Tobias Capwell is an independent scholar, curator, an expert on arms and armor, as well as a historical advisor for movies and TV. In this video he reacts to the armor and combat in 10 games featuring medieval, fantasy and historical weapons and armour.
Toby Capwell breaks down fantasy armor and weapons such as Geralt's Viper School gear from The Witcher 3, Solaire's Iron set from Dark Souls, as well as the iconic horned Iron and Glass armour from Skyrim.
How real is For Honor's crossover of Roman Centurion and Greek pieces? Is Kingdom Come: Deliverance still the most authentic and realistic example of video game armor? Does Link's armor from The Legend of Zelda have and real world inspirations?
Tobias Capwell is an American historian who lives and works in London. His principal interest is in European arms and armor of the medieval and Renaissance periods. He has written and spoken extensively on both the historical and the practical aspects of his subject.
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - Dark Souls
03:42 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
07:39 - For Honor
10:43 - Kingdom Come: Deliverance
13:33 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
16:28 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
18:29 - A Plague Tail: Innocence
21:52 - Total War: Medieval II
23:23 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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Toby's Instagram: / tobiascapwell
Check out Toby's books:
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All about Tobias:
independent.academia.edu/Tobi...
Medieval Weapons & Armor Expert Rates 10 Video Games' Armor Sets
Send this man in on a full episode of Monster Hunter armor sets. I wanna see how long he can make it.
Some of them aren't that bad, but some of the lighter stuff or more wild elder dragon armor would drive him insane
@@DracoSafarius I agree there. Most of the G rank stuff for sure
Torture is prohibited by Geneva Convention.
No
Oh god no
I think in Sekiro, the context is that the armored warrior actually is a European knight who's traveled to Japan seeking to cure his son's illness. So he's not wearing Japanese armor that incorporates some European elements. He's just wearing European armor in Japan.
And happens to be 4 meters tall.
There are Japanese elements in his suit of armor though, definitely are. Mask and "tail" around the helmet do not look European. Some kind of hybrid suit, modified for maximum protection.
@@1IGG MC is just your average 1.5m japanese guy
@@mauser98kar He probably repaired and replaced pieces over time with locally sourced stuff.
@@mauser98kar Yes, but that's the point. It isn't Japanese armour with European elements. it is European armour with Japanese elements, like the mempo and shikoro attached to the helmet. When he is falling he shouts out "Roberto" which is his sons name. How many Japanese people do you know named Roberto? The dude is a knight from either Spain, Portugal or Italy.
Finally some praise put into Kingdom Come.
You must watch how real sword fighters react to Kingdom Come. At some point they just start commenting the fight and never come back to explaining realism:)
@@aleksandrdruziakin4645they actually based the swordplay from real sword fighters if I remember correctly so that would make sense. Only problem I had with game was motion sickness
It is the most historically accurate game to date with combat and armour. Not even mentioning all of the other features in the game. That's what makes it a difficult game to play because it doesn't go along typical RPG guild lines with gameplay. It is a great game I just wish I could finish it 💀
Henry's come to see us, Jesus Christ be Praised!!!
@@Maineabeast*THE ISSUE* is that KC will probably stay the only game like that, ever.
I think he would have loved hearing that Roberto's father is actually canonical European/Portuguese and not just a fantasy insertion of European armor designs in a Japanese setting
Yeah it seemed like he wasn't thinking of European character in a Japanese game, really interesting insights though
This guy is just a miserable reeditor. He says some fantasy is acceptable but then hates fantasy armour for being so fantasy based.
@@Canadianvoice this man is the Curator of one of the most Prestigious collections of arms and armor in the world, and one of academias foremost leading experts on the subject.
@@garrenbrooks4778 that doesn't change his personality?
@@Canadianvoice nor does it change your ignorance or your speaking without thinking, only highlights it.
Jonathan Ferguson will always be goated because he will approach it from a realistic point of view while also understanding and appreciating artistic licence.
the sword and fencing expert they had is also pretty chill. Jonathan and him seem very pleasant people to be around.
@@alpgnr7690 love that guy too!
The chap with the big moustache? That's Dave Rawlings! He's an awesome person, and not many people are as knowledgeable about HEMA as him. Love videos with him in.
@@lyooyiylklykyokyklky His review on the Star Wars Jedi Survivor combat was really good
He runs the London Longsword Academy here in the UK. If you are in the area he is well worth checking out! If not, find a HEMA class near you if you want to learn this stuff
Kingdom come is just the best game for a "real" medieval fighting feeling
A good example of how realism isnt fun. Ill take skyrim over kingdom come any day.
@@Rdasboss What are you talking about, Skyrim's combat mechanic is abysmal?
@@libertyprime1614 you mean you don't want to become a stealth archer who dabbles in dual wielding?
@@Rdasboss Once you get used to the combat, the game becomes extremely fun. It's an incredibly immersive RPG.
@@stephen9894 Skyrim is an excellent game, easily one of my favourites. The combat is a little shallow though. Mods definitely make combat more engaging.
I expected Toby to be savage and was not disappointed. "The middle ages according to playmobil" made me chuckle.
Wonder what he would say if you show him realism mods for Rome or Medieval. Having played lots of Europa Barbarorum as a kid, his criticism about the colors really struck me as familiar. In Europa Barbarorum I really loved how the colorful (if still 'earthy') ancient armies looked like.
@@dschehutinefer5627 EB was the best RTW mod. I wonder if they could mod the classical languages into RTW 2 or Attila from EB. Romans sound way better speaking Latin. Way more menacing than that American voice.
@@dschehutinefer5627 Yeah imagine if he was shown the Tsardoms mod.
