I Like Big Swords
Size matters
I can just imagine my Dad face palming as soon as he reads this headline. Oh how proud he must be of his well educated son who now spends his evenings coming up with childish innuendos and sexual euphemisms to write blog posts about. Still, if you’re having dirty thoughts then they’re probably your own as I’m being deadly serious. When I play MMOs I immediately pick melee classes and then go out of my way to find the biggest, meanest looking sword I can possibly find in order to proceed smacking the living daylights out of everything whilst giggling with glee. Does that make me weird? That was a rhetorical question by the way.
I don’t know why I have such an infatuation with large weapons of destruction. Maybe it’s a male compensation thing? Maybe it’s a slightly psychotic thing? Maybe it’s due to my Scottish heritage and growing up with the image of Highlanders lugging five foot claymores into battle? Yeah, let’s go with that one. Regardless, I always pick the MMO classes that allow me to satisfy my slightly disturbing urge. The Berserker was my favourite class in Everquest, I loved the Fury Warrior spec in WoW purely due to the ability to dual wield two handed swords (why don’t more games let you do this?!), I played a Herald of Xotli in Age of Conan and thought it was the most original and awesome thing ever, and now I’m thoroughly enjoying the Champion class in RIFT.
Of course there’s something quite intoxicating about playing traditional fantasy roles that let you wield these monstrous excuses for blades as well. Usually they are characters that run head first into battle, physically overwhelming their opponents with little or no thought as to their own safety. For me, there’s something incredibly visceral and satisfying about this image perhaps because it’s such a countenance to my mild-mannered, controlled and sophisticated self. Perhaps deep down I just yearn to tear off the shackles of society and run free with my brothers, wild and untamed.
Or maybe I’ve just got a Freudian thing about size.
-Gordon
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This almost makes me want to get Rift just so I can roll a Champion out of whatever the shortest race is in the game.
Carrying a honking sword is classic awesomeness.
Being 3 feet tall and running around with a honking sword, is classic comedy.
I’ve done exactly this. A dwarf warrior with an axe twice the size of herself is brilliant. The only downside is the plate bikini that warriors are issued with.
I don’t see how that’s a problem?
Yeah the whole metal bikini thing is just silly.
The Champion is very cool in Rift and there are indeed some lovely big swords. Hmm, that just sounded wrong…
Hah, I have a similar thing. I might not go for the absolutely biggest sword, but still for something mean, and some impressive plate armor, please!
I also like investing the classical role/gender distribution that goes with it. It seems at least in many MMOs, the majority of healer characters is still female, and the majority of warriors, tanks especially, male.
For me, there’s an additional twist there, though: I’ll look for the most intimidating and dangerous-looking race, and then roll a female warrior-berserker-dreadknight-champion. That ties in with one of my major pet peeves, the plate bikini. If I have to wear that for longer than the absolute starting equipment, the game collects negative points.
I assume I do it for the same reasons as you – to play something different from what I am when I’m at the office: fearful, bash-on-the-face – and female.
Breaking down stereotypes is always fun
inverting, not investing…
Note to self: bested by phone again, even after proofreading.
…and you cannot lie?
Ha! LOL
Funny, it’s the other way round with me. I always go for the mages; the ones with the really big fireballs. Or the ones that can conjure the biggest demon or can become the most powerful lich.
I usually try to stay behind and take pleasure in defeating enemies with as few actions as possible. I prefer to let other character or my pets do the dirty work.
Now, that might actually be very similar to my motivations in real life. So, it seems I am more in tune with my soul that you are
Hehe, well I’m pretty sure I’d get arrested if I walked around the office with a 6′ sword in my hands
Size may matter, but what truly matters is how you use it. DPS plz?
I haven’t dared look at my DPS yet
My favorite careers have always been those that are akin to Shadowknights/Deathknights. My character in Rift is a Champion/Reaver mix. Big swords and evil = FUN.
Does Champion/Reaver work well? Currently I’m going Champion/Riftblade with Warlord on the side. Not sure I really like the Riftblade though so would certainly be open to swapping it to Reaver.
I’m going champion, paragon, riftblade. Recommended combo.
swapped warlord for riftblade.
Aren’t the Champion and Paragon mutually exclusive?
Some of the best things about the Reaver are it’s life taps, and the AoE component of them. One ability turns any DoT into an AoE attack, and two of those that I have so far are ranged. The PBAoE Snare/DoT “puddle” is nice too. I was primarily reaver with a side of champion, and as of level 25, had zero issues in PvE, and was frequently #1 in damage in Warfront, and almost always in the top 5. It’s a pretty good combo, but how well it works later on and progresses in the powerscale, I’ll never know.
Sounds sweet, will definitely check it out.
I’m the same way but I love Polearms… and it seems Polearms are the bastard weapon of every RPG and MMO I play. In Diablo 2 I played a Barbarian Polearm and loved it.
