Zasqi-pattern fuel rod gun

This article is about the fuel rod gun from Halo: Combat Evolved. For the fuel rod gun introduced in Halo 2, see Type-33 fuel rod gun, and for the fuel rod featured in Halo 5: Guardians, see Type-58 fuel rod cannon.

This unidentified fuel rod gun is a type of fuel rod gun that was in service within the Covenant's Fleet of Particular Justice in September 2552. It is a shoulder-mounted, battery-powered weapon which fires fuel rods, and was often carried by Spec-Ops Unggoy during the later stages of the Battle of Installation 04.

Overview
This unidentified fuel rod gun is a powerful, shoulder-mounted infantry weapon which fires explosive fuel rod ammunition, similar to vehicle-mounted weapons such as the fuel rod cannon, but which have a very pronounced downward arc. Unlike other fuel rod gun models such as the Type-33 and Type-58, this unidentified model draws from a battery reserve, instead of a physical magazine. As such, it is subject to the same limitations as other Covenant battery-powered weaponry: notably, it will overheat if fired rapidly for too long, and cannot easily be recharged on the battlefield.

Some versions of this weapon were known to be equipped with a "dead man's switch", which caused the weapon to detonate if its wielder was killed in combat, rendering the weapon inoperable and useless and potentially damaging any enemies - or allies - nearby. This was common for other types of fuel rod gun too, such as the Type-33. However, the concept was phased out by the Covenant in late 2552.

The weapon was commonly seen wielded by Spec-Ops Unggoy during the Battle of Installation 04, particularly during the later stages, after the release of the Flood. Rtas 'Vadumee's was also accompanied by a strike team including Spec-Ops Grunts who wielded the weapon, during his mission to the Infinite Succor which took place concurrently.

Gameplay
The weapon is not usable in the Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved; it was exclusive to the Spec-Ops Grunt enemies in the campaign. However, it was made available in multiplayer mode of the PC version. In the PC version, it is a battery operated weapon, and can fire a total of 28 rounds, from its 100 battery unit charge. If fired at its maximum fire rate, it could five five rounds each before overheating. The weapon's metal plating is purple with a gray barrel.

Trivia

 * In Halo PC multiplayer, the weapon's barrel retracts into the weapon when fired. Whether this is the firing mechanism or a recoil compensator is unknown, but the weapon has very little recoil on the hands of the player character, supporting the latter.
 * The fuel rod gun was originally meant to be a grenade launcher, but it was changed to a Covenant rocket launcher. It can be viewed on this video.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor