Type-33 needler

The Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher, better known as the Needler, is a Covenant infantry weapon that fires a homing projectile capable of doing lethal damage. Once 7 needles embed themselves into an enemy they explode, killing the enemy in almost 100% of encounters.

Summary
The Needler is a highly unusual Covenant weapon that fires pink, translucent, crystalline projectiles. It is most often wielded by Unggoy (Grunts), Sangheili (Elites), and Yanme'e (Drones), but Kig-Yar (Jackals) have also been seen utilizing this weapon.

Its razor sharp crystalline projectiles are fired from this elaborately designed Covenant weapon; it is widely believed that they use heat or organic signatures to home in on targets. Although easily deflected by energy shields, the needles cause a chemical reaction in close proximity resulting in an explosive effect. After a number of needles (7 or more) have entered a hostile combatant, they will shatter and explode, causing massive internal damage that always results in death and sending micro shrapnel through the air.



Advantages
This weapon fires enemy-tracking needles that embed themselves in the flesh of a target before exploding to cause damage. The rate of fire increases with continuous fire. If 7 or more needles accumulate in the target, the needles' combined strength will create a large explosion, killing the target and causing splash damage to other nearby enemies. Needles can penetrate the energy shields of Elites, Sentinels, and Spartans, but bounce off Jackal Personal Arm Shields. They are especially useful against the Brutes in Halo 2's Campaign mode if many needles hit the brute.

In Halo 1, the Needler can be useful for taking out several enemies clumped together: the first 7 shots will kill the enemy and the rest of a clip will set off secondary explosions. In Campaign, the explosions will set off grenades, making the Needler very deadly against groups of enemies or powerful foes such as the Elites. It is also a good weapon in tight corridors, were it is impossible for enemies to dodge the needles by moving left or right, or any wide places with little to no cover.

In Halo 2, the only game in the trilogy where you can dual-wield the weapon, the effectiveness and rate of fire of the needlers can be increased by firing them "out of phase". This is accomplished when the user begins firing one of his needlers a fraction of a second before the other, and continues to fire them in full-auto so that the shots from each weapon are fired in a "one-two punch" pattern. You can tell when the pattern is just right because the guns will sound as if they are firing much more rapidly. This allows for a more constant and consistent stream of fire. Since each needle is in its own slot in the firing sequence, the failure of one needle to impact the target no longer means that two will fail.

In Halo 3, the Needler is more powerful than ever before. With a faster rate of fire, greater accuracy, quicker projectiles, better homing capabilities and higher damage, the Needler has been improved in virtually every area. As the Needler now behaves more like a rifle than an SMG, it can no longer be dual-wielded. However, it's no longer necessary to do so. Frankie has been quoted as saying that the Needler is now nearly a power weapon on its own.

When playing the Halo 3 Campaign, until reaching Legendary, it will not be considered as too much of a powerful weapon, but when it is, it's one of the best weapons to kill Brutes and many other opponents such as the Flood. It only takes those 7 needles, even on higher difficulties, and the homing makes it practically unaffected by the difficulty setting.

Disadvantages


The needles are slow, and are not effective against vehicles. The needles also take time to hit/explode on the target, leaving the target time to move in and inflict some of the explosive splash damage on the shooter. This is best illustrated when dealing with the Flood or a Zealot wielding an Energy Sword. It is nearly impossible to hit invisible enemies with the Needler because in Halo CE and Halo 2 it does not home in on invisible targets, but in Halo 3 the needler is able to home in on camouflaged Brutes. The learning curve of the "lead" needed to hit strafing targets is also high. And when faced with experienced opponents in multiplayer (who often randomize their strafing patterns) the weapon is almost always overshadowed by better, more reliable options. Against larger and more heavily armored opponents, such as Hunters, the Needler is generally ineffective. In addition, the needles themselves do not inflict much damage, and that only the general explosion inside the enemy will kill them. Therefore, combinations of shooting/meleeing to get a kill are not ideal with this weapon. Also, this means that, on Halo 2, the needler should be dual wielded only with another needler.

Description and Appearance
While the Needler first appeared in the original Halo: Combat Evolved, the individual crystalline needles used as a hand to hand weapon appear in the Halo novel, Contact Harvest. It made a return in Halo 2, and was made slightly less powerful with the advent of dual wielding. However, after Halo 2's 1.1 multiplayer patch, the weapon was toned down even more. The weapon returns in Halo 3. This time it is not dual-wieldable, but the weapon has been significantly rebalanced to allow it to stand on its own; it is one of the most effective medium-ranged weapons in the game, especially when used against Brutes or Flood.

