Fantasy Weapons Scrutinized: Skyrim swords and axes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- FWS - episode 04
Playlist for the series: • Over-Thinking Fantasy ...
People have asked for it and here it is - my opinion on some of the Skyrim weapons, as seen from a perspective of realistic historical sword fighting.
This is of course just for entertainment, fortunately we don't have to fight battles to the death anymore in which we depend on the functionality of a well-made, sharp blade.
Weird and nonsensical weapon designs in video games and other fantasy settings bug me though, as one of my pet peeves.
And since a lot of people seem to like my rants on this topic, here we go: A few swords and axes from the Elder Scrolls V and what is wrong with them (also what the designers did right).
And don't forget: Winners don't use Deadric weapons!
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What do you expect, when the best blacksmiths in the province got their only experience from smithing iron daggers and jewelry?
AscensionMC don’t forget leather arm guards unless it’s deadric it’s said that deardric doesn’t follow the rules of reality
Like number 666
Daedric weapons and armor Are supposed to have reality bending properties. Like, their balance is always perfect regardless of their shape, they cannot dull or break, and apparently they have a degree of sentience that influences the wielder
@@aeringothyk5445 also feel bad for the bound sword spell since your forcing a daedra to take a sword form and be your weapon, your swinging some poor bloke around lol
Gold rings.....that’s it....tiny circle gold rings
Gotta love how the Orcs, supposedly the best smiths in Tamriel, make the most batshit impractical sword.
Was just about to say that!
They're supposedly the best warriors and smiths... well, hopefully the warrior part still sticks.
evilkiller108 no redguards are the best natural warriors in tamriel even says so in character creation in oblivion
Thomas The Tankengine No one is a natural warrior, so I call bullshit on that. Orcs live in a society that requires them to be a warrior. Can't quite say the same for redguards, though.
CODmonkeyGames So Redguards *aren't natural warriors* at all?
Elder Scrolls: orcs are the best blacksmiths in Tamriel
Orcs: Lets do a bulky metal clubsword thingy
i just wander what tipes of things the otherones would make
@@marmolejomartinezjoseemili9043 if i know my lore correctly,
Redguards have mostly scimitars and other curvy swords. This is because most of their customs and martial arts revolve around the art of the blade. While they surely have other weapons, such as axes and bows, it is the swords that they are the most passionate about. Redguard swordsmiths and Sword-singers are one of the most respected people in their society.
Imperials have the most generic ones out of all. They use gladiuses, both one and two-handed, spears, axes and maces, as well as warhammers and recurve bows. For shields they either use a roman variation made of metal, or a smaller diamond shaped shield made of wood and steel.
Nords, well, they use axes. A lot. Viking swords and ancient nordic swords with jagged designs were also used. Ranged weapons are usually just casual longbows, and crossbows are unheard of.
The blades of the weapons are often ornamented with embossings, and much leather is used for the shafts of axes and warhammers. Shields are made of wood and leather.
Bretons use lots of metal in their armor, which are usually quite similar to what an european knight would have used.
The weapons were usually long-or greatswords with long crossguards, and the blade getting sharper towards the tip. Axes had a broad blade with a smaller hook, and a second, smaller and pointier blade on the other side.
Shortswords with a more rounder transformation from blade to the tip were also extremely common.
Flails and spears were seen here and there, but not nearly as much as the weapons listed above.
Their bows were recurve bows and longbows, with metal handles on the middle.
Shields were usually kite-and heater shields made with wood, leather and cloth.
The weaponry of the Khajiit is not accurately nor canonically known, safe to say they still used blades quite much, long and short, along with bows.
They however had martial arts that relied on their claws.
The argonians were quite tribal, using spears, axes, swords and bludgeons made of wood, bones, leather, and stone, and very rarely metal brought from abroad. Their armor were made up of hide shields with ropes for decour, and hide armor with fangs.
The Bosmer would use one-bladed slightly curved swords and daggers, bows made exclusively from bone (they can't use wood because of the Green Pact), and armour either made with metal or hide, usually stained green for camofluge, and decorated with antlers. Not much else is known.
The High Elves have weapons most likely made of metal, glass (malachite), moonstone and magic, i believe. Their armour was large and flamboyant, and highly decorated, being made of the same metals as described above, along with colorful cloth.
The dunmer use weapons made of chitin, dead bug parts, bone, wood and metal. They would usually be quite jagged and sometimes crude, but they were quite ok as weapons.
Their armour used the same materials, with cloth decour. It would usually cover the wearer's body completely.
Also one of their gods made a spear out of Molag Bal's genitals, so there is that.
That was all i know.
@@immortalsnail-xd7zv ohh so the other blacksmith seem better
@@marmolejomartinezjoseemili9043 yep!
@@immortalsnail-xd7zv nice comment
That feeling when everyone in Tamriel has a smithing skill of 15 but somehow earned the perks that allow them to work with powerful materials.
They tend to cap out at Ebony Smithing, and don't bother with upgrading. I don't think anyone has Arcane Blacksmith either, though they do have access to enchanting.
The ancient sword might be the only justifiable "Skinny grip syndrome" case. It's so old the leather wrap might have fallen off or rotted over time.
check mate- when you go back in time to learn the shout to ground dragons I'm pretty sure that one of the 3 people have an old nord sword with the exact same grip.
Halodevils they are the same weapons, they just have ancient nord weapons for the sake of convenience, why create a completely new design for a sword you'll only ever see a couple times?
In game they have the exact same items as you will get from the present. Which is kinda lame game design since they are key characters and most key characters already have special designs or special, one of a kind costumes or weapons. Like Nocturnal, who appears only a few seconds on screen. A Shiv from Cihdna Mine that is practically worthless, even if you go straight for that quest after Helgen, upgrading it doesnt make it better and they could have put in any dagger that would give the same results, but they still made a new item for it.
So them giving the 3 heroes of old the ancient weapons even though they shouldnt be ancient at the time was just lazy design.
Also, comfort isn’t an issue; it’s being wielded by a frozen walking corpse.
@@halodevils3444 you could actually forge a nord hero sword at the skyforge, without even going to the past, but whatever
*I keep trying to sneak but my sword is dummy THICC and its clapping keeps alerting the bandits*
why the fuck did this make me laugh so damn hard
Scar Magic Bro! Use Magic
Maybe in 2019 it's time to give up the rim.
@@dgerdi or just craft your self one or two daedric daggers or just give up on stelf and run in with Jain lightning spell
I actually never notice the grips being so much thinner than they should be, while playing it looked right and I’m not sure why I never noticed it until you pointed it out. Honestly I probably gotta give props to Skyrim for being so good at suspending my disbelief and immersing me in the game that I just outright didn’t notice an obvious issue with their swords
I think that's partly because of the current limitations of the medium. Normally, the flesh of our hands adjusts when we grip something, but the models in Skyrim don't have that detail included, so the grips need to be thinner so that the models can look like they're gripping properly without clipping.
@@darthralin At the same time, the blade needs to be large enough to easily select and for the weapon to be at least somewhat findable if dropped, even on weak computers and in poorly lit areas.
Basically, there are practical, real world considerations that contribute to why the weapons themselves would be basically useless in reality, but make them more useful in the context of a video game and the limitations of such a medium.
It is not an issue. Yes, Skyrim swords cant cut, they cant be used in combat or as a weapon. They are part of a video game and their sole ultimate purpose is to look epic, heroic and cool. Like literaly, thats the only thing they are created for. The sole idea of an actual weapon is to kill and all of it is bound to this single purpose. Skyrim swords use the same phylosophy, their sole purpose are to be good looking on the screen and pleasant to look at. So they are similarly good at their main purpose.
@@Sioolol eh, past games had better weapons that werent just paddles. Compare glass equipment in skyrim vs morrowind for instance
I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took a sword pommel to the knee. It ended my adventuring days rightly.
No for honor here.
Fun fact: arrow to the knee is islandic slang for getting married
Was the throw vigorous?
the big cheese, DAUBENY!
so your days of adventuring ended rightly.
"So you have to slide your hands up and down this torture device," -Skallagrim, 2014
Hot
xD my god...
