Then a bec de corbin was always a good choice. It’s a short spear, it’s beak is great for puncturing armor and if all else failed you can beat someone to death. It required enough metal that it wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than a good sword.
Let’s go, finally someone putting some respect on the Zweihander. Got such a cool fighting style, basically the dedicated sword for fighting multiple opponents
@@chrisblom121 the montante was pretty much the same as a zweihander the main difference is montante was Spanish and zweihander was German. The name is even the same in English they both mean "two handed" or "tow hander"
Jokes aside, seeing that coming at you on the battlefield must've been horrific.. especially in the hands of someone like a Knight because then you know they ABSOLUTELY know how to use it best.
@@agorman1341 you couldn't really parry a greatsword in the same way as other swords and alike weapons. The sheer momentum of the blade is going to more than likely knock your parry off course and it'd be very difficult to actually redirect the blade for the same reason.
Can confirm. As an amateur smith, I'll tell you that making a good blade over 30 inches long is not easy. I'm still very proud of my first kriegsmesser, even though it's kind of poorly balanced, and the edge geometry isn't great. I'm just happy that it held together.
@@codykrueger796 Mine has a 32" blade and a 10" grip, slightly shorter than most replicas, but I made it when I was a total noob. I've tried to reprofile the edge with a grinder, but it's really thicker than it needs to be, which hurts cutting, and the handling suffers because it doesn't have enough distal taper. Still, it's stood up to years of hard, abusive cutting.
@@lukediehl1210 nice, do you use it for fighting or work around the house? I used to do some black smiting so I know that still 32 in with 10 in handle is still pretty long and impressive
@@codykrueger796 Honestly, I use it more as a giant machete than anything, lol. It's rough, and the forging was pretty minimal. I jokingly call it my orc sword
That's funny, I overheard a girl on the bus talking about a guy, ''he said he was 6 feet, but he was obviously not, he wanted to hug me and I was like eww no'' Short guys don't have it easy ROFL
Just don't. I was forever salty that these slender weapons are made to feel like they weigh a fuckton in DS games. Then you get an actual slab on a stick and it is just as fast...
I had a +10 zwaihander for Ornstein and Smough. Took 60 tries but the zwai still _shreds_ them. 5 hits to kill Ornstein, staggers every hit. And Smough staggers every other hit.
People who are used to training with blunt steel are most likely to do so, as it’s not something that you think about unless you make yourself conscious of it. We don’t do it at our club partly because the hired hall floor is varnished wood, partly because of the head instructor’s own practices (caring for the integrity of all weapon tips, steel or otherwise, blunt and padded or not). But steel does make nice sounds, and a couple of the montante blades we have sing with proper edge alignment.
A Montante is honestly one of my favorite kinds of greatsword, seemingly basic design but surprisingly lightweight and with the right skills and training, it's truly an amazing weapon
@@m9ss9ngtextures16literally yes, in fact this is why nobody sane really spars with blunt weapons. You can't put enough foam on them or wear enough armor for them to be safe without radically compromising the usage; "big weight hits your head at high speed" is going to kill you whether the force is dispersed or not. The edge of a sword connects with a lot less energy than a hammer of comparable size and weight, even if it's concentrating it along a cutting surface rather than a blunt one. Fwiw, with enough armor everything becomes a blunt weapon (because the force still has to go somewhere) and with enough velocity everything becomes a cutting weapon (because nothing can hold shape against that much energy). For example, a sword against chain or plate is generally going to bruise rather than cut, and a bowling ball (or even a piece of straw) in a tornado will shear straight through a tree without deforming the surrounding area much.
"Greatswords are crude and brutal" or "European blades were blunt and heavy" is simple way of saying "the only thing I know about swordfighting is anime"
Well the problem is that anime often makes things have no weight so I am not sure about that. Personally I believe some games are at fault for spreading that idea, together with some hipsters wanting to make swords sound lame.
@@Tanandrum oh, for sure spread of that is in video games et cetera and I don't mind that, I kinda love that in some games Greatswords move like you are swinging a goddamn train, what I mean is that many people use works of fiction to try to pretend to be experts in practical field. Do I hate that my character swings a Collossal Blade in Elden Ring? No. Does it make me cringe when someone says that european knights were armored hillbillies who used blunted imitation of a sword? Yes, and I heard that many times from people who have no idea of sword fighting, forging and blade care(not saying I know a lot, but I research a bit for my literary work)
@@jakubdrabent8158 Yeah yeah, I get all that. I just commented because often I feel the opposite when I watch anime, with things being literally weightless and people flying around in full armor carrying ship sized swords.
I fell in love the first time I picked up a zweihander. I was so small but it felt like a part of the sword touched my soul and told me “I’m for you only”. It became my best weapon when I was training in a multitude of sword styles
Montante is so much fun to train with. I love reading the Godinho manuscript. You should go over how people expect you need lots open space to use a greatsword. but you see far more manuscripts explaining how to use them in city streets, back alleyways and onboard galley ships.
Streets and alleys are not a big issue and ships can have some wide spaces, especially galleys, but consider one with tighter corridor points bellow deck or inside a building, or temple corridor where you can not swing this thing like this not only from horizontal constrains but vertical ones too if ceiling kinda low.
@@galadballcrusher8182 The Montante sword can still thrust. You can also take the blade under the false guard with your left hand. Moreover, the first two-handed swords appeared just among the peoples who often use ships.
It frustrates me every time a weapon like this, in games, is portrayed as extremely slow and heavy. Not even my beloved Elden Ring does it right. Game devs should take a couple lessons in HEMA. Edit: to anyone saying "it's game balance", balance is just numbers, you can totally have a fast weapon and reduce the attack power. In the end, it's not game balance, it is media misunderstanding a sword. Game of Thrones does it too, and that's not even a video game.
Yeah, it's mainly a balance reason, that being said, they did just buff colossal attack speed so it is relatively speedy. Also spamming the thrusting attack to abuse your reach is surprisingly realistic, even if it's dummy broken.
@@lordderppington4694 The problem in Elden Ring isn't the speed, it's that it's swung like a street lamp; violently crashing into the ground and lumbering like it weighs eighty pounds. The same speed could be used with better form and the complaints would be sated.
Having just watched the medieval movie Ironclad, it was the closest depiction to how realistic a greatsword could be used on the battlefield. The most impressive part was the surprising agility and flexibility of a greatsword which coupled with its length, could be used to fight against several enemies simultaneously.
If i was a soldier in those eras i would've either asked for a halberd or a spadone (the Italian pocket zweihander). These are such great yet underrated weapons
I never really thought of greatsword as crude, since from the moment I began to study history as a child it clicked to me that swords got longer as time went on, with short gladius of ancient romans being about twice shorter than medieval longswords. So greatswords belonging in the next age after medieval times just felt natural to me. Of course with time I realised there were many, MANY exceptions to that rule, but still longer swords requiring better technology and resources remains a fact.
Another point to make is that, despite its size, it’s really not that heavy. If I recall, the average greatsword is usually around 7-10 lbs, because any heavier and you simply wouldn’t be able to use it for combat. Heavier greatswords of around 10-14 lbs were pretty much universally meant to be display items rather than actual weapons.
I love the thought of a man pulling out a huge greatsword during a duel The opponent, using something like a longsword or rapier, would expect an easy victory But to their surprise, the greatsword weilder is super skilled and dexterous, and the entire time, the opponent has to dodge and weave between the huge swings and arcs, and would just be massively off balance Subversion of expectations at its finest
You can tell how it works when you see how its supposed to be moved. Very cool to see what the arc and movement required looks like. an arm workout for sure!
Not to mention, generally you have to use a lot more brain power to use a montante than a longsword or similar. You have to plan ahead of every cut. Longsword, you're able to panic adjust and make unplanned parries and "blocks" in a way that is far easier than with a full two handed blade. In sparring with longsword, dussac, etc... I often end up parrying purely on instinct, something goes wrong, and drilled instinct puts my blade in a protective position before my conscious brain processed the threat. With montante, my arms and back just can't move the blade reliably fast enough as a panic response, the way it can with those smaller weapons.
This is why I love Tusk in Killer Instinct. His combos actually LOOK like how a person with a greatsword would fight. Those powerful and rapid swings as he twirls the blade so effortlessly are so damn cool.
Bronze age swords were often limited to around 2 feet long because they'd fold on impact due to the limitations of bronze (this changed in the late bronze age but then the bronze age collapse happened so we'll never know 🤷♂️), and steel warps and cracks when quenched, so the longer it is the more dramatic small errors are. To harden a long, narrow, flat piece of steel requires great expertise, luck, and high grade materials. In short, the great sword was infinitely harder to make than a spear and beyond utility it was also status for the Smith and the wielder.
something that I'll always remember is a description of how some pirate crews would send over great sword users first who would clear an area for the rest of their crew to come in on. The job was considered dangerous so it got 1 and a 1/4 shares of the loot instead of 1 share. Of course the goal was always to avoid a fight as much as possible, but pirates sure did have some clever tactics.
One of my favourite quotes about greatswords goes, 'You see a guy with a greatsword and you think "There is no way in hell that guy can possibly fight with that thing, but if he can, there is no way in hell I'm going to be the one that fights him."'
People also often forget that the further the tip of the sword is from your hand(s), the faster it will move. You're hand(s) only moves a small distance, and the tip of the sword obviously moves a much larger distance in the same amount of time. Two hands might move somewhat slower than one and with the added weight, albeit small, but with that little extra force required, and output, the speed of the tip becomes just as, if not more, dangerous.
Funnily enough, you're not far off. According to a few medieval theories in regards to making a custom longsword. Any person 6'2" and over would technically wield a greatsword.
greatsword guardsmen spinning their sword like a darksouls fight above their heads while the lowly pickpocket looks in fear after it tried to rob the vip
imagine being a 4x blessed by the dark gods Chaos Warrior that gets chopped up by an Empire Greatsword who is actually close to retiring age i love Greatswords
When did the Greatsword become crude though? There's nothing as cool and elegant as a giant sword that gives you the reach of a spear, hacking power of an axe and the control of a blade.
The only thing brutal about greatswords are the Dragonslayer from Berserk. “That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.”
Nope. Too big and yes actually, too slow. Smaller and faster one handed weapons were the primary weapons of berserkir and ulfthendar. They were more shock troops, though many stories exist about them fending off countless foes. The light weapons and borderline insane tactics is what enabled them to be so effective. That and the cocktail of poisons and herbs.
I got into an argument with some people where they were saying it’s main purpose was to smash and mangle armor like it’s nothing and I’ve asked several times for an example and I still don’t have one, I told them it’s just a longer sword that is good against pikes, but I’m tired of arguing with them.
Why do all these sword youtubers spend so much time bashing Star Wars and claiming spinning doesn't work, then ten minutes later show you with grace how spinning a blade is effective?
It's effective here due to the blade length and weight. As lightsaber doesn't need spinning to counter the weight and inertia, that is why spinning is ineffective.
When they say that, it usually refers to the person spinning themselves, which turning your back to the enemy is a good way to get killed. And otherwise, context is key. For the weapon itself, a lightsaber doesn't need to be spun because the blade doesn't have any weight and thus has no momentum. Really, a lightsaber would probably used a lot more like a rapier, smallsword or backsword because of its nonexistent blade weight.
The real problem is when the *person* is spinning. Spinning the sword itself *but not the wielder* works sometimes, depending on what kind of sword, but generally speaking, a "spin attack" as seen in most video games would be a bad, bad idea.
In the video game, it recognized as a heavy main melee weapon and you cannot swinging it faster because it is heavy. But in reality, it's not that heavy.
I think the only "Crude" Weapons are the ones made of sticks and rocks basically. Anything that takes a craftsman to make or an adept fighter to make it useful can't be crude
Halfway through I was thinking that it was used for large opponents as well then I remembered that there was no 10 foot tall Goliaths walking around in the 1500s
Alec Steele has done some really good series about making long swords. Even with modern equipment it can be tricky to make sure a blade stays straight while it cools after forging.
Love these vids. Makes me wish there was a place around here to learn swordsmanship. I love learning about the specific weapons, their origins, and how they're meant to be wielded.
And also one of my favorite things to use in one on one sparring. The large arcs being horizontal or vertical always can keep people using smaller weapons at a distance, going for the legs is something people usually don't expect, and a stab into a large horizontal swing is a huge way to throw less experienced fighters off
and dont forget making a sword that big has a huge chance of warping on heat treat , and they used water quenching back then which increases the warp chance . blacksmiths back in the day were really on some next level shit with the little they had . anything but crude , ive come to love all weapons for their differences in function
The most legendary master of a MONTANTE was the spanish warrior Diego García de Paredes became a legend named in all the known world using his MONTANTE. Many deeds were known, one of many was the defense of a bridge, holding a full army of french soldiers alone with his montante (Batle of Garellano Bridge, 1503). As you say, the use of this weapon by the few who could master it, was specially useful to hold and fight hordes of enemies. Note: Diego García de Paredes' height was more than 2 meters.
I love greatswords and have grown VERY bitter to how they're portrayed in most fantasy media. Yes they require strength but they're not "unga bunga" weapons for meatheads, they require just as much finesse and skill as a rapier, just more physically taxing and with techniques focused on momentum and dancing with the blade.
the one issue i have with elden ring and dark souls is how they deal with greatsword movesets. granted that elden ring has a few greatswords that dont use the big smashy moveset, but theyre in the minority and before anyone says anything, yes, there are light greatswords, but they have inspiration taken from a specific odd weapon if i recall correctly
"I want a spear, but I refuse to look like a peasant."
Although it can kinda (effectively) be used as a spear, the best way to use a two handed like this is way different
Made me laugh tho, cheers
Greeks: "excuse us but how is the spear a peasant weapon?"
Then a bec de corbin was always a good choice. It’s a short spear, it’s beak is great for puncturing armor and if all else failed you can beat someone to death. It required enough metal that it wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than a good sword.
This comment needs a love button lol
@@thenexus8384 Because it took a lot less metal than other weapons and doesn't take much skill to use
Infantry: "Sir Knight The Honourable Chad, why don't you use a spear like the rest of us?"
Sir Knight The Honourable Chad: "Swords are cool."
@@Channel-wu Swords are REALLY cool.
nah it'd be more like "i was trained in the art of a sword so i shall use it"
That's a spear with a sharp shaft
@@jamie_d0g978 that is true
@@jamie_d0g978i mean that a oddly correct way to see it
Let’s go, finally someone putting some respect on the Zweihander. Got such a cool fighting style, basically the dedicated sword for fighting multiple opponents
Montante. But I agree with the sentiment about putting respect on classic medievil swords
Bro tf he litteraly says it a montante
@@chrisblom121 the montante was pretty much the same as a zweihander the main difference is montante was Spanish and zweihander was German. The name is even the same in English they both mean "two handed" or "tow hander"
@@greathorned0wl759 Didn't know there was a sword so big that it required a tow.
@@The_True_Mx_Pink i meant two hander
Medieval riot control: "Get back! *I said get back!* " *Starts sword dancing*
The +2 to physical attack really makes a difference...
Jokes aside, seeing that coming at you on the battlefield must've been horrific.. especially in the hands of someone like a Knight because then you know they ABSOLUTELY know how to use it best.
@@kieranadamson3224that AND you knew limbs were about to fall off
@@kieranadamson3224you could try to parry it, i guess
@@agorman1341 you couldn't really parry a greatsword in the same way as other swords and alike weapons. The sheer momentum of the blade is going to more than likely knock your parry off course and it'd be very difficult to actually redirect the blade for the same reason.
Can confirm. As an amateur smith, I'll tell you that making a good blade over 30 inches long is not easy. I'm still very proud of my first kriegsmesser, even though it's kind of poorly balanced, and the edge geometry isn't great. I'm just happy that it held together.
How big is a kriegsmesser?
@@codykrueger796 Mine has a 32" blade and a 10" grip, slightly shorter than most replicas, but I made it when I was a total noob. I've tried to reprofile the edge with a grinder, but it's really thicker than it needs to be, which hurts cutting, and the handling suffers because it doesn't have enough distal taper. Still, it's stood up to years of hard, abusive cutting.
@@lukediehl1210 nice, do you use it for fighting or work around the house? I used to do some black smiting so I know that still 32 in with 10 in handle is still pretty long and impressive
@@codykrueger796 Honestly, I use it more as a giant machete than anything, lol. It's rough, and the forging was pretty minimal. I jokingly call it my orc sword
@@lukediehl1210 This is amazing intel. Thank you for sharing.
"Cruel and brutal 👹”
“Or is it? 😊”
Brutal in terms of inflicting damage to your enemy but not yourself.
When you are swordsman but don't really want to get too close.
The whole point of using a 2 handed sword is to avoid getting too close to the other guy
@@jaketheasianguy3307 and also more arms = more strength = more damage
@@TK-yh5zz arma ? ✌️
Made for shy swordsmen
To be fair, that is the point (ha) of a sword 🤷🏻♂️
"I don't date guys shorter than a great sword."
That's funny, I overheard a girl on the bus talking about a guy, ''he said he was 6 feet, but he was obviously not, he wanted to hug me and I was like eww no'' Short guys don't have it easy ROFL
@@K4inan poor loosers lmao
Manlets cope.
5'3" over here. Tremble before my towering form.
I’d date him anytime
@@wastrelperv179cm (5'9'', Americans).
You dropped this, Short King 👑
“It was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.”
GRIFFITH!!!