“The Middle Ages according to Playmobil” is one of the most creative jabs I have ever heard
Important context for Glass Armour in Skyrim/ Elder Scrolls in general is that it's more akin to a metallurgical ore than what we would think of as glass. It's mixed in with other materials to make an alloy, which makes it strong and hold a really keen edge. Ebony in Skyrim/ TES is actually a type of volcanic glass which may be formed from Lorkan, a dead god's, blood.
just say it's magic.
@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883 but it's not
@@lillycline1414 what is not magic about a dead god's blood?
@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883 fantastical and magic are two separate things magic defies convention this does not it is simply a material with a set of properties it is essentially just amber but from a from a diffent source with the same same rules as any other real world material it doesn't have special properties aside from hardness wich isn't that out of the realm of normalcy daedric on the other hand is inherently magic
@@lillycline1414 jesus christ
I'd love to see experts like these paired up with people who know games well. Having some back and forth between 2 people is nice, in general. But also providing context for specific fantasy situations, magic/fantasy materials and ingame universe lore to contrast with historical accuracy, would be a fun addition. For me, that is.
I feel that. I think it would have been interesting to have his opinion, for instance, on the actual material the glass armor from Skyrim is made from ( it’s it’s closer to ore than actual glass)
Dude that's a great idea
@@adamseda1004He actually explained why It would be a bad idea to wear an armor made of a material that can't bend like rocks or glass because it breaks too easily but It's good to remember that glass armor in Skyrim are mostly made of elven metal which is rather flexible
Or, they could get an armor expert that knows video games. I mean, they've got to exist. I can't believe there aren't any that don't know games at all. This video was super frustrating.
I very much agree. Every time those experts don't really know contexts, materials or purposes of those armors which can change the entire image
“Whatever the opposite of a life preserver is, it must be armor” 😂😂😂😂
Frederick Barbarossa: "...and I took that personally"
@@MajorSkrewup no proof he drowned while wearing armor
Yeah one detail about kingdom come deliverance is that swords would often spark off of plate armor doing next to nothing while things like a mace would crush it dealing devastating harm. While with padded leather a mace would still hurt a lot but a sword would cut straight through it. Just an awesome detail that the developers actually took the time to learn and implement
That's why when I play it I use my sword for light and unarmored enemies while my mace or war hammer is for the more heavily armored ones.
They're kinda wrong about that tbh. The short-handled maces and war hammers you see in the game came about in the 12th and 13th centuries to deal with opponents covered head to foot in mail, which does a pretty poor job of resisting blunt impacts, but were pretty long in the tooth by 1403. Plate armour resists blunt impact quite a bit better than mail, so these short hammers and maces don't work very well against it. Your opponent won't *like* being hit by them, and they may make the target's life difficult by causing superficial injuries or damaging the joints and articulations that let him move in his armour, but it's going to take a long time and a lot of hits to put him out of action. It's generally a worse option than using a spear, sword or dagger and going for gaps in the plate. What you do see in the 14th-15th centuries when plate armour becomes common is the evolution of the war hammer into the pollaxe and various related weapons. These weapons take a similar striking surface to the war hammer but put it on the end of a 6 to 8 foot handle to get the striking power up high enough threaten (rather than just annoy) a man in plate armour. You also see spikes added to both ends of the weapon to allow it to be used as a spear and to be driven into the mail defending the opponent's armpits, elbows and groin. The basic design of the pollaxe is so effective that even if you make the hammer head out of rubber or plastic, it can still be dangerous. I do HEMA and fight in armour and it's not uncommon to find individuals or whole clubs who refuse to fight with "safe" rubber pollaxe trainers after getting numerous concussions through their steel helmets. I should mention that the short-handled maces and warhammers don't totally go away in the 14th-15th centuries. They get less common, but mounted knights and men-at-arms still sometimes carry them as backup weapons. They're small enough to easily be carried on the saddle and the extra impact force you get from your horse's movement makes them more dangerous than they would be on foot. They don't have a lot of reach, however, and were typically only used after the rider's lance and sword had been broken or lost (but this wasn't terribly uncommon). You also see mounted tournaments where fully armoured knights rode around whacking each other with wooden clubs of similar size and shape, and the last man still on his horse was the winner.
@@MisdirectedSashawhilst I doubt you could damage someone’s torso through a plate cuirass, the thinner arm and leg plates wouldn’t completely negate larger strikes, also CONCUSSIONS, don’t forget about concussions. :)
@@russellfisher1303 while it is possible to concuss someone through a steel helmet with a one-handed weapon, it's not exactly easy and contemporary helmets are somewhat resistant to blunt impacts due to their shaping. It's true that a mace is going to damage the armour with repeated blows, but it might not be a winning proposition to try to do that against someone with a thrusting weapon capable of piercing the mail protecting the gaps around your joints, for example. For foot combat in particular, something like a pollaxe with a longer handle and spikes for thrusting into mail is a better choice if it's available. The advantage of the one-handed mace is that it allows the use of a shield, but by the late 14th century they were starting to fall out of fashion. In fact, even a sword or dagger with a good point for thrusting is probably more useful than a one handed mace in most contexts.
@@MisdirectedSasha oh I get it now, one handed bashing weapons were primarily meant to counteract mail, but were less effective at dealing with plate to the point (pun) that you were better off trying to bypass the armor entirely with a thrusting weapon. Cool thnx man :>
Imagine if he had reviewed female armor from MMORPGs
We need to see that.
he would have an aneurysm lol
"just stab me now"
"hand me the bleach please"
*quietly hides Bikini Warriors blue ray*
I desperately wish someone gave him ANY context as to what he's looking at. Like the fact that the guy in Sekiro is actually a foreigner and not a a japense person in the armour or the fact that For Honour is explicitly a game about mixing different areas and time periods of the world to see them fight.