Jeez
Sounds like my ex complaining smh
The problem with orcish weapons is that they look TOO primitive. Orcs are told to be the finest of mortal blacksmiths, after all. That's pretty much their lifestyle - forge weapons of war to wage war. After being so highly regarded for so many years in TES series, they suddenly became primitives? Orcish armor in Morrowind is more intricate than most of uniques in Skyrim.
LotR movie influence, especially in the armor.
Orcs should not be like in lotr since orsimer are just "orc-elves"
Orcs are corrupted elves in LotR. Same concept.
wrong the armor in this looks like hunnic Armor the only problem is the weapons which look like Aztec machetes
Adam B in LOTR the orcs are a war race created by Saurons master (whose name I can't remember). They are not corrupted elves like in TES, they are a wholly primitive all male species that were made to serve as cannon fodder. They have no culture of their own and are capable of only self preserving emotions like anger and fear. The truth is that the Orcs (which Tolkien created as a fantasy concept) were simply an extremely prejudiced allegory for the Turks, whom he fought against during WW1. The orcs in TES are very different, they are the "Cursed Folk", the "Children of Malacath". Although TES lore is often muddled and contradictory, due to the fact that the lore is often presented to us through the lens of scholars within the universe, we can ascertain that the Orcs were most likely born from a group of Dwemer led by King Dumalacath the Dwarf-Orc, who participated in the battle of the Red Mountain. Based on the sparsely detailed legendary accounts we can assume that the physical deviances in the orcish race as well as Malacaths ascension to Deadric Prince status were a direct or indirect result of the Lorkhans Heart incident that caused the disappearance of the Dwemer and the Red Year.
I've recent'y thought of a theory behind the ridiculous design of the Daedric weapons.
The Daedra really don't have any concern for human life, and they use mortals for entertainment. These Daedric weapons could be JUST that. Ya know, kind of a _"Haha, watch this. I'm going to give the mortals this weapon design. Kick back and watch the chaos ensue..."_ lol
That would make sense in Oblivion too considering daedric weapons look a bit rusty so maybe because of their immortality they prefer to make more brutal weapons that take longer to kill so losing a fight isn't a big concern
+MikePlaysIt Yeah , but sadly , it doesn't justify the other designs.Especially the orcish sword , these guys are suppose to be amongst the best blacksmith in tamriel !
Oh yeah a lot of the weapons in Skyrim were designed to look cool to the average gamer, not to be realistic. Definitely prefer realistic weapons
I wonder if future elder scrolls game should make a difference between Demora armour which is actually armour made by daedra and Daedric Armour which is armour made by mortals in the style of the Demora. Demora armour which was made by Daedra for Daedra it will a small amount of damage to the player when they try to make any power strike or even sprint in the armour. Daedric armour on the other hand being made by mortals was designed to be intended for use by mortals so they are slightly differently made so it would be much more practical to use and will not cause damage to the player. I think daedric weapons should have a severe bleed effect when they ever strike an enemy opponent.
i look at it as like "lets make these weapons not kill them but wound them"
I think most of Skyrims blades are to just fit the aesthetic of "BIG BULKY VIKING MAN"
why did i hear "big bulky viking man" in a orcy voice? lol
@Mitchell Hart Please, my dick is not gay, my dick prefers women. Don't be a dick, I mean a gay, I mean... y'know.
@Mitchell Hart Hey I just saw your post about your shit genetics.
@Mitchell Hart You can fix it with mods, that's the main reason why people still play Skyrim even after 8 years it's been out, mods make the game a hell of a lot better, mods nowadays can even make the game look next gen., You can also install the Unofficial Skyrim Patch mod the fixes almost every single bug in the game, if you don't like the in game quests, just install some quest mods that you find interesting, there are tons of them out there, but of course if you need to have a strong computer to do this or your game is gonna crash every few hours
If the blades were meant to be big, then why are the handles so skinny? For example, if you want a sword with a wide blade, you might as well make the handle fatter.
Skyrim swords have nothing on Skyrim bows when it comes to ludicrous design... I had to install the real bows mod, i could not bear shooting with a piece of catholic church altar ornament
Marc Züst it's funny how the lower level bows actually look better than higher level.
Though the Dragonbone Bow is one of my favorites
Lord Cornelius what about elven bows?
Best bow is the crossbow from the vampire dlc
wat
lol
The orcish stuff does annoy me, like they're supposed to prize their blacksmithing, but their armor is primitive and weak? Like wtf, they should've been crafting stuff near Ebony's levels
Yeah, I was very disappointed as well. I kind of like the orc armor in skyrim, but it doesn‘t hold a candle to the one in Morrowind. That one looks BOSS.
Which is why you almost never see an orc wearing orcish armor in game
Orcish Weapons: Weak and can be used early in the game
Orcish Armor: Actually damn good
I wondered why I liked the Silver Sword in Skyrim more than the much better weapons.
Now I know: It's one of the only realistic looking swords.
+Subject Assuming it's made of steel and like coated in silver, because silver is denser than steel and much, much softer. Like, softer than aluminum soft.
Same.
I tend to appreciate more simplistic armor and weapons because it just looks more practical and usable. Like Daedric, Dragon and Glass armors look cool, but I just can't imagine someone wearing those things. I know it's a magical world and all and there's enchantment, but it's just not my thing.
Subject shit, I thought it was the only one! I also love the dawnguard set, the heavy one
it also the only Breton style weapon in the game not to mention that sadly it's not improveable 😭
Subject the only Thing i dont like about the Silver swords is that they are so ludicrously thick and broad
Most unrealistic thing: cannot throw pommel.
9:15.
"Completely pointless, even though it's pointy"
Good Point.
By the way, *****, about the Daedric Axe.
You said that in the back part of the Blade, the Spikes will be much useful if it's only 1 and in 1 direction.
But I remembered there's a design of a Lucerne Warhammer that has Spikes coming out of one of it's head.
So how does became okay when you said that the spikes in Daedric Axe is ineffective?
JSPumpkinKing Because the spikes on the Daedric axe are angled outwards, reducing the force of the blow.
emilkon
Hardly, the only part of the spike that matters which direction its pointing is the initial point so long as thats strait on enough to start the penetration the curved nature will actually increase the amount of damage dealt. It targets a wider area. A larger area of effect means more damage dealt. For something to be lethal you only need to penetrate about two inches or about five centimeters in. After that any additional penetration just adds to the lethality.
On a completely unrelated note I do wish to say while this is obviously intended as looking at them and making the weapons more viable for use by a real person they are in fact being used by fantasy races of men and elves who are quiet clearly much stronger than than the average person in real life. In skyrim for example you can life and move a tree log with one arm at a time. We also have to consider the density of the metals they're using may be much less than what we think, even in the steel weapons case. They don't make steel by adding carbon to iron, they make it by adding another metal. Its an alloy rather than just iron with carbon mixed in. The other metal in the mix may every well be a light material and make steel much lighter then steel we know and use today. Thats the problem with scrutinizing fantasy weapons in settings where the materials are fake and created differently. The game inst exactly very telling to us in how heavy equal amounts of material are, one ingot of ebony weighs the same as one ingot of iron or moonstone. yet ebony armor is far heavier than elven armor or iron armor, so either the ebony armor has much more material used in it or is much much more dense than iron or moonstone.
***** Skyrim breaks logic. 1 pound of fur makes 2 pounds of leather.
emilkon
I always found that hilarious. Or that one unit of iron ore gives you a one unit bar of iron.
I mean the dwarves could ignore the laws of physics. (Im not kidding)
They ignored physics in terms of their metal being resistant to all corrosion.
They still obey the laws of momentum.
Everything ignores the laws of physics in Skyrim.
horses too
@@TheAbsol7448 I mean yes, even flying mamoths which rain from the sky. Or raining cows sometimes. Thinking of the farm where you encounter Cicero, everytime one of the cows falls from the sky. Marvelous physics. Free food.
DWEMER NOT DWARVES RÈEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
In defense of the Ancient Nord Sword, its kinda expected to have a god awful grip because the wood and leather would be partially rotted off or gone, leaving uneven steel to grab onto.
You have angered todd howard with this and he’s coming to sell you skyrim
Yep it's 2020 now and they're still trying to sell us skyrim
It's 2099 todd howard has killed AI by using skyrim
After reading the comments, most of you are missing the point of this video.
He's not attacking Skyrim for being "unrealistic", as a fantasy game generally is, he's instead, pointing out the details in weapons that don't make logical sense in our world.
I gathered that this was going to be the point of the video by the title, and anyone who expected otherwise is just silly. :p
I'm fascinated by this video, even though I prefer more aesthetically pleasing weapons over what would make sense.
Ashiev Velor Yep, you got it. :)
***** Hey
Could you do one on your opinions on warcraft wepons?
Like frostmourn, ashbringer, the doomhammer or quel'delar.
What works in real and what might be your death?
Ashiev Velor Yes, though, I would say the Skyrim combat system is watered-down D&D nonsense. Not only is injury just hitpoint-whittling, but it expects players to eat 12-course meals during combat to instantly heal, and to die and savescum but keep playing as if they won, and to be able to change suits of armor instantly, and so on - pretty so unrealistic it's pointless nonsense. :-)
I also like to add as well that people were REQUESTING that Skallagrim make a video about Skyrim's weapons and if they are practical. The people instantly disliking the video or commenting that, "Well it's a fantasy game so don't ridicule how realistic the weapons are or aren't," are like people who want their friends to do a roast for them, but instantly get butt hurt because they can't handle fun criticism or jokes. Damn video game snowflakes.
I'm a game modeler and most of the things criticized about the swords are things to make them more practical for video games. The blades are exaggerated more to read better due to the low amount of geometry being used to make the actual in game models. The type of Silhouettes use are so that if your playing a game on an old 19 inch tv or small screen you can tell things apart with out things becoming muddy like old ps 1 games. That is why the swords seem bigger, thicker and wider then they should be. Its a technique that be for a long time in game creation. If the swords were accurate they would only be a few pixels thick which would cause flickering popping and jagged edges.The swords are also exaggerated because you want the player to pick up on the design cues and know what is going on and what to do with it. If you were to make silhouettes of each of those blades and put them next to each other, even a causal player would at least know that their purpose was or type of weapon it was and maybe even if it was good or evil. I don't want anyone to get upset about what is said or what the author side in his video either i just wanted to bring about a point of view that is still in a sense a practical use of the use of these weapons.
maurice baxter
I'm pretty sure the polygon count in Mount & Blade is lower, yet the properly sized and proportioned swords in that game work out just fine.
And so does the BSW mod.
But those are for PC. Games for TVs (consoles) which skyrim was made to be for has to work with the player being farther away from the screen. PC games can be o higher fidelity due to the player only being inches from the screen.
maurice baxter
Bushido Blade had properly shaped weapons too (with a few exceptions). And that was on the PS1.
those blades become a single lines of pixels when swung or standing that is why they have motion trails btw one of my faves of all time
maurice baxter what about mount & blade?
I think the handle size may have been in part to prevent hands clipping through. A lot of the time characters have leather gloves too. Interesting to actually think of how handles impact weapons for sure.
I mean sure, but they could at least make the blades narrower to mitigate the visual discrepancy between them and the handles.
The ironic thing is that Orcs are the most skilled race on blacksmithing...
And they do that
maybe only the metal part
11:12
I think the "thorns" on the Elven Axe are probably just an issue with pixelation. I'm not sure the artistic intent was to have thorns, but to make it look like the handle was made of thin, individual cylinder patterns that stack upon each other, and so the final graphic kinda has extra pixels standing out that look like spikes.
However if they were intended, that is indeed an idiotic design.
+The Reasonable Extremist I think the blade of that weapon looks quite fragile.
The Reasonable Extremist no those are longer scales
I wonder if they are supposed to be feathers, just based on the pommel design.
I was thinking fur, tbh. Could be fur, feathers, scales, pretty much anything. Hard to tell. Probably not actually thorns or needles like Skall thought though.
The Dragonbone Greatsword is the most practical sword in Skyrim...
...which belongs to the Nords.
You have my support.
What a nice propaganda Ulfric, but no...
Except it's very heavy...
Who were in turn slaved by dragons...
I am the savior of Skyrim. I am stormbreaker. Agent of Nocturnal. Haarbenger of the companions. Leader of The Darkbrother. Slayer of lord Harkon. I am the DRAGONBORN!
I was reluctant to watch just because of the title, I was attempting to judge the video before even seeing it based on other peoples videos that have similar themes, but I will say (like anyone cares what I say lol) it was refreshing to see this type of "scrutinizing" video. A lot of times you see youtubers make videos like this to simply bash things without any real knowledge on the subjects. Skallagrim really isn't going out of his way to bash anything. He was asked to make this video and did by request and he is using real life weapon functionality as the foundation for his argument. He's not saying don't play skyrim, he's saying its unrealistic. He's also not saying that you shouldn't enjoy fantasy games or the weapons of fantasy games he is simply saying that this is why they wouldn't work in real life and to not get fooled into thinking that they are good realistic designs. These sort of videos inspire modders to make new weapons which give people who play the game and want their fantasy game experience to feel as close to real life as possible to be able to do so. And, he went out of his way to give credit to a person who created a mod that "corrected" some of the things he is talking about. He's giving some facts. He's give some opinion. And he's giving his dedicated viewers what they asked for in an all around positive manner. Well done man.
It occurred to me that the Daedric weapons and equipment might be intentionally shitty designs, most (if not all) of the daedra and daedric princes aren't exactly good-aligned or give a shit about mortals. Many find mortals as pure amusement or servants to further their goals. It makes sense in a way that they would give mortals weapons that are just as dangerous to their wielder as their combatant for the daedra's amusement, watching both parties get bloodied by the same axe.
I mean, when crafting them yourself you essentially supernaturally warp an ebony sword by quenching it in demon blood.
Khorne cares not from where the blood flows, only that it does
Yeah they are perfectly fine designs for masochistic degenerates with incesty proportions. And when a human wields that shit? Oh boy grab a popcorn. Argonians should get a significant lizard skin boost for those swords.
I think the daedric weapons are more for torture and just inflicting pain rather than efficient killing, seeing as most mortals wouldn't be able to inflict wounds upon daedra, so taking their sweet time to savor the slow killing is usually a viable option for them.
so yeah, they're pretty aesthetic in purpose, but fitting for the daedra to look intimidating but not much else.
Shred Hexstring lol no, they're just stupid
Done No he is right the dremora use daedric weapons to torture people in the dead lands and daedra use magic usually
So wouldn't that technically mean that daedra are at a disadvantage in every fight? That's kind of funny actually, and pretty much sums up my experience with dremoras.
TPockett Daedra don't lose technically. Who needs to have practical swords to win when you could just torture your opponent IF they end up in any planes of the Daedra.
Really didn't even mention the mace of molag bal. You know that thing that looks like a bunch of random spikes and sculptures thrown at a chunk of metal.
Bob_Bobington When you first see it in the House of Horrors quest, it's not even recognizable as a weapon. It looks like part of the altar.
Let's just agree that deadric artifacts can't really be classified as anything with standards. Because they can just will it into existence they probably don't care what it looks like or if most mortals can even wield them.
in defense of the mace, Molag Bal is the daedric prince of domination, so the mace might not be entirely meant to be lethal, just painful to be beat with
i feel like to swing it, you gotta be the Rock or Bautista
Daedric weapons are made to be used by sort of god, so it's ok I guess
We all know it's a game. We all know it isn't supposed to be 100% realistic. This is a video, that you did not have to watch, just pointing out how the weapons are inaccurate, and for some, how they are accurate.
Video game or not. He is right. He's not saying the game is bad because of these things. He's just pointing out how details are inaccurate.
Calm down. All you getting mad and/or insulting the guy are completely ridiculous, and need to grow up.
STEIN667
Exactly. And it's amazing how many people apparently didn't manage to read and understand the disclaimer.
*****
>read
>understand
you, sir, seem to be overestimating most of the internet.
realevilcorgi No, he seems to be overestimating people. xD
he is trying to point out an invalid point. in a fantasy game
kevin g with stupid weapons. If a fantasy movie or a less popular franchise came out with weapons this absurd, the entire internet would laugh it out of sight, but Skyrim is *popular* so it gets to sit at the immune-to-criticism table with The Last of Us and the Bioshock series.
I think the Daedric weapons actually have a decent lite explanation as to why they are like that: daedra can only create distortions of things mortals create, and therefore it would make sense for the Daedric weaponsnto be impractical and pretty much unusable for mortals. It doesn't excuse other impractical designs in Skyrim but it proves a possible lore explanation for Daedric weapons.
interesting point, but I think daedric weapons are made from ebony which is then infused with the 'essence' of daedra. not sure how it works
I think we all know what the pommel on the Daedric Axe is for...
enlighten me
NOBODY TELL HIM!
Ben Thomason unscew it.. and then... *Find out in the next episode*
Scratching your back tbh
Sodomy
And one more problem with the Orcish stuff. Orsimer are supposed to be the best blacksmiths on Tamriel, then they make shit like that.
You have to consider that Orichalcum in the TES lore is the hardest ore to forge, only Orsimer can do that
Even still, if Ebony can be made to such fine detail, so can Orcish. In fact, it's the roughest, crappiest looking weapon/armour type in Skyrim. I mean cmon.
Even if it's difficult to forge the metal, they could still cast a more comfortable handle out of a more easily worked metal to encase the awful Orichalcum one.
TheEponet oh well, yes, that would make sense
+Sentinel ' why? Redguards in Yokuda had swords from orichalcum
As a game developer who has made many sword models, I can honestly say that we make paddle swords because we're into that shit.
Alex Darksider Alright, that's pretty straightforward. :)
*****
At one point you (or maybe the guy who made that mod you semi-showcased?) said that paddle swords are aesthetically unappealing but I challenge that assertion too. I think a lot of them look better than the "fixed" versions. On the other hand there's definitely stuff you're not wrong about and it's cool to have that kind of attention to detail in games. Even if it only gives people like you something to be happy about.
Alex Darksider As a player. I really hate paddles.
Paddle swords are extremely ugly to me. Not "ugly" or "really ugly", but terribly, extremely, utterly, crappy, shit-like ugly. And I'm just a gamer.
I prefer my skinny and nimble rapiers though. we don't see enough of those in games.
Love how half the comments completely ignore the disclaimer which is the first thing in the video.
He knows it's a game, he knows it's fantasy. You are missing the ENTIRE point of the video.
This needs more upvotes.
Done
IMHO in these days people just love to criticize everything and videos like these are pointless. Ofc most of there weapons would be useless in real life but this is fantasy...FANTASY. We know he know´s that but the point is...we know that too.
@@fekorak Beeing Fantasy doesn't change the fact that these Weapons would be useless in an actual fight... The onky reason the deadric axe can kill anything is because muscles, bones, steel and leather don't actually exist on a video game enemy
True they would be useless, obviously. Because is fucking videogame.
i have a big problem with the orc weapons in skyrim. orcs, who are renowned smiths in tamriel, can't forge a decent looking weapon? if anything, their armor and weapons should be some of the best and cleanest equipment in the game.
Thomas Jenkins Orcs are the most primitive and savage race in Skyrim and most of Nirn. It's quite fitting that their weapons and armor look that way.
Thomas Jenkins
Yeah and their weapons are absolutely shit it's worse than dwarven.
Riften orcs are, lore wise, some of the best smiths in Tamriel.
I think their armor looks kind of cool in skyrim. Still not as good as the one in morrowind, mind you. And the weapons look pretty bad. They could have maybe distinguished low-level and high-level orcish stuff? So high-level orcish weapons actually look and act the part?
Does the word "realism" or "immersion" mean anything to you fanboys? Or do you just hear what you want to hear? This is a video from a realistic point of view. Did you expect to hear him say things like "that spike is going to stab you, but it looks cool so I think it's fine" or "the handle will most likely break, but it looks awesome, so I'll allow it" No, fantasy or not, if the weapons were real, it would be a piece of shit.
Hasty
Yep, you got it. :)
i agree with you on the handles and everything but the historical part is kinda irelivent cuz nothing in that game is historical
Gas Pankratus I'm pretty sure it takes quite a bit of inspiration from medieval era arms, armor and lore.
only the steal,leather and iron armor and weapon types are somewhat close to real armor but as it is mentioned in the video it is not very close to historical and those are the weakest types in the game , and the story is 100% made up
Gas Pankratus I used to have faith in humanity and The Elder Scrolls community, but then I read this comment...
Well, time for Dark Souls.
8:40 that spiky pommel is to end your overused meme rightly
yes please kill meme please
Sword on 6:11 is for opening Beers, we all know this @Skallagrim
That's so true. Fantasy game weapons can be unreal but they should at least be a bit logical in their practicality. After all, the game includes a cultural and aesthetic association with our real life human history. I think that's why I tend to use more logical and beautifully designed swords in the game... like Dawnbreaker :)
THESPATHARIOS aah the Dawnbreaker is so beautiful! To be honest, I was very disappointed with the designs of the weapons for practical and aesthetic reasons, even the armor, I didn't like. That's why I always played a mage :p but every time I choose to play a warrior I always go for Dawnbreaker
Lady Stoneheart Dawnberaker or a highly upgraded Skyforge Steel sword for me and heavily upgraded leather armor coupled with a light Imperial shield (again upgraded). I figure the Dragonborn isn't going to want to lug a lot of heavy shit if it can be avoided and fancy materials draw unneeded attention (not that it matters, but I headcannon a Dragonborn who doesn't run around showing off at all opportunity).
RaderizDorret Also: True Nords don't use Daedric weapons. :)
AlexTriceratops123
I mostly play as an Imperial or Dunmer, actually.
Skyrim belongs to the Nords.
FYI, dragon bones are fucking heavy... just ask anyone who have looted more the 5 bones...
i dot use them
Daedra weaponry ftw.
So true
You mean those fucking lead ingots?
iron ingots arnt that heavy he is talking about dragon bones you know the bones of a dragon sword+dragon=skyrim
4:00 in fact Elder Scrolls Orcs are supposed to be excellent blacksmiths
That is in reference to the materials they use for smithing. Not the design of the weapon itself.
wrong, orc quality blades have always been amazing aesthetically. only until the shift to the new skyrim weapons did they start to look like steaming piles of shit.
I believe the Orcish armour in Skyrim is still Asiatic in style. It's just the weapons that aren't for some reason.
@@KindredBrujah well because The Blade(Dragon Hunter) armory and weaponry is Asiaticm so the orc has to downgraded to more like- idiot troll alike that just found out how to smith a day before
My two complaints about the elder scrolls weapons.
1. The two handed axes does not have any longer shafts but instead a secondary huge axehead. Resulting in a weapon that would break your wrists, and it even looks really impractical when swung in the games.
2. The great lack of spears and polearms. What would be wrong with halberds, billhooks and broadspears? Or proper javelins? Can I please fight with a counterweighted spear and a heavy shield please? So many missed opportunities here.
angelowl89 Flails. Don't forget flails
Make a mod pls.
angelowl89 The animators thought it would be too much work.
Only the Steel and Unique Battleaxes have the second axehead, most have a spike.
angelowl89 they were actually going to add spears... but they scrapped it. Now im butthurt...
'So when you're in a battle to the death, don't be stupid - Winners don't use Daedra weapons.'
You sir, have won the internet. Catch-phrase of the month, and the month of love, to boot!
winners use dragon bone weapons
IA Gamer but Deadric looks more Demonic. And Deadric Armor is better then Dragonbone. And the Deadra did a lot of damage and dealt a lot of death in the 2nd and 3rd Eras with there weapons and armor. And in the lore mortal weapons have issues cutting thu Deadric plated armor and Deadric weapons cut there armor like butter. I mean Molag Bal and Dagons invasions killed a lot of people. Even thou in Oblivion your in Cyrodil all of the provinces were invaded like a good example is in the ESO Molag Bal's gates were EVERYWHERE! Akatosh finally got fed up and helped us pitiful mortals like he did with the Slave Rebellion against the Ayleids.
attack and defense wise your completely correct Daedric armor and weapons rule out of all of them. but when it comes to using a weapon to choose when in a actual fight your best bet is to use the Dragon-bone weapons. in terms of going from Dragon bone to iron skipping over Daedra weaponry and armor because of its looks and lack of actual functionality in live combat. if you were to run around in full actual Daedric armor you'd be constantly caught up with all the spikes interlocking in the armor your arms and legs would get caught with the exact same reasons, forget trying to swing a sword with that armor. while the lore may prove the Daedra rule over all, thats elder scrolls lore. bring it into the real world Daedric armor and weaponry would be impractical, the armor even more so and the best bet for live, real combat is dragon-bone weaponry and dragon-bone/ dragon plate armor
Daedric armor and weapons are really good..if you have high enchant you can feather constant effect on all of the armor and you can conjure a weightlest daedric weapon.
game master well.. lore wise they might be good. their design is still very bad. thats the whole point. ebony or dragon bone is way better design wise (and.. well.. you can always enchant the other stuff as well..)
