Editing Combat skin

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Cleanup}}
[[File:H4 - Warrior-Servants 2.jpg|thumb|250px|Forerunners wearing combat skins.]]
'''Combat skins''', also known as '''fighting suits''' or '''battle armor''', were a type of [[Forerunner personal armor|body armor]] used by [[Forerunner]] combat personnel. The Forerunners had a classification system for combat skins, running from Class 1 to Class 18, and possibly above. According to [[343 Guilty Spark]], the [[human]] [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|MJOLNIR Mark V]] is ranked on this scale as equal to a Class 2.<ref name="Halo page 240">'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page 240''</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''', campaign level, ''[[The Library]]''</ref>

==Overview==
Combat skins ranged in shape and design from suits that mostly followed the wearer's figure in the manner of traditional battle armor,<ref>'''Halo 4''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''</ref> to much bulkier and more powerful variations that, while roughly humanoid in shape, were closer to vehicles than suits of armor.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 66''</ref> The [[war sphinx]], a medium-sized fighting suit, was ten meters in height, capable of space flight, and equipped with weaponry powerful enough to destroy cities.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 95''</ref> The war sphinx's newer counterpart, the [[Seeker (armor)|seeker]], was yet more advanced.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 195''</ref> A combat skin could be laid directly over a Forerunner's [[Forerunner personal armor|personal armor]], worn on everyday occasions; Forerunner warships stored such "combat wraps" in condensed form, allowing fighters to convert their armor into a heavier combat skin should the need arise.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 126''</ref>

One notable feature of combat skin was its ability to attune itself to best counter different forms of attack. For example, after optimizing to the Forerunner infantry weapons wielded by [[Blue Team]], [[Ur-Didact]] was capable of ignoring numerous direct hits from the Spartans' weapons.<ref name="esc10">'''[[Halo: Escalation]]''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 10|Issue 10]]''</ref> Previously, automatic fire from all four members of Blue Team firing their [[MA5D assault rifle]]s at once had no effect on the Didact, demonstrating the resiliency of a high-level combat skin.<ref name="esc9">'''Halo: Escalation''', ''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 9|Issue 9]]''</ref> Warrior combat skin was also equipped with several offensive and defensive systems, including the ability to generate and manipulate various forms of [[constraint field]]s at will.<ref>'''Halo: Cryptum''', ''page 303-305''</ref><ref>'''Halo 4''', campaign level ''[[Midnight]]''</ref> The Didact's armor also possessed a number of energy attacks,{{Ref/Reuse|esc10}} including a directed energy blast and a powerful shockwave capable of stunning nearby enemies.{{Ref/Reuse|esc9}}

Combat skins were typically worn by [[Warrior-Servant]]s, the [[rate]] tasked with warfare, but could be used by the dedicated military or security forces of the other the rates as well, such as [[Builder Security]], the security force of the [[Builder]] rate. After the [[Flood]] threat intensified to critical levels, even [[civilian]]s were forced to wear combat skins in high-risk areas.<ref name="terminals">'''[[Halo 3]]''', ''[[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminals]]''</ref>

===Classification system===
[[File:H4 - Warrior-Servants.jpg|thumb|250px|A team of Promethean [[Warrior-Servant]]s in battle, wearing combat skins typical of their rate.]]
Combat skins were comparable to, but far more advanced than, the UNSC [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor]]. It is first mentioned by 343 Guilty Spark as he is leading [[John-117]] through [[Installation 04]]'s [[Library]], wondering why he had brought "such ineffective weapons" to combat the [[Flood]]. He notes that the MJOLNIR is ill-suited to combating the Flood, and recommends that he upgrade to a Class 12 combat skin from the MJOLNIR, which is ranked on the Forerunner classification system as a Class 2. On the other hand, Guilty Spark also notes that the MJOLNIR will serve John well when the Flood begins converting Halo's atmosphere, commenting that he is a "good planner".{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}} Upon learning that there was a powered armor system six times more powerful than the MJOLNIR, John expressed enthusiasm at the opportunity to wear one.{{Ref/Reuse|Halo page 240}}

The Terminals on [[Installation 00]] indicate that other combat skin classifications existed, ranging from 1 to 4, and that there were other suits of a similar nature, such as the battle harness, with its own classification ranging from 1 to 6, and the [[platform interface skin]]. Eventually, all [[civilian]] personnel were required to wear at least a Class 8 combat skin unless in core areas, and all military personnel were required to wear at least a Class 12 combat skin.{{Ref/Reuse|terminals}}

During the [[Battle of Installation 00]], Guilty Spark can be heard lamenting that John did not upgrade his combat skin. The fact that the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI]] is more advanced than the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V|Mark V]] that Guilty Spark had previously encountered and is still classed as a Class 2 may indicate that the upgrades were considered so marginal from a Forerunner standpoint that the MJOLNIR suit was still inferior to a Class 3 combat skin.<ref>'''[[Halo 3]]''', campaign level, [[The Ark (level)|The Ark]]</ref>

==Trivia==
*''[[Origins]]'' depicts Forerunners using combat skins that seemingly lack energy shields, leaving their wearers extremely vulnerable to Flood infection. It is likely that, rather than representing the peak of the technology, it is indicative that the Forerunners were woefully unprepared for the Flood onslaught, and were initially slow to adapt their equipment and technology to fighting a purely biological foe. In a fictional context, the film is compiled by the semi-rampant [[Cortana]] from a limited number of sources, explaining any apparent inaccuracies.
*In ''[[Halo 4]]'', the [[Librarian]] reveals that the ''[[geas]]'' she implanted in the human race guided the creation of the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|MJOLNIR]] armor used by [[John-117]] which she calls his combat skin.

