Sulok-pattern beam rifle

"As soon as the first guy goes down with blood and steam whistling out through the neat new hole in their head, you know you’re in for a long, miserable game of ‘where the foxtrot did that come from’."

- Unknown UNSC serviceman

Description
The Type-50 Sniper Rifle System, otherwise known as the Particle Beam Rifle or Beam Rifle, is the Covenant's version of a Sniper Rifle.

Summary
The Beam Rifle is an extraordinarily powerful weapon, capable of sniping enemies from long ranges. Like the human Sniper Rifle, the Beam Rifle has two levels of zoom for greater accuracy. As a Directed Energy Weapon, it fires ionized particles at its targets, instead of accelerating small projectiles. This makes it a lot more effective on shielded infantries, particularly Jackals, as their shields can protect them from Sniper rounds but not direct energy. It's also quieter, giving it an advantage over the UNSC Sniper Rifle in terms of stealth and speed. In terms of longevity, however, the beam rifle is unable to reload and therefore has a limited number of shots before it must be discarded by the user for another weapon. The Beam Rifle can also be used to shoot two fast shots, at the cost of temporarily overheating. This can be used to quickly dispose of an oncoming enemy. It is also possible to kill two enemies with a single shot as the shot can completely penetrate the enemy on a headshot. Despite the overheating issues, the Beam Rifle is a better defense weapon than the Sniper Rifle because two shots can be fired in very quick succession, making it easier for the sniper to defend themselves, useful in higher difficulties, (as long as the shots hit). The Beam rifle is mostly carried by Jackal Snipers who prefer the weapon over the Covenant Carbine and use it with deadly skill, but will sometimes be carried by Elites and Brutes.

Advantages
Although it is quite rare, the Beam Rifle is a deadly and a very effective long-range weapon. Similar to the Sniper Rifle, the Beam Rifle is excellent at picking off enemies at great distances. Its charges are very useful at taking down a player's shields if a headshot isn't acquired. Additionally, this type of charge makes it an ideal "no-scope" weapon, as many players find it easier to score headshots without the scope with a Beam Rifle compared to the Sniper Rifle. Finally, the weapon's firing rate allows for quick, precise kills, and, with some skill, can prevent having to wait for the weapon to cool down after excessive heating. Also the ability to fire two shots in quick succession allows the wielder to fire a two round spread for extremely long range shots or for snap shots at closer ranges when you don't have time to zoom, two things the human sniper rifle cannot do.

Disadvantages
The beam of bright purple light is much more obvious, but somewhat quicker at dissipating than the Sniper Rifle's vapor trail. Another disadvantage is that it is slightly less powerful and accurate than the UNSC counterpart, and like some other Covenant weapons, it suffers from overheating problems, after just two shots in succession. Also, once the rifle's battery is depleted, which occurs in 18 to 20 shots, the rifle must be replaced. The oval aim makes it harder to aim at enemies at a very long distance. Other issues include the bleeding off of excess battery when overheated for 5 seconds, usually about 5 units and the fact that the large weapon covers up nearly half of the screen of the wielder. It doesn't work very well in medium range with no scope. Unlike its human counterpart it doesn't effect Flood Combat Forms when shot and wastes a lot of ammo to kill Pure Forms.

Deployment and Appearances
The Beam Rifle was first introduced in Halo 2, having no appearance or mention in Halo: Combat Evolved. Obviously this is because Bungie was expanding the Halo universe and added it into the release of the second game. It is unknown exactly when in the Halo Universe the Beam Rifle made its first appearance. It could have been in use before it appears in the game, but it most likely first used in the time period of Halo 2. The Beam Rifle could have been the Covenant's response to the effectiveness of the Human Sniper Rifle. Throughout Halo: Combat Evolved and the Halo books, UNSC forces use the Human Sniper Rifle to cut down Covenant forces. The Covenant may have taken notice to this and constructed their own version of the weapon. This would explain why the two guns are very similar to each other. Both have about the same number of shots and both have only two levels of zoom.

There is still an argument that the Covenant did have Beam Rifles and Jackal Snipers at the time of Halo: Combat Evolved, but had not deployed them on the original Halo ring. They might have not deployed them quickly enough, or deemed them unfit to battle the Flood outbreak.