Or the fact that Glass Armor from The Elder Scrolls isn't made of glass. And is only named as such because of the resemblance.
He doesn't care about context. FFS with havel's armor from Dark Souls being made from stone and looking overthetop heavy and clunky, it was OBVIOUS that point of that armor was ''IT LOOKS RIDICULOUSLY COOL'' , and nothing more. Which he himself dismisses. by saying '' I don't care how cool it look'' , when looking cool is the sole reason why that armor exists.
@@RandomCorvid It actually is made from Glass. A volcanic glass
@@MsKeylas Wrong context, man. The real measure he should be working by is "does it make sense within the world of the game?". Havel's set wasn't designed to "look ridiculously cool" in the world of Dark Souls. It was designed by the giant smith to be used against dragons. Metal doesn't work well against lightning, and is usually too thin to do anything against them, so he went with ridiculously large and heavy equipment to fight them. This makes Havel's armor "well designed" despite it not making sense in our reality. It's valid to critique weapons and armor designed to look cool if they're blatantly ineffective in the fictional world and unjustified. Havel has an in-world reason for wearing his stone armor. Skyrim's armor can be critiqued on realism because Skyrim presents a rather realistic world in that blades really hurt exposed skin and humans on average have no superhuman resistances or strength. This is much more valid because Skyrim provides no sound explanation for the poor Iron armor design, it's clear that the devs didn't really think it through. This is also bad from a game design standpoint because Skyrim is a 1st person RPG meant to be immersive.
@@MrSignman65 "because Skyrim presents a rather realistic world" It is sad that The Elder Scrolls is now considered a more realistic fantasy now lol.
Would have loved to see him react to Kingdom Come's inventory with just how many parts of the armor you can mix and match.
I really love his analysis of Solaire's armor, he was supposed to have made his kit all by himself. It was amateur work, sturdy, but not that of a studied armorer. As with the focus on his heraldry. I love it.
Imagine telling him the best armour in dark souls is no armour
@@djdeemz7651wrong Havel ninja dodge
@@caosin3667 Flip Havel best
@@djdeemz7651Ah, I see you are also a disciple of the great art of the roll-y pole-y.
I love that Toby, as a jouster and a person who regularly trains armored fighting, has no patience for impractical armor.
Some armor is just preposterous and makes it hard to take what I am looking at seriously. While stuff like Geralt's armor having aesthetic gaps I'm perfectly fine with; chainmail bikini's, armor on one side of the body like Roddy Piper's Bad News Brown promo, and pauldrons the size of children, are less so. They were fun and fine when I was 13, but now they just look dumb to me.
Kinda looks like he has no patience for anything in general. Not trying to offend tho, I like his style and he knows what he's talking about
@@planescaped One of them I was ok with. In skyrim with creation club, there is seducer armor that is straight up just... fan service. So why do I like it? Because it isn't just women. You can wear it as a male character, it is entirely too small to stretch over your frame, and you just have a fist full of chest hair sticking out of it. It looks so completely ridiculous and highlights why it's ridiculous on women and I love it. It feels like a protest to fan service clothing.
He is a clown who has no place to be in such videos for one simple reason. He is missing the point of these videos and he doesn't care
Just last night I watched a lecture video he did where he was explaining the history of modern jousting, which he was quite excited about since, as a historian who is always studying and talking about history from more than a hundred years ago that he was detached from, he was getting to discuss history that he was a significant part of. I also love how he explains that they "accidently" made the same progression in armor and equipment advancements/improvements that the knights of old made in the sport of jousting, like watching that progression that may have originally taken place over a hundred or so years, condensed down to less than a lifetime. 😁
Wish you guys showed him how armour layered in Kingdom Come
Really they did a disservice by not giving him some more context in many of these games. If the game has a lore/magic explanation for a design choice, that sort of makes the real-world basis for criticism meaningless. The realistic non-magic fantasy armors are better choices for this.
Yeah, he probably though you would equip a whole set with a click and call it a day.
They should hire him for KCD 2 for those smaller details.
they already have experts on armor, weapons and fighting, they just barely showed him anything in this video and the game cant be too realistic because then no one will play it@@Leon-bc8hm
That's what I was thinking, but nevertheless it's satisfying to see him giving the game props
I would definitely watch this guy do a play through of Kingdom Come: Deliverance!! It would be like having a commentary track to a movie!!
The gameplay stream that I never knew I wanted
Agreed. Would love see him react to the game!
it would be a dream come true
Eh, too clunky.
I think he should come back to review some more of For Honor's armors. I think he'd like the later Gryphon sets where it goes full Rome/Greek hybrid
Honestly you could do a whole series with the different for honor characters. Stuff like the Warden compared to Warmonger Viking armors even into the Japanese
He probably wouldn't xD
I second this!
I love how during the Kingdom Come segment he ends up being impressed by not just the armor, but also by the combat animations and techniques. You know you have a winner when an expert can't help himself and compliments the rest as well. :D Definitely have him come back and react to Kingdom Come: Deliverance in general, please. Would love that!
3:30 Havel the Rock's armor is made out of dragonbone, which is basically a mystical stone-like substance that is more powerful than any ordinary stone, given it was also what made the Eternal Dragons, well, eternal. Also he wears an enchanted ring that actually makes him able to bear the load of his armor, the Ring of Havel. 18:20 It's not really glass, it's a sort of elven alloy made using something called moonstone and malachite, with some form of elven craft and magic involved.
Malachait is called glass because its raw form is crystallize from volcanos and looks like cyan glass shards. But the material is nothing even close to ordinary glass. To get refined Malachi, or glass ingots, you actually have to put it through a long and very crafty procedure and imbue it with moonstone, making the shard into a metal like lightweight protection.
🤓
@@Sottoththis whole video screams 🤓 so what's your point?
@@gamercreature2587 That's one of the strongest arguments I've heard in a while
@@ignaciodelavega4631wait, i made like 200 glass ingots in like 30 seconds 🤔🤔🤔
Absolutely cracking selection of experts you've got for these. Love Toby's work, especially his collaborative enedeavours with Tod Cutler.
The best game Kingdom Come Deliverance being recognised for it's superior attention to detail. Underrated game if you haven't played it yet or picked it up but never really got into it then go back and play it!
Yeah, great game. Unfortunately the combat system has a horrifically difficult learning curve. It will take you 10-15 hours of gameplay before you will get anywhere near basic competence in combat. Even in a back-breaker game like Bloodborne, you can essentially master the basics of combat within 2-3 hours.
@@Zayphar I think the point many may have missed is that you don't start out as the Dovahkin or the famous Witcher or anyone already special, you have to work your way up from 0. Fitting to the video the armour system in the game is vital to combat as a real medieval knight would have been near invincible except to other knights or a group of men holding him down and finding a weak point. At the start of the game you are a peasant in ragged cloth and the enemies are like knights to you, layers upon layers of armour and you can't touch them, I never found it so hard to fight but I never expected to be able to best a tank with a pistol in Arma so maybe that's an unfair advantage from previous experience 😂
@@judechauhan6715 In fact, the difficulty of combat in the early game caused a lot of players to drop the game, and I remember a lot of negative talk here on KZhead about this aspect of the game, and that probably hurt overall sales. This game was so good it should have been one of the few games to sell 10 million units or more. Instead, it sold about 1/2 that. That's great for an AA game studio, but it should have sold much better than that.
@@Zayphar Yes I recall the early dropping of it because all the reviews and forums were full of "it's too difficult" but I believe that still comes down as per my last comment that people misunderstood the premise and that you cannot go bumbling into a fight with a dragon at level 3 and walk away unharmed unlike other games which ended up being it's main revival selling point later down the line.
@@Zayphar That is definitely some valid criticism. Though I would argue that the issue isn't a steep learning curve, I find the combat to be too simple and monotonous actually, particularly in late game. The root of the problem is the game not communicating to new players how to learn perfect block and master strike, and how utterly outmatched you are without them, even in 1v1 encounters with basic bandits. Through a little Google search I was advised to visit Captain Bernard outside Rattay, spar with him for an hour or two, and have him teach me those crucial combat techniques. This can be achieved within 3 hours of starting a new game, but again, the game just doesn't tell you. Once unlocked you turn from a complete pushover to a perpetually hungry slaughter machine.
7:35 The "no helmet" thing is probably done for storytelling seasons to make the character more obviously human and identifiable as opposed to faceless goons with enclosed helmets. The same reason bad guys love to wear face shields or gas masks in videogames, films and so forth.
Absolutely, same reason it's done in film.
It's a shame though. A special helmet is as recognizable as a human face. The 2012 Judge Dredd movie was great for that.
obviously. but it's unnecessary. you can have them take it off and put it on. power rangers did it 🙃
@@GeezNutz Power Rangers gave them characterising colours, though.
He also has superhuman reflexes, awareness, and vision, so is better able to defend his head. Geralt's default armor also seems to be intended to maximize flexibility and primarily deal with glancing blows to the upper body and arms. He has a very non-standard fighting style, his job description isn't even primarily about fighting humans, and it's addressed in the story - he would probably lose to an actual knight errant using conventional tactics, and he knows it.
Dr. Capwell videos are always worth a watch. I learned more from one lecture of his on armor in art than I did from an entire college course (mandatory pre-req) on art appreciation. Wish they showed the DS1 Knight set though. I will note two things Dave should have. First, the sun heraldry was, explicitly, drawn by the wearer who is not a trained artist. Second, Elder Scrolls "Glass" is a nickname for a fantasy material that's nicknamed that because its transparent.
I mean, Elder Scrolls armour materials is a whole snake nest of confusion. Oh, Ebony? God scabs. Dwarven? Gods' bones. Daedric? Ebony, plus fresh demon blood. Stalheim? Never-melting ice. Bonemeld? It's in the name, guess. (Solaire having painted/stitched/whatever his own tabard & shield is such a sweet detail, though.)
@@danghostman2814*Stalhrim🤓
they cherry-picked some of the worst possible designs, didn't they? I think Dr. Capwell would've had a better time evaluating other armors from the Soul's series for sure!
I would have loved to see his opinion on the armours in Mount & Blade: Warband and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Same here, but I imagine the ones in WB are fairly accurate, if lo-poly. The ones in BL though, are a bit more fantasy-ish. Not all of them, mind, but you know.
I love mr. Capwell's work. It's nice to see him a little bit out his comfort zone. He's a bit more teacher-y than most people you have for these videos, but if you play into his strengths he's a great guy. Also, you should hire him as Chief-Elder-Scrolls-Reviewer-For-Life.
Glass armor in the Elder Scrolls isn't made of regular glass, it's made of a lightweight and durable crystalline mineral/metal. You should really have shown him the Daedric stuff. It's ebony (which in TES is an extremely dense volcanic glass/metal) quenched in demon blood, and would definitely make his head explode with how pointy and extra it is.
