Sicatt Workshop shock rifle

The Sicatt Workshop Volt Piercer, commonly called the shock rifle, is a Banished directed-energy sniper rifle. It is notable for its electrolaser burst capable of disabling energy shielding and even some vehicles.

Design details
The shock rifle was developed by Sicatt workshop technicians aboard the Banished dreadnought Ghost of Barolon. It is the latest in a line of experimental voltaic application devices derived from the fragments of Jiralhanae technological knowledge that survived Doisac's nuclear civil war.

Designed for the large frames of Jiralhanae warriors, the shock rifle has massive proportions, most easily seen by its prominent rear grip. Beneath this grip is a sizeable curved blade, similar to that seen on the Type-25 Brute Shot. On the forward edge of this blade is a leather-wrapped handle used for holding the rifle steady while firing. Above this is the barrel, covered partially by a shroud that splits into three sections with each burst from the weapon. Just behind the barrel sits a sight that provides some magnification for the user. Behind this rests the top-mounted battery pack. The Shock Rifle was manufactured by the Armory of Reckoning and developed by the Sicatt workshop.

Function
The shock rifle is a directed-energy weapon employed by the Banished. The weapon fires a burst of electrolasers, with an effective range of at least roughly three hundred meters. The electrolasers are capable of emitting an electromagnetic pulse, and as few as three hits are capable of downing the shields on an F-41 Broadsword fighter. When used against MJOLNIR GEN3 armor, shock rifles are capable of knocking out the integrated systems inside the helmet, including playing havoc with the integrated night vision device, heads-up display, energy shielding, smart link, and magnetic weapon mounts. If the shock rifle is fired on a target with others tightly gathered around it, electricity can arc between the targets, dealing damage to each of them. Some vehicles like the M12B Warthog and Banished Ghost can become temporarily disabled if repeatedly fired upon by the rifle.

The shock rifle's top-loaded battery pack contains a charge of power units, a quarter of which are rapidly spent in each burst from the weapon. When fired, the shock rifle emits a characteristic sizzle sound.

Operational history
Designed by the Banished's Sicatt Workshop, the shock rifle is a product of a long line of experimental voltaic appli­cation devices, a technology that is one of the few remaining vestiges of the advancements that the Jiralhanae achieved before devastating their homeworld and society during the First Immolation.

Shock rifles were widely employed by the Jiralhanae troops of the Gray Guards during Operation: WOLFE, and by Escharum's forces as they fought for control of Installation 07 in 2560. The weapons are charged and maintained at local Banished armory outposts.

Variants

 * Purging Shock Rifle: An improved version of the shock rifle with a magazine size of fifteen units. It fires in bursts of five with every pull of the trigger, giving it three shots before reloading. It has been painted white. The Skimmer Alpha used this variant during the Battle for Zeta Halo.

Halo Infinite
In the campaign, the shock rifle has a "magazine" size of twenty units, and five are spent with each pull of the trigger. As such, the weapon fires in five-round bursts and can be fired four times before needing to be reloaded. However, in multiplayer, the shock rifle has a "magazine" size of twelve units. Three of these units are spent with each trigger pull, thus requiring the rifle to be reloaded after every four shots.

In both cases, the shock rifle is a medium-to-long-range weapon. It takes two body shots to kill a fully-shielded Spartan in multiplayer. However, a single burst from the shock rifle can kill a fully-shielded Spartan if all three electrolasers in the burst are headshots, even though a single body shot cannot fully deplete the shield. If fired at a living enemy with other enemies closely gathered around, the electric damage can arc between them. Its shots can also arc off of vehicles and other gameplay objects, such as weapons, and the flagpoles in Capture the Flag. In the event that drivable vehicles such as Ghosts or Warthogs are hit by two or more shots from a shock rifle, they will become temporarily disabled, along with any other vehicle close to them. In the campaign, the Shock Rifle is wielded by the Skimmers, Brute Snipers, Elite Ultras and Regulator Sentinels.

Production notes
During the Halo Infinite Multiplayer Tech Preview in September 2021, the shock rifle sported a magazine containing twenty units of ammunition, rather than the twelve in the multiplayer of the final game. Its electrolasers also fired in five-round bursts, instead of bursts of three. Thus, it operated identically to how it does in the final game's campaign.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Shadows of Reach
 * Become
 * Carry On
 * Forever We Fight
 * Halo Infinite
 * Halo: The Rubicon Protocol