Editing Cut Halo 2 weapons

{{Title|Cut ''Halo 2'' weapons}}
{{Status|RealWorld}}
{{GameFiles}}
{{Series/Cut/H2}}
During the [[Development of Halo 2|development]] of ''[[Halo 2]]'', a number of '''weapons were cut''' from the game's release.

==Human==
===Flamethrower===
{{stub|section=yes}}<!--info from the Digsite Deep Dive blog-->
Also found in the ''Halo 2'' beta, the [[M7057 flamethrower]] first [[Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons|cut from]] ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and later featured in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|Halo PC]]'' was similarly cut from ''Halo 2''.{{Ref/Reuse|H2BWeapons}} The weapon was rebuilt by [[Robert McLees]] for ''Halo 2'' based on the original ''Combat Evolved'' model, and was remarked upon as the most difficult to model to rebuild, based on the most difficult model to build in the first game.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=H2CE|DWI7AhQFpTE|Bungie|Cutting Room Floor Weapons Vehicles and Characters|Y=2020|M=12|D=17|Detail=Official Bungie upload of the BTS video from the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition}}

The weapon was eventually realised in ''[[Halo 3]]''.
<gallery>
File:H2_Flamethrower Model.png|The Flamethrower on [[Lockout]].
File:H2 Flamethrower Pickup.png|The pickup text for the Flamethrower has only placeholder text.
File:H2 Flamethrower FP 1.png|The flamethrower, as held in first-person.
File:H2 Flamethrower FP 2.png|The flamethrower, as held in first-person.
File:H2 Flamethrower Firing FP.png|The flamethrower firing in first-person.
File:H2 Flamethrower TP Behind.png|A Spartan holding the flamethrower, as viewed from behind.
File:H2 Flamethrower TP Side.png|A Spartan holding the flamethrower, as viewed from the side.
File:H2 Flamethrower Screenshot.png|A Spartan holding the flamethrower in the ''Cutting Room Floor'' behind-the-scenes documentary included in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition.
</gallery>

===Flashbang grenade===
''Halo 2'' design documents reference a [[Flashbang grenade]], as intended for inclusion in the game. A later change note from October of [[2002]] notes that to make standard frag grenades more useful outside of damage dealing, the grenades would gain the ability to blind and stun enemies. Max Hoberman speculated that this detail may have been intended for the game's campaign, as opposed to the multiplayer.{{Ref/Generic|Id=H2:A|[[Halo 2: Artifacts]]|Episode 4 - The Cutting Room Floor|Detail=10:53}}

===General-purpose machine gun (GPMG)===
Although the [[M247 general purpose machine gun]] is featured in-game as a fixed [[turret]], the general purpose machine gun (GPMG) was seemingly intended to also be available for use as a weapon in first-person. In the launch build of ''Halo 2'', strings in the game files referenced the GPMG such as picking up and switching to the weapon. The weapon was not seen physically until the release of ''Halo 2'' on PC as part of ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'', when the GPMG was added to the game's shared directory, allowing it to be spawned in and used via modding.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=Zedd|KsAV1p_yXYo|Lord Zedd|Halo: MCC - Flying The Falcon in Halo 2 And More!}}

The GPMG is complete with firing, reload and [[melee]] animations, sound effects and firing particle effects, and features an altered model including a removable magazine and a buttstock not found on the original machine gun model.
<gallery>
File:HTMCC H2 GPMG.png|The GPMG on the ground.
File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_FP.png|The GPMG in first-person.
File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Firing.png|Firing the GPMG.
File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Reloading.png|Reloading the GPMG.
File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Melee.png|Meleeing with the GPMG.
File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger in a [[Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Falcon|Falcon]] shooting the GPMG.
</gallery>

