Does the HALO ENERGY SWORD make sense?
Vložit
- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Get 10% off MOVA Globes with code SCHOLA at bit.ly/movaschola
Does the HALO Energy Sword make sense?
▼3 extra EXCLUSIVE videos each month on PATREON, which make this channel possible:
/ scholagladiatoria
▼Facebook & Twitter updates, info, memes and fun:
/ historicalfencing
/ scholagladiato1
▼Schola Gladiatoria HEMA - sword fighting classes in the UK:
www.swordfightinglondon.com
▼Matt Easton's website & Pinterest:
www.matt-easton.co.uk/
www.pinterest.co.uk/matt_east...
▼Easton Antique Arms - antique swords for sale:
www.antique-swords.co.uk/
#halo #energysword #sword
Get 10% off MOVA Globes with code SCHOLA at bit.ly/movaschola
The Halo Blade IS primarily a thrusting weapon. The the blade is made from highly energized plasma means it is efficient at cutting but the whole reason why the tip of the blade has that gap in it is because the two edges are given opposing charges like a magnet. When the blade is thrust into a target, it creates a physical bridge between the two poles allowing for a massive discharge of plasma INSIDE the enemies body at the cost of some of the weapons power supply which shortens how long you can use it in a fight with each kill. It's a nasty, efficient, brutal killing weapon that even the UNSC was impressed with so they started picking them up off of their enemies and giving them to their elite troops.
The reason for the gap is because the blade has opposite poles like a magnet to shape the plasma into a blade shape. The two poles cannot touch. When the two blades pierce a target, the circuit is completed and plasma discharges violently into the target's body, hence why the weapon loses some of its charge with each kill.
That actually very good comment. I guess that was initial idea, but then expanded lore showed us fully metal swords. I have a theory that sangheili used two blades to pierce both hearts with one strike.
The Metropolitan Museum in New York has a few 2 bladed Katars, they even have one with 3 blades. I have no idea what is the function of the gap between the blades.
@@vladmarmelad_131 Yeah, the metal swords are a product of reverse lore creation, trying to create lore based on what is observed in the story's universe. It is an imperfect way to try to create lore for a game or story, but they did the best with what they had.
I was going to comment about the polarity. you beat me to it!
The best thing about the energy sword is that it is basically just a giant, deadly taser which uses electrically induced plasma.
In lore halo energy weapons can last for days or weeks of heavy use before needing to be recharged, the low ammo/energy amount is there for gameplay reasons.
Even in the games, energy weapons last a lot longer in campaign than multiplayer (without skulls activated). Plus, plasma charging stations form the core of every Covenant encampment so they clearly resupply regularly in the field.
Alot of that is methane for the grunts but yeah lol @TheHaighus
In one of the Halo comics, you see metal blades of the same shape being used by the Sangheili equivalent of samurai and the split used for trapping blades and limbs in duels. It could be that as energy weapons were developed, they just kept what was familiar. The Sangheili are also a very tradition/honor focused people. They might have kept the same style of blade simply for its connection to their past.
It's basically a giant katar that weighs next to nothing and can melt through armour, I don't see how it wouldn't be an effective weapon.
But it weighs nothing, so there is no impact when you hit something! Oh wait, you don't need impact because it melts everything
Block an attack with it and the opponents blade tip would surely fly into you - ooer
@fartsforeyes2024 why would you block an attack with it? Nothing can block it so you might as well always go for a killing blow.
The ONLY problem - such weapon doesn't exist. It's the only problem ....
@@zbigniewgurak8261 I bet you haven't even been to Area 51. pfff amateurs
A few notes about the energy sword vs the Quatar. The Energy sword hilt has a noticeable PEAK in the middle of the hand grip. If you can imagine having 2 middle fingers and 2 thumbs that close opposed, that peak in the grip will sit in the palm and extend through the middle fingers locking it in place. That grip is going to give that hand A LOT of purchase and serve the same function as the wrist bars on the Quatar.
The other thing about the energy sword is that the 2 blades have reversed magnetic polarity so they can't touch. In fact stabbing a person with both blades completes a circuit and pulses energy into the victim in addition to the stab wounds. Someone trying to cut down the center of the blade would have their energy sword quickly drawn to the magnetic field of one of the opposing blades. It would be VERY difficult to thread a blade down the length of the very strong magnetic field in the channel as opposed to a steel weapon of that design it would be super EASY to just slide down.
In Halo Wars the Arbiter has a complex hilt much like a rapier and the sword Prophets’ Bane has basically a shell guard
I'm going to headcanon the gap in the blade is a necessity for magnetically containing the plasma and creating the blade shape.
Covenant plasma tech seems like it has an emission point and a radius, like with the shields, so I figure a plasma sword is two plasma emitters with a tapered convergence at the front
Well in halo usually its a lunge thrust attack.
I think the gap between the blades in the Energy Sword's design is overstated as a weakness, it is a strange choice to have it, but I assume that it exists (in universe) due to a technological limitation, as both blades are generated from one side of the handle individually and their structure does not merge.
Whilst in motion and/ or angled, as the blade should be in an active fencing context, trying to exploit the gap will become significantly more challenging & less reliable for an opponent to attempt.
However, If an opponents' blade does manage to enter the gap, a swift rotation of the wrist (which the Sangheili's unique hand physiology may provide additional strength to) should bind the blade between the Energy Sword's blades.
From what I remember, the Energy Sword (at least in the Halo Games) is often held in a retracted guard which would further limit opportunities for an opponent to engage & exploit the gap between the blades. I am unsure of the depictions outside of the games, but if such a guard position is indicative of the Sangheili's martial arts system then blade-engagements may be a rarity in their combat, and the gap's weaknesses left unexplored.
All you have to do is put a small bar between the gap that will stop anything going don the middle
@@braddbradd5671 A small bar of what, and where would it be placed?
A physical bar? The main concern would seem to be plasma-based weapons, which would likely be able to damage most materials enough to make that impractical.
A bar of plasma? Given that the plasma is magnetically contained, that likely wouldn't be possible; indeed, that's actually a pretty strong basis for having two blades in the first place.
@@coryzilligen790If the gap has to be there to work , i dont think you need to worry about a sword going down the middle when you have such a powerful weapon the power out weighs the gap ,most hand wielded weapons have weaknesses Ahsokas Samurai sword has no hand guards you could say thats a weakness there not worried about ..
I believe it's primarily an uppercut motion we usually see from energy sword users in Halo right?
In the books it seems like the Sanghelli favor quick stabbing motions or single quick slashes when using a plasma sword almost like a mix between using a type of rapier/katana
Check out the ones with big basket-like hilts. Halo Wars 2 cinematic with John Forge showcases one.
The cinematic is called "Monsters", if anyone wants to watch.
One problem I always had with the energy sword's design was that the bases of both blades clearly have points that taper back towards the user. Wouldn't that carry a significant risk of self-injury in a situation like a bind?
Yes, especially plasma blades that melt through armour almost instantly lol.
Only if their wrists could ever rotate enough for them to make contact. It could be possible that humans are especially more at risk while using this weapon because of our highly flexible wrists
Good point, though!
Well due to the magnetic fields that contain the plasma, I don’t know if it’s even possible to create a bind. In game, the clashing of 2 swords pushes both users back with a lot of force (obvious game doesn’t always equal lore but it’s a plausible idea)
There are also smaller plasma daggers that look even more like Katar. Used by Jackals
It never ceases to amaze me how Matt Easton keeps talking while making this illustrating fighting moves.
What struck me wasn't just the link to katars but actually modern olympic fencing - energy weapons are presumably very light, so I was reminded of the way foil and epee fencing has adopted the pistol grip to increase point control and thrusting ergonomics.
Considering it would probably be relatively rare to face another opponent armed with a similar weapon in combat, especially because the covenant had been a unified group for so long, they probably use the point control when rushing enemies at speed, or when trying to make silent stealth kills. I could see how if done quickly a needle point of plasma through and Armour gap into the base of the skull would lead to a pretty quick end.
This video was a pleasant surprise, both for a weapon from a series I really like and for your perspective on it! Really liked your breakdown on the design of the energy sword and how it is used.