I typically play healers, not because I love them more but because my first choice of playstyles typically don’t exist… or they don’t operate in the way I enjoy. I want a melee DPS that uses 2H Axes, Swords and Polearms and I want to be able to use any of those weapons, not just a best in slot one.
Now I’m playing a Cleric in Rift… but my Cleric is a Druid/Shaman mix with a Warhammer that looks alot like a polearm. I can also switch to my healing spec very easily. I’m loving it, best of both worlds.
It’s funny how Polearms are so uncommon in MMORPGs isn’t it especially considering how popular and frequently used they were in traditional, real life history. Rift has a few nice ones although I prefer two-handed swords myself.
I LOVE polearms, but they are super-duper rare. The Blackguard in WAR was amazing with it’s animations and graphics when using their glaives.
Maybe you don’t have a complex, Gordon, maybe being able to wield big-ass swords is just damn cool!
Heck, I played a warrior in Dragon Age 2 and delighted being a two-handed specialist just so I could carry around a greatsword that’s even taller than I am!
Hehe, I’ll need to check out Dragon Age 2 then!
This is exactly the reason my have been playing my Knight of the Blazing Sun in War recently. The sizes of swords you can get for that class are both spectacularly awesome and rather unnecessary at the same time.
Doesn’t stop me buying them though.
I always liked the KotBS class. The Orks were cool too but they didn’t have very cool weapons. Always ended up going sword and shield with my Black Ork cause the two handers were small and rubbish
Yes.
What does rhetorical mean?
I’m the same way. When playing a game I usually go for the biggest and baddest looking dude and weapon. EQ1? Ogre. EQ2 Ogre. DAoC? Firbolg. WoW? I wish I was playing Horde so I could be a Tauren but I’m playing a Dwarf at the moment – he does have a big hammer, though, it’s somewhat comical. I really wanted to level a Gnome Fury Warrior to the point of Titan Grip for the same reason but never got around to it.
I have a Champion for my Warrior class in Rift. It’s decent. I love the jumping chop/charge-like ability.
Hah another person with an Ogre fetish like me eh?
I pretty much only went Ogres in EQ and EQ2. Such a shame we don’t see more Ogres in MMOs these days. Everyone seems to focusing on human classes. Would love them to add the Ogre as a playable race in WoW for instance 
I sort of glossed over it in my last post but I don’t like how weapon’s, and itemization, is handled in MMOs. There is always one best weapon for you given level… it could be an axe, sword, hammer, whatever. The problem is what if I don’t want to use an Axe, but a hammer, however the best item for me stat wise is an Axe. This is a major reason why I quit my Fury warrior in WoW… I didn’t want to use a 2H Axe… I wanted to use a Polearm.
WoW has serious issues with Polearms and Fist Weapons so, yeah, you are pretty much limited in what you can use as a Fury Warrior. EQ2 had a nice system were you could equip vanity weapons so you could pick one for the stats and one for the look.
I have the same problem with weapon restrictions. (Btw, female tank player here, I suck at healing.)
I prefer “magical” tanks, and the Justicar is right up my alley. Problem is, I want to use a SWORD, not a mace, so I settled for a Warrior and then a Rogue. But when I realized that Clerics can use daggers, I rerolled. Most of the daggers look like shortswords.
I’m still waiting for a Valkyrie Profile MMO. That game has some honkin’ HUGE swords.
Sounds awesome
That’s probably the biggest one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgZ1W8MGaP8
But this one from the sequel is like Cloud’s Buster Sword; swinging around a big ol’ slab of sheet metal with an edge. Gotta love it:
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110215174719/valkyrieprofile/images/5/53/Vp2_dylan_00.png
Oh, and on-topic, I agree, there’s something almost therapeutic to just wading into a scrum with nothing more on the mind than hitting the bad guys with something heavy.
There are more “Heavy Warriors” here; almost all of them have huge swords in their concept art. Fun stuff.
http://valkyrieprofile.wikia.com/wiki/Heavy_Warrior
Hot dang, tha’s awesome
I always loved the Final Fantasy swords too, especially the ones that were guns 
I think when I start Rift again in a few weeks I will roll a new Warrior. I have always liked big swords and Chain Bikinis so I’m all good.
Do you guys feel the GCD is a bit slow on Warriors? I felt I was a little more slow than I’d like but not a deal breaker? So who looks better in Warrior Gear on Defiant side Eth or Bhami? I’m all about being a fashionista.
Yeah I do think the GCD is a bit slow on Warriors although it gets better with the Champion class as you level because you unlock reactive abilities that can used immediately if your opponent parries/dodges or you gain a crit. Plus you get one that you use right after killing an enemy. It makes the class a lot more interactive and you notice the GCD less.
GCD is faster on the rogue (~1.0sec) than any other career. The rest are all the same (~1.5sec) iirc.
[...] We Fly Spitfires — I like big swords “When I play MMOs I immediately pick melee classes and then go out of my way to find the biggest, meanest looking sword I can possibly find in order to proceed smacking the living daylights out of everything whilst giggling with glee.” [...]