Energy sword (fiction)

The Covenant Plasma Sword (Halo 1), or Energy Sword (Halo 2), was thought at first to be purely ceremonial. They are rarely seen in combat, but are invariably carried by high-ranking Elites. In Halo: Combat Evolved, they are first encountered in Truth and Reconciliation, first wielded by an Infiltrator Elite, then by Gold Elites; while in Halo 2, they are occasionally used by Spec-Ops Elites in the first two levels, otherwise the first level in which they will always appear is Metropolis after killing the Ultra in the Scarab, although you will not use it for too long because it appears at the end of the level. It can be found in Outskirts on Heroic and Legendary after killing one of the cloaked Elites just after Sergeant Johnson leaves. The sword can also be found in Outskirts on any difficulty after Sergeant Johnson leaves via Pelican in a building with a dead UNSC Sniper on the floor. Above there is an Energy Sword lodged in the floor. Its first official appearance is The Arbiter, however, there is a trick on the Outskirts level in which the Master Chief can wield a sword for the first time on Earth. Occasionally, one can be obtained on Cairo Station when at the end of the level an Ultra Elite is present. If you come close to him, he will pull out his sword and if you kill him, you have the sword.

Though its true functionality is unknown, it seems that the sword's plasma energy is held into a blade-like form with small magnetic field generators built into the handle mechanism. This technology is found in all the covenant plasma weapons. In Halo:CE, if the wielder drops the weapon, a fail-safe activates, deactivating the magnetic field without first dispensing the plasma, consuming the handle and 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 the weapon can be stored. Recent discoveries show that the fail-safe is not always activated, thus Spartans are able to wield the Energy Sword in Halo 2. It also has a new look. In Halo:CE, the sword glows more brightly, therefore making it more difficult to see the actual blade. Halo 2's is less bright. Both the "new" and the "old" Energy Swords show through Active Camouflage.

It has a charge of 100 battery units in singleplayer. Varying amounts of energy are taken up by the various means of killing a foe, however normal swipes that merely harm the foe do not consume power. Therefore it may be prudent to hurt a foe until he nears death and finish off with a weapon that has more readily-available ammunition. Around 10 energy is taken by killing a normal opponent, but only 2.5 (2-3) energy is used when killing Flood with it.

In multiplayer, there is no limit on the amount of energy the Energy Sword can use before running out. However, like all other "power" weapons, there is always only one Energy Sword on the map in all standard gametypes.

The Energy Sword is one of the very few weapons that can dismember the bodies of dead Combat Forms, preventing their revival by Infection Forms. Doing this, however, will still take up energy.

Although very powerful, the Energy Sword has been proven through various tests to do absolutely no damage to Hunters, even when slashing at the weak spot.

Most Zealots in Halo: CE (gold Elites) carry an Energy Sword. However, in Halo 2, all Zealots carry swords, and White Elites will pull one out if you get close enough. It will only drop the Sword if it has pulled it out; not if you killed it while it is still using its ranged weapon. The sword is extremely powerful and, seen in action in a cutscene during the Halo 2 level The Oracle, the Arbiter slices through extremely thick metal in order to destroy the wires suspending a Gas Mine used as a base by the Heretics. He does this to force the Heretic Leader to come out of hiding and face him in combat (a battle which the Arbiter eventually wins).

Tips
You can dodge sword lunges in multiplayer by sidestepping away from the hand with the sword. Also, jumping and lunging makes your lunges more accurate.

It is possible 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 a level. When you crossover to the next level you'll still have your empty energy sword, but it acts like a normal one. And when you cloak you can see an outline of the sword. Its great for the level Oracle. Just remember to have an empty sword by the end of the Arbiter level or Delta Halo. On Legendary difficulty an Energy Sword is not as handy as in the other difficulties because you have to get up close to your enemy. This isn't the same if you're enemy has one, if you're on the same level as your enemy that has one, and you don't have any Plasma Grenades, a Fuel Rod Cannon or a Rocket Launcher or a Newb Combo the Elite you're fighting has already won.



Energy Sword. A.K.A "The Widowmaker."
Even after an energy sword has been used up, it can still prove to be a useful melee weapon. From the severe and violent attack animations this melee weapon has been dubbed "The Widowmaker," it has other names such as "Des"(pronounced "dez" for dead energy sword), "Wifebeater," or the "Phantom Sword." It has the quickest, and most consistent melee attack rate of any other weapon in the game. It has the same attack speed as a lit plasma sword when not locked and lunging, some have even said it to be equal in ferocity to that of a charging Brute's attack. The advantages to such a weapon is not only it's speed, but also the ability of knockback. This weapon can be used in any level that has energy swords.

Tactics
It's not much but you will notice that enemies without shields always recoil after taking a melee hit, with rapid successive blows, the enemy will fall quickly. Enemies with shields won't recoil as much. it's most effective (and satisfying) against Grunts, Jackals, Drones, shieldless Elites and Sentinels. Be warned though, killing Sentinels with melee attacks harm the player slightly. People looking for a challenge might want to take on a charging Brute with this weapon. It's semi-effective on shielded Elites and extremely useful on Flood, but, by itself, completely useless against Hunters.

Character Compatibility

 * Elites
 * Brutes (Brute Chieftains only)
 * Spartans
 * Flood Combat Form (Human)
 * Flood Combat Form (Elite)

Multiplayer
In multiplayer, there is no limit on the amount of energy the Energy Sword can use before running out. However, like all other "power" weapons, there is always only one Energy Sword on the map in all standard gametypes.

Many players have complained that the Energy Sword is 'unfair,' since any player with some skill can dominate a whole game with the sword. This, in turn, makes many games into races for the sword and shotgun, since only a shotgun-wielder has a decent chance against a sword-wielder of any skill. The chief component to the sword's perceived unfairness, however, is its 'lunge' attack- an instant kill, yet ridiculous and nigh physically impossible to dodge.

Appearances
The energy sword has appeared in the original Halo, but it could not be wielded by the player. It replaced the flamethrower from Halo PC. It returned again for Halo 2, and this time could be wielded. It is set again for Halo 3, and it is known that it will have depleting energy, however, specifics on the weapons power, total energy, etc, have not yet been disclosed.

Dual Wielding
Due to the energy sword's power and effectiveness and the fact that it only requires one hand to operate, the possibility of the energy sword being made dual wieldable is recurring topic of discussion among Halo players. In support of this hope, an Elite can be seen dual wielding energy swords in one of the Halo Wars wallpapers and the concept art that comes with the themes (for Xbox 360 dashboard) available in the Xbox marketplace. Also, an animation of an Elite killing a Brute while dual wielding energy swords can be seen during the Halo 3 ViDoc "Et Tu, Brute?".

Related Links

 * Unlimited Sword
 * Energy Sword Locations (Multiplayer)

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