Type-25 Brute shot

"Watch out for the Captain! It's got a Brute Shot!"

- Cortana

The Type-25 Grenade Launcher, known to UNSC infantrymen as the Brute Shot, is a Covenant weapon designed and used exclusively by the Jiralhanae.

Design details
The Brute Shot has a rather peculiar design, as the user carries it low, rather than using the hilt or handle of a weapon. It has a fast firing rate for a grenade launcher; capable of firing four grenades in about three seconds. Like the other Brute weapons, it has a blade slung onto its bottom to use for devastating melee attacks. The Brute Shot can hold up to 6 rounds, with 12 rounds in reserve.

In Halo 2, the grenades from the Brute Shot can bounce around corners. In Halo 3, Brute Shots can't bounce off walls and they explode on impact. The melee attack on the Brute Shot is very deadly, depleting shields with one hit. The Brute Shot is very hard to aim, as it sometimes drifts. In Halo 3, it has a 3-second fuse that causes it to detonate after a certain range.

Ammunition
It seems to be compatible with two clips: a four-grenade belt that fires projectiles that bounce and arc downwards, and a six-grenade belt that fires propelled grenades in a straight line that detonate after three seconds. The four-grenade clip type fires a type of grenade similar to the frag grenade, that bounces off of and around most surfaces. It was first encountered during Battle of Shield 0459, where it was used to a deadly effect against the crew of the. The grenades seem to be belt fed through the top of the weapon. The splash damage from this weapon is rather high. It features a sharp curved bayonet on its underside, which is used as a powerful melee weapon. This blade delivers a higher-than-normal amount of melee damage.

Campaign

 * In Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Brute Shot is an effective weapon against the Flood. A single swipe from the Brute Shot's blade will act almost like a sword lunge, thus destroying a normal unshielded Combat Form easily. Unlike the Energy Sword however, it has unlimited swings for attacking, but is somewhat slower. Flood are also susceptible to Brute Shot blasts, and the Brute Shot can atomize them from a distance. Carrier Forms can be taken out efficiently without much to worry. Swarms of Infection Forms can also be dealt with within 3 blasts.
 * In all, the Brute Shot is ideal against Flood, Jackals (a single blast usually kills them even if they hide behind their shields), Elites and Brutes. It is also effective against crowds of Grunts, but is of limited use against Hunters and Drones.
 * Its small ammunition capacity can also be a trouble. However, the Brute Shot is usually for more tactical approaches, such as taking out the biggest threat in a group, and isn't an ideal primary weapon since it has a very limited ammo capacity and rounds per belt.
 * The best way to use this weapon is as a room-clearing and scattering device. The Brute Shot can make quick work of an unsuspecting enemy if you line up your shots before firing. The most effective way to kill strong enemies (e.g. a Brute or Elite), is to fire rapid shots in succession into their torso, considering the fact that there are not many tactical ways to utilize the Brute Shot against powerful enemies. You could also fire a couple of shots at an enemy while charging, before following up with a melee attack. However, take note of the small splash damage. This saves ammunition and makes it much easier to use.

Multiplayer

 * While an enemy is running across your screen, strafe while firing for an easier kill. This weapon is highly effective when used at elevation, as this wielder needs to only aim at their opponent's feet to inflict damage. If wanting to kill an enemy fast at close range, fire one grenade and melee for kill.
 * The Brute Shot is powerful against vehicles, taking around four grenades to destroy a Banshee or a Warthog in Halo 2, and it can destroy anything other than a Wraith or Scorpion in Halo 3.
 * It is good at clearing or scattering crowds as well. After one round, enemies should be considerably weakened and easier to kill. Despite the wide splash damage radius, the Brute Shot is adept as a mid-close range weapon in the hands of experienced players.
 * This weapon is meant to be fired at the body, instead of the head. Two direct hits in Halo 2 (four in Halo 3) with the Brute Shot are enough to kill a normal-shielded target. In Halo 2, to hit a moving target, it is easier to aim at the floor for the projectile to bounce and hit the target instead of directly hitting it. It is also important to note that this weapon fires in an arc, so one must compensate for accuracy by aiming higher when the target is farther away. Two rounds from the Brute Shot can kill a player faster than one round from the Rocket Launcher or Fuel Rod Gun because of its speed.
 * Only in Halo 2 multiplayer, a good tactic is to punch an enemy with the blade while being in the air, easily done by jumping, because one punch hit in the air can kill a full shielded enemy. Skilled players can even kill an energy sword or a shotgun wielding enemy with this tactic.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * The Brute Shot now has a belt of six grenades, two more grenades than in Halo 2.
 * Its grenades are now unable to bounce, but instead they explode on impact with any solid surface.
 * Each shot does slightly less damage than in Halo 2. On Legendary difficulty, it takes 2 shots to kill a Jackal or even a Grunt Major.
 * The projectiles seem to travel generally faster.
 * There is no longer a slight delay before the grenade is launched after the trigger is pulled.
 * It now has an electrical burst plus the normal explosion when the grenade detonates.
 * The downward arc of the shots is greatly decreased, with the rounds barely arcing at all. They are instead propelled like rockets and drift slightly left or right after a set distance. As an additional consequence of the significantly reduced arc, the Brute Shot's crosshair is now a standard box instead of a tiered rangefinder.
 * Projectiles now have timed fuses that cause rounds that do not strike a surface to detonate after 3 seconds. The Halo 2 counterpart does not have a timed fuse- it bounces once before detonating the second time it strikes a surface.
 * In Halo 3, it takes 4 out of 6 shots in a belt to kill a player. This has made it harder to kill a target in one belt. There are no noticeable changes in the rate of fire and spare ammo capacity.
 * Just one direct shot and a quick follow up melee will kill a normal-shielded player in Multiplayer.
 * Melee attacks are only slightly stronger than the other weapons in Halo 3, but much weaker than the Brute Shot melee attack in Halo 2.
 * The ability to kill a full shielded multiplayer enemy by punching with the blade in the air after jumping was removed.

Trivia

 * It is referred to as the "Brute Gun" in Halo Wars.
 * In Halo 2, Brute Shot projectiles fired directly upward will return to the ground after a while. Skilled players can use this as a mortar to flush enemies out of cover.
 * The Halo 3 Brute Shot functions very similar to a modern grenade launcher- the projectiles explode after several seconds without impacting anything.
 * Flood Combat Forms are able to wield Brute Shots with one hand.
 * Spartans, ODSTs and Elites hold the Brute Shot with their second hand on top like a Support Weapon, while Brutes hold on to the bar under the muzzle.
 * With skill and some luck, the Brute Shot bayonet can parry Energy Sword lunges if you press the melee button at the correct time. This makes it one of the best weapons to parry a blow from the Energy Sword.
 * No matter how many grenades are spent, when you reload (in both Halo 2 and Halo 3), the animation always shows you reloading a full belt of grenades.
 * In Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Frederic-104 calls the Brute shot an RPG (Rocket-propelled grenade). This is untrue due to the fact that the Brute Shot grenade is not propelled by a rocket. It is shot out of the weapon with extreme force, more akin to a recoilless rifle, which uses a charge to force the shot out of the weapon.
 * In both Halo 2 and Halo 3 Elite allies will usually react favorably when given a Brute Shot, despite the weapon being of Brute origin.

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * The Package
 * Halo: Spartan Assault