Nakata'vho-pattern plasma repeater

The Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved (T51 DER/I), more commonly known as a Plasma Repeater, is a plasma-based Directed Energy Weapon used by the Covenant Empire, specifically the Sangheili, during the Fall of Reach in August 2552.

Description


The weapon's rate of fire will slow as it is fired and the weapon heats up. This can be solved by manually venting the rifle with the reload button, which can be done all at once or gradually. However, as the weapon overheats and the rate of fire slows, the accuracy of the weapon will increase due to reticule bloom.

It is very likely that the Type-51 DER is either new to the Covenant arsenal or it is a branch-specific weapon, as it has only been encountered by the UNSC very recently and only in very limited numbers.

Trivia

 * According to Bungie, the Plasma Repeater is the Covenant's equivalent to the UNSC's MA5 Series.
 * The weapon's front end has a striking aesthetic similarity to the Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle. The weapon's targeting reticule is also similar to the Plasma Rifle.
 * The weapon was originally designed primarily for Multiplayer for balancing purposes. However, it was weakened after the beta, so it also appears in Halo: Reach's Campaign and Firefight, actually appearing before the Rifle.
 * The Plasma Repeater actually never overheats, building up heat which slows its rate of fire and increases accuracy until it is either vented or runs out of battery. This makes it one of the few battery-operated Covenant weapons to not be burdened with a necessary cool-down.
 * There is an odd event that can be performed on the Plasma Repeater. In a Custom Game, Firefight or Forge, set Infinite Ammo to "Bottomless Clip", so it never loses fire rate due to overheating. Get a Plasma Repeater and fire it non-stop. The reticle will bloom far beyond the center of the screen. Once the reticle blooms to a certain point, it will reset itself to the middle of the screen again, repeating the process, but faster. After enough time, the reticle will simply be stuck in the center. Ceasing fire will cause the reticle to follow these steps in reverse. Not overheating gives the weapon one of the fastest fire rates in Halo Reach.
 * Page 333 of the Halo: Reach official guide incorrectly calls the Plasma Repeater the T51 DER/1 rather than the T51 DER/I.
 * Unlike most plasma weapons in the Halo franchise, the Plasma Repeater actually does more damage to a player's health than to a player's shields.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach