mithril_Sword.jpg
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/File:Mithril_Greatsword.jpg

Mad Queen Malafide.7512:

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/a/ab/Tribal_Sword.jpg
Gets caught on everything, and doesn’t seem to have any cutting potential what so ever.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/4/4f/Godskull_Edge.jpg
You know, I can understand turning the lower jaw of a creature into some improv weapon, that’s fine. But why the bands around the edge? Wouldn’t the blade cut through those bands the very next time you use the sword?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/2/27/Steamblade.jpg
The Steamblade would also instantly get caught on any piece of armor, or shield, or weapon, and you’d easily be disarmed. Not to mention the grotesque weight ratio. The blade is far too wide to be useful for sword fighting, and the hilt is far too short.

Tribal sword, more like an impractical axe instead, since it uses the maya-aztek theme as base. Works only against bare skin, any armor would get stuck or even shatter the wooden contraption…

Godskull Edge, well, you can expect that from the Grawl, they die every day and are easily tricked to worship anything. Possible that their breeding rate is year long and their kids grow to adults withint 2 months or less.

Steamblade, That’s supposed to have “chainsaw” effect on the teeth, but that effect doesn’t work on most of the steam weapons, only the Steam Dagger has animated teeth movement…

Don’t forget Legionnaire set…

Legionnaire Sword
grip and blade are quite off for weight advantages, pommel has inward pointed spike that digs into your hand.

Legionnaire Greatsword
Attempt of Buster Sword, the grip is elliptic shape tho.

But then again, we have problem of races, like Charr, Norn and Asura.

Charr physiology and othervise biological structure is not quite expanded.

Norn on other hand are huge and sturdy, obviously.

Asura again would install what ever gizmos to their gear to improve their combat effectiviness.

Then there’s this: Even if you’re capable of lifting it and swinging it, can it be effective in real combat? It’ll require it’s own combat stance and forms (you might be able to wield and swing it, but can you really hit the foe, before he/she hits you), then taking physical limitations too, like how long can you swing the sword.

Well, its not as bad as WoW, but I agree that GW2 is slim on good looking weapons. Armor is a bit better but still not perfect.

I do LOVE the idea of having content contests for GW2 though. Weapon designs armor designs, heck, mini lore story chains to add in to flesh out areas? Why not?

What about ceremonial sabre? Isn’t that an elegant sword?
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ceremonial_Sabre

I’ve really wanted some more ‘realistic fantasy weapons’ Bonetti’s Rapier is a good example of a sword. But I wish there were more like it, of different weapon types too. Like an axe, dagger, shortbow etc.

I do like to see more “realistic” weapons, but I think it’s fair to say that there is an incredible variety available in the game already. More options can’t hurt, but if you browse through the Wardrobe when shopping for a new skin, you might be pleasantly surprised by what’s already available.

kolompi.1287:

All these surfboard greatswords

Haha, so true.

I can’t bring myself to play a greatsword-anything because of this. Almost all swords and daggers are also oversized. Ah well, back to my engi who doesn’t have that problem.

I would say axe and warhorn need better skins…

While on the subject of skins, why Adam and Gaze (both focuses) are held as though the character is holding an ice-cream cone with both of the skulls looking up to the sky?

I am also in the minimalist camp. All of my toons have the basic skins and the practical armors…because they are more real.

I would say anet is missing out on revenue by not having more practical items on sale from time to time.

Tim.6450:

What about ceremonial sabre? Isn’t that an elegant sword?
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ceremonial_Sabre

For a slashing sword it could work. But it has pointy bits on the cross guard, that point towards the hands of the owner. Further more, the cross guard isn’t particularly useful at what a cross guard is meant to do: protecting the hands. To do that, it would need to be a lot wider.

Try the Ebonblade – I think it’s a beautiful, elegant greatsword. Nothing flashy.

I’d love to see a greatsword flamberge-style!

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130407014405/forgottenrealms/images/b/b5/1345563589539.jpg

To be fair, the artists making these weapons aren’t under the illusion that they’re remotely practical, so pointing out the flaws isn’t much of an argument. A lot of people like these over-the-top designs (I’m not one of them, however) and that’s who they’re appealing to; if we want to see more practical and elegant designs, we just have to convince them that there’s an equally large (or large enough) audience to make appealing to us worth the effort.

No how idea we could go about accomplishing that, sadly.

I`m in the realistic camp as well. Using the mithril sword myself, as its about the only sword in the game with both profile as distal tapering. The only thing that bothers me is the guard (bit too thick).

I loved the runic blade in GW1, but here it has the added glow that plagues much of the skins in GW2.

Why not add some realistic looking skins? I bet there are lots of people that would love something more realistic.

As for inspiration, here are some different types of hilt (even without detail these are distinctly different): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Medieval_sword_hilts

full european swords: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Replicas_of_european_medieval_swords

example:

Dont know if its mentioned yet – look at the Ebonhawke swords… also slim…

Ah the old Guild Wars-mentality of ‘I only want realistic stuff’. I like the fancy kitten. If I want simpe and realistic stuff, I have the reality that surrounds me about 95% of the time.

ProtoGunner.4953:

Ah the old Guild Wars-mentality of ‘I only want realistic stuff’. I like the fancy kitten. If I want simpe and realistic stuff, I have the reality that surrounds me about 95% of the time.

You like “fancy kitten”, well good for you! And I mean that.

Realistic doesn`t automaticly mean simple btw. It might seem that way to you.

We are asking for more realistic options. You are not the only one playing this game. Having realistic skins does not harm your experience in the game one bit, but it improves others.

If this game had no realistic options for swords I would not be playing it. That might seem incomprehencible to you, but it`s a big part of my immersion (same for armors).

The more options the better imo.

ProtoGunner.4953:

Ah the old Guild Wars-mentality of ‘I only want realistic stuff’. I like the fancy kitten. If I want simpe and realistic stuff, I have the reality that surrounds me about 95% of the time.

That’s not the point at all. What this argument really is about, is that some designs simply can’t work in any way shape or form as weapons. It’s like designing a car with square wheels.

Esthetics aside, there’s no reason why the art department can’t do some basic research about how an actual sword works. If you get the dimensions right, and understand how weapons work, you end up with much better looking designs. They don’t have to be completely realistic, but they have to function as weapons. That’s a pretty basic requirement.

For example, as was linked above:

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130407014405/forgottenrealms/images/b/b5/1345563589539.jpg

This is a pretty elaborate weapon. But it works as a sword. It has a cross guard that protects the hands, and a recasso that can catch the blade.

It’s perfectly possible to design beautiful elaborate but functional swords in a fantasy roleplaying game. But it helps if you actually understand medieval weaponry.

Vayne.8563:

I agree. Sometimes less is more.

Agree!

(I’m just speaking of the recent skin sets from the Black Lion tickets)
IMO, I find Longbows and Greatswords tend to be way too broad and Daggers made too long.

I don’t mind some flashy effects, such as the streak effect of a sword slash, or maybe a muted glow.

I definitely agree that many of the sword skins are poorly designed. The flashiest one I use is Bolt. The others that I use are the Fractal sword and Mistforged Hero’s sword. I’m working towards an Infinite Light, partly because I had a Runic blade in GW1 and that is one of my favourite skins of all time. The MFH sword is reminiscent of the big Middle Eastern scimitars or the ancient Chinese sabres, the designs of which I also love. In terms of non flashy skins, one of my favourites is the Ceremonial sword skin, which is much like a sabre and suits a Thief beautifully. The fractal sword is simply the most beautiful sword in the game. It has the perfect balance of flash versus elegance without being over board on either aspect.
Other swords that I do like are the Krytan, Light, Mystic/Inquest, Seraph and Whisperblade for the simple fact that they’re elegant designs with minimal fancery.

In terms of flashy greatsword skins I use Cobalt (the same as Ebonblade but with a blue fire effect) and that’s about it. Ebonblade and Cobalt skins are about as simple and elegant as a greatsword can be. I also use Naga Fang, although the hooked slashing edge is a little silly from a combat perspective as that would just catch on to armour and things. The Ebonhawke and Lionguard skins are also sensible looking. Others that fall into this category are Dawn/Khrysaor, Dhuumseal, and Ghastly

I’ve always hated using flashy effects to draw attention onto oneself. It’s a big “hey look how cool I am with this big flashy blade on my back!” sign. Hence, why I absolutely detest Eternity, Sunrise and Twilight. They serve absolutely no purpose except to be a nuisance in a big fight and block any of a boss’s tells. it’s hard enough to see with all the elementalist spells firing off I do not need my vision completely blocked by stupid swirls.

The contender for worst looking skin set is the Pearl set. To have that as the crafted exotic set is an insult to the eyes.

leng jai.2961:

Infinite Light, Bonetti’s Rapier and the Lovestruck sword to a certain extent are the only good looking swords in this game.

Those are beautiful swords beside Bolt. But what about Lord Taeres’s Shadow, Fiery Dragon Sword, and Jormag’s Breath?

