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File:HTMCC-HR Needlers 2.jpg|The needler is a popular weapon among the Covenant's lower caste, like the Unggoy and Kig-Yar.
File:HTMCC-HR Needlers 2.jpg|The needler is a popular weapon among the Covenant's lower caste, like the Unggoy and Kig-Yar.
File:HCE Zuka Screenshot 6.jpg|Special Operations Unggoy were typically armed with Needlers to combat the [[Flood]].
File:HCE Zuka Screenshot 6.jpg|Special Operations Unggoy were typically armed with Needlers to combat the [[Flood]].
File:HTMCC-H3ODST DroneNeedler.jpg|The high mobility of a Yanme'e allow it to take advantage of the needler's tracking ability.
File:HTMCC-H3ODST DroneNeedler.jpg|The high mobility of a Yanme'e allows it to take advantage of the needler's tracking ability.
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Variants==
==Variants==
===''Nahle'hax''-pattern needler===
{{Main|Nahle'hax-pattern needler}}
The ''Nahle'hax''-pattern needle launcher, also designated by ONI as "Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher", has multiple known chassis.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p294}} This variant was employed by the Covenant and many of its remnants.{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}}{{Ref/Reuse|hrgameplay}}{{Ref/Reuse|h4gameplay}}
<gallery class=center>
File:HReach-NeedlerSide.png|The first chassis with blue lights on side of the upper cowling.
File:Enc22-Nahle'haxNeedler.png|The second chassis with metallic braces on the channel braces.
File:H4-Needler.png|The third chassis with no lights on the side of the upper cowling.
</gallery>
===''Posu'gelka''-pattern needler===
===''Posu'gelka''-pattern needler===
{{Main|Posu'gelka-pattern needler}}
{{Main|Posu'gelka-pattern needler}}
The ''Posu'gelka''-pattern shard launcher has an ammo counter on the chassis. This variant was employed by the [[Banished]] during the [[Battle for Installation 07]] in [[2560]].{{Ref/Reuse|hinfgameplay}}
The ''Posu'gelka''-pattern shard launcher has an ammo counter on the chassis. This variant was employed by the [[Banished]] during the [[Battle for Installation 07]] in [[2560]].{{Ref/Reuse|hinfgameplay}}
<gallery class=center>
<gallery class=center>
File:HINF-Needler.png|Posu'gelka-pattern shard launcher.
File:HINF-Needler.png|''Posu'gelka''-pattern shard launcher.
</gallery>
</gallery>


===Type-33 needler===
===Type-33 needler===
{{Main|Type-33 needler|Nahle'hax-pattern needler}}
{{Main|Type-33 needler}}
The "[[Type-33 needler|Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher]]", or "Type-33 needler", is ONI's type-classification for multiple needlers that were catalogued in [[2533]], employed throughout and after the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Reuse|evg}}{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}} One of the named patterns is the {{Pattern|Nahle'hax|needler}}.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p294}}
The "[[Type-33 needler|Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher]]", or "Type-33 needler", is ONI's type-classification for multiple needlers that were catalogued in [[2533]], employed throughout and after the [[Human-Covenant War]].{{Ref/Reuse|evg}}
<gallery class=center>
<gallery class=center>
File:Needler-HaloCE.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Fleet of Particular Justice]].
File:Needler-HaloCE.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Fleet of Particular Justice]].
File:Needler-H2.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]].
File:Needler-H2.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]].
File:H3-NeedlerProfile.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Truth's fleet]].
File:H3-NeedlerProfile.png|A T-33 GML model employed by [[Truth's fleet]].
File:H2A T33Needler.png|The {{Pattern|Nahle'hax|needler}} employed by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]].
</gallery>
</gallery>


Revision as of 16:43, April 24, 2023

Needler
H2A T33Needler.png
One pattern of the Needler, most commonly referred to as a Type-33 needler.
Weapon information

Type:

Needle-based weaponry[1]

Series:

Needler[1]

Description:

Subanese crystal projectile weapon[1]

Production information

Manufacturer:

Model(s):

 

"Luckily—listen to me "luckily"—the needles only detonate when they’re embedded in living tissue. Now that’s lucky because it’s not gonna blow a hole in the wall you’re hiding behind or tear the tires off of the vehicle you’re trying to escape in."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

Needlers, sometimes known as the Needler pistols,[7] are a class of single-handed, fully-automatic infantry specialized weapons developed by the Covenant that launch Subanese crystalline shards capable of homing in on targets.[1][2] The Covenant and its remnants formally designated the needler as needle launcher or shard launcher,[4][5] while the United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence has typically type-classified encountered needlers variants under the designations of Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher (T-33 GML) or Type-56 Guided Munitions Launcher (T-56 GML).[1][3]

Overview

Design details

Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Jonathan Doherty firing his needler and the unidentified NMPD officer wielding his M90A shotgun in the New Mombasa Data Center during Battle of New Mombasa, as seen in the Halo 3: ODST campaign level Data Hive.
While Covenant infantry held the needler like a handgun, the needler's size necessitated humans to wield the weapon with two hands.

"Anything stuck with enough needles will blow sky high—and if a Foxtrot is unlucky enough to be carrying grenades, those are gonna cook off too."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

While there are multiple known patterns of the needler, all patterns share the same general design, which revolves around the needler’s function to fire individual crystalline shards.[1] The top of the weapon contains the needler's distinctive ammunition, Subanese crystals, with the exposed needles protruding from holes in the upper cowling of the weapon chassis. The bottom of the weapon, which contains the power supply, doubles as a stock,[2] with an extended handguard on some design patterns.[1] The two main components converge at the muzzle in front of the grip. The muzzle is situated between an upper and a lower channel brace; the channel braces extend outwards around the muzzle, presumably to prevent the muzzle from being blocked.[2]

Ammunition

The ammunition container for Subanese crystals.
Main article: Subanese crystal

"I caught three in the leg as I was diving behind a broken wall—they lodged right in there where the greave meets the boot. When they went off, it damn near broke my ankle and flung like little splinters of glass or crystal or whatever all up my left side—the corpsman was pulling [the shards] outta me for the better part of two hours."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

The needler fires shards of Subanese crystal—colloquially known as blamite—a pink crystalline substance mined from the interiors of Suban, one of Sangheilios' two moons.[1][2][4] The exposed crystals are held within the upper cowling of the weapon,[1][2] allowing the user to use the exposed shards as an improvised melee weapon.[8][9]

Upon impaling a target, the crystalline shards become chemically reactive, and detonate after a few seconds.[1][5] Injuries inflicted from the exploding shards are gruesome, as microscopic pieces of crystals can become embedded in tissue.[6] If multiple shards make contact with a living target in quick succession (i.e., previous shards have yet to detonate), then a chain reaction occurs—their chemical properties "supercombine" and the shards detonate simultaneously through a process known as “proximal resonance instability”,[2] causing an immediate and violent explosion that is almost always lethal.[1][5] While the shards are devastating to living tissue, they are relatively ineffective against energy shielding,[10] and ricochet off most surfaces, hence little risk of causing hull perforations.[4] Certain variants of the needler fire calibrated crystalline shards that can embed in armor.[11]

Operation

An exploded view of a needler, drawn by Doctor Catherine Halsey.
Main article: Needle-based weaponry

"I don't know how it works, but it seems the needles can only follow you if they can "see" you."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

As with all Covenant needle-based weaponry, the needler's inner mechanism break the crystals into needle-like shards, then launch the shards at targeted enemies.[4] When the trigger is pulled, the needle is fed from the top into the barrel and broken into shards. The needler notably features an additional magnetic auger within the weapon that catalyzes the shards by charging their chemical mixture;[1] the shards then become capable of tracking specific heat signatures of sighted targets.[12] The shards are propelled through the barrel, out of the muzzle between the channel braces, and towards enemies.[13] The user reloads by shaking the weapon once, prompting a new magazine of crystals to protrude from the chassis again. The magazine capacity of the needler varies within and across different patterns.[14][15]