That takes.....GUTS
Then a MadMan swing that damn thing around like it was an ordinary sword
Dis di-
Yeah the guts references
PUT YOUR GRASSES ON, NOTHIN WILL BE WONG
"Perish foul creatures! I am Siegmeyer of Catarina, and you shall feel my wrath!"
Garbage game and series
@@wallacesousuke1433 nuh uh
@@wallacesousuke1433 bros not skilled enough to play this game
@@Catchityes except I beat DS1 and DS3 at level 1? LOL
@@wallacesousuke1433 then why complain?
Chaos zweihander +15 irl
the goddamn BASS cannon
The legend never dies! Wut rings u got?
@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight what are you? casul?
Just don't. I was forever salty that these slender weapons are made to feel like they weigh a fuckton in DS games.
Then you get an actual slab on a stick and it is just as fast...
I had a +10 zwaihander for Ornstein and Smough. Took 60 tries but the zwai still _shreds_ them. 5 hits to kill Ornstein, staggers every hit. And Smough staggers every other hit.
It's the way you talk smoothly while demonstrating without losing breath that I appreciate
That sound when you put it down 🔥
*It was too big to be called a sword...*
I cringe each time i hear its tip hit the ground :(
Yus. It is awesome:D
@@MidnightMagpie73 noooo its absolite cringeeeee xDDD
People who are used to training with blunt steel are most likely to do so, as it’s not something that you think about unless you make yourself conscious of it. We don’t do it at our club partly because the hired hall floor is varnished wood, partly because of the head instructor’s own practices (caring for the integrity of all weapon tips, steel or otherwise, blunt and padded or not).
But steel does make nice sounds, and a couple of the montante blades we have sing with proper edge alignment.
I’m gonna be honest, I’m learning so much about swords from your channel and it’s all gonna be used to write better sword scenes in my stories.
A Montante is honestly one of my favorite kinds of greatsword, seemingly basic design but surprisingly lightweight and with the right skills and training, it's truly an amazing weapon
Anything becomes a blunt force weapon if you hit hard enough
Me: _eyes up feather pillow_
so theoretically if I made a giant sledge hammer with foam on it it would be blunt force?
@@m9ss9ngtextures16Yes, Hit it hard and fast enough and it can cave peoples skulls in
@@m9ss9ngtextures16yes
@@m9ss9ngtextures16literally yes, in fact this is why nobody sane really spars with blunt weapons. You can't put enough foam on them or wear enough armor for them to be safe without radically compromising the usage; "big weight hits your head at high speed" is going to kill you whether the force is dispersed or not. The edge of a sword connects with a lot less energy than a hammer of comparable size and weight, even if it's concentrating it along a cutting surface rather than a blunt one.
Fwiw, with enough armor everything becomes a blunt weapon (because the force still has to go somewhere) and with enough velocity everything becomes a cutting weapon (because nothing can hold shape against that much energy). For example, a sword against chain or plate is generally going to bruise rather than cut, and a bowling ball (or even a piece of straw) in a tornado will shear straight through a tree without deforming the surrounding area much.
"Greatswords are crude and brutal" or "European blades were blunt and heavy" is simple way of saying "the only thing I know about swordfighting is anime"
Well the problem is that anime often makes things have no weight so I am not sure about that. Personally I believe some games are at fault for spreading that idea, together with some hipsters wanting to make swords sound lame.
@@Tanandrum oh, for sure spread of that is in video games et cetera and I don't mind that, I kinda love that in some games Greatswords move like you are swinging a goddamn train, what I mean is that many people use works of fiction to try to pretend to be experts in practical field. Do I hate that my character swings a Collossal Blade in Elden Ring? No. Does it make me cringe when someone says that european knights were armored hillbillies who used blunted imitation of a sword? Yes, and I heard that many times from people who have no idea of sword fighting, forging and blade care(not saying I know a lot, but I research a bit for my literary work)
@@jakubdrabent8158 Yeah yeah, I get all that. I just commented because often I feel the opposite when I watch anime, with things being literally weightless and people flying around in full armor carrying ship sized swords.
I for one know that this isn't true, lots of dudes in sekiro wield uncannily big odachi.
Also aren’t katanas actually heavier than like a longsword of equivalent length?
I live how he is wielding a sword taller than himself
My mans looks like he's 5'2" so a lot of things are taller than himself.
Am I the only one that loves it when he places the sword on the floor with the "donk" ?
Sword ASMR is the best
I have the exact opposite reaction. I know that no one is running around without the tip being blunt nowdays but it's still very unnerving lol
I fell in love the first time I picked up a zweihander. I was so small but it felt like a part of the sword touched my soul and told me “I’m for you only”. It became my best weapon when I was training in a multitude of sword styles
Montante is so much fun to train with. I love reading the Godinho manuscript. You should go over how people expect you need lots open space to use a greatsword. but you see far more manuscripts explaining how to use them in city streets, back alleyways and onboard galley ships.
Streets and alleys are not a big issue and ships can have some wide spaces, especially galleys, but consider one with tighter corridor points bellow deck or inside a building, or temple corridor where you can not swing this thing like this not only from horizontal constrains but vertical ones too if ceiling kinda low.
@@galadballcrusher8182 The Montante sword can still thrust. You can also take the blade under the false guard with your left hand.
Moreover, the first two-handed swords appeared just among the peoples who often use ships.
When he started doing those circling attacks in the air at the same speed as a normal sword would probably be, I got really surprised.
If I've learned anything from vermintide, never underestimate the speed of a well utilized greatsword.
"i want a spear but with a REALLY long blade and a short handle.. "I gotchu"
It frustrates me every time a weapon like this, in games, is portrayed as extremely slow and heavy. Not even my beloved Elden Ring does it right.
Game devs should take a couple lessons in HEMA.
Edit: to anyone saying "it's game balance", balance is just numbers, you can totally have a fast weapon and reduce the attack power. In the end, it's not game balance, it is media misunderstanding a sword. Game of Thrones does it too, and that's not even a video game.
I think in video games it's more a balance reason.
Yeah, it's mainly a balance reason, that being said, they did just buff colossal attack speed so it is relatively speedy. Also spamming the thrusting attack to abuse your reach is surprisingly realistic, even if it's dummy broken.
@@lordderppington4694 The problem in Elden Ring isn't the speed, it's that it's swung like a street lamp; violently crashing into the ground and lumbering like it weighs eighty pounds. The same speed could be used with better form and the complaints would be sated.
Diablo 3 got it right. 2-Handers have 1.1 to 1.2 attack speed typically. Slower than one handed, but it's much faster than you'd think.
Kingdom come deliverance would of made it look immersive and genuine
Having just watched the medieval movie Ironclad, it was the closest depiction to how realistic a greatsword could be used on the battlefield. The most impressive part was the surprising agility and flexibility of a greatsword which coupled with its length, could be used to fight against several enemies simultaneously.
If i was a soldier in those eras i would've either asked for a halberd or a spadone (the Italian pocket zweihander). These are such great yet underrated weapons
That sound every time he puts it down... satisfying AF.
I’ve been curious about greatswords since I saw one in a medieval arms exhibit. Thanks for the video!
I never really thought of greatsword as crude, since from the moment I began to study history as a child it clicked to me that swords got longer as time went on, with short gladius of ancient romans being about twice shorter than medieval longswords. So greatswords belonging in the next age after medieval times just felt natural to me.
Of course with time I realised there were many, MANY exceptions to that rule, but still longer swords requiring better technology and resources remains a fact.
Another point to make is that, despite its size, it’s really not that heavy. If I recall, the average greatsword is usually around 7-10 lbs, because any heavier and you simply wouldn’t be able to use it for combat. Heavier greatswords of around 10-14 lbs were pretty much universally meant to be display items rather than actual weapons.
I love the thought of a man pulling out a huge greatsword during a duel
The opponent, using something like a longsword or rapier, would expect an easy victory
But to their surprise, the greatsword weilder is super skilled and dexterous, and the entire time, the opponent has to dodge and weave between the huge swings and arcs, and would just be massively off balance
Subversion of expectations at its finest
Also a popular weapon for bodyguards. One guy could hold up an entire corridor or alleyway swinging it around while the principal makes the escape.
You can tell how it works when you see how its supposed to be moved. Very cool to see what the arc and movement required looks like. an arm workout for sure!
Not to mention, generally you have to use a lot more brain power to use a montante than a longsword or similar. You have to plan ahead of every cut. Longsword, you're able to panic adjust and make unplanned parries and "blocks" in a way that is far easier than with a full two handed blade.
In sparring with longsword, dussac, etc... I often end up parrying purely on instinct, something goes wrong, and drilled instinct puts my blade in a protective position before my conscious brain processed the threat. With montante, my arms and back just can't move the blade reliably fast enough as a panic response, the way it can with those smaller weapons.
As opposed to... We have a scythe and need a weapon, we're turning it 90 degrees and it's a glaive now
I dunno what it is but something about the greatsword clinking against the floor is super satisfying.
