Editing Elefen-pattern battlecruiser

{{Title|''Elefen''-pattern battlecruiser}}
{{Status|Canon}}
{{Ship class infobox
|name=''Elefen''-pattern battlecruiser
|image=
|hull symbol=
|architect=
|manufacturer=
|class=[[Covenant cruiser|Battlecruiser]]
|role=
|length=
|width=
|height=
|mass=
|power=
|engine=
|slipspace drive=
|navigation=
|hull=
|shielding=
|armament=
|complement=
|crew=
|passengers=
|othersystems=
|era=
|introduced=
|affiliation=[[Covenant]]
}}
The '''''Elefen''-pattern battlecruiser''' is a classification of warship employed by the [[Covenant]].{{Ref/Book|Id=HWF|HWF|Page=73|Quote=The Zanar pattern is a stable mutation of the much larger Ket and Elefen pattern battlecruisers.}} The ''Elefen''-patterm, alongside the {{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser|}}, was one of the mainstay [[Covenant battlecruiser|battlecruiser]] designs employed by the Covenant,{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=264}} succeeding the {{Pattern|Maugen|armored cruiser}}.{{Ref/Book|Enc22|Page=265}}

The {{Pattern|Zanar|light cruiser}} was produced as a mutation - albeit a stable one - of the ''Elefen'' and ''Ket'' [[design pattern]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|HWF}}

==Production notes==
<!--Discussions with Ken have advised us not to treat the Elefen as a design that has ever been seen in visual media; only provide information which can be *directly sourced* from the source material.-->
Little is known of the ''Elefen''{{'}}s design features. The ship was first namedropped in ''[[Halo: Warfleet – An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo]]''{{Ref/Reuse|HWF}} and later again mentioned in the ''[[Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)]]'',{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} though neither book have gone into any detail on the specifics of the design. 

According to correspondences with [[Stephen Loftus]], a common contributor to ''Halo'' source books, the ''Elefen'' namedrop was intended to serve as a definitive split between the design featured in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' and ''[[Halo 2]]'' (and its [[Halo 2: Anniversary|Anniversary]] edition) and that seen in ''[[Halo 3]]'' and subsequent games. This split is reminiscent of the {{Pattern|Syfon|assault carrier|}} and {{Pattern|Kerel|assault carrier}}s, though has yet to be corroborated in any subsequent looks at the ship.{{Ref/Generic|[[Stephen Loftus]] on his [[User talk:ScaleMaster117#Elefen-pattern battlecruiser|talk page]]}} The ''Halo Encyclopedia'' uses both of the major variations on the page discussing the ''Ket''-pattern battlecruiser and does not call out a specific ship as an ''Elefen'', while ''Warfleet'' calls out the ''[[Truth and Reconciliation]]'' as a ''Ket''-pattern - featuring it in its classic ''Combat Evolved'' design style with a smooth hull. This may indicate that the ''Elefen''-pattern battlecruiser is in fact the battlecruiser design seen in ''Halo 3'' and ''[[Halo: Reach|Reach]]'' - though thus far no source has explicitly confirmed as such.

Of additional note, [[Kenneth Peters]] (senior writer at [[343 Industries]] and author of ''Warfleet'' and ''[[Halo: Fleet Battles]]'') has explicitly confirmed that the number of [[sensor vane]]s on a battlecruiser is not an indication of design pattern differentiation - indicating that any identifying features of an ''Elefen'' would likely have to be more distinct.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/calm-in-the-storm|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Calm in the Storm|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/calm-in-the-storm.html|D=04|M=08|Y=2021}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{Covenant Ships}}