Flashlight

Flashlights are small, usually portable devices which project a beam of light to aid vision in darkened areas where one would not normally be able to see. Flashlights are quite common in the UNSC for combat in low light areas. As such, many UNSC weapons have mounted flashlights below the barrel. In addition, all known variants of MJOLNIR armor have a built in flashlight on the helmet. Some Covenant armors have flashlights as well, such as the flashlight integrated into the armor of the Arbiter.

Halo: Combat Evolved
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the flashlight was originally intended to be only usable while carrying the MA5B Assault Rifle or M90 Shotgun, both of which have built in flashlights mounted beneath the barrel. However, this was eventually changed. The only flashlight usable in the game is that mounted on the right side of the MJOLNIR Mark V helmet, which can be used at any time. This change was incomplete at release, as the flashlight's beam will still swing with the gun's movement while melee-attacking or reloading. Marines can be seen to use the gun-mounted flashlights on the levels Truth and Reconciliation. The MJOLNIR armor's flashlight has a limited battery pack which will slowly deplete while in use and recharge while turned off. The flashlight turns off when it has been activated for around a minute.

Halo 2
The MJOLNIR Mark VI armor also contained a built in flashlight. However, this model was more advanced, and drew its power directly from the suit's power source. Because of this, it did not have a "battery" and could be used for any length of time. However, it had a light-sensor which caused it to turn off automatically in well-lit areas. Although the assault rifle was absent from the game, the shotgun still possessed its flashlight. Despite this, it could not be used, and no Marines were ever seen to do so.

Halo 3
The flashlight functions in much the same way in Halo 3 as it did in Halo 2. Like in Halo: CE, both the Assault Rifle and shotgun possess inbuilt flashlights. However, the shotgun's flashlight is now mounted on the weapon's left side rather than under the barrel. As before, neither are usable, and only the light built into the armor functions. Unlike Halo 2, however, the flashlight in Halo 3 does not turn itself off in well-lit conditions, and can be left on indefinitely without any negative side-effects. The Arbiter, controlled by player 2 in co-op mode, has a light source built into the armor over his left shoulder, and it functions identically to the Master Chief's light.

Multiplayer
The flashlight has never been usable in any form of multiplayer game. Why this is was not clear in Halo: CE, but in both Halo 2 and Halo 3, the same button is used for voice chat in multiplayer. One good reason is that a flashlight will give off your location very quickly, making it pretty much useless in multiplayer.

Trivia

 * The flashlight can be used in Halo PC's multiplayer.