One of the things that really bother me in Skyrim is when you get a nice sword but it has no sheath and it just magically sticks to your hip when its sheathed..
Actually if you go to third person there's actually a matching sheath for the Ebony sword. Idk about the other ones
There is a sheath for imperial sword as well.Also imperial sword has the same amount of damage with steel swords,but 1.07 times faster than steel swords.Yes,5678 hours of skyrim experience did that.
The Character has that Ring thingy on the hip that he sticks the sword through.
About the Orc swords. In the lore and previous games, orc weapons and armour were extremely high quality and prized possessions, they also looked beautiful(Granted, that's subjective, but they were obviously made by a skilled craftsman). They were very nice, detailed items.
In Skyrim Bethesda decided to to make the Orcs generic barbarians again for some reason and made their craftsmanship into... that.
Bethesda sucks
9:16
"So, it's completely pointless, even though it's pointy."
HA GOOD ONE
Luuuuke
This guy should totally review the Warhammer 40k weapons
+Black Wolf Warhammer 40k is a sci-fi setting. There's a lot to review there.
skallgrim reviewing a chainsword would be cool
the thing is with the oversize war hammer weapons is that super humans use them and daemons use them etc. that is the only problem the power swords used by the imperial guards are just normal swords that are a bit paddleish
I reckon warhammer is 50/50. I've seen weapon designs that aren't bad or even actually realistic. However take a look at dark eldar , chaos or ork and that's a whole different story..
Would love to see a review of chainswords though. That'd be a good watch.
probably terribly as they are too thicc to cut through things and chainsaws are shit at cutting anything with hair or fabric on them
Just one comment. The stuff on Daedric weapons that could hurt the wielder are exactly what they are meant to do. The daedric smithing goes against life itslf. When a daedra uses it, if he hurts himself with those spikes it enrages him increasing his strength and speed. A mortal has to take the risk.
Since when did Daedras go on tumblr?
***** Want a lore source? Fine.
Daedric smithing works in this way: A blacksmith forges a weapon or armor out of Ebony, a rare metal of increnably light weight and extreme resistance. Once the piece is forged the trick is to "cool" it instead of just water, to put in the water a Daedra heart (or more, depending on what you wanna forge). Once the metal is touched by the foul blood of the daedra, it infuses it with essence of the planes of Oblivion (magic). The Ebony reacts to it, contorts and twists, mishaping the blade or armor giving it that wicked look and the spikes. That's how "Daedric" steel is made. One way to counter measure that side effect on infusing it with the Daedra Heart is to be a very powerful daedric prince who can channel the energies to make the weapon take the form of whatever he likes, i.e. the Ebony Blade of the daedric prince Mephala, wich is actually a daedric weapon, or the Ebony Armor, wich is an armor made by Boethiah (in fact, another daedric armor).
Now why does the daedra really don't mind hurting themselves with the weapons? Very simple, and for that example I'll use the daedras from the realm of Mehunes Dagon, whose prominent weapon is fire. As you might suspect, daedric artifacts due to it's magical nature can retain enchantments better than any other material, and the blood of a daedra is infused with the element that reigns over his original realm of Oblivion. When a daedra wielding, let's say, a fire enchanted battle axe hurts himself with the weapon, his own blood will eventually drip to the blade. Those insu drops of is fiery blood increase the efficiency of the fire enchantment. For daedras from Coldarra, frost infused weapon and his freezing blood, and so on.
So basically you can't simply forge a perfect straight simetrical daedric weapon or armor, the side effect of the infusion is that distortion, and since humans shouldn't wield it, those spikes don't make the weapon not viable. Makes it not viable for humans.
If you think this is all fan fic, do your homework boy.
Forgot to mention the sources: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (in-game books and official guide), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (in-game books, specially one called "Lost Smith" that details daedric crafting, and also the official guide of the legendary edition, as well as the official wiki of the series).
***** And then you have the wabbajack...
***** The elements I've used as reference for the origin of the daedras refer to the consistance of the Oblivion plane in wich they are found. True, Mehunes Dagon represents all those things you said. And how is his realm of Oblivion? What it is composed of? Well, "Rivers of fire and magma, desolate and barren wastelands of weaving firestorms and towering twisted metal towers". For Coldarra, realm of Oblivion of Molag bal, Daedric Prince of Submition, father of vampires, his realm is a mimic of Nirn but completly desolate with Freezing wind and rivers of fire. Daedras from these realms exhibit magical prowess accordinly to his realm.
And once again, the weapons of Oblivion and Morrowing are twisted, as you can clearly see. Ebony is indeed heavy, it makes heavy armor and heavy weaponry, ofc. But it is a light material when compared to, i.e., Orichalcum. Look the weight of an unmoded Skyrim of the weapon classes from Orcish and Daedric, and then from Ebony to Daedric and you'll see what I'm talking about.
About the forging of daedric artifacts, the book "The Legendary Scourge" details it's creation and effect. Since it is only shown in Oblivion, his design differs a lot from the Daedric Mace, making it look much more likely an elven weapon. Again, the mace was made by Malacarth, it is one example of daedric smithing being "untamed".
You'll see plenty of lore regarding the daedra not on Morrowind, not on Oblivion, not even in Skyrim, you'll see it more often in side lore material regarding the Central Province Elves, who worshiped the Daedra and enslaved the humans until Akatosh helped the humans to found the first Human Empire, lighting the dragonfires to keep the realms of Oblivion sealed away from Nirn.
Also, the most respectable source, the game developers and concept designers, in note about the design for Skyrim of the daedric armory: "It was meant to look otherworldly, something that a human couldn't or shouldn't make or even use, hence the not simetricality and the aggressive look.". He also comments about his idea was making the Ebony armory look like a "holy", or let's say "cleansed" version of the daedric weapons. I won't remember his name right now, but you have google. Key Words: dev + daedric + concept
Edit: just want thing I got wondering. It is my interpretation that the weapon is meant to hurt the user, because only a mortal would even care about that. For a daedra, it's just a tool, so it really doesn't matter it's shape as long as it kills.
*****
Excuse me but how are books in the games not a fucking lore source? The game is the ultimate lore sources it IS the lore. Thats like saying a history text book is a terrible source for a history argument.
For all you people saying "really? realistic weapons, herp derp, what a petty thing to talk about etc... etc..." keep in mind this video was made just for a bit of fun. Similar to Clerks how Dante and Randal talk about the Death Star's construction progress after it was blown the first time. It's just for a little banter.
Exactly, that and also the fact that many people, me included, enjoy fantasy more when it makes a little more sense rather than straining our willingness for suspension of belief too much. When weapons are shown as being used in combat they should not be ridiculously unwieldy, self-defeating disasters of pointlessness. :)
*****
Do you have any videos regarding your favorite movie battles and fight scenes? I can't see any as you have so many vids (which is great), that would be a great video to do especially if it's based on realism. I'd love to hear your thoughts on things from Braveheart and Princess Bride to Game of Thrones fights.
"Logic doesn't exist in video game, movies and anime"
- Rule of Cool
I heard the exploding scene of the death star is just a firecracker. Old movies are just awesome like that. : )
TheStr0ke The reason the weapons are so bulky and odd shaped, is probably because it better displays details on lower graphic settings.
That's what always bothered me about Bethesda games. Most of the guns in fallout 4 just look atrocious. wish they'd move back to their old wepon art style or go even further with the realistic look.
Nick F in fact for that reason, i quit fallout 4
Realistic in a fantasy game? You wanna realism go play Kingdom Comes Deliverance
@John Doe
If the design is realistic then it is not fantasy.
Immersion is not exact science, do not confuse your opinion with law
John Doe So you would remove fantasy weapons like Frostmourne and Ashbringer which are extremely iconic, yet not practical in the slightest definition. Not all fantasy has to be realistic. Sure have a balance between the two. But don’t remove all fantasy weaponry for the sake of realism.
That's why I use Modern Weapons in FO4, or just stick to the hunting rifle and the AK from Nuka World. I hate most of the vanilla fallout guns
Looks like Daedric weapons and armor was made by a 13 years old kid who watches too much animes..
You know, the ones that put "Dark" in they character name in online games.
You mean Skyrim Daedric armor and weapons. Oblivion Morrowind daedric armor and weapons are completely different story with their looks. They may be have the red and black. But they're all designed differently and have a different balance of red and black.
You mean like MrBlackDarkness666 ??
Dener Willian DarkCock Thunder
Dener Willian lol, attacking teens, make me laugh
+Dener Willian While the weapons definitely look like crap, i *love* how the armor looks, it would make Sauron jealous!
Maybe the main reason that the Daedra keep getting their asses handed to them by mortal heroes is that they keep stabbing themselves with their own weapons.
Hmm, yeah they do seem a bit masochistic.
Daedric weapons look like they were designed by a 13 year old Slipknot fan
*****
Yeah, that sounds about right. :)
agreed
vavra222 stfu
31*
I'm a 13,
Year old maggot (slipknot fan) and kind of,hate the daedric weapons and skyrim weapons in design
These weapons are just as dangerous to the user as the enemy
It's twice as deadly.
That's the Ork mindset right there
I dunno man, I once one shotted a dragon with a daedric axe. Seems a very good weapon based on performance. Show me at least one IRL sword which can kill a dragon in one hit. None of them are capable of that, which means daedric axe are superior weapon.
This was my first Skallagrim video ever. This is responsible for throwing me down the rabbit hole of historical sword nerdery. Thank you.
The spike on the axe CAN come into effect... Just throw the pommel to end him rightly.
EDIT:I'm arguing IN FAVOR of the video, I agree with Skallagrim.
Let's take on some of the arguments against this video shall we.
1. It's a fantasy game, the weapons shouldn't be realistic.
-Well, the more realistic the game is without ruining the premise and setting will only increase immersion which is a good thing.
2. It's supposed to look good, I'd rather fight in style than use boring realistic weapons.
-An artist that can't make a weapon look good AND practical is not really a good artist I think (check out "Insanity's Ebony Sword Replacer" at the Nexus). Better or more expensive swords could have ornamental pieces and engravings to make them stand out. The scabbards could have different or unusual colours. Why not have a blacksmith being able to make a custom one for your sword?
3. Historical inaccuracy is irrelevant because it's not set in a historical time.
- Kind of an irrelevant argument, historical sword designs is much more practical than the designs in Skyrim. And in Tamriel a world which have been stuck in the "sword-time" for a very long time, the blacksmiths should have discovered practical designs already.
Did I forget anything?
well said my friend.
Dan Slash th-cam.com/video/1cjBcr7gAM4/w-d-xo.html
*****
Yeah saw that one, and I agree with it, realism is a good counter weight to all the weird magical stuff going on.
The thing about aesthetics is that it's so subjective. I agreed with Skall in this case, but I also like the Keyblade because it's so unusual. Sometimes, Refuge in Audacity works, other times I prefer something more down-to-earth.
Also, Skall apparently beat me to this sentiment 9 hours ago.
Yes, it seems you forgot your brain along with your credibility somewhere in the middle of a fucking quasar
It would be fun if you cut get those crazy impractical styles only when your crafting skill is very low or when the weapon gets cursed by an spell.
Fun facts: in the comics, if Superman punches you as hard as he can, you're sent flying into space. If his strength were depicted realistically, he would hit you so hard that it causes a 45 megaton explosion directed at your face that reverts you to your most basic particles.
My point is realism does not mean boring/less interesting. The design flaws pointed out not only made the weapons unrealistic, but a lot of them made the weapons uglier and just made me confused when I realized what they were doing, especially the spindly handles on the swords.
I'm surprised this video got as many dislikes as it did.
What's wrong with making fantasy weapons more realistic? I'm all for fantastic looking weapons, but don't you think it would be more awesome to be able to make cool-looking swords and not have them really suck?
Just butt-hurt people who failed to understand that this is a video for entertainment purposes that was actually requested by viewers. Instead they harp on about how it's "just fantasy" or "just a game".
The number of likes is still dramatically higher though, so I guess most people get it.
Well Lanokosta it would be better to fight with a sword than a fucking sharp paddle.
Ninjapotato Ishigh I think you misunderstood his comment, or I'm misunderstanding yours.
Marshal Walker
Perhaps I used too many negatives. That is always confusing :D I use "don't" and "not" too often.
The nice thing about fantasy weapons is that they are just that. Fantasy. Despite being a nice showpiece most of them are... just... awful... Personally think more "real-life effective" fantasy weapons are more aesthetically pleasing. Rather than the big, clumsy, grotesque abominations that somehow against all odds manage to be called weapons.
i think the elven axe handle is supposed to represent basically fish scales, and i think the "spikes" are graphical glitches caused by the fact that it was built up using "modules" of scale-y handle, which were slightly rotated/scaled to form the complete handle, so where a larger segment overlaps a smaller segment, you would have floating scales which look like spikes on the image, but that's because they're viewed from the side
Scales would still make for a very uncomfortable and impractical handle.
***** I was going to make the same comment about scales.I wonder it it's intended to be representative of the material it's made from? I've got several hundred aluminum scales around. Maybe I should try attaching some to a wood dowel, to see how it feels in the hand?
Actually it's bird's feathers. But same principles apply.
You would have to attach them in such a way that the points of the scales stick out, like they on that axe handle. Which makes it pretty obvious anyway that they would be terrible in the hand.
***** Maybe it's leather....?
I'm disappointed the blades sword didn't show up here.
I mean, it's a katana.
People like those, right?
Tristan Halbert
Well I mean, the Blades have been using Akaviri katanas for forever. In fact to my knowledge, it's JUST Skyrim that forgets to name it a katana and not just a "sword". Also design wise, you'd just be picking apart actual katanas for the most part aside from the blades seeming a little too dull in Skyrim.
no, i dont like them
@@Rad-Dude63andathird Consider that at the time of Skyrim, the Blades had been wiped out by the Thalmor, along with most of their knowledge. And possessing a Blades Sword is just asking for a visit from the Thalmor.
Donkey Face GET OUT
@@Rad-Dude63andathird just a cool bit of lore here. the word akavir translates to "dragon land" because that's where they were for a time. there were red dragons and black dragons. the red dragons were captured and enslaved by the tsaesci and the black dragons fled to the land of Po'Tun ; home to a race of tiger like cat people.
Oh god, do you even read what is written in the beggining? Or you just read the video title and then blame the video creator? Skyrim swords are awfully large and the better weapons mode is the only one I have installed, because I didn't like those giant paddles. Also, if you don't want to see your favourite game(mine is Skyrim) critizited - don't watch the vid. Peace out!
I c what u did there Skall :)
Only one mod? In skyrim? You're fucking crazy.
Boris Mc Nuggetho I've got a SkyUI mod if that makes up for it.
***** lulz
It's pointless even thought its pointy. XD
I don't get why people get all pissy about this.
Of course he knows the weapons are designed like that just to look cool, he's not stupid. He's not saying the games or the weapons themselves suck for it, neither is he ranting or whining, he's merely comparing and judging them based on what real historic weapons are like.
Do you honestly not find this interesting? Do you honestly don't wonder how these weapons would fare out in the real world? Lighten the fuck up, people.
Redgrave192 well still a useless video then..
Most of the people here just wanna knew how practical their favorite gameweapon is they cant handle if they find out that these are totaly ridiculous xD
I myself am here because i collect weapons myself and try to learn what to avoid to dont waste money
He is actually ignoring every aspect of the weapons and the world they exist in, which has a different history and different physics.
