Energy sword (fiction)

"A noble and ancient weapon, wielded by the strongest of Sangheili, requires great skill and bravery to use, and inspires fear in those who face its elegant plasma blade."

- Thel 'Vadamee The Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword, more commonly known as the Energy Sword or the Plasma Sword, is a Covenant close quarters Sangheili melee weapon.

Design Details
The Energy Sword consists of a curved hilt housing an energy storage and generation device, along with the blade projector that when activated, shapes and contains a blade of superheated Plasma, stabilized within two small magnetic-field generators built into the handle of the weapon to help form the oval shaped, ionized blades that the weapon is recognized for. The Energy Sword runs on battery power; an active sword, however, does not deplete the battery's energy: only when the sword makes contact with an object does the battery's energy deplete. Each strike from the sword will drain the battery by 10% of its maximum energy output, but if its user is careful, light strikes will not drain battery power. Once the battery power dies out the sword will deactivate and be rendered useless unless recharged. It is unknown how the battery is recharged. The Energy Sword also contains a fail-safe device that can be activated if the Sangheili wielding it drops it; the fail-safe option is always on, and a Sangheili must deactivate the fail-safe by applying pressure to the hilt before he can safely store the weapon. When the sword is dropped without disengaging the fail-safe, the weapon will deactivate the magnetic field without first dispersing the plasma, consuming the handle and thus destroying the weapon. The failsafe is included to prevent enemy infantry from acquiring the weapon and using it, and is yet another insight to Sangheili tactics.

The Energy Sword is the signature weapon of the Sangheili, and has been part of their culture since the Fourth Age of Discovery, the Sangheili pride themselves on their skills with this weapon, and the Sangheili believe that it is honorable for a Sangheili to fight, and die by the sword. The Sangheili are also very strict on who can be trained in the art of swordsmanship, only Aristocrats are permitted to wield swords and that sword-wielders are no longer eligible for marriage; however, they may breed with any female they choose, married or otherwise, to ensure successful transmission of "swordsman" genes. In service to the Covenant, only the most skilled warriors of the Sangheili like Zealots, Spec-Ops, and Stealth Elites are permitted to use an Energy Sword, and it is implied that they spend years building and improving their skills in order to become combatants in the lethal art of sword fighting. During the Great Schism, all Elites, including Minors could use Energy Swords. The distribution to lower ranks could be a side effect of the Great Schism and the subsequent discarding of religious protocols.

Advantages
The Type-1 Energy Sword is an extremely powerful and effective melee weapon in close range combat. A single strike can blow out energy shield systems and cut into the armor and flesh of a SPARTAN-II or Sangheili. Infantry with over-shielding are only slightly more resistant as it can take two strikes before the shield system fails. In the hands of a skillful Sangheili warrior or SPARTAN-II, the sword can be fatal unless the enemy has enough stopping power in their hands. The sheer destructive power of the sword makes it a weapon to be feared on any battlefield. The energy sword can cut through any material with ease and can burn through most armor and slice infantry in half. Even stab wounds to infantry can be fatal if not treated in time, as the blade passes through the body, the innards of the body are burned by the extreme temperatures produced by the blade and body fluids in the area of the stab wound are flash vaporized. The wound, upon contact, is cauterized by the heat. In the context of the Halo games, the energy sword's strength and lethality, are compensated for both the sake of ESRB rating, and gameplay.

Disadvantages
The Energy Sword is purely a close-quarters weapon, which makes it useless past close range. A skilled SPARTAN-II can take down infantry with the sword by using a weapon outside of their effective range, the SMG or the MA5 Series Rifle are staple examples of weapons capable of taking down anyone holding a sword in combat. The Energy Sword, like most other Covenant Weapons, has a battery, requiring the user to either recharge the weapon or discard it. Although the handle can be used as a club, the Energy Sword's combat effectiveness at that point is minimal when its energy runs out.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2
In Halo: Combat Evolved the Energy Sword has a cyan glow, has a far less defined edge and makes a dull clunk when striking something or someone. It is only used by Stealth Elites and Zealots. The player cannot use the Energy Sword in Halo: Combat Evolved, because once a Zealot is defeated, the fail-safe on the sword will activate, forcing the plasma of the former blade to collapse onto the handle, vaporizing the weapon.