Based on the forward shoulder structure you see on the Sangheili you could suppose that their strength applies differently to swinging, thrusting etc.
I note that with your shoulders no longer in a straight line with your back it doesnt feel like swinging down from above the shoulder will have good range of motion or a decent application of muscular force. In game my memory suggests they often rear or jump before swinging down in a way humans dont feel the need to do.
Seems like thrusts taking advantage of their reach and lateral slashes toward the head of an opponent would arise from their physiology
To add to that, they also have 2 sets of pectoral muscles!
I think in lore, but I could be misremembering, that the shape of the energy sword was from ancient ceremonial weapons from before the sangheili joined the covenant.
Thank you so much for covering this! I'm very interested in the way it would be used.
I think design of the grip with their hands makes perfect sense, it stays in place without twisting because the crescent shapes stops it from twisting one way and the extension on the inner curve stops it from moving the other direction.
I think they are basically dense forcefields generated in tha shape of a blade.
It has two blades because they are a conduit for the plasma, ie for the energy to flow to the target. Jay of the plasma channel just created a real 20,000 volt plasma knife inspired by Halo.
When Matt gets excited about something, you can see the 10 year old in him wanting to show you something. It's endearing, and makes this channel a joy to watch.
Funnily enough, Sangheili have two hearts! Two wounds for each one in a fatal thrust to the chest
HAPPY ENERGY SWORD SUNDAY!!!!!!!
The bulge or swell at the base is for the very prominent hammer fist type blows. The thrust/lunge being the foremost attack, but the downward hammer-fist is also critical, especially when fighting enemies that close distance without concern for individual well being, like the flood or the brutes.
Great video as always and your comment at the end of the video got me thinking, what about a video on curved hilts/grips? Why are some curved, what are the advantages/disadvantages etc. Was just wondering if there was a good reason Count Dooku's lightsaber hilt was curved lol and I'm sure there are a lot of historical examples you could talk about with curved hilts too.
One thing that can be said, since it is an energy weapon, it doesn't need to generate the momentum from the wrist needed to make an effective cut. Theoretically, as long as the plasma touches you, it will inflict damage regardless of speed or edge alignment. So in this case, the the orientation of the blade is less important than it would be for a pata or katar, as both of which do need proper edge alignment and momentum to inflict an effective slash.
Thanks to this, I did an image search for "Katar with two blades" - and good heavens, they really do it for me!
I can't tell why, they just look cool!
Of course, they actually have plenty of metal between the two blades, so if another blade comes between them, your hand is safe.
I might even prefer one of those over a regular European parrying dagger. Or just as a general purpose dagger (which many "parrying" daggers were).
I'm also reminded of Arik's sword from the Willow movie because there appears to be a lot of hand protection. I feel like the Indian swords and European gauntlet swords are kind of an ergonomic reminder to the user that they are supposed to thrust.
I would assume that the gap is because forming plasma into shapes is possible with shaped magnetic fields and it is probably impractical to make a single magnetic field for the entire shape.
I think those are plasma/hard light sci-fi magic, the Covenant energy swords. Thanks for nerding out with us for a minute.
BTW the Arbiter's energy sword from Halo Wars 2 has a cool handguard. Search for Halo Wars 2 Forge vs Arbiter.
Disarms would be an interesting video.
in Halo: Reach there are also examples of a smaller wrist mounted plasma blade, kind of like in assassins creed; although they seem to mostly be used in grappling range like a rondel dagger.
Interesting pronunciation of "skeletal" with the hard second "e". Is that common in England? I've only ever heard it pronounced with a soft second "e". More of an "eh" sound.
an interesting topic that got me thinking. given the tendency of a weapon with this type of grip to roll in the hand, i think it could make sense for it to be used primarily for slashes and cuts. the positioning of the hand is likely better suited to resist forces put on the edge of the plasma sword. the argument that the shape of the weapon lends itself to thrusts may be based too much on the properties of metal and how they affect our construction and use of swords.
Theoretically the 'gap' down the centre of the blade could be a design requirement for the containment/(projection?) of the blade, or perhaps it could be an energy field that could repel or even dissipate the plasma field of another weapon as we are not talking about a blade of matter, but of energy; it may not be a 'gap' at all but an area where the energy field is not on the visible spectrum.