===Machine gun turret with grenade launcher===
In early concept art and builds of ''Halo 2'', the M247 machine gun was attached with an over-barrel grenade launcher. The weapon's texture states that the launcher fires a 20mm grenade,{{Ref/Site|Id=Discoveries|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/digsite-discoveries|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Digsite Discoveries|D=17|M=07|Y=2023}} though ''[[The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World]]'' (likely-erroneously) claims that the weapon is a 25mm launcher.{{Ref/Book|Id=AOHGrenadeLauncher|AoH|Page=109}}

The model file for the turret was recovered by the [[Digsite]] project, and used as a basis for making the weapon functional in the retail build of ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' - though in the original ''Halo 2'' this weapon was purely a nonfunctional prop.{{Ref/Reuse|Discoveries}}
<gallery>
File:H2_GPMG_Concept.png|Concept art of the M247, showing the grenade launcher.{{Ref/Reuse|AOHGrenadeLauncher}}
File:H2 GPMG GrenadeLauncher.png|An image of a [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] using an M247 GPMG with the grenade launcher attachment.{{Ref/Reuse|AOHGrenadeLauncher}}
File:H2 Digsite M247GPMG GrenadeLauncher 1.jpg|The restored GPMG with 20mm launcher, given functionality by Digsite.{{Ref/Reuse|Discoveries}}
File:H2 Digsite M247GPMG GrenadeLauncher 2.jpg|Master Chief firing the now-functional grenade launcher.{{Ref/Reuse|Discoveries}}
</gallery>

===Silenced SMG===
At one point in the development of ''Halo 2'', the [[M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG]] was intended for inclusion. The weapon features unique firing sound effects and particle effects alongside a suppressor on the barrel, though otherwise appears to inherit all the properties of the basic [[M7 SMG]].{{Ref/Reuse|Zedd}} The M7S would later make its in-game debut in [[Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista]] as a weapon spawn on the map [[Example]], before being prominently featured in ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''. The later release of ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' would see the Suppressed SMG included in the game's updated multiplayer component.

The release of ''Halo 2'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection'' similarly added the Suppressed SMG to the game files, allowing it to be used through the use of modding.{{Ref/Reuse|Zedd}}
<gallery>
File:H2-M7SMG-Suppressor-Concept.png|The Suppressed SMG, as it appears in ''[[The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World]]''.
File:HTMCC H2 SilencedSMG DualWield.png|[[Dual wielding]] the Silenced SMG (left) and the regular SMG (right).
File:HTMCC H2 SilencedSMG.png|The Suppressed SMG in-game in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:H3 EarlyXbox HighCharity Prototype 1.png|The Suppressed SMG in an early build of ''Halo 3'' running on the original Xbox, inside the [[High Charity (cut Halo 3 level)|original draft]] for the level [[Cortana (level)|Cortana]].
</gallery>

==Covenant==
===Blamite harpoon===
Mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation briefly, the "blamite harpoon" was a presumably-Covenant weapon. Little is known of its operation, save that it was to use [[Subanese crystal|Blamite]] as its primary attack method. Max Hoberman discussed his affinity for the [[Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Spear gun|harpoon gun]] cut from ''Combat Evolved'' and his want to bring it back - indicating this may have been an evolution on that concept.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

===Brute Grenade===
The Brute Grenades were a grenade type intended for use by [[Jiralhanae]] troops during the game. Based on a potential design for [[Orgudam Workshop firebomb|incendiary grenades]],{{Ref/Book|AoH|Page=115}} they were modelled to some degree during the game's development, though ultimately cut. They would later return in ''Halo 3'' as the [[Jovokada Workshop spike grenade|spike grenade]]. This weapon is one of many recovered and restored to functionality by the Digsite project.{{Ref/Reuse|Discoveries}}
<gallery>
File:AoH BruteGrenade.png|Concept art for an incendiary grenade; the first design was adapted to include spikes.
File:H2_Digsite SpikeGrenade 2.png|The grenade on the floor.
File:H2 Digsite SpikeGrenade.jpg|Master Chief throwing the grenade.
</gallery>

===Disintegrator===
{{stub|section=yes}}<!--info from the Digsite Deep Dive blog-->
A [[Covenant]] counterpart to the UNSC Flamethrower, the Disintegrator is featured in the ''[[Halo 2 Beta]]'' and can be spawned via [[modding]]. The weapons is untextured and fires flame-like particle effects - though in third-person the effects are more akin to a kind of red [[plasma]]. The weapon appears to have a cooldown bar of some kind around the reticule, though this is nonfunctional in the beta.{{Ref/Twitter|Id=H2BWeapons|vengeful_vadam|1262137145399091201|The Vengeful 'Vadam|Quote=In the Halo 2 Beta, there were two cut weapons: -The Flamethrower, which would be repurposed to become the Halo 3 Flamethrower -The Disintegrator, a Covenant counterpart to the Flamethrower.|D=08|M=9|Y=2021}}

Sound effects for the Disintegrator can be found in the retail build of [[Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|the Windows Vista port]] of ''Halo 2''. Located in the <code>sound\weapons\hunter_cannon\hunter_cannon_loop\z_disintegrator_fire\</code> path, they seem to indicate the Disintegrator was intended to be used by a [[Cut Halo 2 enemies#Disintegrator Hunters|similarly-cut]] variant of the [[Mgalekgolo|Hunter]] enemy type.{{Ref/YouTube|HVhAu44WoBc|Pearled Spaghetti|Cut Flame Hunter Variation Found Halo 2}} The weapon was included in Max Hoberman's ''Halo 2'' multiplayer design documentation.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}
<gallery>
File:H2 Disintegrator.png|The Disintegrator.
File:H2_Disintegrator_FP.png|The Disintegrator in first-person.
File:H2_Disintegrator_Firing.png|The Disintegrator firing in third-person.
File:H2 Disintegrator Pickup.png|Like the flamethrower, the Disintegrator only has placeholder pickup text.
File:H2 Disintegrator TP.png|A Spartan holding the Disintegrator.
File:H2 Disintegrator HUD Icon.png|The HUD icon for the Disintegrator, still remaining in the files of ''Halo 2''.
</gallery>

===Plasma mortar===
This weapon is a [[plasma mortar]] seemingly based on the [[Japan]]ese [[Wikipedia:Type 89 grenade discharger|Type-89 "knee mortar"]] from [[World War II]]. The model itself was recovered and released in a mostly-unfinished state by Digsite, with the model itself based on the older ''Combat Evolved'' [[gravity wrench]] design.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/digsite-deep-dive|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Digsite Deep-Dive|D=21|M=06|Y=2024}}
<gallery>
File:H2 PlasmaMortar Model.jpg|The model for the plasma mortar.
</gallery>

==Forerunner==
Several [[Sentinel]] weapons were seemingly cut from ''Halo 2''. All these weapons bear icons with similar designs, depicting a Sentinel beam and a small icon next to it, to denote the specific variant.

===Sentinel Needler===
{{Quote| The needler sentinel that was cut from the game dropped a sentinel arm weapon (identical in appearance to the beam weapon) that shot small red needles. It even had its own unique sentinelly, needly crosshair and pickup image.|David Candland speaks out about the Needler Sentinel.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive24.pl?read=697571|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Re: Sentinels with needlers?|Quote=Hmmm. Not quite. That appears to be a mod video. The needler sentinel that was cut from the game dropped a sentinel arm weapon (identical in appearance to the beam weapon) that shot small red needles. It even had its own unique sentinelly, needly crosshair and pickup image.|Quotee=David Candland|D=25|M=10|Y=2021}}}}
During earlier stages of ''Halo 2'', the game was intended to include a [[Cut Halo 2 enemies#Needler Sentinel|Needler Sentinel]] as an enemy. This Sentinel variant was to be armed with a unique weapon, visually identical to the [[Sentinel beam]], that shot small red [[Subanese crystal|needles]], possibly similar to the [[shard cannon]]s employed by [[Enforcer]]s.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive24.pl?read=697541|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Re: Sentinels with needlers?|Quote=We used to have sentinels that dropped needler weapons but ended up cutting them. If you found one we missed, I would be very interested if you could verify it.|Quotee=David Candland|D=25|M=10|Y=2021}} The weapon was to have its own unique crosshair and weapon pickup icons, which remain in the files of ''[[Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista]]'' alongside pickup text strings referencing the gun.

