M'tara-pattern focus rifle

The Type-52 Special Applications Rifle (or T52 SAR), more commonly known as the Focus Rifle is a Directed Energy Weapon used by the Covenant Empire in 2552.

Description
The Focus Rifle is a sniper-style weapon, that, despite its visual similarities to the Type-50 Sniper Rifle System, functions quite differently. It fires a continuous purple-tinted beam, similar in operation to a Sentinel Beam. The weapon is believed to be battery-powered, though the exact mechanism by which it functions is currently under investigation by the UNSC.

The beam takes approximately 1.5 seconds to kill a fully shielded Spartan, and is designed to emphasize more of a "tracking" skill set than other weapons because this weapon, being a sniper variant, does not feature any aim assist to compensate for its power. The weapon is equipped with a 3.5-9.5x magnification scope. It is designed for ranged suppression rather than instant death, and is considered a power weapon. The smooth and organic appearance and purple coloration of the weapon is reflective of typical Covenant aesthetic tendencies. Although powerful and intimidating, the combat effectiveness Focus Rifle is crippled by several glaring flaws in the design. The beam fired by the weapon is extraordinarily visible; firing the weapon immediately reveals the user's position. Although highly effective at depleting shields the weapon is only marginally effective against armored targets, causing negligible damage to vehicles and requiring continuous fire to ensure lethality against organic targets. If the weapon overheats it will automatically vent excess plasma, burning the user and rendering the weapon inoperable for several seconds. The Focus Rifle was phased out of service in the Covenant front line arsenal in 2552 in favor of the Type-50 Sniper Rifle System.

Trivia

 * The beam-like nature of the weapon suggests that this weapon could have been reverse-engineered from a Sentinel Beam.
 * It is similar in name and firing style as the Scarab's Focus cannon, indicating that the cannon may be a larger-scale application of the weapon's technology.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach