User blog comment:Lord Loss/Discussion of the Week: Longswords/@comment-1758220-20121119214105

Alright, let's talk about the Longsword, or as I like to call it:

THE TRIP-STICK (more on that later)

For starters, let's talk about how balanced this weapon is. It's fast, faster than the Greatsword, with equal range but less attack power. The combos are elegant and lengthy, with the ever-welcome possibility of an infinite combo, great for downed monsters.

The designs of these things are routinely great, with such stars as the Akantor Katana and the Guan Dao.

In 3rd generation, the added side-to-side fade slash and roundhouse slash along with the 3-level damage boost mechanic gave them a little extra bite. But online they are hell. When you've got a group of 2 or 3 of these things swinging around, especially on a small monster like Qurupeco, you can understand how I came up with the little moniker I've given the longsword.

All in all though, the longsword is one of the most beloved weapons in the series, and here's hoping it becomes even more of a mainstay than it already is.