Gravity hammer (fiction)

"One hit from that hammer and you ended up a puddle of bones and blood."

- Private Aaron Landvik

The Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer (T2 EW/H), more commonly known as the gravity hammer, is a powerful, close-quarters, two-handed melee weapon used by the Jiralhanae.

Overview
The gravity hammer is a major focus of the Jiralhanae's barbaric culture, as it serves as the ultimate symbol of clan leadership in addition to being a powerful weapon. The ceremonial hammer of a pack or a clan is only passed to another Jiralhanae if he can best his chieftain in ceremonial combat; the mantle of leadership passes along with the weapon.

Design details
Though gravity hammers used by Jiralhanae serving in the Covenant military tend to follow a standard design, not all are functionally or aesthetically identical; gravity hammers are often tailored to suit the desires of specific clans, families, or packs, such as the Fist of Rukt, one of the most famous gravity hammers among the Jiralhanae.

Though individual gravity hammers are crafted differently, the design of the standard Type-2 EW/H is rather simple, being composed of a long haft and a heavy head with a tungsten-alloy blade on the reverse end. Within the head is a short-range shock-field-generating gravity drive that can emit a kinetic pulse around 4.5 meters outward; this device was added to the weapon shortly after the Jiralhanae's incorporation into the Covenant in 2492. This device can displace gravity in targeted locations and manipulate localized energy fields, though the Jiralhanae's brutal nature means that they often prefer to use the weapon in melee combat. This allows the ability to pull a target towards that wielded or push it away as well as even create a vortex which pulls things in and then detonates the vortex to push things out. The exact mechanism by which it functions is currently under investigation by the UNSC.

Changes from Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST to Halo: Reach

 * The lights on the head of the hammer are orange instead of blue.
 * The head of the hammer is larger.
 * The overall length of the hammer is somewhat shorter.
 * The weapon now has a red decorative symbol on the head.
 * The shaft's hand guard has been removed.
 * The blast range isn't as wide. This is most noticeable in Grifball.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

 * Knock-back from the weapon is dramatically increased. A hit from this can send you flying, however, this can be used to the would-be victim's advantage to escape from the wielder.
 * The sound of the hammer has changed.

Halo Wars gameplay
In multiplayer and skirmish mode in Halo Wars, the Brute chieftain is armed with a gravity hammer. It features very powerful vortex ability that can rip objects apart and suck them in. When the vortex grabs units such as Marines, they will be battered by the shrapnel in the vortex and by their fellow squad members, in addition to being hurled violently. When the vortex leader power is put to a halt, either by the player's choosing or by enemy forces, an explosion will send everything in the vortex outward. The hammer can be upgraded to pull enemies closer to the chieftain, allowing him to strike with relative impunity.

Advantages
The gravity hammer is a very powerful weapon, useful in close quarters combat. With a bit of skill, they can even be effectively used against vehicles, usually offering an instant kill. The hammer has a splash damage effect, and a well-placed hit could kill multiple foes in one swing. In some aspects, it is more powerful than the energy sword - a kill against a Covenant enemy or an opponent in multiplayer uses 10% of the energy sword's battery, whereas the gravity hammer only uses 8.33%. When timed perfectly, the gravity hammer can even be used to deflect certain objects, such as rockets and even grenades. In campaign or firefight, 5% of the hammer's battery is used per swing.

Disadvantages

 * The gravity hammer is huge and visible, so when wielding it as a primary or secondary weapon, you risk making yourself a prime target for snipers.
 * If you swing the hammer too slowly or out of range, it will push your opponent back, making it harder for you to finish him off and easier for him to counter your attack.
 * The glowing blue vents at the top of the weapon are still visible when a player has active camouflage.
 * The large area of effect of the weapon means that using it in tight quarters with friendly players is highly inadvisable.
 * An enemy wielding a shotgun can easily take down a player with the gravity hammer before he has time to swing.
 * While the gravity hammer takes only 5% energy for a swing-- compared with the sword's 10% depletion, the sword only expends energy when it hits, the hammer wastes with every swing, regardless of if it hits or not.
 * If the gravity hammer is being used as a player's secondary weapon, you cannot swing momentarily as it is wielded. The character must have rested his right hand on the handle before a swing can be attempted. This is similar to the energy sword having to ignite before a lunge is possible and might have been added due to balancing issues.

