Weapon types: Difference between revisions

Most weapons are able to perform melee attacks, but for energy swords, gravity hammers, and multiplayer weapons this is their only means of attack. Some ranged weapons also feature increased melee damage, denoted by slow and heavy animations or by featuring blades and bayonets. The only games to feature ranged weapons with different melee damage types are ''Halo 2'', ''Halo 3'', ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', and ''Halo Infinite''.

Being comprised of multiple projectile types such as bullets, spikes, and the impact damage of explosives, '''kinetic weapons''' are the most common form of projectile damage. Often times kinetic weapons deal consistent damage against a variety of different materials but usually lack the ability to significantly damage vehicles. In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 3: ODST'' bullet damage is reduced against [[shields]], and in ''Halo: Reach'' and the ''[[Reclaimer Saga]]'' games the [[sniper rifle]] deals extra damage against vehicles.

'''Plasma weapons''' are [[Covenant]] or [[Banished]] weapons that are very effective against energy shields. While they always deal reduced damage to player health, this trait is not mutually exclusive against other characters.

'''Hardlight weapons''' are [[Forerunner]] in origin and disintegrate targets upon inflicting critical damage. Their use differs slightly from game to game. Introduced in ''Halo 4'' they glow orange and possess a damage type similar to the [[covenant carbine]], having no bonus against any material but able to destroy [[Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|Jackal shields]] and deployable cover. In ''Halo 5: Guardians'' they now deal bonus damage to vehicles and [[Promethean]] weakspots. In ''Halo Infinite'' hardlight is now purple and can kill vehicle occupants without destroying the vehicle itself.

First introduced in ''Halo Infinite'', '''shock weapons''' are extremely weak per shot but can chain damage to multiple targets, as well as [[EMP]] vehicles.

Introduced in ''Halo 2'', some weapons can be dual wielded to increase firepower or mixed and matched to create deadly combos without the need to switch weapons. While useful in some circumstances dual wielding is not without its drawbacks. Players cannot melee, throw grenades, or switch weapons without dropping the left hand weapon. Dual wield weapons are typically designed to be weak when used on their own, with plasma weapons having a noticeable decrease in power compared to their ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' incarnations. Even the stats of weapons are affected when held in dual wield: accuracy is decreased, damage is nerfed, and the dual wield animations use their own set separate from the weapon class, often resulting in longer reloads. In ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' the penalties to weapon spread and dual wield damage are only active when two of the same weapon are fired at the same time. These same penalties are always active in ''Halo 3'' regardless which weapon combinations are held or when they are firing.

'''Power weapons''', which were previously named "heavy weapons" in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 2''{{Ref/Reuse|Id=CECustom}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H2Custom}}, are any weapon with the potential to kill fully shielded players with a single shot (or extremely quickly in the case of the flamethrower and [[SAW]]){{Ref/Reuse|Id=H3Custom}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=HRCustom}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H4Custom}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H2AMPCustom}}{{Ref/Reuse|Id=H5GForge}}. Similarly to dual wielded weapons, the advantage they offer is usually offset by a shortcoming. Slow firing speed, lengthy reloads, and limited range are some of the balancing tools used to prevent multiple one hit kills from occuring simultaneously or in quick succession. Due to their desirability power weapons are usually found at a central spawn location on multiplayer maps. ''Halo 5: Guardians'' and ''Halo Infinite'' further accentuate this by placing these weapons on marked [[weapon pad|weapon pads]]. Despite having its own icon in ''Halo Infinite'' power is not a damage type, instead it is displayed to notify players that power weapons can only be refilled with power ammo.

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