In Halo 2, the energy sword is blue with purple undertones and electrical energy crackling on it when the blade is activated, the white glow seen in Halo: CE is also replaced with a more glass like transparency. In the campaign, it is only used by higher-ranking Elites, such as Spec-ops, Ultras and Zealots, however the sword can now be used by a player. The sword in campaign has a battery and can only be used against a limited number of Covenant forces before the battery dies. When the Energy Sword runs out of energy, it can still be used to attack your enemies. The damage is then equal to a regular melee attack and will take a longer time to kill, unless the player assassinates their enemy.

The sword is usable in Multiplayer but with an infinite battery, like in campaign the sword has two major attacks, a lunge attack and a swing attack, the lunge attack is very powerful and can send the player flying towards an enemy if the reticule is red.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3
In Halo 3, the sword has more of a light cyan tinge similar to its appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved but still has a tint of purple near the handle. It also has an angle near the handle, whereas in the two previous games it was curved. Players are now able to parry with the Sword. The power exerted by the swords hitting each other will drain both player(s) shields, but will not kill them unless one makes the fatal blow. The sword's lunge attack has been reduced for balancing purposes, aside from these changes in design and functionality, the power of the sword remains unchanged. In multiplayer the sword has a limited battery supply, and the sword also takes more time to unsheathe. The energy sword isnt present in Halo 3: ODST, due to the fact that there are no living elites in the game.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach
In Halo: Reach, the Energy Sword appears to have a much longer unsheathing time than in previous games, it also appears that the two blades are closer together, and the sword, overall, more closely resembles the incarnation from Halo: Combat Evolved. When the sword is active, it now lights up the surrounding area, giving a much clearer indication of where the user is. Additionally, a sword lunge can be blocked by a well-timed melee.

Also, the Elite character model now has a different stance when holding an Energy Sword. The Sword also appears to be a bit darker in color, and the animation for the lunge is a bit different. The sword also rests differently when unused in the Spartan and Elite character models.

In Other Media
In the Halo Graphic Novel, there is a variety of sword-type weapons that appear on a wall in the dueling chamber of the Infinite Succor. These range from apparent energy clubs to sickle-like plasma weapons. Also, the swords that Rtas 'Vadum and Kusovai duel with in the story change shape a number of times to exhibit the basic structure of the Type-1 with a few slight differences, as they are used for training, and not battle. In the story Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, an Elite is shown with a very odd, light-pink, sword, with very thin blades. Also, the Arbiter from Halo Wars uses two energy swords with a modified hilt and a hand guard. In the Halo Evolutions story Headhunters, it tells of a new energy sword variant. It is described of being composed of a reddish energy combined with the white flicker of electricity, which gave it a glow that was blood-colored. It is unknown what the difference is between this one and the original blue variant. In concept art for Halo: Reach an energy sword is seen with several spikes protruding from the side.

Tactics
There are two ways a player in Halo 2 and Halo 3 can attack, the first is to lunge with the energy sword. With this, the player lunges forward at the other player. However, this only works when the aiming reticule is lit red, indicating that the opposing player is within range. The second attack is the simple melee, this performs a quick underhanded swipe.

Campaign

 * In Halo 2 the sword is extremely valuable against Elites in campaign. When facing sword-wielding Elites a sound tactic is to jump and lunge attack them. This will kill them quickly and save your shields or your life on higher difficulties.
 * In both Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Energy Sword is the best anti-Flood weapon, as it will destroy Flood Combat Forms in one strike (although if an infected Elite still has its shield, it may take two swipes, depending on the difficulty setting).
 * When fighting against the Flood, an attack with the Energy Sword will deplete the battery by a very small amount (about 3%) due to their soft tissue, making it useful for extended durations.
 * The Energy Sword in Halo 2 and Halo 3 can be used to destroy the corpses of Flood Combat Forms so that they cannot be re-infected by Infection Forms. The cutting process drains battery power. However, any weapon's melee attack can be used to destroy combat form corpses if used enough times, even a depleted Energy Sword hilt.
 * In Halo 3 the Energy Sword is very hard to come by in the campaign outside of Floodgate, Cortana, and Halo. The player can obtain an Energy Sword by betraying an Elite ally on The Covenant by sticking him with a grenade (if Mythic is turned on, the Elite can survive a Plasma Grenade and you can take his Energy Sword) or by draining Arbiter's shield during combat (this happens more frequently on higher difficulties). If you do, it is a very good weapon against Brutes, although the battery will deplete very quickly.

