Energy sword (fiction): Difference between revisions

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. The Sword has a limited battery supply in Multiplayer, and more time is needed to draw it.

The second attack is the straight-up melee, performed by hitting the B button (default control scheme). This performs a sort of underhand swipe (when the reticule is not red or facing and invisible opponent) or a lunge move (when the reticule is red). Though one would assume that because the energy sword's lunge and melee were the same, Bungie has indicated (via the short messages at the bottom of the screen while searching for a match in Halo 3 matchmaking), that the melee performed by hitting the B button is actually a fraction of a second quicker than those performed with the right trigger. This information can be exploited during clashes between two sword holders: if both players lunge at the same time, they will clash backwards; should one player use the right trigger and the other use the B button for their next attack, assuming that both are still within range and both attacks are thrown at the same time, the player who used the melee will almost invariably win (depending on host-client latency times). One way to stop a lunge attack is to throw any tipe of "sticky" grenade at the person lunging at you. This will kill them but you will still die from the lunge, therefore the two cancel each other out with each person gaining a point.

The Energy Sword is one of the most powerful weapons in [[Halo 2]] and [[Halo 3]]. A single lunge will kill even a fully [[Shield]]ed [[Spartan-II|Spartan]] or [[Covenant]] [[Elite]]. An over-shielded enemy can take two lunges to kill. In [[Halo 2]] it is also one of the very few weapons that can dismember the bodies of dead [[Combat Forms]], preventing their revival by [[Infection Forms]]. Doing this, however, will still take up energy. In [[Halo 3]], a melee will dismember unshielded [[Flood]] [[Combat Forms]]. In Multiplayer for [[Halo 3]], the lunge is shorter. Normally (but not if your opponent makes an evasive move), the lunge will connect and will eviscerate your opponent. A normal swing of the sword can deplete 1 and 2/5's of the shielding. This is enough to eliminate a normal shield, and your health. The amount of damage can be increased if you jump, run, do a lunge, do a jumping lunge, do a melee, lunging melee, etc; but can be blocked by parrying with a melee when the opponent makes a lunge, causing the loss of your shields, but not actually killing you. The sword can also parry melees with appropriate timing. This is most common with other swords, but there is picture evidence of a sword parrying a hammer strike <ref>http://carnage.bungie.org/haloforum/halo.forum.pl?read=871406<ref>. The primary fire button initiates a lunge when the cross hair goes red or a swipe if it is not, and the melee button initiates a fast melee. <ref>Bungie Weekly Update: 7/20/07</ref> Unlike the [[Gravity Hammer]] in [[Halo 3]], it is very hard to tell that a player has the sword when it is not the primary weapon being used, making it much easier to catch an opponent off guard, thus the player wielding it is less likely to be targeted so quickly by snipers, remember to bear in mind the time now taken to unsheathe them, as this can give them the chance to get a shot in.

This tactic can make the energy sword more fearsome and effective. Jump and point your reticle down, waiting until it turns red to lunge. This tactic makes it harder for your enemy to track you with their reticle, and thus you are more likely to win in a sword fight. By leaping upwards, your enemy cannot see you, and you can swiftly bring your attack down on the head. Beware, [[Flood combat forms]] use this tactic to good effect, alot more on Legendary.

*In the downloadable vidoc "Et tu, Brute" you can see a Brute Chieftain from Halo 3 wielding an Energy Sword.