So there is this cool sword from Guild Wars 2 called twilight: https://goo.gl/images/LOrplq
I wanted to learn if i could make this sword with maya and use it in Unreal for fun. Got some basic Maya knowledge so i think i can make the model of the sword but i dont know how i can give the effects of the sword.
Here is the png file of the background image used for the effect: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/images/a/ab/Twilight_background.jpg
The material will be the easiest to make it look like in the images. Get that space nebula image, load it into a material, and use a ScreenPosition Node as input for the image UV. Setting the material to Unlit will offer a tick and cheap way to make it look like in the images you gave. Now you can do a lot more with it but this is a good base to experiment with it.
The particle effect will have to be a ribbon type.
Actually I looked now and someone seems to have made a tutorial for the exact type of particle effect you need.
You’ll have to modify it for your purpose though. Add a rough noizy texture for the alpha and that cool nebula material you just made. 
EDIT: Scratch that, that is a poor tutorial. I did find this though.
How can I achieve an echo/afterimage/ghosting effect? - Rendering - Epic Developer Community Forums , Newest’s answer has you covered.
