Sword Tiers

It's also why traditionally Muslim armies loved using the Scimitar and it's variants. When you're on a horse that's going 30 mph a curved sword cuts much better than a straight one. Simple physics.

whatever is the best sword for throwing. I would choose a sword that can be split into many smaller throwing daggers :D

Na man. Watch:
youtube.com/watch?v=XM9CEFxgdg4
The greatsword has way more reach and impact power than any conventional sword. It's basically a polearm

* tight

Have you ever heard about reach? If the opponent is faster they can easily just run up and stab you theoretically speaking, but in a real fight it's hard with a 40 inch piece of sharp metal in your face.

The rapier stands alone, in an unarmed duel it's the best non polearm or great weapon.

>ITT: The spectre of the old cut vs. pierce debate revivifies itself.
Well?
State your cases lads.

It depends.

Reach is the real king.

A greatsword will easily beat any other kind of sword because it's essentially a pole-arm.

I've always thought that slashing seems more practical in a battlefield where you aren't fighting mostly one on one.

>Reach is the real king
So that's one for pierce!
Anyone else?

More there is clothing more the situation would favor thrusting actually. Just normal clothing (not to mention gambeson) can make cutting significantly more difficult. Thick clothing + shitty thrusting qualities of the sword used can make thrusting fail as well but usually clothes do not protect from thrusts. One possible reason why heavily curved scimitars specialized for cutting tend to be popular in warm climates (thinner clothes).

So while rapier is considered a great weapon for unarmored duels, lack of clothes would make cutting swords better than they'd otherwise be.

there are long slashing weapons too..

First I will begin with the worst weapon, an imperfect and insufficient weapon, and not worth the speaking of, but now being highly esteemed, therefore not to be unremembered. That is, the single rapier, and rapier and poniard.

The single sword has the vantage against the single rapier.

The sword and dagger has the vantage against the rapier and poniard.

The sword & target has the advantage against the sword and dagger, or the rapier and poniard.

The sword and buckler has advantage against the sword and target, the sword and dagger, or rapier and poniard.

The two handed sword has the vantage against the sword and target, the sword and buckler, the sword and dagger, or rapier and poniard.

The battle axe, the halberd, the black-bill, or such like weapons of weight, appertaining unto guard or battle, are all one in fight, and have advantage against the two handed sword, the sword and buckler, the sword and target, the sword and dagger, or the rapier and poniard.

The short staff or half pike, forest bill, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of perfect length, have the advantage against the battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, the sword and target, and are too hard for two swords and daggers, or two rapier and poniards with gauntlets, and for the long staff and morris pike.

The long staff, morris pike, or javelin, or such like weapons above the perfect length, have advantage against all manner of weapons, the short staff, the Welch hook, partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of vantage excepted, yet are too weak for two swords and daggers or two sword and bucklers, or two rapiers and poniards with gauntlets, because they are too long to thrust, strike, and turn speedily. And by reason of the large distance, one of the sword and dagger-men will get behind him.

continued
The Welch hook or forest bill, has advantage against all manner of weapons whatsoever.

Yet understand, that in battles, and where variety of weapons are, among multitudes of men and horses, the sword and target, the two handed sword, battle axe, the black bill, and halberd, are better weapons, and more dangerous in their offense and forces, than is the sword and buckler, short staff, long staff, or forest bill. The sword and target leads upon shot, and in troops defends thrusts and blows given by battle axe, halberds, black bill, or two handed swords, far better than can the sword and buckler.

The morris pike defends the battle from both horse and man, much better than can the short staff, long staff, or forest bill. Again the battle axe, the halberd, the black bill, the two handed sword, and sword & target, among armed men and troops, by reason of their weights, shortness, and great force, do much more offend the enemy, & are then much better weapons, than is the short staff, the long staff, or the forest bill.

the reason to make it pointy is so you can also make it longer

>The sword and buckler has advantage against the sword and target

dafuq did Silver mean by this. Did he ever justify it? What's even the point with target shields if they are both bigger (more inconvenient) and inferior in combat compared to bucklers?

>The single sword has the vantage against the single rapier.

>George Silver is lurking
I would say the rapier is just above top tier. From what I've seen the rapier is very capable of dealing with cutters as long as you don't use a very aggressive italian stance. And because of it's nimbleness and length one can make it a superb weapon

True, that is possibly the most important reason why rapier is so narrow and pointy and it still could be the right answer but duelists being naked makes it not as clear whether a rapier or a shorter cutting sword would have the advantage.

Pic related. In steel of course. Chop, stab, disarm. It also has seen the longest use in pre armor combat so it must have gotten something right.

>kukhri
>shit tier
If you have no experience with swords and edge alignment it's better to go with a straight up chopper where if you fuck up the alignment you still hurt the fucker because of the weight

too short

A Katana will do the same job considering its construction and is also easy to use while still having reach.

this list is more useful for exposing your dex faggotry than any useful info swords, tbqh

No armor or shield to deal with?

Best sword is the longest and lightest:

light rapier.

But rapiers are heavy.

Few rapiers were both light and long. Rapier that is both long and light is going to be frail as fuck, practically or literally no cutting capabilities whatsoever and also easy and safe to grab.

Though such rapiers did exist. Clements talks a bit about one 50 inch example here ("A delightful mid 17th century rapier")
thearma.org/spotlight/heymr.htm#.WeD20VQ4nIW

>silverposting
George please, you have to stop now...

>It's also why traditionally Muslim armies
During the Crusades, most of the arabic armies were using straight cut&thrust sword very similar in blade shape to the european ones. Only in the late medieval times did the scimitar and kilij really started to prevail over straight blades.

Besides, "muslims" doesn't means much when arabs, turks, mongols were all muslims and all fairly different cultures.

>ITT: The spectre of the old cut vs. pierce debate revivifies itself.
This so much!
Anyway, french therefore thrust > cut.

Thrusting swords always outperform non-thrusting swords

Celtic armies were not profressonal, they have poor physical training and 0 technique, there is no way a professional Roman soldier who trained like dog all days of the week could lose against a monkey with a stick. The strong barbarian warrior is a myth. Only sandinavians were dangerous becouse of their size.

Good luck my sword teleports me behind you and it has a tiny speaker that announces theres no hard feelings kid.

rapier is best by far

Please read a book.

>Omitting the falx

Nigga Romans literally had to redesign their helmets to their skulls being split

implying my sword isn't realistic. Tell me what's wrong with it?

I pick the longest one that's not too heavy for me to swing relatively quickly.
If i'm up against some random person, the reach advantage will help me keep them at bay and maybe get some lucky strikes in.
If I'm up against someone who knows what they're doing, I'm fucked no matter what I pick.