Energy sword (fiction)

The Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword, also known as the Plasma Sword or more commonly as the Energy Sword, is a close quarters Sangheili melee weapon. When used by the Sangheili, this energy weapon is more dangerous than its ceremonial nature implies. The energy sword is mainly employed by Zealot Sangheili in Halo 2, though Special Operations Elites have been known to use it for close quarter combat and there is always one Elite of lesser rank on Delta Halo. It is one of the main weapons in use by the Arbiter, whose race aided in the creation of the weapons.

Technical Specifications
The Energy Sword's plasma is shaped and held into a blade-like form by a small magnetic-field generator built into the handle of the weapon. The reason the blade has two points is caused by the magnetic properties of the weapon, two poles needing two points. The higher ranking Elite warriors use this as their main melee weapon and is their weapon of choice. The hot energy of the blade can cut through most armor and can cut an opponent in half with one swipe. This same technology is utilized in all Covenant plasma weapons. In Halo: Combat Evolved, if the Elite wielding the sword drops it, a fail-safe activates, deactivating the magnetic field without first dispensing the plasma, consuming the handle and thus destroying the weapon. In Halo 2, a similar fail-safe is active when not wielding the weapon directly. The handle, must be under pressure from the handler to be activated so that the weapon can be stored safely. This weapon, when used properly and skillfully, is one of the deadliest in the game.

Varying amounts of Energy, are used up when killing various foes (e.g. Flood Combat Form: 2.5 battery units e.g Flood infection form 0 battery units e.g. Elite 10-11 battery units). Normal swipes that merely strike a foe do not drain the Sword's battery as you must kill the foe to consume power. Therefore it may be prudent to strike a foe until it nears death and then use another weapon that has ammunition that can be found more frequently in the level. Around 10 percent of the sword's energy is consumed by killing a normal opponent in Halo 2 campaign but only 3 percent of the sword's energy is consumed when killing Flood (Combat Form). Killing Infection Forms does not use any battery energy but it is highly ineffective anyway, and so should be avoided whenever possible. In Halo 2 Multiplayer there is no limit on the amount of energy the Energy Sword can use before running out. However, it is not in every map, and even so, the maps that do have a sword only have one. In Halo 3 there is a limit on the amount of energy, only allowing the wielder to eliminate 10 players, before the Energy Sword runs out of energy and can not be used. After the Energy Sword runs out of energy however you can still use it to attack your enemies. The damage however, is then equal to a regular melee attack and will take a longer time to kill, unless you assassinate your enemy.

Cultural Significance
The Energy Sword holds a high significance in Sangheili culture. Only Spec-Ops Elites, Stealth Elites and higher ranks are normally permitted to wield an Energy Sword. However, both Minor and Major Elites were seen using this weapon in the Halo 2 levels Delta Halo and Regret However, in the Halo 3 level Floodgate, the first Elite Major that you come across also has one with him. Also in Halo 3, all Elites (even Minor Elites) can pull out Energy Swords and use them when stuck with a grenade. The distribution to lower ranks could be a side effect of the Great Schism and the subsequent discarding of religious protocols. Though it is commonly used for ceremonial purposes, it is often used in a battle as well. Sangheili culture even allows an Elite with great sword skills to mate with any female he chooses, but they may not marry. This is to ensure that 'Swordsman' genes are passed to the next generation.

Only the most skilled warriors of the Sangheili are normally permitted to use the weapon and it is implied that they spend years building their skills in order to become combatants in the lethal art of sword fighting. Nonetheless, despite the cultural taboo against it, any Elite can wield an energy sword with competent skill, becoming a deadly foe.

