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Are you looking for the Halo 4 version? For other uses, see Camouflage (disambiguation).

A Spartan using active camouflage.

"One of those things is inside, and it is invisible!'"

Active camouflage (often shortened to active camo) refers to a broad range of optical camouflage technologies that conceal or cloak its user or an object from visual detection by rapidly adapting to its surroundings.^[2]^[3] Although active camouflage originated from the Covenant—also inherited and adapted by its remnants—similar technology was employed by the United Nations Space Command, with personal ppactive camouflage being directly reverse-engineered from its Covenant counterpart.^[2]

Covenant active camouflage conceals by bending and refracting light around its surface.

texture buffer and photoreactive panel

Personal active camouflage

Covenant usage

Human usage

Personal active camouflage

Covenant usage

Human usage

Both the UNSC^[4] and the Covenant use various forms of active camouflage technology, though the term is .

Technically, active camouflage is not quite invisibility, though it is very similar. Rather, the There are a variety of ways to do this, though the UNSC uses photoreactive panels on its Semi-Powered Infiltration armor and prowler stealth ships for optical camouflage, adapting to the object's background to account for movement. Meanwhile, Covenant active camouflage actually bends light around the camouflaged object,^[3] a task well within the Covenant's tier two technology level. The technology can be utilized on human armor systems, such as the MJOLNIR armor, but the UNSC has only developed rough equivalents.^[5]

Covenant active camouflage

"Show yourselves, assassins! The scent of your cloak is faint, but it still fouls the air."

— Atriox smelling active camouflage.^[6]

A camouflaged Stealth Sangheili aboard Cairo Station.

Covenant active camouflage technology uses a field of energy to bend light around the user, thus making them effectively invisible. The armor used by Spec-Ops and Stealth Sangheili, as well as that of Arbiters, Jiralhanae Stalkers and even certain Sangheili Zealots,^[7] include built-in active camouflage generators. These built-in generators have a severe drawback in that they divert power from shielding equipment. Troops equipped with permanent active camouflage generators tend to have weaker shielding than those not equipped with an active camouflage generator.

Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee was equipped with an active camouflage generator capable of generating a near-perfect cloaking field indefinitely. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam was also equipped with an active camouflage generator, but the device was capable only of providing a cloak for a few seconds, and although 'Vadam was equipped with personal shielding, his shields were relatively weak for an individual of such high rank, equivalent to those of a Sangheili Minor.

Aircraft or ships can also be equipped with active camouflage systems, including the Ru'swum-pattern Phantom that has its own active camouflage generators on board for various stealth missions,^[8] and the Klavbrig Workshop Shroud used by the Banished to cloak the advance of their armies.^[9] Larger vessels such as supercarriers, or entire armies, can be effectively hidden from both plain sight and sensors by using external stealth systems such as stealth pylons and Cloaking Generators.^[7]^[9]

For personnel not equipped with built-in active camouflage, it can be provided by a variety of devices. Typically, the energy used to provide the effect is suspended inside a small, transparent pyramidal container, or a larger spherical force-field. Personnel can use the light-bending energy by coming into physical contact with the container or force-field, which will cause it to break and release its contents. Upon release, the energy envelops the wearer and bends light around their skin; armor or energy shielding, conforming to their form and rendering them almost invisible. After a short period of time, the energy will gradually dissipate and wear off, slowly revealing its user. The active camouflage provided by these devices lasts for ten seconds, and only prevents visual detection; those using active camouflage can be observed by other means, including motion tracking, noise, and environmental disturbances such as footprints on soft terrain.

Function

"Trust me, because I heard… uhhh… from a friend, that if you have active camouflage on and do a crys, it makes a big sizzle sound and everybody can see me hidin' in the corner."

— Dimkee Hotay shares his bad experience with active camo.^[10]

Covenant active camouflage will easily cloak its user, but its effect does not completely extend to items in the user's possession; human weapons are easily cloaked by active camouflage, but Covenant weapons are visible even with active camo, as the light-bending energy cannot mask the glow of the weapons' plasma. In Halo: Combat Evolved, however, plasma glow is hidden quite well by the cloaking equipment.

Though active camouflage is quite effective from a distance, it can faintly be seen if an observer is close enough to the wearer. However, it is difficult to spot a camouflaged opponent from a distance using a scoped weapon—actual physical proximity is required to reliably spot a person using active camo. It should be noted, though, that active camouflage does not mask environmental effects such as footprints, meaning that it is not as effective on soft terrain such as snow.