This is why I love Tusk in Killer Instinct. His combos actually LOOK like how a person with a greatsword would fight. Those powerful and rapid swings as he twirls the blade so effortlessly are so damn cool.
Those swings got "if you get hit, its your own fault" energy
Bronze age swords were often limited to around 2 feet long because they'd fold on impact due to the limitations of bronze (this changed in the late bronze age but then the bronze age collapse happened so we'll never know 🤷♂️), and steel warps and cracks when quenched, so the longer it is the more dramatic small errors are.
To harden a long, narrow, flat piece of steel requires great expertise, luck, and high grade materials. In short, the great sword was infinitely harder to make than a spear and beyond utility it was also status for the Smith and the wielder.
Always find it amazing how much he knows he definitely does his research goo at his job
something that I'll always remember is a description of how some pirate crews would send over great sword users first who would clear an area for the rest of their crew to come in on. The job was considered dangerous so it got 1 and a 1/4 shares of the loot instead of 1 share.
Of course the goal was always to avoid a fight as much as possible, but pirates sure did have some clever tactics.
I still love how Montante techniques take a large sword and spinning, two commonly bad ideas in combat, and bring them together to make them viable.
One of my favourite quotes about greatswords goes, 'You see a guy with a greatsword and you think "There is no way in hell that guy can possibly fight with that thing, but if he can, there is no way in hell I'm going to be the one that fights him."'
The longer sword is more modern than its shorter counterparts,
*Seems accurate*
Watching someone doing those crowd-clearing sweeping strike motions properly with a greatsword looks both elegant and devastating.
"Aye, me bottle of scrumpy!"
speaking of which, cider o' clock 😏
Video game developers: "Nah, it's a sledgehammer but...like...faster"
That *CLANG* whenever you set it down is perfect
Berserk 2016 approves
A little bit too much, actually...
People also often forget that the further the tip of the sword is from your hand(s), the faster it will move. You're hand(s) only moves a small distance, and the tip of the sword obviously moves a much larger distance in the same amount of time. Two hands might move somewhat slower than one and with the added weight, albeit small, but with that little extra force required, and output, the speed of the tip becomes just as, if not more, dangerous.
To us 6'5" and up i guess its a...sword?
All size jokes aside. Huge fan! Been watching your vids for a while now!
Funnily enough, you're not far off. According to a few medieval theories in regards to making a custom longsword. Any person 6'2" and over would technically wield a greatsword.
*I love your channel and what you just said. Because it's exactly what I wanted to hear.*
Try reverse grip
impossible to get an effective attack in if it is not overhead or sideways but to do that without one hand it would require lots of strengh
You would prob break your wrist
That'll break your hand.
Then, Sellsword Arts will break your skull.
Weak bait, or incredibly dumb.
Fromsoft pretending they didn't hear that💀
“It ain’t great for nothing”
- 👑👴🏻
greatsword guardsmen spinning their sword like a darksouls fight above their heads while the lowly pickpocket looks in fear after it tried to rob the vip
Imagine pressing R1 when crouch poke exists.
I saw that sword in Dark Souls 1, it was very good, decent speed, good range and incredible damage
imagine being a 4x blessed by the dark gods Chaos Warrior that gets chopped up by an Empire Greatsword who is actually close to retiring age
i love Greatswords
When did the Greatsword become crude though? There's nothing as cool and elegant as a giant sword that gives you the reach of a spear, hacking power of an axe and the control of a blade.
The only thing brutal about greatswords are the Dragonslayer from Berserk. “That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.”
Always put me in the mood for hellish quart
That's the kind of sword a real one man army will use. Or a Nordic Berserker, if they could've just survived until the time the first one was made.
Nope. Too big and yes actually, too slow. Smaller and faster one handed weapons were the primary weapons of berserkir and ulfthendar. They were more shock troops, though many stories exist about them fending off countless foes. The light weapons and borderline insane tactics is what enabled them to be so effective. That and the cocktail of poisons and herbs.
@@annoyedmarine1578 Greetings Brother.
Greetings.
I got into an argument with some people where they were saying it’s main purpose was to smash and mangle armor like it’s nothing and I’ve asked several times for an example and I still don’t have one, I told them it’s just a longer sword that is good against pikes, but I’m tired of arguing with them.
Why do all these sword youtubers spend so much time bashing Star Wars and claiming spinning doesn't work, then ten minutes later show you with grace how spinning a blade is effective?