In The Cole Protocol, sniper Jackals were mentioned, but their weapon type wasn't. It could be important to note that these were what amounted to civilian Jackals not being part of the main Covenant fighting force.

Campaign Recommendations


Particle Beam Rifles are most often found on Jackal Snipers, or in Covenant Weapons Holders. In Halo 3 they are rare on the lower difficulties. When using the Particle Beam Rifle, it should be remembered that it is a sniper weapon, and should be used at long ranges, to take out high priority targets, preferably with headshots, or in the case of Hunters, a shot to the exposed orange flesh. Due to its weakness at close and medium quarters, it is advisable to keep a good secondary weapon, such as the Covenant Carbine, the Battle Rifle and if needed a Shotgun, in case an enemy moves too close to use the Beam Rifle effectively. Some prefer a Beam Rifle/Sniper Rifle combination for the extra ranged shots. Caution should be exercised, however, in the event of close quarters combat. Later on in the campaign of Halo 2, it is wise to keep a good close quarters weapon because it is not very effective against the Flood. With enough practice however, it can take on the role of a mini-cannon at close range on other targets. Due to its quickness, use it to take out the Snipers themselves.

When attacking an enemy stronghold, it is always advisable to snipe the Jackal sniper. Be extremely cautious to hit it in the head, as it can kill you with one shot. By now, you probably have been noticed, if not spotted. Switch to another sniper location and kill the Jackals.

This is ineffective against the Flood as the shots carry right through them doing little to no damage. To give the sniper rifle some use, you could hit the carriers from a safe distance, thus destroying the otherwise constant threat of the waddling creature.

Multiplayer Recommendations
The Particle Beam is featured in quite a few of the large multiplayer maps such as Colossus and Relic. In Multi-player, getting the Beam Rifle should be a priority. Its long range and lethal headshot capabilities offer a huge advantage whether you are on the offense or defense. Picking up Active Camouflage will allow you to snipe enemies while remaining stealthy. Remember to keep a good close range weapon such as the M90 Shotgun so that you will be able to fight enemies too close to kill with the Beam Rifle. A medium range weapon, like the Covenant Carbine, could also come in handy in case of a close range fight. In Halo 3 multiplayer, the Beam Rifle has a limited 10 shots as it drains slightly more battery units due to balance issues, so use it wisely. The Beam Rifle can also be used to fire two shots in quick succession, although it will overheat immediately afterward. This tactic can be used to quickly dispatch enemies at close range.

Sniper Medals
In Halo 3 Multiplayer, A player (Coinciding with the Sniper Rifle) can earn the following medals while using the Beam Rifle:
 * Sniper Kill Medal - Kill a single opponent with a headshot from the sniper-type.
 * Sniper Spree Medal - Kill 5 opponents with a sniper-type weapon in a row without dying.
 * Sharpshooter Medal - Kill 10 opponents with a sniper-type weapon in a row without dying.

Battle Tips
On the level, The Great Journey (Level), Sergeant Johnson uses the Beam Rifle to lower Tartarus' shield. The player can also obtain a Beam Rifle before the battle and use that to lower the Chieftain's shield instead of waiting for Johnson do it, but Tartarus' shield recharges almost immediately if the player uses the latter method. A better method would be to give it to one of the Elites that helps you kill him, that way, you have two times the shots, but his shields won't recharge immediately. Why the beam rifle is the only weapon capable of dropping his shields is bizarre and never described.

UNSC Remarks
“Makes less noise than a Battle Rifle; has less felt recoil than an M6; is at least as accurate as 99% of them—it’s big and heavy and the balance is weird but I can’t wait ‘til I get my hands on another one.”

“It’s deadly accurate. The scope is a little hard to take though—made me nauseous when I first figured out how to engage it—it’s useful enough and easy to understand. Still hurts my eyes though.”

“Maybe with the Elites on our side we’ll finally find out how to reload or recharge these weapons or whatever… I have a feeling we shouldn’t start holding our breath any time soon though.”

“Not as much recoil as the ninety-nine but then again the mechanism is entirely different—don’t worry about the machine; a steady hand, breath control, and patience are the key to success with either one.”

“The Type-50 SRS is not completely silent nor is it invisible. Jackals may be superb marksmen and they’re very sneaky, but that doesn’t make them excellent snipers—they’re a little too bloodthirsty for that.”

"As soon as the first guy goes down with blood and steam whistling out through the neat new hole in their head, you know you’re in for a long, miserable game of ‘where the foxtrot did that come from’."

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Spartans
 * Marines
 * Jackals
 * Brutes (Halo 3 only)
 * Sergeant Johnson (Halo 2 only)

Trivia

 * The Beam Rifle was originally to be used by Elites in Halo: CE with the name of "Gravity Rifle" and instead of it being a purplish blue it was green and black. It was cut from the final game for some unknown reason.
 * Many pros consider this to be the better weapon to achieve no scopes with, due to its wider reticule and quickness of firing.
 * On the map Ivory Tower, it was originally going to spawn instead of the Sniper Rifle. Why this was changed is unknown.
 * In the campaign mode on Legendary difficulty, the Beam Rifle can kill you in one hit, no matter where it hits. This can be unbelievably frustrating, especially in the level Outskirts and Delta Halo, and actually makes Sniper Jackals the most dangerous enemy in the game.
 * Leading up to Halo 2's release, the Beam Rifle was not yet confirmed. Instead, it was only mentioned that there would be a Covenant Sniper Rifle. Many believed that the Covenant Carbine and the new, unnamed sniper weapon were one and the same.
 * Before Halo 2's release, the Beam Rifle was much longer, which can still be seen in pre-release screenshots. Its length was about that of the UNSC Sniper Rifle but was shortened about 10-20% for reasons left to Bungie. A possible reason for shortening the Beam Rifle would be that it looked awkward in the hands of Jackals.
 * In Halo 3, there are five campaign levels it can be found on. These are Sierra 117 on Heroic and Legendary, Crow's Nest on Heroic and Legendary, Tsavo Highway, The Ark and The Covenant. But many times it would be impractical for use.
 * The Beam Rifle has more penetration power than the UNSC Sniper Rifles. This can be seen with instant kill enabled, and sitting Pallets upright next to each other. The Sniper Rifle is only capable of taking one down at a time, but the Beam Rifle is capable of taking out 6-10 pallets in one shot.
 * In Halo 3 Multiplayer, it is impossible to spawn with the Beam Rifle, unless the spawning weapon option is set to "Random".
 * In Halo 2, Sgt. Johnson uses a Beam Rifle to bring down Tartarus's Shields. The player can also do the same if they bring a Beam Rifle to the battle.
 * It's possible to bounce Beam Rifle's shots of the ground like the UNSC's sniper rifle in Halo 3.
 * The Type-50 Sniper Rifle is one of the few weapons to not contain a 7 reference.
 * There is a glitch in the level The Great Journey, where Tartarus wields a Beam Rifle but strangely it fires Needler rounds.
 * The Beam Rifle in Halo 3 Matchmaking only spawns on the maps Snowbound, Valhalla and on the playlist Head to Head version of Guardian.
 * In Halo 3, if you stand completely motionless for a while while wielding the Beam Rifle, your character will open a top flap above the handle of the rifle.
 * In Halo 2, it's possible to kill a Hunter with one shot by shooting it in the unprotected midsection with the Beam Rifle.
 * When playing Halo 3  on Heroic, the Jackals tend to use beam rifles instead of Covenant Carbines.
 * The Beam Rifle included with McFarlane's Halo 3 figures (notably the Jackal Sniper and the White EVA Spartan) has a small X shape near the handle. The same shape is seen on the Gravity Hammer that comes with the Brute Chieftain figure.
 * On Halo 2 if you double tap you can shoot two beams, but it looks like one long beam.
 * In Halo Wars it is possible to upgrade Carbines into Beam Rifles, to give Jackals a better firepower against infantry.
 * Some might consider the beam rifle and the sniper rifle to be equal in efficiency. The beam rifle is a bit stronger, fires faster, and can penetrate more foes.  The sniper rifle holds more ammo, and if the beam rifle overheats due to fast shooting it will waste an extra 5 energy.
 * This weapon used with the sniper rifle is an extremely useful combo when fighting the brutes on Tsavo Highway, on legendary