==Speculation==
{{Conjecture}}
Because so little is mentioned about combat skins, there is much speculation about exactly what the combat skin rating indicates. The obvious interpretation is that the combat skin ranking system measures raw armour power, and that a class 12 combat skin is 10 ranks higher in protection and power than a class 2, but if the Forerunner were able to use a suit at least six times more powerful than the Chief's, it's a wonder they had such trouble with the Flood, unless the Flood made use of such 'Combat Skin' themselves, such as an Elite [[Flood combat form|Combat Form]] using a personal energy shield. This would mean that both forces would be equal in suit strength, as well as weapons and vehicles, while the Flood would most certainly outnumber the Forerunner. The most likely scenario is that in the [[Forerunner-Flood War]], the Flood infestation was billions of times larger in scale, which would mean that despite the Forerunner's near invincible armor, they may simply have been outnumbered.

===Armor class===
Another interpretation is that the class system does not measure raw power, but rather classifies armor by its role. Later in the game, as 343 Guilty Spark comments on the [[The Flood|Flood]]'s alteration of the atmosphere, he notes that [[John-117|the Master Chief's]] Environment Suit should serve him well. This may indicate that Combat Skin with a Class 2 designation are designed for use as environment suits in hazardous terrain, rather than as effective armor to be used in combat against the Forerunner's enemies. There is a discrepancy to this assertion, however, as one of Halo 3's terminals makes mention of higher classes of Combat Skin that were vulnerable or ineffective against the Flood.

Another possible permutation of this theory is that the number could perhaps designate the order in which the suits were designed, number 2 being a low-shielding model created by the forerunner to avoid atmospheric hazards possibly for industrial use, which would explain the protocol of civilians wearing suits class 8 or above (they would have been designed recently enough and have some form of technology sufficient to protect the wearer in the case of an outbreak). This would make the 12-rated suit one designed well into the war and specifically created for combat against the Flood, but it wasn't used soon enough to turn the tide of the war. 

It is also possible that numbers still represent the power level of each armor, but each design contained a flaw that could not be overcome or, while it was considered "more powerful" than the ones below it, each rating was only designed for specific roles.

===Environment/combat suit===
Another theory states that a combat skin may also be an environment suit. A modern day analogy would be a HAZMAT suit, which is an environment suit, but has no further use in combat, while a suit of Kevlar provides physical protection but no environmental protection. John-117's "combat skin" also functions as an "environment suit"; this can overlap with other theories, as a useful environment suit may lack in either pure power or suitability for its role in combat. Quite possibly, John-117's "combat skin" may be half environmental and half battle armor.

===Shielding theory===
A theory that states "combat skin" does not refer to armor at all, but rather shielding; the disparity in power between the Master Chief's shields in comparison to that of the Forerunners is obvious. This is again compatible with either the power or role theory, as Class 12 shielding may be powerful enough to shrug off any Flood attack, or specifically designed to handle the damage from the Flood. Some have speculated that if you raise your shield level to maximum in Halo 3's settings, you would have something close to a Class 12 Combat Skin, although this will never be known as correct or wrong since the actual power of the Class 12 Combat Skin has never been witnessed.

===Armor ability stacking===
Another possible theory is stacking. If a normal HAZMAT Suit has a ranking of 1E (1 Environment Point) and a high class KEVLAR Suit has a ranking of 1SA (1 Shield & Armor point). Mk VI (as stated above, and shown in game) is a 1E + 1SA, giving it a rank of 2ESA (ESA being a single class rank in the Forerunner system), giving John's Mark VI MJOLNIR a Forerunner rank of Class-2. With this being said, 343 stated that John should wear at least a Class-12 Combat Skin, which would be the equivalent to 6 post-modern HAZMAT Suits and 6 post-modern KEVLAR Suits or another 5 layers of MJOLNIR armor.
{{Conjecture end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Old_HW_CombatSkin.jpg|Cortana's visual interpretation of a combat skin.
File:Old_HW_EarlyEfforts.jpg|A group of Forerunners in combat skins engaging the Flood, as envisioned by Cortana.
File:Old_HW_Sacrifice.jpg|A combat skin helmet, as envisioned by Cortana.
File:HCr Promethean Concept.png|Concept art of a Forerunner combat skin.
File:Enc22 H4 Promethean.png|A [[Promethean]] wearing a combat skin.
File:Halo 4 Promethean Concept art.jpg|Concept art of a Promethean's armor.
File:Halo 4 Promethean Concept Art 2.jpg|Multiple concepts of a Promethean's armor.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{Fm}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 3]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Origins]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Terminal (Halo 4)|Terminals]]''
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
*''[[Halo: Last Light]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Epitaph]]''
*''[[Halo: Edge of Dawn]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Armor}}

{{Forerunner|technology}}
[[Category:Forerunner technology]]
[[Category:Protective clothing]]