Apart from the specific Witcher armours, almost all of the armour in the Witcher 3 is very authentic to the medieval period. Especially the armour of the Redanian army. The swords in the game are all excellent as well.
All characters have authentic and realistic armors except Geralt. If he was to wear authentic looking armors, he would never be able to move/swing swords like in the game, I think Geralt only has one or two authentic looking armors.
Yeah, it's literally just Geralt. The cat and griffon sets are still very good, plausible armour sets, too.
The armour and clothing of CERTAIN FACTIONS in TW3 is vaguely authentic for a vaguely 14-17th century setting. So not Skellige for example.
Nilfgaard too? I think
The Witcher 3 probably does fantasy armor better than anyone else in video game history. The catch 22 is that by outright copying historical armors they open themselves up to a much higher level of scrutiny than other fantasy games.
Tobias Capwell slowly moving upwards on the "internet-fame" ladder, I remember the first time I came across Mr. Capwell's name in a Schola Gladiatoria video. Matt Easton introduced me to such a wild amount of good content.
My first time seeing him was in one of Todd(From Todd's workshop) armor videos
@@harleyx7332 Likewise, immediately took an appreciation for his expertise in this particular subject
he actually made lots of documentaries for the british TV when he was younger
I first saw him in channel 4 show “Weapons That Made Britain” back in 2004. It was a great and informative series.
One thing to remember about Total War Medieval II - you control a faction across potentially hundreds of years, and the rate and the timing with which you may unlock "knights on foot" (for example) is to a large extent down to how you play. So making the knights a kind of across the centuries mishmash makes sense, so they're always "a bit kinda right"... unless you want to have their style morph over time, which takes effort to design and space on the players hard drive, and you also have a thousand other unit types to create too! (The narration setting the actual date was probably because the player had chosen to play a historical scenario from the main menu, rather than launch a full single player campaign.)
The complaint regarding colors is also kinda impossible to work around especially in regards to a massive RTS like Total War. Your controlling thousands of troops with via tens of regiments on a large map from a zoomed out camera perspective. You have to really color code factions in order to properly identify your own units especially once the melee starts. Without it identifying what's your troops is much harder which is extremely detrimental in an RTS.
@@DALKurumiTokisaki other than the colour they glow and so on. Really insignificant.
@@DALKurumiTokisaki It's not detrimental at all in Total War. I would agree maybe in like Warcraft 3 or Starcraft, but in Total War, you're paying attention more to the big pop-up banners over your squads than the actual colours of the units. It's a valid complaint.
Glad you guys are getting more variety of people to make these videos, but it is a little hard to really connect with them. Reason Jonathan is so well liked is because he has played video games. He knows what goes into them and what the developers have to work with. He knows what the players want to see and that there is a balance to be achieved. So far I think he is the only one who really has that relatability and open mindedness that really makes him enjoyable to watch. When he featured, I both learn stuff and am entertained because he is good at doing both. It really is hard to find someone who can both teach and can relate.
That's important to keep in mind with the other ones. I think the channel should mention whether the experts are gamers or not, just to understand where they're coming from and why they're viewing things the way they are.
You’re going to be hard pressed to find someone more knowledgeable on armor though.
@@Specter_1125 yea, don't get me wrong he was very knowledgeable and clearly an expert and I did learn things that I'd never considered before. But he doesn't have the type of style that someone like Jonathan has where they can make it interesting and fun.
So Gamespot needs to find an expert in armor, be a gamer, and agree to be on this internet show. If they went it your way then there would be very few of these videos.
I feel like the reason is the tone of voice as he talks. With Jonathon, the usually sounds amused or befuddled-entertained when he comes across something nonsensical or weird to him. With Toby, he unfortunately comes across as being dismissive or strict when he encounters something that's weird to him , nonsensical, or he doesn't like. It kind of gives the vibe that Toby will look down on me if I find an armor set to look interesting but he's dismissive of it. In short, Jonathaon gives a "fair enough but it's still weird to me" on the nonsensical but Toby gives a "oo-kay? I guess you have your... tastes," with the implied "questionable" in the pause instead
I really appreciate how thorough Tobias's critiques were and his respect for the subject matter, even though it's fantastical in nature. The historical comparisons and his practical knowledge made this so much more interesting than just a superficial commentary.
Very glad to see Dr. Capwell added to the growing pantheon of experts. No surprise that Kingdom Come got such praise, but I had no idea about the actual historical details of the knight in Sekiro.
Dr., Homie, Dr. Capwell.
@@garrenbrooks4778 Right, my bad.
I loved how he was like wow this combat is really good because if I was in the room I would told him they had hema guys help make the game
Kingdom Come is getting some love
I love this idea for a series. There are so many armor sets that this guy could cover and offer his expertise on.
The Witcher 3 and Skyrim definitely deserved a bit more time, would love to see them again in future videos.
dawnguard heavy my beloved
I'd like to see him react to the even more outlandish armors like Daedric or Dragon.
I'd love to see him check out Daedric armour in Skyrim and see what he thinks when shown the GOAT Daedric armor from Morrowind.
@@corruptofficial8638 I think they both would get the glass armor treatment "It looks goofy and impractical. That's it"
@Verchiel Nah, that would be the Skyrim Daedric, the Morrowind Daedric looks more like actual armor plus they'd have something to say about the three different helmets.
Tobias Capwell is always a pleasure to listen to. Will absolutely be here for the other videos!
Toby is great in every video he’s in. Please bring him back for more love his perspective.