Ohh any chance you could do a video on the boarding axe/blunderbuss type thing? I've seen them in museums in Europe but I don't recall seeing one in any media.
Two of my great loves colliding!
Matt entering the gaming weapons? oh yes please
Brilliant video. We absolutely ought to see some sparring with this weapon
What you say about using the weapon sparingly due to energy consumption, I think highlights the real-world sparing of use which may have often accompanied earlier less-durable steels. This also varies greatly from place to place, such as between Medieval Europe and Japan at the time.
I've always thought that the gap in the middle was because that was where the magnetic field is that holds the plasma emissions together. Looking at the handle, there seems to be some sort of emitter in the center, so that's the theory I'm leaning towards.
I think with the battery power they could mitigate this issue by carrying multiple blades on them, its small enough it could fit in a sort of grenade pouch on their side.
The limited power supply effecting how you use it it true.
I remember in halo 2 always saving the sword for areas where there were a lot of flood opponents
Wooo, been waiting for this vid forever!
17:00 Didn't Japanese used katana in the same way? Trying to hit the opponent as soon as possible, because edge is britle and would be chipped easily if you hit other weapons?
This is incorrect. The brittleness of historical katanas is vastly overstated, it's a myth that arose as a counterreaction to weeaboos and a misrepresentation of the earlier tachi snapping against Mongol cuir bouilli (which happened because they got stuck and couldn't handle the flex, not because the blades were pathetically brittle.) Europeans and Chinese alike do not mention swords snapping when fighting Japanese in the Renaissance.
I don't know if you covered this already but
Could you make a video about the Folding Blade from Dishonored?
And while you're at it could also make commentary on the other swords featured in the game? I'd love to hear historical contexts in there.
The gap could basically be fixed if it was small enough that a weapon couldn't pass through. If it got down to 1mm, the vast majority of weapons would get stuck. Ideally you could adjust it based upon enemy weapons, so if their thinest weapon is 3mm, then a 2.9mm gap to make it look like cutting down the gap is possible.
Just so you know, the swords being self destructive was a feature of the first game, Halo Combat Evolved, where the weapon wasn't usable by the player character. Later games made it available to the player.
Well in most cutscenes etc, where a heavily armoured opponent (Spartan) is dispatched, thrusts are usually used. Alternatively if you're an elite elite warrior and you're hacking your way through a heap of light infantry like UNSC marines etc big wide hay maker swings is perhaps going to clear multiple victims at once.
I'd like to make the point that we can swing from the shoulder across our body because of how we stand. We stand straight up, but the elites stand hunched over, so I would think it's a little more difficult to slash like we do
I just thought of this put the ass, so I ain't sure how correct I am. Please feel free to prove me wrong
@lucithomas9833 no I think you have a point when you watch elites use their sword you rarely ever see them slash up to down, they usually either stab or if they do slash it's side to side also the way some of their armor is shaped looks like raising your arm high above you would be difficult. I don't think there are any official statements on this tho
throughout the halo canon there are a few variants of the energy sword in terms of design that was usually an outcome of high status or special operatives. a good example would be the Arbiter (war master) in Halo Wars. His sword had slimmer plasma prongs that also caused it to have a bigger gap in the middle, Buuuut it had a rounded handguard to compensate ! (aaand he dual wielded cause why not)
There would be an additional thumb tendon. One on the radius and one on the ulna. It would definitely change the way you swing. They'd probably have stronger wrists that don't need the bracing a katar does.
In Halo Reach for the takedowns the Elites have a plasma blade that is closer to the Katar in typical length. The Spartans have a combat knife.
Would help to note that when two of these swords hit each other, it'll cause an EMP which temporarily disables both swords
I had a thought that the two separate blades might be somewhat like how tasers have two prongs. I also don't see why those particular aliens would be natural punches or thrusters
With how the Plasma Sword is used with a rather peculiar lunging motion from a low stance in Halo, I have to wonder if the two blades and thrusting style emulates some kind of horned creature in the Sangheili home planet? I always likened the plasma sword attack to a goring motion from bulls. The wide base may be reminiscent of a head, with the blades being horns?