Tasorius He's not talking about the game
The government is corupt !!!
According to some in-game books, the daedric weapons are chaotic in nature and can therefore defy the laws of what makes a sword good. The jagged grip feels perfect in your hands, the fragmented structure never gets broken, and the strange blade cuts through flesh as if it were nothing. Simply put, daedric weapons aren't of this world, and thus don't have to obey the world's laws.
the amount of butthurt in the comments is absurd. I didnt know 7 year olds played skyrim
And that makes people like you butthurt. The cycle of butthurt ~
found the 7 year old, saying I'm butthurt :D
that was too easy mate
lucas13flu I think that's a world record time.
***** indeed!
***** Your picture is amazing.
The Dragonbone Sword was always my favorite.
Why is this video hidden?
I was thinking the same thing
Doesn't want to delete the video but doesn't want anyone to watch this instead of a more recent video, so keep it in a playlist unlisted.
Vahé Tildian Seems to be back now
Sneak 100
I like my swords EXTRA T H I C C
To people who are saying "It's a video game it doesn't have to be realistic" let me ask: why are people making games look more realistic then?
Would you like all TV shows to be nothing but reality TV? How about every movie on the market to be nothing but documentaries? Sure some people like them, but other prefer something a little different. You have to keep in mind that not all games are tailored for all people and not all people are going to like all games, that being said, Skyrim is definitely tailored for the Fantasy crowd, a crowd of people who look for things that do not and generally can not happen in real life, a way to get away from reality and just have fun. It is a game and it does not have to be realistic, if someone wants a realistic game then the recommendation would be to look elsewhere. I am not bashing you or your opinion, I am just saying that you need to understand that what you enjoy and what other people enjoy can vary greatly.
venrexx It's not about copying planet earth, it's about bothering to put some more thought into fantasy designs. It can be fantasy but still make sense.
venrexx I'm not saying every detail should be realistic. However a few swords that did not look like paddles would be nice.
Besides that even if it is just a video game, I still find it interesting to see what someone who actually has experience with weapons has to say.
venrexx Did you even read the disclaimer at the start of the video? *Hands you a tissue* Wipe your tears buddy, it'll be okay.
*****
There are plenty of flimsy-looking weapons in the game. You're not looking hard enough.
I've watched a couple of this guy's videos and all he seems to do is say that fantasy weapons suck because they're not realistic. Someone should at least explain to him that fantasy weapons are supposed to be unreasonable. Fantasy isn't JUST orcs and elves in the middle ages (at least not by definition). Fantasy is anything that your brain can concoct. I don't give a fuck if this sword that looks like a key would be impractical in the real world, in this world it can tear out a man's very soul!
It looks stupid, impractical, and ruins immersion. Why can't the designers make epic, cool swords that actually make some sense?
If you're down with elves, orcs, vampires, werewolves and fucking dragons, but you complain about the way a weapon looks ruining immersion for you, then you make no sense.
Rajoovi1 I'm fine with Elves, Orcs, etc. they are basically just differently skinned humans that look slightly differently, most NPC's in the game are human. Dragons are seen rarely and don't ruin immersion because of suspension of disbelief. Your weapons are in your hand 95% of the time and are used throughout the entire game and a large amount of enemies use them. It ruins immersion because the weapon looks stupid and impractical and are constantly seen. It looks ridiculous when your character is paddling enemies with a sword that looks more dangerous to yourself than the enemy.
Atropa Belladonna Most people do not have a problem with the vanilla shapes, and I for the most part don't either. The models were made to make the weapons look mightier as in oblivion, while the swords may have looked more practical, they didn't feel satisfying to swing. In skyrim, the swords look capable of doing significant damage to the average person not trained in melee weapon mechanics, such as myself or most other people. While it may not bother us, it clearly bothers you, but to ask all designers to cater to your needs alone is quite callous. As the guy said, there are mods to fix whatever you feel is wrong with the game. Imagine someone saying "You're being arrogant, selfish and irrational. Why can't you learn to use mods to fix your game without asking the world of everyone?" Not nice, is it? Perhaps now you'll learn to respect that game designers cater to the gamer, not the historian.
Rajoovi1 Mods may be there to fix it, but what would happen if I bought a version not on PC and couldn't mod it? Also, they may be catering to gamers more by making it a paddle, but why can't they make a cool design that's still practical? There are plenty of ways to make swords look epic and awesome while still being practical.
Hi Skallagrim!
I have not played Skyrim yet (it's on the list I promise!), but I'm interested in the weapons with thorny grips. That... actually piques my interest as a GM for games like D&D and Mayhem, because it begs the question of WHY the weapon has wielder-injuring spikes. Nearly the first thing that comes to mind is intelligent weapons that do not want to be wielded, and they grow spikes over time to discourage most creatures from even touching them.
If a player finds one of these he will take major damage and penalties by trying to use it, unless he spends an expensive amount of time (with the right tools) clipping and filing down the spikes. Even after that's done, the weapon will not stop growing them and will require constant vigilance, growing by a random amount per day, and sometimes having the opportunity to grow rapidly during combat etc. Particularly interesting is when the weapon has special powers the player can tap into -- using them also gives the blade options to enact either now or sometime later, e.g. growing surprise spikes or excreting venom, or hardening the spikes and making them harder to deal with (or more dangerous to remove).
That also creates opportunities for the player to interact with the blade, making deals with it or desperate requests. If a player develops a relationship or at least an agreement with the blade, it might advance over time and develop more abilities he can use, but also more potency in its spikes and other defensive abilities it can use, should the player ever displease it (or to use continually if he's never on good terms).
i need a picture of sword jesus and gun jesus shaking hands
Aren't the Orcs supposed to be master smiths?
bernardo kermessi its kind of both.
bernardo kermessi I meant of the current races of Nirn.
Warton567
Yup.
I imagine the orc ingots are hard to smith. That's why it probably looks crude and all that jazz regardless of them being master smiths.
*****
by dwamar do you mean dunmer? those a dark elves.. but yea orcs are known for their smithing in the lore aswell
5:05 is a ceremonial weapon buried with the dead. Having a functional grip is probably low on the list of priorities, and it's intentionally made highly ornate.
No actually those were the swords used by the ancient nords in the time of the dragon war. Dont try to make stuff up and sound smart.
Aaron Morgan I imagine that's why you never find one outside of a tomb or wielded by anyone that's not a mummified corpse, and why they're unduly heavy and do low damage.
DominatusRex Its definitely used by others, the heroes in Sovngard use them when you fight with them.
Michael Sanderson You can forge the ancient Nord weapons into hero weapons, but the base version is pretty much decorative.
DominatusRex Additionally the dragur sole purpose is to serve and give their life force to the Dragon Priest within.
They give their life force and go back to a long dark sleep to build up more life force until they are needed once again.
Their main purpose was to sustain the Dragon Priest, after they would clean and perform upkeep on the temple and return to sleep.
Although they are also suppose to guard from intruders that was not their sole or primary duty, which is why they are not really adept at fighting compared to other enemies in the game, and their weapons leaving something to be desired.
Only ones you can truly say were built for combat were the overlords and deathlords, as you can easily guess based on their names alone. Here is the kicker the overlords and deathlords almost never wield the usual ancient weapons but Ebony weapons which are sometimes enchanted, and are capable of using Dragon Shouts just like the Dragonborn.
As someone who thinks that Skyrim is the best game ever made, I have to agree with you.
Ditto.
Really? I mean skyrim is damn good, but the best game ever made? especially hearing that from someone who appears to be a Baldurs Gate fan. wow...
mineboyjosh
Yes I think Skyrim is better than Baldur's gate. The game is way more open word, has way more content and way more things to do.
Lord Baldur Most of skyrims quests outside of main questlines felt cliche or copy and paste to me. And the open world although quite good felt awfully empty at times. Also the cites feel minuscule compared to oblivion, where I would get lost in them when i first played. May I ask what criticisms of skyrim do you have?
mineboyjosh
Oh so in other words, my opinion offends you and your opinion is somehow better than mine?