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/6/69/Lord_Taeres%27s_Shadow.jpg

The weapon is a bit over sized, but I guess it could function as a sword. It doesn’t have anything to protect the hands though. You’d easily get your fingers chopped off if any opponent got into a melee with you.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/6/6b/Fiery_Dragon_Sword.jpg
The Fiery Dragon Sword, apart from being on fire, is highly impractical. It doesn’t even have an actual blade. And the cross guard is pointy, and pointed towards the hands of the wielder. The dimensions seem alright. But I wonder how this would actually function in a sword fight. I think any decently forged sword would instantly shatter the Fiery Dragon Sword with one hit.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/1/18/Jormags_breath_animated.gif
This sword seems to suggest there’s some sort of ethereal or magical blade in between the two twisted spikes… which makes me wonder why those spikes are even there. The pointy horns in the hilt are highly impractical though. Why do so many fantasy swords have pointy things aimed at the person wielding the sword?

ProtoGunner.4953:

Ah the old Guild Wars-mentality of ‘I only want realistic stuff’. I like the fancy kitten. If I want simpe and realistic stuff, I have the reality that surrounds me about 95% of the time.

“I only want realistic stuff” doesn’t prevent you from getting your fancy stuff, it’s just additional options for people who don’t share your taste.

Also I want to know what part of the world you live in where you’re surrounded by medieval armor and melee weapons 95% of the time. Do you work in a museum or something?

leng jai.2961:

Anet has amazing environmental artists but their designs for weapons and armour are really lacking. I’m picky and prefer minimalist looks but to me 80% of the weapons/armour in GW2 looks pretty terrible for my tastes.

This!

leng jai.2961:

Infinite Light, Bonetti’s Rapier and the Lovestruck sword to a certain extent are the only good looking swords in this game.

I would add the Fractal Sword to this, and also Honor of Humanity and Firebringer. And maybe the Ebon Vanguard sword. I myself use Infinite Light since, to me, this is by far the best-looking one. It was well worth the insane cost IMO. Now, if only the rather cool glowing runes would not glow when sheathed and it would appear just like a regular longsword when not drawn… This has already been done with Beacon of Light, why not with Infinite Light as well? Especially since the cost of the latter is mind-numbing…

Scratch.9402:

They should have a contest and get some weapon ideas from the player base. I know Rift did that and you could really see a lot of neat designs for things that way. And the top winners could win gems or something.

Maybe then they’d add some more elegant looking weapons to the game, so long as they actually pick them of course.

Would love to see a scimitar. Or an actual longsword. Not the blunt object you run around with throughout the whole game.

GW1 actually did this and the results were pretty amazing (mmm, Dryad bow…)

Pixelpumpkin.4608:

kolompi.1287:

All these surfboard greatswords

Haha, so true.

I can’t bring myself to play a greatsword-anything because of this. Almost all swords and daggers are also oversized. Ah well, back to my engi who doesn’t have that problem.

Ebon Vanguard greatsword is the perfect solution for you, it seems, if you like the design; the size is excellent.

ProtoGunner.4953:

Ah the old Guild Wars-mentality of ‘I only want realistic stuff’. I like the fancy kitten. If I want simpe and realistic stuff, I have the reality that surrounds me about 95% of the time.

Unfortunately, we don’t seem to live in a neighborhood where people carry their swordbelts in their everyday lives or sport halberds to go to the market…

Lifestealer.4910:

The ratio of fat, blunt and oversized weapons is way out of hand when compared to the slim and elegant weapons. Take sword for instance, the only elegant sword are infinite light and fractal sword, both of which are insanely hard to get. I know somebody will suggest low level weapons but those weapons have other issues like being too generic.

I’d like some simpler weapons skins, not multi-part, floaty, glowy, impractical weapons….

Why cant we get a more fuctional look?

+1

I’m tired of the cheap, fat weapon skins.
No longer can I look at the majority of the greatsword weapon skins in particular without thinking they’re anything but giant paddles – instead of swords as they should be.

+1 totally agree. How about BOWS? Can we have some realistic looking bows please? Nearly all the bows in this game are huge and unrealistic, weird if not plain silly, especially the ones released recently, so it’s basically getting worse and worse.
Hero’s longbow….
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/5/51/Hero%27s_Longbow.jpg
The phoenix one…
http://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/a/a9/Phoenix_Longbow_Skin.jpg

Are those limbs? Really? Look like metal blades to me. How do they bend?
I like how they designed good looking compound bows like rox’s bow. But seriously those bow look terrible. I really want some cool looking wooden bows. It’s quite obvious anet artists are not really into archery but the internet is full of awesome images they could get ideas from…
https://blackwidowbows.com/index.php?route=common/home

100% with OP, on this one. At this point me and my friend even have sort of inside joke about it, like: ok, everything seems to be normal, greatsword and sword are fugly, as usual, those huge, oversized korean e-pen extenders, nothing to see here, move along.

PS. Then, the lovestruck ones were actually decent skins, but yeah, the heart, it had to be there… Right.