Hi, I am from Canada, being an old halo fan Ive come to imagine that sword more as a ceremonial sword use in sparing ritual in the nobleness of that specie as you described more that a purposly battlefield deseign sword. Imagine of one of the rules of sparing is to actually hit the opponent hands in bettween the blade to harm their hand and break their sword insted of actually killing eatch other. We also have to note that only high ranks do have acess to thoses weapons because not all of them have the noble rank to have it. So I beleive army generals should be very proud and of their skills and their sword and that would led them to use it on the battlefield even with those defects to show power to his relatives. 😀
Since you have a dagger in your hand, I will ask you about the Roman pugio dagger. What do you think about him? Do you agree that this wide shape was better defensively? Was it about practical advantages, e.g. the ability to sharpen for longer without damaging it, or better cutting of food?
I kinda wonder if the blades need to be separated to keep them from shorting out: the arcing electricity would suggest some sort of polarized charge between the two...
🤔
My personel head cannon about the center gap is that it's a remnant of what it looked like when it was just a simple steel sword.
Burn Blades the predecessors to these weapons are also very cool. A Sanghelli splinter faction that basically hides away from the galaxy for 1000 years has some that work even after hundreds of years, they also sound horrible to get killed by
Some of them have a basket for hand protection. Also on the not of the 2 separate blades, sangheili have 2 hearts afaik? May have something to do with that but no idea
I remember when I used to play 2 & 3 before I stop playing games. The sword & shotgun was good for close maps.
Since a Sangheeli have a second thumb and by extension the muscular structure in the forearm to support that, they should in theory be able to perform wrist flicks with the tip much more effectively and strongly than a human can. That still doesn't have much range of movement as a full cut, but the sturdier hammer grip and stronger muscles in the forearm would mean that they would have an advantage in the bind when it was originally a steel weapon. As a plasma weapon, a flick cut delivered from a strong wrist and grip would easily take off a man's hand.
Look at the disc weapon in Krull, or the weapons in the Beastmaster
Every time you swing the sword in your video I feel the need to ask - are self inflicted ear injuries a thing in historical sources? :D
It seems to me that energy swords are their equivalent of our rapiers in terms of functionality and cultural symbolism.
I wonder if the dual points help with overwhelming energy shield systems? Alternatively, perhaps the swords are capable of reducing power to one side or the other so as to focus all the force onto whichever point is encountering less resistance, like when trying to pierce in between armored plates?
Either way, I'm assuming that this functions more or less like a solid object otherwise, ofc.
Friendly FYI, the H in sangheili is not silent and really should be read as Sang-heili.
The easiest way to explain the gap would be that you can shoot plasma bolts with that, but I guess that is not fitting to the setting of the mighty close quarter warriors.
Great video Matt. How do you think this plasma blade compares to a lightsaber?
Also, it would be good to kmow your thoughts on one of Dequitem's recent duels, where he uses a military flail. Pretty scary stuff
Drinking game, take a shot every time Matt says Fundamentally, expert mode; whenever he says essentially.
Great video
you owe me a new liver ! !
You mention Lightsabres and how a double blade version would have issues. However you forget that Lightsabres are no longer capable of producing lethal injuries.
Concerning that gap in the middle, I was quite pleased to have come to the same bind theory as you. However, after thinking about it some more and listening to the other points you make, I'm not convinced it's a great explanation. First of all - and I speak out of ignorance here, having no HEMA or other martial arts experience myself - it seems like the gap is a little bit too narrow to reliably use for binding. I feel like you'd need to be particularly precise if you were to use it that way, or am I wrong to think that?
Second, if you wanted to have that gap for binding or some similar practical purpose, I can't think of a reason you couldn't still close it off at the bottom to give the hand some protection anyway (so it would be a sort of single U-shaped blade, I guess, rather than two separate blades; I wonder if anything like that exists historically?).
And the third nail in the coffin for me was when you started talking about the battery power and its limited strikes and so on, I thought, "surely that must apply to parries and binds and so on, at least to some extent". So I'm assuming you'd be discouraged from doing that if it might cost you a chance at a fatal blow or something?