Changes from Halo: CE to Halo 2

 * Weapon appears to be smaller to the player.
 * In Halo: CE The gun, as well as the needles before and after firing, had a slight blue tinge to them, this is all but eliminated.
 * It is wielded far less by enemy Elites and Grunts.
 * The clip size is increased to thirty needles. Maximum amount of clips remains the same.
 * Explosion has significantly less pressure wash to harm those nearby.
 * Only one explosion is needed to kill any enemy, up to three were needed to kill high ranking elites on difficulties as low as normal.
 * Needles fly faster.
 * Only one explosion will go off within an enemy, in Halo: CE multiple explosions could go off in one body, even after death.

Changes from Halo 2 to halo 3

 * Reticle must be red in order for the needles to seek.
 * Weapon can no longer be dual wielded.
 * Never wielded by Elites unless you give them one.

UNSC Remarks
"I don’t know how it works, but it seems the needles can only follow you if they can see you."

"Anything stuck with enough needles will blow sky high—and if a Foxtrot is unlucky enough to be carrying grenades, those’re gonna cook off too."

“I caught three in the leg as I was diving behind a broken wall—they lodged right in there where the greave meets the boot. When they went off it damn near broke my ankle and flung like little splinters of glass or crystal or whatever all up my left side—the corpsman was pulling that shit out’a me for the better part of two hours.”

“Luckily—listen to me “luckily”—the needles only detonate when they’re embedded [sic] in living tissue. Now that’s lucky because it’s not gonna blow a hole in the wall you’re hiding behind or tear the tires off of the vehicle you’re trying to escape in.”

“It’s about as close to a fire-and-forget small arm that were likely to ever see—and it ain’t ours. This is why we’re losing.”

“First order of business when dealing with a hostile armed with a needler is finding cover; second order of business is killing the mike foxtrot with the needler.”

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans
 * Brutes (have animation but not used)
 * Drones
 * Grunts
 * Marines
 * Flood Combat Form (Human)
 * Flood Combat Form (Elite)
 * Needler Sentinel (glitch)

Trivia

 * It is higly speculated that the Needler was inspired by Half-Life 1's Alien Stinger (The one that spits out bee like insects) due to its similar ability to lock on to enemies.
 * It takes seven or more needles to set off the full explosion and kill targets such as Spartans or Elites. This is another early incarnation of Bungie's fascination with the number 7.
 * In the Sacred Icon (Level) in the first Enforcer fight behind the Gondola there are three overloaded Needlers with 135 ammo each.
 * Sgt. Johnson and Captain keyes are the only two main UNSC characters that use Needlers.
 * The Melee animation for the Needler has changed from Halo: CE to Halo 3. Where in Halo: CE the player swung the Needler, now the player appears to punch with it.
 * The only level in all three games of the Halo trilogy where Needler ammunition can be found outside of the weapon is 343 Guilty Spark (Level) in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * In Halo 3, a certain number of needles in a target is required for the explosion, having even one less will not cause the explosion. However, if an opponent's shield is down and they have already taken damage, the needles can kill the target without exploding. This strategy, however, is not recommended because of the poor power the needles possess.
 * In Halo 3, if you look at your shadow while holding a Needler (regardless of how many needles are protruding from the top) their won't be any needles visible in the top of the Needler in your shadow. This is to compensate with simple reloading, third person etc animations.
 * In Halo: CE, the needles appear bluish-pink when in the Needler, although they've always been pink when shot.
 * In Halo 3, the force of the Needler explosion was reduced along with the multiple explosions of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Its color has also been changed to that of a Plasma Grenade from the red-pink of the original invention.
 * If you shoot a weapon in Halo 3 with at least 7 needles, then quickly pick it up while still firing, the weapon will explode and you will die. This glitch counts as a suicide.
 * A second suicide method is to crouch on a floor that rebounds needler shots, aim at your foot, and eventually, through continual fire (About 4 clips) you will die.
 * In Halo 3's Forge mode, there's a minor Glitch where if you set the weapon's Spare ammunition clips to 2, the Needler will have 3 spare clips instead.
 * The Needler is incorrectly labeled as having 30 needles per clip, instead of the actual 19.
 * The Needler's increased power in Halo 3 has labeled it a noob's weapon, although noobs seldom have the skill to use it and scarcely recognize its power.
 * Halo 2 is the only game in which you can dual-wield needlers.
 * You can commit suicide in Halo 3 if you shoot at your knee with the needler.

Related Links

 * Covenant Weapons
 * Fear the Pink Mist
 * Energy Cutlass
 * Needler at halowiki