While it is believed that the Covenant had likely reverse-engineered the Forerunner shard cannon to create their own needle-based weaponry,[16] the needler is considered unique among Covenant weapons in that it does not require Forerunner technology to function.[10] The needler was one of the most unusual weapons in the Covenant arsenal and the least understood; by 2552, how the weapon functions still remains a mystery to human military experts and scientists, despite the weapon being encountered early on during the war.[17] Like most Covenant weapons, the needler lacks any kind of electronic, physical, or radiative connections between its trigger and firing mechanism.[18] The physics behind the weapon were apparently not well known as joint human and Sangheili teams were known to be studying the weapon some time after the war.[19]

Development history

"It's about as close to a fire-and-forget small arm that we're likely to ever see—and it ain't ours. This is why we're losing."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

Prior to the Covenant's formation, the Sangheili mined Subanese crystals from Suban, and grew to believe that even rudimentary scientific investigation was tantamount to heresy. When they first began to incorporate the crystals into weaponry, the Sangheili knew how to manipulate and weaponize the crystal, but they lacked deeper understanding of its properties.[4] The pre-Covenant weapons were unique, if poorly understood, and further study on these designs were mostly abandoned until the dissolution of the Covenant.[10]

Prior to 2552, the needler, along with most needle-based weaponry, was manufactured by the Sacred Promissory on High Charity.[1] After the fall of High Charity during the Great Schism, the manufacturing of the needler fell to Lodam Armory,[2] and any understanding of the crystal from the San'Shyuum was lost with High Charity's record complexes.[10]

After the Human-Covenant War, the needler remained in widespread use among the Covenant splinter factions;[4] despite the conflicts raging on Sanghelios, most mining sites on Suban continued to produce ammunition for the needler.[2] There are renewed interests among Sangheili miners, engineers, and artisan-armorers in studying the properties of the crystals,[11] with pre-Covenant design patterns leading to new breakthroughs;[10] for example, the Hailstorm variant of the needler, which fires shards with stronger homing capabilities, was derived from a pre-Covenant weapon used during the volatile early-interstellar period of the Sangheili history.[3][20] In contrast, Banished warsmiths were unknowledgeable of the weapon's mechanisms, though the needler's gruesome and simple design meant there was no immediate desire to alter or improve its design.[5]

Usage

"First order of business when dealing with a hostile armed with a Needler is finding cover; second order of business is killing the Mike Foxtrot with the Needler."
— Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[6]

Within the Covenant and its splinter factions, the needler is favored for its mechanical simplicity and, more importantly, the potential to inflict gruesome damage with negligible accuracy through a combination of the shards' tracking ability and the "supercombine" explosion when multiple shards hit a target in quick succession.[4][10] Subsequently, the needler is a common sight among the lower caste,[4] like the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Yanme'e,[14] as well as poorly-trained soldiers,[10] like Minors across different species.[14][21] However, the needler is considered a specialist weapon,[4] so it is fielded by specialist troops, such as Storm shock troops,[15] Stealth Sangheili,[22] and Special Operations Unggoy.[23]

Larger variants of the needler, better known as the needle cannon, are adopted as anti-air weaponry mounted on both vehicles and weapon emplacements, like the Bkowe'nei-pattern Vampire and the Kewu Umppi'pa'-pattern citadel turret.[24][25][26]

Various needler patterns have been employed throughout the Human-Covenant War, and the UNSC has catalogued multiple patterns of needlers under the "Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher" designation as early as 2533.[1] The needler was a subject of study among human military experts and scientists,[18] notably being one of the many Covenant weapons featured in Doctor Robert McLees' publication Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present.[6] During the Battle of Actium in 2545, the 34th Armored Division recovered a Nahle'hax-pattern needler from the Covenant that was later displayed at Outpost Discovery, an exploratory initiative launched by the UNSC after the war.[27]

Following the Great Schism and the dissolution of the Covenant, the needler was inherited by its various splinter factions, and even found appeal among human pirates who considered the weapon flashy and intimidating.[4] Previously uncatalogued needlers have been observed, with a needler variant employed by Jul 'Mdama's Covenant being recorded by the UNSC in 2556 under the Type-56 designation.[3] The Banished also quickly adopted the needler; troops like Unggoy Conscripts and Ultras, Kig-Yar Freebooters, and Skirmishers notably fielded the Posu'gelka-pattern needler during the Battle for Zeta Halo.[5][28]

  • Being a specialized weapon, the needler was employed by specialist troops like the Stealth Sangheili.

