: My impression of the energy blade was that the blades were simply hot plasma
: contained and shaped by magnetic fields. It operates on the same
: principles as the Covenant's other plasma weapons. Its cutting power is
: achieved by merit of vaporizing anything it passes through, like a plasma
: torch. Therefore, it has considerable cutting power regardless of the
: hardness of the material it is sundering. But you wouldn't be able to
: parry with such a blade. It's not a physical object. If two energy blades
: intersect, maybe the magnetic fields would interact and lose containment,
: or maybe a horrific torque would be applied to both hilts. But an energy
: blade is a different beast from a lightsaber.

: In Halo's extended universe, this isn't the case. The Last Voyage of the
: Infinite Succor showed two duels between Elites with energy blades that
: functioned like lightsabers. I thought it was weird, but then again the
: Flood hardly looked like the Flood either. Artistic license, right?

: Similarly, Halo Wars depicted the energy blades as a physical object. Then
: came Halo: Legends, where energy blades could not only parry but, if I
: recall correctly, they could deflect bullets as well.

: Now, 30% of the way through Hunters in the Dark (Oh, the weird stats ebook
: readers will give you.) there've been two sword duels where parrying and
: blocking played a large role.

: So, what is an energy blade? Does it operate on the same principles as a
: Jackal's energy shield gauntlet? Is it, as a 343i employee once stated in
: the leadup to Halo 4, "Razor sharp plasma"?

Isn't "hard light" the magic solution? :P