No
To add more context to Dr. capwells critique of Geralts Tousaint armor: it is absolutely true that not everyone who wore armor wore a complete harness with every component of protection available. As he did mention, its about priorities. Look at the craftsmanship of the armor, how richly decorated it is with the gilding, file and punch work, etc. If you could afford armor componets of that prestige you could certainly afford complete armor, helmet, voiders and all. As much as armor was fashion, the protection must always be the priority.
in his case i think its just to get ride of weight and free up his joints. no joke i think he purposely did this. his fighting style is dance like and hes by himself in the middle of god knows where, probably a swamp or ruins. you dont really want a full kit or in general to be weighed down in that type of situation and set up as it gets in your way and could possible be just as dangerous as the enemy. plus he uses magic and magic dosnt work well with armor, and theirs no way hes giving up his magic for more protection the helmet thou, ya thats on him. why dos nobody ever weir a helmet
Except he is absolutely wrong, if you look at heavy cavalry of the XIXth century they usually only wear a cuirasse and a small helmet or no helmet at all. Armor is also a trade off between protection and practicality. Other thing is wrong about is leather clothing, it was and still is something pretty common
@@Uryendel you completely bypassed the context of what I said, which was priority. The main factor in deciding what armor to to where is what you can actually obtain, and what you need it for. The Tousaint armor would be ridiculously expensive. Fire-gilded gold armor was something only really seen owned by kings and emperors. So we know the armor isn't incomplete due to cost. It's an oversight by the developers, nothing more. This is late 15th century inspired armor. Comparing it to 19th century cuiassiers, which were light cavalry (heavy cavalry didn't really exist anymore in the 19th century) isnt really apt.
@@garrenbrooks4778 it's not a late 15th century armor, the game is definitely in a post renaissance era. And regarding cuirassier not being heavy cavalry, how to say that... their ordonnance saber specifically say in its name that's an heavy cavalry saber, I don't know what you want more... Also why I compare with XVIII/XIXth century cavalry, it's because it's a professional army with standardized equipment (also it's an elite troop, that see actual battle, so if they needed more armor they would have gotten it). If you go earlier in time it's way more mercenary based with a lot more variance in the equipment. But if you want an earlier exemple lansquenet are often depicted with just a cuirasse or plastron
@@Uryendel if you're really telling me a four piece configured cuirass (breastplate, Backplate, placard, fauld) with gilding, fluting and file and punch work isn't inspired by 15th century gothic armour than you're not qualified to be part of this discussion.
"Why are you putting handles on your head?" I love it.
Thanks for putting the video together! Super informative in a fun way, loved it :)
Just want to plug the arrows vrs armor series that Toby Capwell did with Todd Cutler. If you want to see a historically weighted longbow shooting historically made arrows at historically made breastplate, go check that out!
Love the video, always been interested in armor. That said, I think you could improve future videos if you could provide some more context. Not to change Toby's mind or anything, just things like Geralt's armor being made to protect against monsters more than human opponents and to allow for his acrobatic fighting style, or that Elder Scrolls glass armor isn't actually glass, but a lightweight metal. Stuff that might enable him to make judgments on the armor's merits in the context of their setting in addition to realism.
Or the guy in Sekiro being an actual European knight who traveled to Japan.
Correction - there are historical findings of Roman cavalry masks on the sights of battles. It wasn't a tournament thing exclusively, it was used in combat. The issue, however, is that they weren't used by footsoldiers (as far as I recall, at least), which that character definitely is. P.S. 1. That guy in Sekiro despite speaking Japanese is canonically a European warrior. Portuguese, I think. I do believe that his suit of armor is actually a clever combination of Japanese and European elements. Perhaps it was cobbled up from his old gear he took from Europe and some local parts. There is definitely some kind of somen mask under his helmet, and the "peacock tail" around its basis looks made from Japanese lamellar armor bits. I am not sure about the cuirass, but its pauldrons as well as arms and legs protection look European to me. It most certainly is a hybrid design. P.S. 2. That guy in Plague Tail is definitely wearing a DIY suit of armor, cobbled up haphazardly from random bits and pieces, probably looted. I think game is not trying to tell you this is how warrior should look like, its just some buffed guy wearing whatever he found and tied to himself. I think his "chest plate" is just some decorative crest bended into rough shape of a chestplate. Probably some kind of a ruffian or a member of civilian militia with no military expertise even on basic level. And his fighting style further underlines that he is no proper warrior - he just goes around swinging big stick. Guy is high on hobo aesthetic.
He said "generally" about the masks. Not "only" or "exclusively"
@@GiskardRevenlov My bad. Though, in all honesty, I doubt even "generally" is accurate enough, since it suggests one use significantly outweighted the other. I am not sure it was the case, since all the findings of those masks on battlefields. It would make perfect sense to use them, since horsemen could not afford the protection of scutum.
There are reliefs depicting soldiers going to war, I think one particular squadron wore them, not sure if they were protective per se. I'm sure he knows more than I do, they certainly weren't comparable to the celtic face armour. I suspect it may well have been a vanity more than anything else.
Bad armour exists Tobias " and I took that personally" 😂
nice vid, wish it was slowed down and split into different vids for each game. its more fun when they can really nit pick and see more than 1 or 2 examples
thanks for the feedback something we will consider into the future!
Agreed! Dr. Capwell is such a fabulous resource, would love more from him!
I can't wait for someone to get to Astartes power armour. It's such a weird blend of historical, contemporary and future concepts that it's just magnificent. Someone will have to go down the rabbit hole and explain what a space marine is, what their capabilities are and the kind of battles they fight in so as to provide decent context though.
Context doesn't stop them from having the arm mobility of John McCain.
