Weapon types

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Many different weapons exist across the Halo video games, all of which can be grouped together and classified in numerous ways. The following is an overview of classifications created by or officially recognized by the developers of Halo, and how they affect gameplay.

Weapon Classes

Main article: Weapon class

UNSC weapons and ammunition featured in the Halo Graphic Novel, all based on in game models.

The weapons tag folder of the Halo 3 Editing Kit.

Weapon classes are the means by which the Halo video games group together different weapons with similar animations. Characters can only hold weapons belonging to weapon classes supported by their own set of third person animations. Grunts can carry pistols and launchers but not rifles, Marines can carry rifles but not support weapons, and so on. Before being introduced in Halo 2 each weapon required its own set of animations per character. As such Grunts in Halo: Combat Evolved could carry plasma pistols and needlers, but not the human pistol. Weapon classes remove this restriction by having these three weapons share a simplified set of pistol animations. Weapons may still posses unique animation overlays such as an adjusted hand position for the SMG's vertical foregrip or the shotgun's staged reload. Halo Infinite formalized weapons classes as information presented by the user interface. In this context the use of weapon classes describes the intended role of a weapon, combining its appearance with its functionality.

Grenade

Grenades are a form of offensive equipment utilized by players and NPCs. Technically not a weapon themselves according to the Halo game engine, grenades are collected similarly to ammunition and powerups, which can then by thrown as projectiles.

Melee

Melee weapons do not possess firing animations and rely solely on melee attacks. There are two subcategories that exist for players, although more exist exclusive to NPCs.

• Energy Sword - Swords are melee weapons that can perform powerful lunge attacks in addition to dealing increased regular melee damage via the cutting damage type.
• Gravity Hammer - Hammers are melee weapons that create explosions in front of the user without inflicting self harm. The increased physics impulses are also useful for pushing enemies off of ledges, performing splatters with physics objects, and golfing.

Multiplayer

Essentially the same as melee weapons, multiplayer weapons are classified under their own category presumably for organizational purposes. Multiplayer weapons are divided up into two subcategories.

• Ball - Spherical multiplayer weapons held with sports influenced animations, and can also be thrown beginning with Halo 4. Originally comprised of just the oddball, the class now includes the assault bomb, throwable fusion coils, and power seeds.
• Flag - Pole shaped multiplayer weapons used for CTF gamemodes. Flags are dual wielded with magnums in Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians.

Pistol

Pistols are projectile weapons held either one handed or with both hands supporting the rear grip. Despite their appearance pistols can possess any level of destructive capability, from the low damage per shot of the plasma pistol to the explosive power of the target locator.

Rifle

Rifles are projectile weapons held with two hands, one hand supporting the barrel from underneath. It is the most common weapon class and has been divided into numerous subcategories.

• Assault Rifle - Mid-ranged weapons lacking scopes, which operate in a niche between tactical rifles and SMGs.
• Tactical Rifle - Mid-ranged, headshot capable weapons featuring magnified optics.
• SMG - Short-ranged weapons with high rates of fire.
• Shotgun - Short-ranged weapons that fire multiple projectiles at once in a spread pattern.
• Sniper Rifle - Long-ranged, headshot capable weapons with high power scopes and considerable damage.

Launcher

Also known internally as "support_high" and "missile" weapons, launchers have previously been any weapon carried over characters' shoulders. Halo Infinite<