I imagine the original designer probably just thought it was cool and didn't think about it that deeply, but if I was writing for Halo and was challenged to explain why the gap exists on those swords I'd probably come up with some sci-fi technical reason for why it has to be that way (assuming that hasn't already been done).
I believe there is a technical reason, the weapon uses up the battery on hit because it discharges energy into the victim, and the two separate blades are like the two prongs on a taser, with each being a different pole. This would also mean the battery wouldn't be affected by binds or parries
15:50 Oh when you talk about those twisting motions : What I see is hand joints can break very easily. There are some exercises you can do to strengthen the hand joints but still overtwisting and it'll make a cracking sound very easily. D:
PS: Yeah the handle needs a protection bar, that gap is just too inviting. LUL
The next reproduction: The Halo Sword, by Windlass and Matt Easton.
Never did I previously know the PROPER way to say "ske-LEET-ul" 😅
I know this isn’t the point of the video, but in terms of the Katar, I’ve seen a few examples with curved blades, do we have any distinct instructions on how one should hold it? I see benefits to a more “sabre” hold (curving towards the user) as well as a birds beak/Kukri approach but that’s just my speculation , I have no practical experience either way.
The gap down the middle is to give the blood an avenue to pour out.
The blood instantly vaporizes from the intense heat, and the wound cartarizes with Third degree burns immediately afterwards. Meaning energy swords never cause bloodshed, just instantaneous death in most circumstances.
@@fallencrusader2975
The joke seems to have instantly vaporized the moment it reached you.
@@Ninjamanhammer Ha Ha Ha! Fools who talk about fullers!
You hear it so much that it's hard to tell apart from mockery!
I noticed the Falx is gone. Don't you have it anymore? Is that why we don't get the Falx testing video?
Can you tell sir which type of sword is used by blade in movie
I'm not a Halo player, but I've seen this and took the gap was due to energy fields. Seemed a bit narrow for blade catching.
My thought when you mentioned the form of the Sangheili hand was that the form of the blade could be an anthropomorphism from the two foreword fingers. It isn't very practical but cultural symbolism is often built into swords.
The energy sword can be used by other creatures (humans) as Master chief uses one (Halo 2 and further Halos) in game and also in the TV series
When it comes to the gap I would say that the gap doesn't really seem all that big so its not really all that likely that another is going to slide between that gap and I would also say that the fact that the gap not being all that big doesn't really make it the best design for trapping.If I was going to assume that the blade was like a starwars lightsaber in the way that it goes through the body I would assume that the gap would not really be too much of a hinderance or a detriment to the user but if the gap didn't need to be there I wouldn't choose for it to be there if I had to use it as a weapon.
If were talking about sci-fi weapons based on indian weaponry, may i suggest the "razor" from book series Red Rising from Pierce Brown. It's a sword/whip weapon that can swing forms on a whim and the author himself said that he based the weapon of the indian urumi.
Any thoughts on that ?
That was entirely too much fun.
Now I have a burning doubt: how does their wrists articulate? Having two thumbs means the wrist bends "up" and "down" with the same force? And elbows?
I need an alien anatomy book
I like that in Halo, due to game balance and shields, a melee weapon makes sense.
Those real katar handles look really brutal on the hand. What's it like to repeatedly punch through something with them?
Thanks, Matt.
Another "possibility" for the 2 blades is that one could use positive energy, and the other negative causing more damage when they short out.
Personally, I would want the "guard" portion of the energy blade to not point at my wrist so much.
I watch the Halo series, and I enjoy it!
* hides from attacks *
If i were to justify the gap in the blade design I would say that the two blades generated on each side couldn't touch or it would short the weapon in some fashion. You can see some of them have protrusions for minimizing the gap near the hand.
been a while since we had great videos like this, were fantasy and historical accuracy overlap
Could the gap in the blade be related to it's intended target? I don't follow Halo, but thinking in terms of design and evolution of historical human weapons, weapon design and construction evolved to be efficient in defeating armor and dealing maximum damage to a human body (organ damage / blood loss).
Presumably, this weapon was designed to fight other Sangheili and not humans. So is the gap in the blade optimized to defeat Sangheili armor and do maximum damage to a Sangheili body?