Armor lock



Armor Lock, sometimes referred to as Armor Lockup, refers to a form of energy shielding technology. Armor Lock envelopes its operator into a powerful energy shield, rendering them virtually impervious to all damage for a short period of time. As its biggest drawback, the device also generates a local gravitic effect that immobilizes the operator. After a five-second period of continuous use, the device deactivates and releases an electromagnetic pulse.

Originally developed by the Covenant and later reverse-engineered by the United Nations Space Command, both versions of Armor Lock are either enabled by an external "plug" attached to the back of the operator's armor, or are integrated to the armor's systems and operate without an external device of any kind. The UNSC version of Armor Lock, which was at its prototype stages by mid-2552, has internal components virtually identical to the Covenant one. By the time of the Fall of Reach, Armor Locking technology was utilized in the battlefield by Sangheili and Jiralhanae combatants, as well as SPARTAN supersoldiers.

Gameplay
Armor Lock is one of the seven Armor Abilities in Halo: Reach. When performing Armor Lock, the player is impervious to all damage, but it also renders the player immobile. When Armor Lockup is activated, it will shed stuck Plasma Grenades and Needler rounds, Plasma Launcher rounds will be rendered harmless, and rockets will be deflected. It will charge up a powerful Electromagnetic Pulse when in use, which is detonated when Armor Lockup is released. The animation for Armor Lockup is the user slamming his fist on the ground. In doing so, he starts to emit an EMP as long as the button is held or until the Armor Lock ability is over.

Armor Lockup can be charged up in three stages, with each stage inflicting a stronger EMP and pushing opponents farther away. Health or shields restore normally when Armor Lockup is in use unless someone attacks you while in Armor Lockup, in which case the recharge timer is reset just as it does when the player takes damage normally. Like all other Armor Abilities, Armor Lockup will recharge once you stop using it. A quick way to neutralize the advantage of an Armor Lockup-using player is to remain outside the EMP zone, fire one shot at him or her every once in a while to keep their shields down, and then attack when he or she either releases the button or is unable to maintain Armor Lock

Players who try to melee an Armor Locked adversary are momentarily stunned, allowing the Armor Lockup user to gain a small advantage over them if they exit Armor Lockup quickly enough. Also, as a means to prevent an Armor Lockup user from simply being gunned down as soon as they exited Armor Lockup before they had a chance to defend themselves, there is a quarter-second interval after Armor Lockup is released in which the user remains invulnerable - enough time for a player to exit Armor Lockup and take a single step in whatever direction they want to go before becoming vulnerable again.

Related pages

 * Energy shielding
 * Bubble Shield
 * Drop Shield