@@kanrakucheese Yeah the pauldrons were always more impractical than the rest
@@Lord_of_Dread the pauldrons do not sit on the shoulders at all, they have a whole exoskeleton ball joint that makes them reactively shift to arm movement, so there had been thought put into them. They're big enough to actually shield their faces from the side. That said, imo they're really stretching it for sure
@@EdicRoss aye the key thing is that it is 'Powered' Amour. If you keep that fact in mind Astartes Amour is not as bad as it first appears. If it were not powered in anyway then yes it a silly way to make and arrange armour on a body.
The pauldrons having their own servos is a later justification for their egregious design; the actual reason they’re stupidly huge is ‘the art team for the original _Rogue Trader_ didn’t have the slightest idea what they were doing.’
Great video! Pls more stuff like this
Loving these series. This man's detail and precision with how he describes outfits is really interesting. I've mainly focused on the sas stuff but this has been amazing
This guy is no bs brutally honest and I really like that.
I think the plague tale armour on the big guy is supposed to be random metal parts thrown together, his weapon certainly is.
Yeah he looks like a guy who's SEEN knights, KNOWS how they're armored, but can't afford a set himself so threw together whatever scrap he could into a reasonable approximation. It certainly works well enough against a slinger.
Everything he says during the Kingdome Come: Deliverence segment regarding arrows vs armour is said with absolute authority; he and a bunch of other experts got together and did extensive experiments with high-quality, period accurate reproduction weapons and armour. He's seen the effects of arrows vs armour first-hand. You can even watch it all here on KZhead, mostly on the channel Tod's Workshop.
Always good to hear from Tobias ❤.
I learned during an ancient hirstory class that the helmets met the face masks from the roman period were a sort of scare tactic, so I'm curious if they were also used in that way or purely for ceremonial purposes like he said.
Very much enjoyed this video and the no-nonsense input from the expert. Would love to see more.
I think you meant "No-nonsense input", right?
@@theultimatederp3288 Pfffft, that’s a bad typo. Yeah, no nonsense 🫠
I really want to see more of your guest talking about armors in video games. Awesome video!
The thing about armor layering is really important because a rigid plate helmet does abolutely nothing, if it sits directly on the top of your head without padding underneath. One hit on your head and you're out. The plate just protects from stabs and cuts, but you need the fabric layer underneath to protect from impact, which is the biggest danger. That's how even a plastic hardhat can protect you, for example, from a shattered grinder disc by separating the shell from your head with several straps that keep it centered around your head
Gun guy is fun. This guy seems like the type to shut the console off if he's losing.
jonathan ferguson is a gamer, that's why he understands these things
My man absolutely ripped skyrim apart 🥹
You mean the latest-ish (lol) entry on the setup where vulcanical glass is much more resistent than iron plates? That ain't so surprising, honestly
Solaire would have ABSOLUTELY been on that quest for the Holy Grail
I do wish things like this would have someone there with lore knowledge so that the expert guests would have more knowledge of the game world wherein it relates to the subject matter such as how Elder Scrolls “Glass” Armor has no relation to actual glass and is largely made of metal.
Yeah... it's malachite (which barring any of the deep lore) is just an ordinary copper ore. It's copper armor, decorated with copper/cobalt crystals.
Yeah, Kingdom Come Deliverance is still hailed as one of the very best medieval combat games as far as realism. Everything in the game is quite realistic (aside from gameplay restrictions, of course). Its one of my favorites, though its not one I replay often.
I would really like him to see the Catarina or onion knight armor for dark souls honestly you could use a whole episode on the souls games and I hope you make this a series super fun to watch!
Actually there are videos about people looking into Geralts armor and they found out that the combination of mail over BOILED leather actually worked to a degree. The mail gave more protection while the leather gave some padding and protection against piercing attacks that could bypass the mail a bit. It is not as protective as plate or full mail, but it gave much more mobility. The thing is though that the configuration is a bit off, but that is probably because it is a video game aestethic. Mechanically it did work if you used it correctly, as in protection against the odd hit but using the mobility over more armoured enemies.
"The middle ages according to Playmobil" is probably my favourite description of a Total War game ever... thank you for that!
Havel's stone armor being absurdly heavy is actually acknowledged in the game itself, for what it's worth. He wears a magic ring that increases the wearer's strength in order to use it. And even if you have the ring a player needs pretty high stats to be able to move around properly with the full suit equipped. The upshot of all this is that once you are able to use it properly it becomes almost impossible for enemies to knock you over. Also, it's not made of normal rock, but rather the fossilized scales and other bits of dead dragons. That club he's using is actually a particularly large dragon's tooth. Presumably the scales have properties unlike ordinary stone. Maybe they have the strength and weight of some kind of rock, but rather than being brittle they have a consistency similar to alligator hide clothing.
It's kind of unfortunate they went with Havel's, since there's actual Stone Armor in the game that his criticisms would have accurately applied to.
They should just stick with normal armour instead of showing him ones that are made of fantasy materials becosue it kinda goes against the whole looking it from a realistic perspective as dragons don't exist and all
I think it would be interesting to see his take on the good and weird armour of Monster Hunter
I love Mister Cawell, he is so blunt about stuff without sounding too negative. Really appreciate his input!
19:22 "Generally when you wear armor it's because you have some kind of priority. If you've got one piece of plate armor you put it somewhere that really matters." If only Achilles had heard this. Maybe he wouldn't have been punked by Paris.
I saw Toby, clicked and was not disappointed.
I would like to see Toby reacting to the armor of Elden Ring or Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Revengeance has odd looking armor, like Sundowner with his explosive shields resembling japanese samurai plate armor. Fallout, Minecraft, Cyberpunk 2077 or God of War Ragnarok would be cool too.
Always great to hear commentary from Toby! Had a great laugh as he dismantled some of this ridiculous armour. 😂
I've always wondered what it would be like if the Roman Empire and its aesthetic survived into the age of full plate like how would the Roman look have evolved to include later medieval armor
Well- it survived well enough with the eastern roman empire, byzantium as it is sometimes referred, then you still have the Holy Roman Empire. In the east they favoured lamellar armour over time but it was all a gradual shift, and remained extremely roman as fashion and technology progressed. What's wrong with that medieval roman armour?
This was excellent thank you
Id like to see him do a full video on for honor showing off the default armors of some of the heroes
Christ they got Jonathan, and Toby...we're a Tod from Tod's workshop and Ditch digging guy from the "online medieval/nerd" bingo card.
I hope there will be a part two! Especially with Ghost of Tsushima. The Ghost armour (first “form”), a ronin attire and a samurai armour. That would be interesting! Enjoy the rest of your day, guys!
i said this before in a couple of videos but i wish they provided a bit of context of the armor for him to consider, like the purpose and/or lore, like Geralt's armor for example, it's made like that because it's main use is to be as light as possible, not restrict his movements and be soft to absrorb monster blows, and the mail is just to prevent cuts from their claws or things like that, since he doesn't need armor against humans unless he is fighting a couple dozen, most of "iconic" videogame armors are made for the specific character, so a monster strong dude will have a monster strong heavy armor, a nimble, and fast character will probably have no real armor or just enought to cover vitals, and so do their weapon too reflect their style and capabilities and of course they take libery to make it look "cool"
I gotta say that Tobias doesn't consider that these guys are above-human in most cases. The witcher has incredible senses and speed, so adapting the armor to be lighter where he knows he can defend is understandable. He is also a master swordsman. I wish these things were considered sometimes
It's cool to reference the actual history, I don;t think that should go away but these are games with fictional super-specialized people
He's also far stronger than regular humans so he won't suffer as severe drawbacks from the weight of more armor.
I mean, that's a little outside his area of expertise, isn't it? The real world armors he studies were meant for normal human beings. There are no historical examples of armor intended for superhuman wearers. He could speculate about what kind of armor a superhuman might use, but you don't really need to be a historian to do that. We can just do it in the comments.
@@Xphinity well the armors in the Witcher 3 are inspired by, and in many cases drawn directly from, real historical armor so they bare higher scrutiny.
@@dinnercat28 I am spoiled by Jonathan Ferguson, forgive me. I just wish he could speculate sometimes, not change who he is because I like the realistic breakdown
Would love to see him react to the variety or armor from Destiny. Given the three classes and the different styles of armor and how much fashion rules the endgame.
Dr. Toby is an instant click. Absolute treasure of a man
Great video. Learned lots of new things. I love the grounded feeling Plague Tale's setting, but did find Amicia's choice of protection...odd. For a setting that's clearly meant to feel like a historical time with more supernatural elements than high fantasy, the kind of beefed it with some of the costuming. Particularly fascinating to learn about the big armored guy in Sekiro.
What I love about Kingdom Come Deliverance is how it makes you wear the visor helmets and deal with them. And you start to understand why so many people left the visor up or put on a Kettle Hat instead.
You could've at least shown the Ebony Plate from Skyrim to him, or explain that glass armor isn't literally made of glass.
Yeah, ebony plate would be even worse.
it's worth noting the armored knight in Sekiro is not from Japan, but rather came there seeking help for his son Robert
You HAVE to do Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord AND Chivalry 2
Never thought of a firefighters helmet as a sallet but it is. Cool
Tobias feels like the Ron Swanson of Armors, love it!
Tobias Capwell is a legend It's fun to see him look at and criticize armor and teach as well, but I would love to see him talk about the stuff he likes, like 9:33 This is not me, but it looks like the way he's been directed has negatively affected people in the comments
Except for Skyrim like it's not glass armor it's malachite
Toby! Love this guy on Insider, very pleased to see him here
Never thought I’d hear someone refer to Medievel 2 total war, the greatest Total War game, as “the Middle Ages according to play mobile.” Great stuff.
You have to admit it's rather deliberately a period mashup though lol and that early Total Wars did sacrifice a lot to cool aesthetics over authenticity.
just like to note 2 things havels armour ISNT made of rock, thats just his nickname because he was "unbreakable as a rock" and "glass" armour in elder scrolls also isnt glass, its called glass because its made from a see through material called malechite (a fantasy version of the real gem which in elder scrolls can be molded into armour, its basically a metal in the setting as it can be forged into ingots) its not actually brittle glass, its more "see through metal"
We need to to look at Exanima. From an armor standpoint it hits the layering point exactly, and you could get another episode out of the swordplay
More of this guy! Do Rome 2. Bannerlord. Crusader Kings 3.
I played KCD for quite some time, and until this video, I didn't notice how well done the reaction of the enemies is depending on where you hit them. He notices in seconds. Now I can appreciate the game even more for its love for detail and accuracy. I think it's time to of back to Bohemia … 😁
Well its a bit unfair since those guys could walk to the next castle and look at real armor.
He roasted my boy Solaire, go easy on him man, he made that armor himself.
This guy is no nonsense. I like him.
I'd love to see this guy review the "Realistic Weapons and Armor" mod for skyrim. it looks so much better than base game
They didn't even show the steel plate or ebony armor... Which are the closest looking to medieval armor.
Felt similar here. I'd like to see his opinion on something like the Daedric set.