I just discovered this channel and omg. thank you. I always had an issue with skyrim's weapons (though I love the game), but I didn't know enough about weapon design to explain *why* I didn't like them. You put it perfectly into words, and suggested great improvements! Thank you Skallagrim!
Man. As soon as I saw what you did with the draugr sword-I would kiiiillll for a modpack where you redo all the weapons' models.
I wanna see this guy do a video for Dark Souls weapons.
lol the dragon tooth, obsidian greatsword, demons greataxe
Mahahaha that would be great
He already did
August Evans-Metzger smough hammer :p
He said in his one video about DaS that most swords that are based on historical swords did it very well, and there was nothing wrong with them. Others he said were just ridiculous, but he didn't seem to mind it so much since they didn't try to be a little realistic.
Daedric Weapons? Light?! *HA HA HA HA HA!*
Daedric weapons are stupidly heavy, or at least they used to be before Skyrim better balanced the weight of things. The Daedric Warhammer in Morrowind used to be 96 pounds (assuming the encumbrance system was using pounds).
But yeah, all of the games have a small hilt issue, probably because it's a detail they never consider since you never really see it or observe it unless you're a weapons expert. Which the artists aren't.
Actually, I think there may be a more practical reason for skinny handles, from an modeling perspective. It's been some time since I've paid it particular attention, but it seems to me like hands aren't animated much, which I assume is because it's a pain in the ass for a feature that is very easily overlooked as long as you get the basic position right.
However, not animating the hands makes a new problem, in that if the hand doesn't move and you're holding something, that object can be difficult to position in a way that it doesn't seem to be phasing into the hand itself at points. A simple way to make this easier, is to force the size to a point where if it does, it's small enough that you don't notice. While the whole sword looks ridiculous if it's sized down, the handle is much easier to do so since the majority of the time you see the weapon, it's hidden by the hand.
I mean look at guts sword or final fantasy swords, it looks cool. To be honest I prefer thicker blades it looks better to me. It may be impractical, but magic and dragons are impractical too so who cares?
Ricky Cool magic and dragons would be very practical my friend, that's the problem.
for the weapon i got every collection(Legendary level, some just flawless at best) from the Daedric Prince, as for the armor i use the forged daedric, from early level(that i have to activate the horse-totem thing?), i dont know because using it for too long, other armor feel crappy , since i died in a second using other(dual enchanted legendary level armor, exception the heavy dragonbone), you know how i play, rushing with my molag bal mace ready with fus ro dah power, and hope i kill them first before they kill me first hahaha
"I know that it's an orc sword, and it's supposed to look primitive and roughly made..." Yeah, it sure does look roughly made. Good grief that tang would snap like a twig.
The elven battleaxe have a graphical glitch to it. Thats why it seems like it is needles in the handle. it is a compability thing when they ported trough the moddeling program to the game engine.
I think you are right
So what about the more pronounced needles around the pommel? That doesn't look like an accidental glitch to me.
It's a glitch, yeah, but it's actually supposed to be a fish scale type thing, which is probably still uncomfortable to move your hand against. I think Skall's argument still applies.
***** im not sure it is a glitch around the pommel but it still could be a glitch if the model had a missing edge, some game engines will try to compensate for it.
But skyrim itself doesnt have as pronounced "needles" anymore and they also appear to be made out of leather.
It looks like it's a scales looking from the side, and not glitch. i.e. scales are not just flat texture, but actual pointy triangle scales.
The biggest problem with the Orcish weapons is that in the lore, they're supposed to be basically the best smiths around, so why the primitive appearance and shoddy craftsmanship?
Ryan Gaskin It's supposedly because the Orichalcum that they use is incredibly hard to work with. It is super hard, brittle, and has a immense heat tolerance. Because of this it is traditionally worked cold and slowly and painstakingly beaten and chipped into shape (like a metal version of flint). The reason they put up with it (and don't just use something like steel) is because it is supposedly a super-metal if done right. The game hardly reflects any of this though aside from the look of the weapons. So they just end up looking like shit while being statistically shit as well. It's kind of a bummer really.
ITS PROBABLY BECUASE THEY WANTED IT TO LOOK STEREOTYPICALLY ORCISH
Hey, why you being a shitlord?
I found this extremely interesting.
this is the first video of yours that I've seen.
I plan on looking at more of your "weapon scrutiny" videos and hope that you progress this Skyrim series and talk about all of the critical opinions that you have :)
If you are at all interested in weapon talk, this dude is great
I really enjoy videos were you propose a fix to a problem that a weapon has. It's one thing to tell a man he's making an effective blade and another entirely to show him how to make an effective one.
Fantasy Weapons 101,
I hope you're in right class, because Skallagrim here is our professor, and he does not give out easy marks.
Damn Skallagrim, maybe the game companies should hire you for their digital swordwork!
This is a fun series.
I feel like the designs were ridiculous on purpose in skyrim, like it was some kind of joke:
The iron weapons don't do any damage, but are the most realistic and optimal, if used in real life.
The late game weapons being stupid and unpractical, most of the time doing a lot of damage , but useless in real life.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like it could be the case, that or they just had some concerns about the designs, as if they would end up lacking originality. Also why is this unlisted? It's a good vid mate.
Until you reach master smithing, and make the dragonbone two handed sword.
TheEponet As opposed to what mate? The iron weapons? Because bones aren't so effective, even more if they don't even exist lol!
VinniHP
As opposed to the weaker Daedric, ebony, elven, orcish weapons. It's about on par with the steel and iron weapons. There's nothing actually strictly terrible about the design.
If your only complaint is that it's made of a fictional material, that seems like a pretty good design.
+VinniHP not all bones are the same, different creatures have bones of different build, not hard to believe a mythical dragon, known for being tough to kill, would have dense but flexible bones.
TheEponet Yeah, it's a video game, some materials don't really exist, but that's exactly my point, the idea of the iron and steel weapons being more realistic but less affective would seem like a smart design.
Shred Hexstring Well it would depend on it, it would be very unprecise to say that in any case, because even if tough to kill, they have the weight of a dead chicken's body when the ragdoll effects start working, if you want to make a case about it.
Inaccurate: Orcs are prized for their smithing, meaning Tamriel’s smithing standards are just that low..
If you plan on including a fantasy game that actually does a great job designing realistic weapons, try "The Witcher 2"
Probably the most realistic fantasy designs at the moment in both weapons and armor.
I was gonna say something like chivalry but i remembered thats not fantasy. but witcher is a great idea. they designed their weapons with more of a practical idea i think.
christah310 technicly, chivalry is still fantasy.Its of course not high fantasy, and the weapons themselve are realistic, but it plays in a fantasy world, not in medieval europe. (otherwise, it wouldnt make too much sense, to see all these weapons, from different medieval time periods in on battle)
cino scarpia Samurais vs Vikings. deal with it
Blue Valkyrie
he means the original, not the Heresey of Deadliest Warrior.
233Deadman i just wanted to give an example of the "mixed time periods"
Thumbnail : Deadric weapons are made for rip flesh not cut it, that's why the "sharp" part is like that
@Shreyas Misra the spikes move....
In Skyrim realism in weapons is simple, better weapon = less realism (excluding dragonbone)
1:27: the original looks like a photoshopped version of the new one.
9:15: I'm not sure you could even get through thick leather armor with that.
*Showing interest for more Skyrim weapon related videos*
That's why I use silver swords
The orcish sword looked more like a primitive flint tool than a weapon forged from metal.
I know this is an old video but I thought you should know. the reason daedric armor and weapons are shaped so weird in Skyrim it's actually it's for the same reason the material is so good you can't have one without the other supposedly daedric weapons and armor are made from ebony which is a fictional metal in the elder Scrolls universe that was supposedly the blood of a god. And a daedra heart you have to keep in mind that they just don't have souls they have a anumus which basically means that it survives death will reform just not in our lifetime. the point is when you're forging the metal we know that's the spikes and impractical parts grow on their own and I assume if you're using a mold it will even break your mold to grow them so that means that you would have to break them off after forging the weapon or piece of armor which could easily compromise armor or weapon. meaning that if you want this near indestructible material for your weapons and armor... You have to put up with the impractical spikes and whatever that is covering the handle of the daedric battle-axe