Variations
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 energy sword will activate a fail-safe and disintegrate via the plasma of the former blade collapsing onto the handle, thus rendering the weapon useless. In Halo: Combat Evolved, if you use a mod to stop it from disintegrating and another mod to allow the Master Chief to pick it up, you can pick the sword up, but you can't use it because there's no First Person animations and models for using the sword, only Third Person ones (you seeing the Elite). However, when picked up, face a wall and you can see a light blue glow reflecting on the wall. This proves that you actually have the Energy Sword. You have to give it a first person model (i.e. a Plasma Rifle) in order to use it. In Halo Custom Edition, many people have made their own Energy Swords or bump(a code that you use to swap characters through mere physical contact) possessed Zealots holding energy swords to use them, but the custom swords do not usually work right when replicating Halo 2/3 swords, as lunging doesn't work right and won't sync online, the sword has to either loose battery every time you swing it or never loose battery, and deflecting an enemy sword attack isn't possible.

In Halo 2 the energy sword is blue with purple undertones and electrical energy crackling on it when the blade is activated. As in the previous game, it is only used by higher-ranking Elites, such as Spec-ops, Ultras and Zealots. It has an infinite battery in Multiplayer.

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. The Sword has a limited battery supply in multiplayer (presumably because of its immense power), and more time is needed to draw it.

Interestingly, although the Halo 3 energy sword is angular near the handle, the icon on your HUD is still curved as it was in the first 2 Halo games. The reason for this is unknown.

Tactics
There are two ways a player in Halo 3 can attack and lunge with the Energy Sword. The first way is lunging, which occurs when the player pulls the right trigger. 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 straight-up melee, performed by hitting the B button (default control scheme). This performs a sort of underhand swipe (when the reticule is not red or facing an invisible opponent) or a lunge move (when the reticule is red). Though one would assume that because the energy sword's lunge and melee were the same, Bungie has indicated (via the short messages at the bottom of the screen while searching for a match in Halo 3 matchmaking), that the melee performed by hitting the B button is actually a fraction of a second quicker than those performed with the right trigger.The actual lunging properties of using the melee button though,are not as well ranged as the right trigger. This information can be exploited during clashes between two sword holders: if both players lunge at the same time, they will clash backwards; should one player use the right trigger and the other use the B button for their next attack, assuming that both are still within range and both attacks are thrown at the same time, the player who used the melee will almost invariably win and earn the "Bulltrue" medal (depending on host-client latency times). One way to stop a lunge attack is to throw any type of "sticky" grenade at the person lunging at you. This will kill them but you, most likely, still will die from the lunge, therefore the two cancel each other out with each person gaining a kill and death.

Another good tactic would be using melee causing you and the enemy to parry, directly after the parry lunge at your enemy if he is still in range. His weapon will most likely still be up from his lunge, his guard down.

Yet another good tactic is when in combat with someone in an Xbox LIVE match, use your primary weapon then when close enough to the enemy (not close enough for the enemy to melee you), take out your Energy Sword and lunge at him/her. This catches the player off-guard but makes them wary of the weapon you have, thus either making that person avoid you, or backpedal when in combat with you again.

Advantages
The Energy Sword is one of the most powerful weapons in Halo 2 and Halo 3. A single lunge can kill even a fully shielded Spartan or Covenant Elite (depending on rank; in Halo 2, it takes many lunges to kill a fully shielded Ultra, even on Easy). An over-shielded enemy can take two lunges to kill. In Halo 2 it is also one of the very few weapons that can destroy the bodies of dead Combat Forms, preventing their revival by Infection Forms (in Halo 3, any weapon will do this). Doing this, however, will still take up energy. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, a melee will dismember unshielded Flood Combat Forms. In multiplayer for Halo 3, the lunge is shorter. Normally (but not if your opponent makes an evasive move), the lunge will connect and will eviscerate your opponent. A normal swing of the sword can deplete 1 and 2/5's of the shielding. This is enough to eliminate a normal shield, and your health. The amount of damage can be increased if you jump, run, do a lunge, do a jumping lunge, do a melee, lunging melee, etc; but can be blocked by parrying with a melee when the opponent makes a lunge, causing the loss of your shields, but not actually killing you. The sword can also parry melees with appropriate timing. This is most common with other swords, but there is picture evidence of a sword parrying a hammer strike. The primary fire button initiates a lunge when the cross hair goes red or a swipe if it is not, and the melee button initiates a fast melee. Unlike the Gravity Hammer in Halo 3, it is very hard to tell that a player has the sword when it is not the primary weapon being used, making it much easier to catch an opponent off guard, thus the player wielding it is less likely to be targeted so quickly by snipers, remember to bear in mind the time now taken to unsheathe them, as this can give them the chance to get a shot in.

Disadvantages
The Energy Sword is purely a close-quarters weapon, meaning that it is completely useless past close range. A skilled Spartan or Elite can defeat a sword wielder with low-brow weapons like the SMG or M6C Magnum by avoiding getting close to a player wielding a sword. It is key, much like with any other close-range only weapon for the wielder to conceal it until he is close enough to use it properly; should an enemy spot the weapon at a distance he can easily kill off the player as he backs up to keep his distance. Another disadvantage is that the Energy Sword, like most other Covenant Weapons, has a battery, requiring the player to drop the weapon once the battery is used up. Although the handle can be used as a club, the Energy Sword's combat effectiveness is minimal when its energy runs out (enemies, especially Flood Combat Forms, are less vulnerable to a depleted energy sword and require two attacks before dying.) In Halo 2 Energy Swords also show through Active Camouflage, making it harder to be stealthy. However, in Campaign, the sword seemingly cannot be seen by enemies through Active Camouflage. Perhaps if they do see it they think the player is a camouflaged Elite. In Halo 3, the sword is completely invisible if you too are invisible. Also in both Halo 2 and Halo 3, if you initiate a Sword Lunge, an opponent with a Shotgun can easily fire off one shot and kill you. This also works well with a Brute Shot although it is somewhat harder to pull off without taking damage or killing yourself in the process. In Halo 3, doing this earns the Bulltrue medal. You can also be sniped at close range if the enemy is a decent enough sniper.

Dodging Sword Lunges
It is possible to dodge a blow from the Covenant 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.

Infinite Energy
In Halo 2, it is practicable to have an infinite amount of energy in the sword in campaign. All you have to do is empty all of the energy of the sword before completing the first level of two back-to-back levels (e.g. Outskirts-Metropolis). When you cross over to the next level you'll still have your empty energy sword, but it acts like a normal one. However, this glitch will not work if you use the sword while it has no ammo before changing levels. And when you cloak you can see an outline of the sword. Its great for The Oracle and Quarantine Zone. Just remember to have an empty sword by the end of The Arbiter, Delta Halo, Sacred Icon, Uprising or Outskirts.

Parrying
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 sort of "lightsaber clang" 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 you, though your screen will flash bright red. Be careful though; they can lunge back at you and kill you. 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, to move back out of range. You can trick the opponent into swinging and then move back into lunge distance and teach them a fatal lesson. A simple "B" melee with the sword in Halo 3 will also parry the lunge of an advancing opponent. If you time it well enough the sword fight can last indefinitely. An effective tactic if you are in the lead and get into a sword fight is to throw a plasma grenade instead of swinging, you will very likely stick them at such close range, if not, the explosive radius will probably kill one or both of you. To avoid getting killed by the explosion, you should back away from the battle after throwing the grenade. Another tactic is to throw a grenade at somebodies feet when they have the sword, and if you have the sword as well, when they will most likely jump up you can kill them as they land. The best way to win a sword fight is by using a combination of R and B.

Jumping
Jumping can make the Energy Sword much more fearsome and brutally effective. Jump and point your reticule down, waiting until it turns red to lunge at the opponent. This tactic makes it harder for your enemy to track you with their reticule and sword cross hair, making it more accurate. and thus you are more likely to win in a sword fight. By leaping upwards, your enemy cannot see you, and you can swiftly bring your attack down on the head giving you a "higher ground" battle mentality. Beware, Flood combat forms use this tactic to good effect; a lot more on Legendary. This can be countered if by pointing the reticule up and lunging at the diving player ; the player on the ground who lunges up at you (in Halo 2) will most likely win the exchange.

