Energy sword (fiction)

"A noble and ancient weapon, wielded by the strongest of Sangheili, requires great skill and bravery to use, and inspires fear in those who face its elegant plasma blade."

- then-Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee '''

The Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword, commonly known as the Energy Sword, is a close quarters weapon of the Covenant Empire exclusively used by the Sangheili.

Design Details
The energy sword consists of a curved hilt housing an energy storage and generation device, along with the blade projector that when activated, shapes and contains a blade of superheated plasma, stabilized within two small magnetic field generators built into the handle of the weapon to help form the oval shaped, ionized blades that the weapon is recognized for.

The energy sword runs on battery power; the battery's energy will be reduced for each successful strike. Each strike from the sword will drain the battery by 10% of its maximum energy output. Once the battery power is fully depleted, the sword will deactivate unless recharged.

The energy sword contains a failsafe mechanism that deactivates the magnetic field without first dispersing the plasma, consuming the handle and thus destroying the weapon. The failsafe is included to prevent enemy infantry from acquiring the weapon and using it, and is yet another insight to Sangheili tactics.

The energy sword is the signature weapon of the Sangheili, and has been part of their culture since the Fourth Age of Discovery. The Sangheili pride themselves on their skills with this weapon and believe that it is honorable for a Sangheili to fight and die by the sword. The Sangheili are also very strict on who can be trained in the art of swordsmanship, only aristocrats are permitted to wield energy swords and sword wielders are no longer eligible for marriage; however, they may breed with any female they choose, married or otherwise, to ensure successful transmission of "swordsman" genes. In service to the Covenant, only the most skilled warriors of the Sangheili, such as zealots, special operations units, and stealth troops, are permitted to use energy swords, and it is implied that they spend years building and improving their skills in order to become combatants in the lethal art of sword fighting.

Advantages
The Type-1 Energy Sword is an extremely powerful and effective melee weapon in close quarters combat. A single strike can penetrate through the energy shield systems and into the armor and flesh of a SPARTAN or a Sangheili. Even stab wounds to infantry can be fatal if not treated in time, as the blade passes through the body, the innards of the body are burned by the extreme temperatures produced by the blade and body fluids in the area of the stab wound are flash vaporized. The wound, upon contact, is cauterized by the heat. In the hands of a skillful Sangheili warrior or SPARTAN, the sword can be fatal unless the enemy has enough stopping power in their hands. The sheer destructive power of the sword makes it a weapon to be feared on any battlefield.

In-game, the energy sword's strength and lethality are compensated for the sake of gameplay. Infantry with over-shielding are only slightly more resistant as it can take two strikes before the shield system fails.

Disadvantages
The energy sword is purely a close-quarters weapon, which makes it useless past close range. A skilled SPARTAN can take down infantry with the sword by using a weapon outside their effective range: the M7 SMG and the MA5 assault rifle are staple examples of weapons capable of taking down anyone holding a sword in combat.

The energy sword, like most other Covenant weapons, has a battery, requiring the user to either recharge the weapon or discard it. Although the handle can be used as a club, the Energy Sword's combat effectiveness at that point is minimal when its energy runs out.

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the energy sword has a cyan glow, a far less defined edge and makes a dull clunk when striking an object. It is only used by Stealth Sangheili and Zealots. The player cannot wield the energy sword due to the failsafe mechanism device that destroys the weapon upon killing the sword-wielder.

In Halo 2, the energy sword is blue with purple undertones and electrical energy crackling on it when the blade is activated. The white glow seen in Halo: Combat Evolved is also replaced with a more glass like transparency. In the campaign, it is only used by higher-ranking Sangheili, such as special operations units, ultras and zealots, though players can now wield the sword. The sword in campaign has a battery and can only be used effectively against a limited number of enemy forces before the battery runs out. The sword is usable in multiplayer with an infinite battery power. The energy sword has two modes of attacking; a lunge attack and a swing attack.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3
In Halo 3, the sword has more of a light cyan tinge, similar to its appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved, but still has a tint of purple near the handle. It also has an angle near the handle, whereas in the two previous games it was curved. Players are now able to parry with the Sword. The power exerted by the swords hitting each other will drain both players' shields, but will not kill them unless one makes the fatal blow. The sword's lunge attack has been reduced for balancing purposes, aside from these changes in design and functionality, the power of the sword remains unchanged. In multiplayer, the sword has a limited battery supply.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach
In Halo: Reach, the sword resembles closely to the design used in Halo: Combat Evolved, albeit darker in color. When activated, the sword is capable of lighting up the surrounding area. When unused, the sword rests differently on the SPARTAN and Sangheili character models. The energy sword appears to have been balanced out compared to its earlier incarnations, having a slightly faster swing than its Halo 3 incarnation. Its lunge attack has been reduced in range and can now be blocked by a well-timed melee. The energy sword has its own assassination animations, which are used in place of the SPARTAN combat knife and the Sangheili wrist blade.

In other media
In Halo Graphic Novel 's The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, there is a variety of sword-type weapons hanged on a wall in the dueling chamber of the Seeker of Truth. These range from apparent energy clubs to sickle-like plasma weapons. The swords used by Rtas 'Vadum and Kusovai in their duel change its design a number of times to exhibit the basic structure of the Type-1 with a few slight differences. In the story Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, a Sangheili is shown with a very odd, light-pink, sword, with very thin blades.

In Halo Wars, the Arbiter, Ripa 'Moramee, sported two energy swords with modified hilts and hand guards. In the Halo Evolutions 's Headhunters short story, a new energy sword variant is introduced; it is described of being composed of a reddish energy combined with the white flicker of electricity, which gives it a blood-colored glow.

Tactics
There are two ways a player in Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach can attack, the first is to lunge with the energy sword. With this, the player lunges forward at the other player. However, this only works when the aiming reticule is lit red, indicating that the opposing player is within range. The second attack is the simple melee, this performs a quick underhanded or overhanded swipe.

Campaign

 * In Halo 2 the sword is extremely valuable against Elites in campaign. When facing sword-wielding Elites a sound tactic is to jump and lunge attack them. This will kill them quickly and save your shields or your life on higher difficulties.
 * In both Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Energy Sword is one of the best anti-Flood weapons, as it will destroy Flood Combat and Pure Forms in one strike (although if an infected Elite still has its shield, it may take two swipes, depending on the difficulty setting).
 * When fighting against the Flood, an attack with the Energy Sword will deplete the battery by a very small amount (about 3%) due to their soft tissue, making it useful for extended durations.
 * The Energy Sword in Halo 2 and Halo 3 can be used to destroy the corpses of Flood Combat Forms so that they cannot be re-infected by Infection Forms. However, the cutting process does drain battery power. Although, any weapon's melee attack can be used to destroy combat form corpses if used enough times, even a depleted Energy Sword hilt.
 * In Halo 3 the Energy Sword is very hard to come by in the campaign outside of Floodgate, Cortana, and Halo. The player can obtain an Energy Sword by betraying an Elite ally on The Covenant by sticking him with a grenade (if Mythic is turned on, the Elite can survive a Plasma Grenade and you can take his Energy Sword) or by draining Arbiter's shield during combat (this happens more frequently on higher difficulties). If you do, it is a very good weapon against Brutes, although the battery will deplete very quickly.

Multiplayer

 * The sword is easily one of the best close range weapons to use in Halo 2. The best tactic is to lay into an enemy player with your secondary weapon getting closer, then when within range perform a quick swipe with the sword for the finishing move. However since there is no way of telling which player has the sword, or no sound way to stop it, it has often been labeled as a cheap tactic.
 * Using Active Camouflage with the sword in Halo 2 is not a wise thing to do as the sword in Halo 2 is still visible with it active. In Halo 3 however, using the sword with active camouflage is a sound tactic as it will now cover the sword when picked up.
 * In Halo 3 the sword lunge is shorter, and the player cannot perform a quick strike. In addition, the sword's handle is now visible on the character's leg. In order for the sword to be most effective the player must lure a player into a trap where the sword will become effective; camping with the sword in a corner and waiting is the best way to use it to its fullest extent. As a special note, there is a range difference between the B button melee, and the right trigger lunge. The lunge has the maximum range, whilst the B button seems to only work at 1/2 to 3/4 the range. This is, most likely, for balancing, as the B button swings the sword at a much, much faster rate.
 * If the enemy controls the sword room in the Halo 3 multiplayer map The Pit, stick to the outer wall. The range is just short of the wall and if you're lucky your opponent will lunge and miss, giving you the perfect opportunity to kill him or her.