Campaign

 * Ironically, the weapon is very powerful against Brutes.
 * The gravity hammer is an excellent anti-Flood weapon. It is capable of killing multiple Flood forms in one swing due to its massive shock wave.
 * Try to use it against large groups of fleeing Grunts. The shockwave will kill any surrounding Grunts that are close to the one you hit. Also, if the Brute chieftain in the area has been killed, taking out the gravity hammer will cause the Grunts to panic.
 * Reserve usage of the gravity hammer for priority targets, such as high-ranking Brutes or tank forms. It will normally kill them in one hit.
 * This weapon's usefulness increases when you use the Cowbell Skull, as things will fly farther when you hit them. This would also increase the risk of being killed while dealing with gravity hammer-wielding Brutes, however.

Multiplayer

 * The gravity hammer is best used as a secondary weapon to pull out if faced with nearby foes on a ledge, an incoming vehicle, or a grenade coming towards the player. The hammer is apt at dealing with all three of these threats.
 * The gravity hammer's blast can go through walls and floors, and this can be used to hit players in an adjacent room.
 * The gravity hammer can be used to propel the player higher than normal, if the player times the attack as they jump, it will elevate them farther and higher. You can gain just as much height as a grenade jump with very little or no risk.
 * Try hammering enemy Warthogs and Mongooses on Rat's Nest near the rocket launcher spawn point. It can result in the vehicle sailing to the death barrier.
 * If you time the shock wave from the hammer at the right time you can send rockets and missiles in another direction.
 * The hammer may be known as a great CQB weapon, but it is slower to compete against the shotgun. Also, even though the energy sword lunges slightly slower, it has a farther lunge and can parry your attacks, but you cannot parry the sword carrier's attacks. If you find yourself up against one of these weapons, create space between you and your opponent (you can knock him back with the shockwave if he's too close) and change to a long-range weapon to take down the enemy. It is important to remember that Mauler wielders are considered easy targets for the gravity hammer.
 * Try combining a gravity hammer jump and grenade jump to get to spots that aren't normally reachable for an advantage.
 * It is possible to stick a plasma or spike grenade on the end of the hammer.

Miscellaneous

 * The gravity hammer is used in the popular Double XP weekend playlist Grifball, in which the players have no shields and must somehow take their bomb and get it to the other team's base. The hammer is often used to create enough force to propel the bomb-carrying player over the heads of their opponents and into the goal.
 * On the map Sandbox in Halo 3 as well as in all maps in Halo: Reach, there is a remodeled version of the gravity hammer called "7 wood". The 7 wood performs exactly the same gameplay wise, except it is modeled to look like a giant golf club and features a different reticule.
 * The Gravity Hammer is found in only the last campaign level in Halo 4.

Glitches

 * In Halo 3, the gravity hammer sometimes has no alternate third person animation for melee; in third-person, a player appears to swing the hammer with no explosive effect or splash effect. This only occurs with Spartan models. Sangheili models have the same animation they have if they melee someone with a flag. This has been fixed in Halo 3: ODST - the hammer now has a third person animation for melee.
 * If the player pulls the right trigger while also pulling the left trigger, the shock wave will have no sound effect, the attack will be negated, and it will count as a normal melee attack. Pressing the right trigger and then immediately crouching produces the same effect.
 * In the Halo 3 campaign, Sangheili, including the Arbiter, will not use gravity hammers if they are armed with them. They will simply run next to enemies and remain stationary.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo: Landfall
 * Halo: Last One Standing
 * Halo Uprising
 * Halo 3
 * Halo Wars
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo Legends
 * The Babysitter
 * Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
 * Dirt
 * Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss
 * The Return motion comic
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Fall of Reach
 * Invasion
 * Halo 4
 * Spartan Ops
 * Halo: Spartan Assault
 * Halo: Initiation