Surprise Attacks
Put it away when you are crossing open ground. If an opponent sees you approaching with an Energy Sword, they will usually backpedal and shoot you down before you can come into range. Switch to another weapon and use a surprising lunge attack, although this tactic is not recommended for use in Halo 3 as it takes time to fully activate the weapon, as it would with any other gun.

Sword Lunging vs. Melee
If you melee with the sword instead of pressing  RT  you can kill the player faster. Meleeing, then lunging is very hard to block, unless done at close range where two melees would win easily. Meleeing and then lunging is much faster then lunging twice; keep that in mind when playing Rumble pit. But caution, melee range with the sword is shorter than the lunge distance.

When in a swords game, or simply when engaging in a sword vs sword fight, ignoring the lunge altogether, at shorter ranges, is another good tactic. Keep a steady thumb on the melee button, and be prepared to hit it. If they lunge, a fast player will be able to parry with the melee, and counter-attack almost instantly. This can be used to stall or even defeat veteran swordsmen.

Plasma/Spike Grenade Kamikaze
If you are stuck by a plasma grenade you have a very slight chance of taking out your enemy too.When stuck try to lunge at your attacker so you or the grenade will take them out.Works better with plasma because of the 3 second delay. Vice versa, this is also an easy way to take out the Sword user, by sticking them before completing the lunge.

Stopping a Sword Lunge
Other than the basic shotgun, the Beam Rifle can also stop a sword lunge. The Beam Rifle is chosen for its ability to make accurate and quick shots. However, the Sniper Rifle is useful too. Just point your reticule at the head of an opponent who is lunging. Be quick enough to shoot before the lunge is completed and you have gotten an easy Bulltrue medal. Note that this is not a no-scope, as it is a headshot against a lunging opponent near you. If you want a even greater challenge, replace the snipers with a Battle Rifle and Covenant Carbine respectively.

The Brute Shot is an equally competent replacement. Just shoot the sword wielder in the body, before striking the enemy quickly with the sharp blade. However, do note that this method causes damage from splash.

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 welding would not be necessary. To negate this, Bungie removed all possibility of dual-wielding. This hitch has been noted with dual-wielding shotguns. In the Halo Graphic Novel, Rtas 'Vadum and Kusovai dual wield swords while in a training exercise, as well as throughout The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor. Through which dual Energy Swords are used to fight the growing Flood infestations of the ship. Due to a render seen in the early "Et Tu, Brute" ViDoc released by Bungie, it was conjectured that the Energy Sword would be a dual-wieldable item in Halo 3 as shown in an animation of an Elite dual wielding them, but this has since proven to be false. In concept art of Halo Wars, an Elite is seen dual wielding Energy Swords. A demo shows that this is possible in the final version of the game.

Visibility
In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Active Camouflage doesn't cover the Energy Sword, resulting in an invisible user holding a very visible sword. In fact, it appears that there is a floating Energy Sword, with distorted air surrounding it. In Halo: Combat Evolved, Stealth Elites with swords do not seem to realize that they are visible. In fact, even when they see you, they will behave as if they were an average Elite charging. Even with the Blind skull activated, the Sword's activation lighting will still appear, giving the user away. However, this results in a glitched outline and the electrical shimmering is still visible. In Halo 3, the sword receives the full effect of the Active Camouflage and does not glow at all or makes any noise when being taken out, while Cloaking or camouflage are active. Compared to other weapons it still takes more time to become fully cloaked. Also in Halo 3 when active camouflage is activated the sword will not make a noise, making the person stealthier. However, the sword's outline can be spotted as a distortion, similar to the user or other weapons.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans (Halo 2 and Halo 3)
 * Flood Combat Form (Human) Halo 2 and Halo 3
 * Flood Combat Form (Elite) Halo 2 and Halo 3