Advanced Tactics

 * It is possible to dodge a lunge from the Energy Sword. To do this, one must move quickly to the right when facing the lunging opponent, towards the hand which does not hold the sword. Conversely, to prevent your target from dodging your lunge, simply jump; jumping reduces all chances of missing or being dodged by an opponent.
 * In Halo 3, a new feature has been added so that players can parry their opponent's sword by meleeing or lunging at the same time. If you pull the right trigger right before the other person makes contact, a parrying electric clash is produced, but you do lose some or all of your shield. However, when you get down to no shields, a sword clash will not affect your health, though your screen will flash bright red. This is sometimes known as "Fencing", and can be a game, first to die loses, a useful tactic to use in sword-on-sword fight is, once you parry, melee with the sword. If you time it well enough the sword fight can last indefinitely.
 * Jumping can make the Energy Sword much more fearsome, brutally effective and accurate. Jump and point your reticule down, waiting until it turns red to lunge at the opponent.
 * In Halo 2 avoiding a sword lunge is extremely difficult, if timed correctly and with a bit of luck, side stepping in the direction of the enemy players free hand may save your life, however this is often difficult. In Halo 3 avoiding the sword lunge can be done by using either a Brute Shot or a Shotgun, there is still some difficulty in pulling it off, but the odds of killing an enemy player using the Sword is much greater than on Halo 2.
 * An extremely useful tactic against other players wielding swords, is to, rather than hitting B twice for two quick melees, is to strike first with a melee, and then finish them on with the lunge. This tactic is much faster than two melees.
 * In Halo Reach, there is a new technique called "sword-blocking" in which a player may block a sword lunge with any weapon they are carrying at the time. This is done by simply pressing RB to melee the incoming attack and stop the attack with a well timed strike. This makes it fair for players to be able to fight back against the energy sword. This also eliminates the constant use of the energy sword to obtain quick, easy kills

Trivia

 * The Energy Sword does not appear in Halo 3: ODST, because there are no living Sangheili in the game and an ODST would not be able to use one. However, near the deceased body of a Sangheili in Tayari Plaza, one can find two depleted sword hilts.
 * In 2008, this was to be released by Jasman Toys to go with their other laser tag weapons; the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle. However, its release has been canceled or delayed, possibly because of the sharp tips of the blade, or because Laser Tag is a shooting game, and the Sword is a melee weapon.
 * It was originally going to be usable in Halo: Combat Evolved, but was cut when the game became a First-Person Shooter.
 * In the Halo 3 Vidoc Et tu Brute? there is an unfinished animation depicting a Jiralhanae Chieftain wielding an Energy Sword. This is, however, never seen in the hands of Jiralhanae in the final game.
 * The Fable 2: Limited Edition comes with "Hal's Sword", a crystal blade shaped like an Energy Sword for in-game use, to coincide with the use of "Hal's Armour", which resembles MJOLNIR armor.
 * In Halo 2 and Halo 3, a glitch can be performed to give the player a Silhouette Sword.
 * In Halo 3, seven Forerunner glyphs are visible on each side of the Energy Sword's hilt.
 * It is possible to get a Sword Spree Medal, even a Slice 'N Dice Medal with an Energy Sword that's out of battery.
 * The distinctive shape of the energy sword is apparently based on ceremonial Sangheili swords. In The Duel, Harka is seen wielding a large bladed weapon that is almost aesthetically identical to the energy sword
 * When it spawns in most multiplayer maps, rather than lying on the ground, it will be floating in mid-air blades pointing up until it is hit by any damage or grabbed by a player. One exception is the Halo 2 Vista exclusive map, Uplift, where it respawns lying down.
 * In Halo: Reach, Sangheili armor now has a built-in miniature Energy Sword used to assassinate (serving as an equivalent to the UNSC Combat Knife utilized by Spartans in assassinations). Its appearance is nearly identical to that of the original Energy Sword. The only differences are that the blade is shorter and extends from the top of the wrist rather than from a handle.