Gotta get that interaction somehow I guess. Saying dumb things about a popular franchise is an easy way to get "engagement"
It's effective here due to the blade length and weight. As lightsaber doesn't need spinning to counter the weight and inertia, that is why spinning is ineffective.
When they say that, it usually refers to the person spinning themselves, which turning your back to the enemy is a good way to get killed. And otherwise, context is key. For the weapon itself, a lightsaber doesn't need to be spun because the blade doesn't have any weight and thus has no momentum. Really, a lightsaber would probably used a lot more like a rapier, smallsword or backsword because of its nonexistent blade weight.
Spinning yourself leaving your back exposed.
The real problem is when the *person* is spinning. Spinning the sword itself *but not the wielder* works sometimes, depending on what kind of sword, but generally speaking, a "spin attack" as seen in most video games would be a bad, bad idea.
"Crude and brutal, or is it?" *vsause music*
The sound of that metal hitting the ground made my testosterone go up by 5%
I recieve severe Vsauce flashbacks by this intro and I love it
The greatsword is king of all swords. What a beautiful work of art!
In the video game, it recognized as a heavy main melee weapon and you cannot swinging it faster because it is heavy.
But in reality, it's not that heavy.
Holy moly! A durable spear!
Only greatsword that should be considered "a hulking brute, crude and brutal" is the Dragonslayer from Berserk
I think the only "Crude" Weapons are the ones made of sticks and rocks basically. Anything that takes a craftsman to make or an adept fighter to make it useful can't be crude
Beautiful way to explain the great sword ⚔️🗡️
Halfway through I was thinking that it was used for large opponents as well then I remembered that there was no 10 foot tall Goliaths walking around in the 1500s
“Or is it?”
*vsauce music plays*
THAT is the blade of the ruined king. At least that's what the BORK resembles. So I cannot see that type of greatsword as anything else.
Finally this legendary channel blowing up like it deserves
These videos always pop up in my feed, and I'm not sure why, but I really enjoy these random sword and sword fighting technique videos.
That sound when the montante’s tip hits the ground…
…perfection.
Alec Steele has done some really good series about making long swords. Even with modern equipment it can be tricky to make sure a blade stays straight while it cools after forging.
Love these vids. Makes me wish there was a place around here to learn swordsmanship. I love learning about the specific weapons, their origins, and how they're meant to be wielded.
When you want a sword, but need to social distance
And also one of my favorite things to use in one on one sparring. The large arcs being horizontal or vertical always can keep people using smaller weapons at a distance, going for the legs is something people usually don't expect, and a stab into a large horizontal swing is a huge way to throw less experienced fighters off
«Or is it?»
Vsauce theme goes on*
I think know this is my new favorite sword
The most important part of wielding a Zwiehander is you don't level dex.
and dont forget making a sword that big has a huge chance of warping on heat treat , and they used water quenching back then which increases the warp chance . blacksmiths back in the day were really on some next level shit with the little they had . anything but crude , ive come to love all weapons for their differences in function
The most legendary master of a MONTANTE was the spanish warrior Diego García de Paredes became a legend named in all the known world using his MONTANTE. Many deeds were known, one of many was the defense of a bridge, holding a full army of french soldiers alone with his montante (Batle of Garellano Bridge, 1503). As you say, the use of this weapon by the few who could master it, was specially useful to hold and fight hordes of enemies. Note: Diego García de Paredes' height was more than 2 meters.
Slaying Dragon with a thick metal bar must be an old tradition from an older time then.
"or is it?" missed opportunity for Vsauce music
Respect to this guy for making he's voice rad to a simple man😂
I love greatswords and have grown VERY bitter to how they're portrayed in most fantasy media. Yes they require strength but they're not "unga bunga" weapons for meatheads, they require just as much finesse and skill as a rapier, just more physically taxing and with techniques focused on momentum and dancing with the blade.
mfw the sword spinning thing that Siegfried does with his sword is Historically accurate
I fell in love and appreciated greatswords when i played dark souls and Skyrim
Finally! Someone is giving proper respect to some of my favorite blades!
It made anvil falling sound when you put it on the ground
the one issue i have with elden ring and dark souls is how they deal with greatsword movesets. granted that elden ring has a few greatswords that dont use the big smashy moveset, but theyre in the minority
and before anyone says anything, yes, there are light greatswords, but they have inspiration taken from a specific odd weapon if i recall correctly
Dnd has shown me firsthand the badassery of the greatsword
Finally the gods have listened to my prayers.
The Zweihänder finally ❤