    Being a specialized weapon, the needler was employed by specialist troops like the Stealth Sangheili.

  • The needler is a popular weapon among the Covenant's lower caste, like the Unggoy and Kig-Yar.

    The needler is a popular weapon among the Covenant's lower caste, like the Unggoy and Kig-Yar.

  • Special Operations Unggoy were typically armed with Needlers to combat the Flood.

    Special Operations Unggoy were typically armed with Needlers to combat the Flood.

  • The high mobility of a Yanme'e allows it to take advantage of the needler's tracking ability.

    The high mobility of a Yanme'e allows it to take advantage of the needler's tracking ability.

Variants

Nahle'hax-pattern needler

Main article: Nahle'hax-pattern needler

The Nahle'hax-pattern needle launcher, also designated by ONI as "Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher", has multiple known chassis.[4] This variant was employed by the Covenant and many of its remnants.[2][14][15]

  • The first chassis with blue lights on side of the upper cowling.

    The first chassis with blue lights on side of the upper cowling.

  • The second chassis with metallic braces on the channel braces.

    The second chassis with metallic braces on the channel braces.

  • The third chassis with no lights on the side of the upper cowling.

    The third chassis with no lights on the side of the upper cowling.


Posu'gelka-pattern needler

Main article: Posu'gelka-pattern needler

The Posu'gelka-pattern shard launcher has an ammo counter on the chassis. This variant was employed by the Banished during the Battle for Installation 07 in 2560.[28]

  • Posu'gelka-pattern shard launcher.

    Posu'gelka-pattern shard launcher.

Type-33 needler

Main article: Type-33 needler

The "Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher", or "Type-33 needler", is ONI's type-classification for multiple needlers that were catalogued in 2533, employed throughout and after the Human-Covenant War.[1]

Type-56 needler

The "Type-56 Guided Munitions Launcher", or "Type-56 needler", is ONI's type-classification for multiple needlers that were catalogued in 2556.[3]

  • Type-56D needler

    Type-56D needler

  • Hailstorm.

    Hailstorm.

  • Talon of the Lost.

    Talon of the Lost.


Gameplay

Main article: Needler

The needler is a staple across the Halo games, being introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved and continuing through to Infinite. It is a fully-automatic infantry weapon used by Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yanme'e, Sangheili, Jiralhanae, and the Flood. In Halo 2, it can be dual wielded, though made impossible to do so in Halo 3.

Gallery

Main-Superintendent.png Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

Concept art and artwork

  • Concept art of the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    Concept art of the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Concept art of the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    Concept art of the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Concept art of the needler in Halo: Reach.

    Concept art of the needler in Halo: Reach.

  • Otto-031 firing a needler in Halo: Blood Line.

    Otto-031 firing a needler in Halo: Blood Line.

  • Kig-Yar pirates wielding the needler in Halo: Escalation.

    Kig-Yar pirates wielding the needler in Halo: Escalation.

Screenshots

  • A Sangheili wielding the needler in an early build of Halo: Combat Evolved.

    A Sangheili wielding the needler in an early build of Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • An Unggor Major wielding the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    An Unggor Major wielding the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • Captain Jacob Keyes wielding the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

    Captain Jacob Keyes wielding the needler in Halo: Combat Evolved.

  • A SpecOps Sangheili with the needler in Halo 2.

    A SpecOps Sangheili with the needler in Halo 2.

  • A Heretic Unggoy wielding the needler in Halo 2.

    A Heretic Unggoy wielding the needler in Halo 2.

  • A Spartan firing the needler in Halo 3.

    A Spartan firing the needler in Halo 3.

  • A Sangheili with a needler in Halo 3 from Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

    A Sangheili with a needler in Halo 3 from Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

  • Grunt squad upgraded with needlers in Halo Wars.

    Grunt squad upgraded with needlers in Halo Wars.

  • A Jiralhanae Minor wielding the needler in Halo 3: ODST.

    A Jiralhanae Minor wielding the needler in Halo 3: ODST.

  • A Yanme'e Major wielding the needler in Halo 3: ODST.

    A Yanme'e Major wielding the needler in Halo 3: ODST.

  • Various Covenant troops wielding the needler in Halo: Reach.

    Various Covenant troops wielding the needler in Halo: Reach.

  • A Kig-Yar Storm wielding the needler in Halo 4.

    A Kig-Yar Storm wielding the needler in Halo 4.

  • An Unggoy Minor holding the needler in Halo 2: Anniversary campaign.

    An Unggoy Minor holding the needler in Halo 2: Anniversary campaign.

  • John-117 dual wielding needlers in Halo 2: Anniversary campaign.

    John-117 dual wielding needlers in Halo 2: Anniversary campaign.

  • Frederic-104 using smart scope on a needler in Halo 5: Guardians.

    Frederic-104 using smart scope on a needler in Halo 5: Guardians.

  • A Kig-Yar wielding a needler in Halo 5: Guardians.

    A Kig-Yar wielding a needler in Halo 5: Guardians.

  • A Skirmisher with the needler Halo Infinite.

    A Skirmisher with the needler Halo Infinite.

  • A Spartan wielding the needler in Halo Infinite multiplayer.

    A Spartan wielding the needler in Halo Infinite multiplayer.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 128
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 85
  3. ^ a b c d e Halo Waypoint, Canon Fodder - Locke & Load (Retrieved on Aug 2, 2021) [local archive] [external archive]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 294
  5. ^ a b c d e f Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 479
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Bungie.net, Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher - 9/6/2007 (Retrieved on Jan 16, 2021) [archive]
  7. ^ Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, chapter 22
  8. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, Needler melee animation
  9. ^ Halo Infinite, Needler melee animation
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Halo Waypoint, Universe - Weapons - Needler (Retrieved on Apr 21, 2021) [local archive] [external archive]
  11. ^ a b c Halo 5: Guardians, Talon of the Lost REQ card: "Sangheili miners and engineers continue to discover amazing new properties of the Subanese crystals used in Needler ammunition. Advanced Needler that fires carefully calibrated shards that can embed themselves in armor."
  12. ^ Halo Waypoint, Halo 4 Interactive Guide - Covenant Weapons (Retrieved on Mar 27, 2014) [local archive] [external archive]
  13. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 337
  14. ^ a b c d Halo: Reach, gameplay
  15. ^ a b c Halo 4, gameplay
  16. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 237
  17. ^ Bungie.net, Halo: Reach Ordnance Page (Retrieved on Feb 7, 2021) [archive]
  18. ^ a b Halo: Reach, Dr. Halsey's personal journal
  19. ^ Halo Waypoint, Forums - Catalog Interaction (post 2969311) (Retrieved on Oct 14, 2014) [local archive] [external archive]
  20. ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, Hailstorm REQ card: "The Hailstorm owes much to a pre-Covenant weapon used during the volatile early-interstellar period of Sangheili history. Improved Needler which fires fast-moving crystal shards that exhibit strong homing behavior."
  21. ^ Halo 3: ODST, gameplay
  22. ^ Halo Wars, campaign level Relic Interior
  23. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved, campaign level The Maw
  24. ^ Halo Wars, gameplay
  25. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 200
  26. ^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 301
  27. ^ Halo: Outpost Discovery: Hall of History - Needler plaque
  28. ^ a b Halo Infinite, gameplay
  29. ^ Halo 5: Guardians, gameplay

v • d • e
 
Service weapons of the Covenant and its remnants
Projectile weapons
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