CQB-class Mjolnir

The Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/C variant, more commonly known as Close Quarters Battle Armor , and abbreviated as CQB Armor, is a type of United Nations Space Command ground infantry body armor. It is first seen in Halo 3.

Introduction
The CQB Armour is a variant of the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR powered assault armour. It is a default armor permutation in Halo 3 multiplayer. Bungie has confirmed all of the armor permutations have no effect on game play.

Development and History
The MJOLNIR Mark C variant was developed and tested at UNSC Beweglichrüstungsysteme facility in Essen, Deutschland (Germany) and Songnam, Hanguk respectively, integrating both feedback and testing gathered from the Jericho VII theater. The intent of the MJOLNIR Mark VI Powered Assault Armour/C variant was to improve survivability in close combat, specifically by looking at alternate methods of K dispersal and improving joint mobility.

Helmet Characteristics
The helmet is very different from the Mark VI. It features a roughly "T" shaped visor with two large cheek guards. The top of the helmet is protected by black alloy that forces a protective brace on top. It somewhat resembles ancient Greek or Roman helmets-the shape of the visor is especially similar, and the cross brace loosely resembles the crest on a helmet.

Shoulder Characteristics
The shoulder pieces are worn significantly lower than those of the standard Mark VI armor. They consist of a rectangular, slightly curved metal plate that is attached approximately where the deltoids, biceps brachii, and brachialis muscles converge. In actual combat, this would greatly improve the ease at which a SPARTAN-II moves the arms for close quarters combat, but increase the shoulder and upper arm's exposure to damage.

Because of the unique and large design, many players use it to show off their emblem - the popular machinima Spriggs does this with the majority of its characters. The pauldrons appear similar to that of the ODST troops in the Halo 3 concept art on the Halo 3 Zune.

Chest Characteristics
Like in most other MJOLNIR variants, the chest plate seems to be a plate of alloy attached to the already existing Mark VI armor underneath. It consists of an additional set of four plates fused together in the body, and a tubular object at the bottom part of the chest plate which could either be a handle or some sort of canister due to its shape. There is an unusable Combat Knife on the plate as well in a built-in sheath. In early development, the outer part of the chest piece was part of the secondary color group. Why this was changed is unknown.

Unlock

 * Head: Starter.
 * Shoulders: Starter.
 * Chest: Starter.

Trivia

 * This is the only armour set with a Combat Knife on the body.
 * According to a survey taken by Bungie, the CQB chest is the most used Spartan chest plate on Xbox Live.
 * The helmet, particularly the shape of the visor, bears some resemblance to Samus Aran and the Galactic Federation Marines of Metroid fame. They also show similarity to Clone Trooper helmets from Star Wars and certain Spartan helmets from Greece.
 * Machinima directors often use this armor type, because it is unlocked automatically for accounts, so they do not have to progress through Campaign again to get more variations.