Cut Halo 3 weapons

During the production of Halo 3, several weapons were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.

Missile launcher
During the game's development, it seems that a second rocket launcher was intended for inclusion. Several pieces of concept art for this weapon can be found in The Art of Halo 3, showcasing multiple rocket launcher designs reminiscent of the anti-air rocket launcher cut from Halo: Combat Evolved. One of these concepts is famously known as the "G4H-DuSH", derived from the L33t speak for "gah-dush", an onomatopoeia of the sound a rocket makes when it is launched or detonates.

An image posted by Reddit user "sneakyfellow" showcases a weapon resembling these concepts in the Halo 3 Alpha, though no details are known of its in-game operation. Given its resemblance to the anti-air rocket launcher, it is possible this weapon was eventually superseded by the missile pod.

A later leak of the Halo 3 Alpha showcases some more gameplay of this weapon. Referred to in-game as the Missile Launcher, the weapon is an untextured model. It has a fully-realised HUD and carries one rocket, before needing to reload. The weapon fires a single missile with a fair degree of drop.

Excavator
The Excavator is a weapon found in early beta builds of Halo 3, and can be found in the Et Tu, Brute? ViDoc wielded by Brutes. The weapon is an early version of the Mauler found in the final game; the original design and concept for the Mauler was based on the Excavator weapon cut from Halo: Combat Evolved. The weapon can be found in the Halo 3 Beta.

Guardian eye
In early production, the planned Guardian Sentinel in the titular Guardian Forest level was to have a unique weapon of its own. In the planned encounters, players would have been able to hijack the Guardian and rip out the Sentinel's eye, using it as a powerful weapon. Little is known of this weapon's planned function.

Equipment
Alongside the various cut weapons, a number of equipment items were cut or significantly altered prior to release.

Bomb
The bomb used in the Assault gametype appears in the Beta, similar in purpose to the trip mine. The bomb can be picked up and thrown as an equipment, at which point it will roll along the ground while beeping and flashing red. The beeping escalates in frequency, ultimately resulting in an explosion.

Covenant trip mine
Found in the files of the Halo 3 Beta, this early version of the TR/9 trip mine boasts a distinctly Covenant themeing as opposed to the aesthetic found in the final game. The metal and lights on the mine have a blue/purple hue rather than the brown-orange seen in the final game. The files in the Beta only have a model and texture, with no associated gameplay functions.

Bubble shield
Various early forms of the bubble shield can be found in early builds and trailers. One of the most notable can be found in the Starry Night trailer, thrown to the ground by John-117 to avoid incoming plasma mortar fire. This model seems to be based upon the version found in the March 2007 Beta build of Halo 3, shown below.

Another, model of the bubble shield found in ViDocs and the multiplayer beta appears to use a similar design to the radar jammer and power drain, except yellow. This bubble shield is capable of rolling along the ground, pulling the shield with it.