Glassing

"You are...all of you...vermin. Cowering in the dirt thinking... what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire? No - your world will burn until its surface is but glass!"

- Prophet of Truth



The term Glassing, or Plasma Bombardment, is used to refer to the act by which a Covenant ship or ships bombard an enemy planet from orbit using their plasma weaponry. The superheated plasma "bolts" melt the surface of the planet, eventually reducing it to a layer of glass, from which the term takes its name. The process also vaporizes any bodies of water the planet may possess, or at least reduces the remaining water to stagnant pools choked with ash. The ecosystem of a planet is also devastated, with large species unable to adapt quickly becoming endangered or extinct. For a while, scavengers may thrive on the carnage, until their own food supply runs out. The atmospheres of some planets have been known to be vaporized by the process, though apparently not all planets suffer this. When a planet is "Glassed", it is possible to rebuild on that planet. Rebuilding a "Glassed" planet does take several years.

Throughout the Human-Covenant War, the Covenant aggressors glassed a significant majority of the UNSC's colony worlds from orbit, although ground forces were invariably deployed first. As UNSC forces were routed, the bombardment would commence. The first planet to suffer this fate was Harvest, glassed by a single Jiralhanae-operated Cruiser. Although Reach was partially glassed, areas of interest to the Covenant were left intact for study. After the Covenant glass a planet, a shard of glass is removed and placed in the Step of Silence in High Charity, where it hangs with hundreds of other shards from worlds glassed by the Covenant.

The Second Battle of Earth culminated in the glassing of a portion of the African continent by Covenant Separatists, in an effort to contain a Flood infestation which had come to Earth only hours earlier. Lord Hood accused them of glassing half of the continent, but given his distaste for his former enemies, he may have been exaggerating about the actual extent of the glassing. This is supported by the fact that the area around Kilimanjaro seems relatively intact during the ceremony at the end of the game. It is unknown whether other areas of the Earth were glassed by the Covenant prior to their abandonment of the planet and the arrival of the Sangheili.

Although the majority of glassing is done by Covenant capital ships, it is possible for Banshees to glass small areas. For example, in "Halo: The Fall of Reach," during the battle on Sigma Octanus IV, a human base (Firebase Bravo) was partially glassed by Covenant Banshees. "The sides of the adjacent hills glistened with a cracked glass coating. The air was thick with tiny Covenant fliers in the distance."