Trivia

 * An interesting theory for the above statement is that the magnetic field that shapes the plasma is always active, and that active camouflage makes it visible.
 * The Energy Sword is Rtas 'Vadum's favorite weapon. He appears to take great care of his personal Energy Sword and is the weapon that he is seen carrying it at all time.
 * The Energy Sword in Halo: Combat Evolved had a fail safe switch that activated when the user released it, causing the sword to dissipate in a blue explosion, leaving the player unable to use it, similar to the Fuel Rod Gun.
 * In the popular machinima series Red vs. Blue, the Energy Sword turns out to be a "key" that will help the gang along in their quest to save the Alien race. Church says, "Maybe it's a sword that just functions like a key in very specific situations," but Caboose conjectures, "Maybe it's a key all the time and when you stick it in people, it unlocks their death."
 * In 2008 this was released by Jasman Toys to go with their other laser tag weapons; the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle.
 * It was originally going to be usable in Halo: Combat Evolved but was cut when the game became a First-Person Shooter.
 * Even though Major Elite is a higher rank than Spec-Ops, Major Elites, are still not allowed to wield an Energy Sword.
 * The Energy Sword is powerful enough to take away a person's extra shield strength when they have an Overshield activated (only on multiplayer.)
 * In the download able Vidoc "Et Tu, Brute?" you can see a Brute Chieftain from Halo 3 wielding an Energy Sword but was taken out of the game, possibly because it is to much of an Elite weapon as Brutes hardly use Plasma Weapons.
 * It wasn't until the Fourth Age of Discovery that the Elites started using Energy Swords.
 * The sword contains a Marathon logo on the visible hilt.
 * In the Vidoc "Et Tu, Brute?" prior to the release of Halo 3, an animation of an Elite was shown dual-wielding swords.
 * Major and Minor Elites are not supposed to use this weapon at any time, but surprisingly enough, you can see them wielding it in various Halo 2 levels.
 * In the Halo 3 Beta the sword could be accessed through custom games glitch. The sword featured an extra lunge animation, raising it upwards instead of going across the screen to the left.
 * If you switch to the other weapon, lower your weapon,then switch back to the sword, you will be able to see the swords energy actually flowing.
 * If you see that the Arbiter has an Energy Sword by his waist, that's when you should 'strike'. It is usually not glowing at all by its hilt.  If you can either force the Arbiter into a battle that he cannot win without using his sword, or shoot at him until he draws his sword, when he keeps his sword, it will then glow blue around its hilt.  This means it has 100 ammo, if not, it may hold only 3 ammo.  Kill him and take your prize. Alternatively, if you want the sword and you don't feel like having a full confrontation with the Arbiter he will sometimes equip the sword when 'overwhelmed' e.g vs Flood, and when he equips his sword that's when you strike.
 * In online multiplayer (Lone Wolves) if you get a Triple Kill with the sword you will be awarded the Steppin' Razor achievement.
 * The Plasma Sword was featured in E3 footage for Halo: Combat Evolved. The sword was seen wielded by Master Chief but later dropped.
 * Contrary to popular belief, the sword can kill a Hunter in Halo 3. You must lunge directly at the exposed back area of the Hunter to kill it. It also helps to take off some of the back plating to expose more of the back.
 * The Fable 2 collectors edition comes with an Energy Sword for in game use. It also includes a set of 'Master Chief armor' for your character to wear and a four star title "Master Chief" obtainable for free from town criers. They are called Hal's Sword and Hal's Outfit/Armor, the name is obviously derived from HALO, yet another reference. Comcept art of the armor can be seen here, and the final costume and the sword seen here
 * In the Halo: Graphic Novel, Rtas 'Vadum 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, however that may be unlikely; or it could just be the inaccuracy of the drawing.