Multiplayer

 * The sword is easily one of the best close range weapons to use in Halo 2. The best tactic is to lay into an enemy player with your secondary weapon getting closer, then when within range perform a quick swipe with the sword for the finishing move. However since there is no way of telling which player has the sword, or no sound way to stop it, it has often been labeled as a cheap tactic.
 * Using Active Camouflage with the sword in Halo 2 is not a wise thing to do as the sword in Halo 2 is still visible with it active. In Halo 3 however, using the sword with active camouflage is a sound tactic as it will now cover the sword when picked up.
 * In Halo 3 the sword lunge is shorter, and the player cannot perform a quick strike. In addition, the sword's handle is now visible on the character's leg. In order for the sword to be most effective the player must lure a player into a trap where the sword will become effective; camping with the sword in a corner and waiting is the best way to use it to its fullest extent. As a special note, there is a range difference between the B button melee, and the right trigger lunge. The lunge has the maximum range, whilst the B button seems to only work at 1/2 to 3/4 the range. This is, most likely, for balancing, as the B button swings the sword at a much, much faster rate.
 * If the enemy controls the sword room in the Halo 3 multiplayer map The Pit, stick to the outer wall. The range is just short of the wall and if you're lucky he'll lunge and miss, giving you the perfect opportunity to kill him/her/it.

Advanced Tactics

 * It is possible to dodge a lunge from the Energy Sword. To do this, one must move quickly to the right when facing the lunging opponent, towards the hand which does not hold the sword. Conversely, to prevent your target from dodging your lunge, simply jump; jumping reduces all chances of missing or being dodged by an opponent.
 * In Halo 3, a new feature has been added so that players can parry their opponent's sword by meleeing or lunging at the same time. If you pull the right trigger right before the other person makes contact, a parrying electric clash is produced, but you do lose some or all of your shield. However, when you get down to no shields, a sword clash will not affect your health, though your screen will flash bright red. This is sometimes known as "Fencing", and can be a game, first to die loses, a useful tactic to use in sword-on-sword fight is, once you parry, melee with the sword. If you time it well enough the sword fight can last indefinitely.
 * Jumping can make the Energy Sword much more fearsome, brutally effective and accurate. Jump and point your reticule down, waiting until it turns red to lunge at the opponent.
 * In Halo 2 avoiding a sword lunge is extremely difficult, if timed correctly and with a bit of luck, side stepping in the direction of the enemy players free hand may save your life, however this is often difficult. In Halo 3 avoiding the sword lunge can be done by using either a Brute Shot or a Shotgun, there is still some difficulty in pulling it off, but the odds of killing an enemy player using the Sword is much greater than on Halo 2.

Dual Wielding
The Energy Sword is non-dual wieldable in any of the present Halo games. It is, however, physically possible to wield two swords at once in the accepted canon. The reason the Energy Sword is non dual-wieldable in game is because it kills most enemies in one hit, so dual wielding would not be necessary. Although, in the Bungie vidoc "Et tu, Brute?" it does show an early animation of an Elite slashing and impaling a Jiralhanae with two swords. To negate this, Bungie removed all possibility of dual-wielding.

In the Halo Graphic Novel, Rtas 'Vadum and Kusovai both dual wield Evergy Swords while in a training exercise, as well as throughout The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor. Dual Energy Swords are used to fight the growing Flood infestations of the ship. The Arbiter in Halo Wars is also seen dual-wielding Energy Swords, and they serve as his primary, and only weapons throughout the game.

