Nornfang

Nornfang is a custom-crafted SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle hand-tuned by Spartan Linda-058.

Background
The Nornfang was manufactured by Misriah Armory for their internal competitive sharpshooting team. The weapon went missing at some point, eventually coming into the possession of Spartan Linda-058. Linda loads the Nornfang with 14.5×114mm Armor-Piercing High-Explosive (APHE) rounds and has modified the rifle to ensure her HUD's motion tracker is still visible even while using its optics.

Gameplay
Nornfang is a mythic weapon in Halo 5: Guardians' Warzone mode, as well as War Games simulations. It is available as a Level 7 REQ that grants 200 REQ points when sold. Nornfang does more damage than standard sniper rifles, being capable of an instant kill on an opponent with normal shielding regardless of where the shot lands. Due to the bullets having a proximity explosion effect, this means that even a missed shot can still kill the target as long as they are within range of the bullet's detonation. However, as the increased damage is due to a Damage Boost effect applied to the user while the weapon is active, a wielder of this weapon will appear more visible due to the red particle effects. Just like with the Vorpal Talon variant of the Type-1 energy sword, the motion sensor is still visible even when using smart scope.

In the campaign, Nornfang can be found during the mission "Unconfirmed" aboard Blue Team's prowler, or if Linda is selected by a player when in cooperative play. Just like with Kelly-087's Oathsworn M45D shotgun, the campaign version of the Nornfang lacks the multiplayer version's inherent Damage Boost, extra spare mag, and built-in radar, making it functionally a normal sniper rifle. Additionally, it cannot pick up ammo from other sniper rifles.

Trivia

 * In Norse mythology, the Norns are powerful beings who weave the fate of all things in the cosmos. They are somewhat analogous to the Fates of Greek mythology.
 * "Nornfang" (Norn-fang) would mean "In the Grasp of the Norns" in Old Norse.
 * Although the campaign level "Unconfirmed" allows the playable characters of Fireteam Osiris to acquire Nornfang from Blue Team's prowler, Linda-058 is shown with the weapon throughout the rest of the game. Its inclusion in the level is likely a non-canonical gameplay mechanic.
 * Nornfang's ability to maintain the player's motion tracker while scoped in is mechanically identical to the Awareness support upgrade from Halo 4.

List of appearances

 * Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series
 * Halo 5: Guardians
 * Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual
 * Halo: Shadows of Reach