This Needler Sentinel enemy has little to do with the [[Needler Sentinel]] enemy included in ''Halo 2'', which was the result of an oversight by Bungie staff.{{Ref/Site|URL=http://forums.bungie.org/halo/archive24.pl?read=697604|Site=halo.bungie.org|Page=Re: Sentinels with needlers?|Quote=There was a time when we had a sentinel red needler weapon, but it looks like it did, in fact, get completely cut after all and that this little dude is some aberration of a different variety that our test team missed.|Quotee=David Candland|D=25|M=10|Y=2021}}
<gallery>
File:H2 SentinelNeedler Crosshair Icon.png|The crosshair icon for the Sentinel Needler.
File:H2 SentinelNeedler HUD Icon.png|The HUD icon for the Sentinel Needler.
</gallery>

===Sentinel Grenade Launcher===
Similarly to the Sentinel Needler, ''Halo 2'' game files mention a "Sentinel Grenade Launcher" in the text pickup strings. Some unused HUD icons remain in the files for the weapon, though little is known of its intended function or purpose. This icon is also used in the default placeholder pickup strings for the General Purpose Machine Gun weapon.
<gallery>
File:H2_SentinelGrenadeLauncher_Crosshair_Icon.png|A weapon crosshair in the game files, likely corresponding with the Sentinel Grenade Launcher.
File:H2 SentinelGrenadeLauncher HUD Icon.png|The icon for the Sentinel Grenade Launcher in the HUD.
</gallery>

===Sentinel Enforcer Charged Bolt===
Little is known of this weapon, save for its name. Some unused HUD icons (shown below) likely correspond with the weapon.
<gallery>
File:H2_SentinelChargedBolt_Crosshair_Icon.png|The presumed crosshair for the charged bolt.
File:H2 SentinelChargedBolt HUD Icon.png|The presumed HUD icon for the charged bolt.
</gallery>

==Miscellaneous==
A number of weapons were discussed by [[Max Hoberman]] and [[Andy Dudynsky]] during the ''[[Halo 2: Artifacts]]'' series; these weapons were only listed briefly, and thus there are few details on them.
===EMP mine===
The "non-lethal EMP mine" is a weapon described in the ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was presumably to act as a [[Mine]], capable of causing an [[Electromagnetic pulse]] without physically damaging its surroundings.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

===Gravity rifle===
The "gravity rifle" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}} Presumably, it was to be based on a weapon of the [[Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Gravity rifle|same name]] cut from the original ''Combat Evolved''.

===Explosive charges and mines===
{{stub|section=yes}}<!--info from the Digsite Deep Dive blog-->
[[Satchel charge]]s are mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of their intended function.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}} They were later included in an art piece done by [[Lorraine McLees]] for the gallery section of the ''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]'' (featured below), featuring [[John-117]] surrounded by a menagerie of weapons from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 2''.

Satchel charges are referenced in the final game's level [[Outskirts]], during a section in which [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] orders a [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine]] to "''get a satchel on the gate!''" However, before this can be done, two [[Mgalekgolo|Hunters]] instead break through the gate.
<gallery>
File:HGN - Lorraine.png|The satchel charges can be seen in this image, underneath the barrel of the machine gun on the left.
</gallery>

===Shredder===
The "shredder" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

===Sniper rod===
The "sniper rod" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation.{{Ref/Reuse|H2:A}}

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

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