Trivia

 * The Energy Sword does not appear in Halo 3: ODST, making one of the four weapons from Halo 3 not to appear in ODST. The other three weapons not appearing in the game are the Sentinel Beam (due to the fact that no Forerunner Sentinels appear), the Battle Rifle (even though it was readily available during the Battle of New Mombasa; and its purpose is taken by the new Silenced Magnum variant, but can be seen being used by the NMPD officer in the end cutscene of NMPD HQ), and the standard Plasma Rifle (replaced by the Brute Plasma Rifle). The Energy Sword does not appear in ODST because there are no living Elites in the game. However, near the deceased body of a Sangheili in Tayari Plaza, one can find two depleted Energy Swords hilts.
 * In 2008, this was to be released by Jasman Toys to go with their other laser tag weapons; the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle. However, its release has been cancelled or delayed, possibly because of the very pointy tips of the blade, or because Laser Tag is a shooting game, and the Sword is a melee weapon.
 * It was originally going to be usable in Halo: Combat Evolved, but was cut when the game became a First-Person Shooter.
 * In the Halo 3 Vidoc Et tu Brute? there is an unfinished animation depicting Brute Chieftain wielding an Energy Sword, this is however never seen in the hands of Brutes in the final game, possibly because of it being a signature weapon of the Elites.
 * The Fable 2: Limited Edition comes with "Hal's Sword", a crystal blade shaped like an Energy Sword for in-game use, to coincide with the use of "Hal's Armour", which resembles MJOLNIR armor.
 * In the Halo: Graphic Novel, Rtas 'Vadumee is seen with two Energy Swords that are shorter and thinner than the regular type. Two possible reasons would be that it may be a different energy weapon, or it could just be the artistic style of the drawing.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo 3, a glitch can be performed to give the player a Silhouette Sword.
 * In the Halo Graphic Novel, there is a variety of sword-type weapons that appear on a wall in the dueling chamber of the Infinite Succor. These range from apparent energy clubs, axe-like plasma weapons, and trident-like energy weapons. Also, the swords that Rtas 'Vadum and Kusovai duel with in the story change shape a number of times to exhibit the basic structure of the Type-1 with a few slight differences.
 * In Halo 3, 7 Forerunner glyphs are visible on each side of the Energy Sword's hilt.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved on the PC, in DevMode, if you bump-possess an Elite with an energy sword, the sword isn't seen on your HUD, but when you get close to an enemy, you will hear a noise and the enemy is either dead or wounded, meaning that the sword works without pressing any buttons. If you walk over another weapon as an Elite with a sword, he will pick it up, and you will be unable to use the sword anymore.
 * It is possible to get a Sword Spree Medal, even a Slice 'N Dice Medal with an Energy Sword that's out of battery.
 * In Halo Wars, the Energy Swords that Ripa 'Moramee wield are modified to have a different hilt. It is possible that many other high ranking Elites are allowed to modify their personal weapons to a certain extent. The sword also has a significantly larger gap between the blades than in the First Person Shooter games.
 * In Halo: Evolutions, a blood red Energy Sword is used by the Commando Unit.
 * One can see by the shape of the hilt that the Energy Sword was meant to be an Elite exclusive weapon. Its odd central protrusion is perfect for the two central fingers to grab on to, while the back fingers support them from behind. It is certainly not meant to be wielded by humans, as SPARTAN-IIs hold it in an uncomfortable-looking way; the main four fingers separate between the middle and ring fingers to accommodate for the central protrusion (two on each side) while the thumb acts as the only support from behind. Nevertheless, Spartans wield it just as effectively as any Elite.
 * The distinctive shape of the energy sword is apparently based on ceremonial Sangheli swords. In Halo Legends: The Duel, Haka is seen wielding a large blade weapon that appears extremely similar to the energy weapon and even has the horizontal hand grip.
 * In Halo: Reach, Sangheili armor now has a built-in miniature Energy Sword used to assassinate (serving as an equivalent to the UNSC Combat Knife utilized by Spartans in assassinations). Its appearance is nearly identical to that of the original Energy Sword. The only differences are that the blade is shorter and extends from the top of the wrist rather than from a handle.
 * When it spawns in most multiplayer maps, rather than lying on the ground, it will be floating in mid-air blades pointing up until it is hit by any damage or grabbed by a player. One exception is the Halo 2 Vista exclusive map, Uplift, where it spawns lying down.

Internal

 * Gravity Hammer - Mainline Jiralhanae melee weapon.
 * Unlimited Energy Sword - Glitch that helps a whole lot on higher difficulties with the flood.