Gravity hammer (fiction)

The Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer, more commonly known as the Gravity Hammer, is a powerful close-quarters two-handed melee weapon used by Covenant Loyalists.

Background
The Gravity Hammer first appeared in Halo 2 as the personal weapon of the Brute Chieftain, Tartarus. At the point of time, it was the Fist of Rukt. This weapon was a symbolic representation of Tartarus' power and standing. He used it against the player and could kill with a single hit, but after his death, the weapon becomes unusable. Halo 3 introduced a newer and more utilitarian version of the Hammer that serves as a companion to the Energy Sword in the game.

Design Details
The Gravity Hammer is a large hammer that serves as an excellent and powerful melee weapon in the game. It is a highly symbolic Brute weapon that is analogous to the Elite's Energy Sword. This powerful weapon can also be used to manipulate gravity, allowing it to push opponents away or pull them towards the wielder, as well as deflecting incoming projectiles.

Fist of Rukt
The Fist of Rukt was Tartarus' personal gravity hammer, one with a rich legacy befitting his tribe. It was passed down from Chieftain to Chieftain in the Brute pack, and belonged to his uncle, Maccabeus, before Tartarus killed him in combat and claimed the legendary hammer for himself. .

Halo Wars
In Halo Wars multiplayer, and skirmish mode, the player has access to the Brute Chieftain. The Brute Chieftain's gravity hammer looks very similar to the hammer in Halo 3, except for the fact that it has a very powerful vortex ability. The vortex has the ability to rip things apart, and suck them in. When the vortex grabs units such as marines, the marines will actually be battered about by the shrapnel in the vortex, and by their fellow squad members. When the vortex leader power is put to a halt, either by the player's choosing, or by the opposing armies, an explosion will send everything in the vortex outward. This hammer also has the ability, if you upgrade the chieftain, to pull enemies towards it just before the chieftain strikes.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

 * The lights on the head of the hammer are orange instead of blue.
 * The head and blade of the hammer are larger.
 * The handle is shorter.
 * The weapon appears to have a red colored symbol on the hammer head.

Advantages
The Gravity Hammer is a very powerful weapon, useful in close quaters. With a bit of skill, they can even be used against vehicles, usually offering an instant kill. They have a splash damage, so a well placed hit could kill multiple foes in one swing. In some aspects, it is more powerful then the Energy Sword- a kill against a Covenant enemy or an opponent in multiplayer uses 10% of the Energy Sword battery, whereas the Gravity Hammer only uses 5%. When timed perfectly, the Gravity Hammer can even be used to deflect certain objects, such as rockets or even grenades.

Disadvantages

 * The Gravity Hammer is huge and visible, so when wielding it as a primary or secondary weapon, you risk making yourself a prime target for snipers.
 * If you swing the hammer too slowly or out of range, it will push your opponent back, making it harder for you to finish them off and easier for them to counter your attack.
 * The glowing blue vents at the top of the weapon are visible when a player has Active Camouflage.
 * The large area of effect of the weapon means that using it in tight quarters with friendly players is highly inadvisable.
 * An enemy wielding a Shotgun can easily take down a player with the Gravity Hammer before he has time to swing.

Campaign

 * Very useful weapon against covenant (one hit kills on most opponents on normal)
 * The Gravity Hammer is an excellent anti-Flood weapon. It is capable of killing multiple Flood enemies in one swing due to its massive shock wave.
 * Try to use against large groups of fleeing grunts. The shockwave will kill any that are close to the one you hit.
 * Reserve ammo for large dangers, such as high ranking brutes or Flood Tank Forms. It will normally kill them in one hit.

Multiplayer

 * The Gravity Hammer is best used as a secondary weapon to pull out if faced with nearby foes on an ledge, an incoming vehicle, or a grenade coming towards the player. The Hammer is apt at dealing with all three of these threats.
 * The Gravity Hammer's blast can go through walls and floors, and this can be used to hit players in an adjacent room.
 * The Gravity Hammer can be used to propel the player higher than normal, if the player times the attack as they jump, it will elevate them farther and higher. You can gain just as much height as a grenade jump with very little or no risk.
 * The Gravity Hammer is also one of the only two weapons available in the Grifball gametype along with the Energy Sword. It is the cause of many betrayals, however you can also "ride the wave" and use your enemy's gravity hammer to launch yourself to their goal.
 * Try hammering enemy warthogs and mongooses on Rat's Nest near the Rocket Spawn. It can result in the vehicle sailing to the death barrier.
 * If you time the shock wave from the hammer at the right time you can send a Rocket Launcher missile and Missile Pod missile in a another direction.
 * The Hammer may be known as a great CQB weapon, but it is slower to compete against the Shotgun. Also, even though the energy sword lunges slightly slower, it has a farther lunge and can parry your attacks, but you cannot parry the sword carrier's attacks. If you find your self up against one of these weapons, create space between you and your opponent (you can knock them back with the shockwave if he's too close)and change to a long range weapon to take down the enemy. Although, it is important to remember that the Mauler is considered an easy target for the Gravity Hammer.
 * Try combining a Gravity Hammer jump and grenade jump to get to spots that aren't normally reachable for an advantage.
 * It is possible to stick a Plasma or Spike Grenade on the end of the Hammer.

Miscellaneous

 * If you use the Armless Glitch, the range of the Gravity Hammer will be greatly increased and will cause players to float and lose their shields.
 * The Gravity Hammer is used in the popular Double XP weekend playlist Grifball, in which the players have no shields and must somehow take their bomb and get it to the other team's base. The Hammer is often used to create enough force to propel the bomb-carrying player over the heads of their opponents and into the goal.
 * The Gravity Hammer included with the Brute Chieftain Action Figure has four lines that make an 'X' shape. The same shape is on the Beam Rifle that comes with other Halo 3 figures.
 * In the map Sandbox, there is a remodeled version of the Gravity Hammer called "7 wood". The Hammer acts the same, but is modeled to look like a Golf Club with a new reticule.
 * ODSTs can use the Gravity Hammer in Halo 3: ODST, despite them being normal humans, and not having the strength of a SPARTAN-II, Elite, or Brute
 * In a cutscene in Halo 3: ODST, a Brute Chieftain demonstrates the ability to hit with the blade on the rear side of the Gravity Hammer, and use it to finish off opponents (Romeo in this case).
 * The Gravity Hammer will be appearing in the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta.

Glitches

 * The Gravity Hammer has been seen to have no alternate third person animation for melee, in third person, you would simply look like you're swinging the hammer with just no explosive effect or splash effect. This only works with the SPARTAN models, however. Sangheili models have the same animation they have if they melee someone with a flag. This has been fixed in Halo 3: ODST - the Hammer now has a third person animation for melee.
 * When you combine RT with clicking LT, the shock wave will have no sound effect, the attack will be negated, and it will count as a normal melee attack. Also, if you press the RT button and then crouch, you will achieve the same effect.
 * When a passenger in a warthog or mongoose uses the Gravity Hammer, it kills the driver.

Internal

 * Fist of Rukt
 * Jiralhanae
 * Hammer Time
 * Hammer Spree
 * 7 wood

External

 * GrifBall Official Website - (Gravity Hammer as a primary weapon for the most recently popular gametype/sport)
 * Omegathon