I'm still trying to answer this question myself. I think the answer is highly situational as well as personal. Most people will probably say Glacius, because it is very popular for FSC. The other gear you carry is another big factor. If you plan on carrying a Shivermist Buster then the Glacius would be a bit redundant. I am a huge pyro & really would like a Combuster, but it doesn't make since to invest in that with fire based FSC as the current end game run. As more game content is released I would bet that the most popular brandish line will shift based on new boss strata. I suspect that the Voltedge might have some extra bite because it is a reward item, but I have not tested this yet (have finally bombed my way to a shockburst, but haven't crafted yet). I am working on getting the 3* versions of all 4 of them so I can find out myself which one is best for me. Right now I am leaning toward a loadout that has a Voltedge & Shivermist Buster in it. I figure the shivermist is hands down the best mob freezer & the Voltedge with shock is kinda a hybrid between slowing enemies down/interrupting attacks and inflicting damage over time.

I figure based on the status effects that each sword inflicts Combuster = best DOT, Glacius = best entrapment, Voltedge = compromise between DOT & entrapment.

I prefer Glacius for two reasons.

One, even though I have all three elemental brandishes, my Glacius has the best UV on it so yeah.

Two, it is absolutely great at crowd control. And there are lots of tricks you can do with it.

- One of my favourites is if you get a Trojan frozen, then if you release the charge attack while standing perpendicular to the direction its facing and aiming for their back then you can get it so the initial hit breaks the ice but then they get hit with the first explosion which can re-freeze them.

- This same kind of trick can be done with really any frozen enemy if you are in the right position

- It works wonders on howlitzers and gun puppies, freeze them and you won't need to worry about them for a bit

Tengutengu: People go for Calibur/Leviathan because (A) they want a single, general-purpose sword, (B) it has a nice charge attack, or (C) they don't understand how damage works, and think that normal damage is just as good as the others.

Bn28: The elemental Brandishes seem nice. (Glacius is the only one I have, so I can't compare them.) But why have you dismissed Nightblade/Acheron? If you're into swords, then you're going to want a shadow sword. Gran Faust and Acheron are your only choices. I love both, but I find myself using Acheron mainly, because it's better against gremlins on Strata 5 and 6, which are the hardest shadow-vulnerable monsters in the game. You should consider it.

@jdavis, I agree that the Calibur line is attractive to the young players because of it's availability. The added bonus is that it's really a good blade, and equally useful in all the tiers. I'm considering building a Leviathan to match my Cold Iron Vanquisher, only with CTR instead of my ASI. I would probably carry both in my 4-weapon setup if I was using swords. It reminds me of something like a zippo lighter...everyone gets one to look cool and rebel-y, but they find out that it's one of the best lighters you can get anyway.

@BN28 I was fond of my GF until I started getting used to 3-swing blades. I was also making a point to swtch to another player if I died to watch their damage output. Sure, I can lay down 600hp of damage in 2 swings with my GF to a Lichen, but someone with similar UVs and equipment will probably do 700hp damage in a combo, and there's more ability to shield as well. Granted, there's no curse.

Heck, I did a comparison between GF and CIV a few days ago against a T5 Lichen colony. The GF's attacks did 270+335hp damage. The CIV did 210+210+245.

agreed. the elemental damage is more usefull overall than the nightblade, and the chance of causing freeze with its devastating 3 explosion charge attack definately makes it the more usefull option

OP - when you eventually get around to finishing your first brandish, please tell us how many explosions you get on a charge attack.

@tengutengu

You're underestimating GF/DA damage because they have a far better angle of attack than any 3-swing sword but the piercing ones (and that's only the first attack). A DA can hit three or four enemies if set up properly, while a brandish-line will get one or two at a time. I run both a Glacius and DA at different times, and the Glacius does great DPS if you isolate and destroy a single enemy at a time while the DA will hold off a wave of enemies between the wide swings and the fantastic charge attack.

I kinda wish the final brandish charge was a wave-style attack instead of a straight line.

Voltedge. No doubt.

As a person who has all 4 Brandish lines to 5* (and regretting it...), the first one I got was Fireburst, and it's the one that I end up going back to in the end (of the 3 elemental ones, I always use Acheron whenever there are jellies or gremlins).

Damage-wise it really is more potent. Freezing ends up being awkward when you freeze some and not others, making your charge explosions not all connect or separates the enemies you're kiting as a group. Shockburst is basically a weaker form of Fireburst, or something that actually has a status effect in FSC.

Yet aside from those differences, they aren't different at all. So unless you consistently use or need your charge attack, there really isn't a need to worry so much about choosing.