The shielding provided by Covenant active camo can be disrupted if projectiles pass through it; such a disruption weakens the invisibility effect and temporarily reveals the wearer. The power-up can be disrupted if the wearer fires shots or if the wearer is hit. It also progressively worsens: the longer the wearer fires (or is hit), the more visible they become. Once the disruptions end, however, the wearer quickly regains their invisibility.

Talcum powder and other atmospheric particles can disrupt the systems, causing the technology to overload and fail.^[11] The device also generates a considerable amount of heat, causing its user to be clearly visible on human thermal goggles and some variations of the SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle.^[12] The humans of Alpha Base on Installation 04 used this advantage when their base was infiltrated by stealth Elites, equipping their fireteams with infrared goggles allowing them to easily see the attackers. In addition, SPARTAN-IIs William-043 and Kelly-087 employed talcum powder in order to overload the camouflage on Reach in order to find them.^[11] Atriox was able to detect the use of active camouflage through smell.^[6] However, it is possible he was just smelling the users themselves rather than the cloaking field, and was calling them out for its use.

During the Requiem Campaign, active camouflage was used to shield the seven HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons smuggled aboard the UNSC Infinity from detection by the ship's AI Roland. After Fireteam Crimson took out a Sangheili holding a cloaking remote, Roland realized this tactic. By tracking the energy signature from the cloaking generator, Roland was able to locate the warheads in the Engine Room and direct Crimson where to go to disarm them before they could be used to destroy the Infinity. Unlike conventional active camouflage, this type shielded the warheads from sensors but they could be physically seen by nearby persons without any issue.^[13] Later, in the Warrens, the Covenant hooked up active camouflage to their shield generators to prevent the human forces from finding and destroying them. Spartan Jared Miller was eventually able to identify the Sangheili who controlled the active camouflage and after Crimson took him out, the active camouflage dropped, revealing the generators.^[14]

After the death of Gek 'Lhar, his corpse was looted by Fireteam Majestic. Spartan Gabriel Thorne took Gek's active camouflage module^[15] which he subsequently used during the attempted rescue of Dr. Catherine Halsey.^[16]

UNSC active camouflage

ONI PRO-49776 disengaging its advanced cloaking field, an outlier in UNSC camouflaging technology during the Covenant War.

The UNSC has developed several varieties of active-camouflage technology. These do not utilize the same light-bending energy as Covenant active camouflage and are generally less effective. The most common form of human active camouflage technology operates on a different principle than the Covenant counterpart, using photoreactive panels to impersonate the surrounding environment like a chameleon. A device known as the camouflage cloak can hide the wearer's infrared signature, beside serving as a form of camouflage.^[4]

Roland-B210 with his camouflage activated.

The Semi-Powered Infiltration armor used by the Spartan-IIIs utilizes photo-reactive panels to conceal the wearer's infrared signature and to blend in with the surrounding environment. When combined with their natural talent and training for stealth, it can be a very effective tool. Some Headhunters used a prototype camouflage almost identical to the Covenant version, rendering them almost invisible, except that it only lasted 3–5 minutes and other systems have their power drained while it recharged. This feature saw very limited use in field tests by ODSTs.^[17]

A common human active camouflage device, copied from similar Covenant technology, comes in the form of a "plug" which attaches to a socket located on the lower back of compatible armor. The non-integral nature of the device allows it to be added or removed at will for improved operational flexibility. The device provides a conditionally effective cloak; as long as the user remains still or moves slowly, the camouflage will be highly efficient, providing near-total invisibility for minimal energy loss. However, if the user moves more quickly, the camouflage will only provide rudimentary coverage and drain its energy very rapidly. Firing a weapon will also disrupt the camouflage and reveal the user. Furthermore, external sounds will be highly muffled to the user while this camouflage is in use, and if the user is equipped with motion tracking equipment, the detection capability of the motion tracker will be severely compromised, jamming the display with "ghost" targets.^[18]

Much like the SPI armor, UNSC prowlers use texture buffers or "active camouflage skin" in conjunction with stealth ablative coatings to conceal themselves from view in addition to masking their heat and radar signatures.^[4] This camouflage is not perfect, however, and cannot keep up with a constantly changing background such as a gas giant's atmosphere.^[19] However, more advanced stealth ships were developed, such as ONI PRO-49776 using a form of cloak "bubble" similar to the light-bending energy fields used by the Covenant. This technology has not been observed in widespread use.^[20]

The MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor [GEN2] system is capable of incorporating Covenant T-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage modules for stealth.^[21]

Changes throughout Halo

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If the active camo is active during Campaign, the player is completely invisible to the AI enemies unless they fire their weapon. Active camouflage is only usable in Campaign when playing as the Arbiter in Halo 2, or if the player obtains the Envy Skull and restarts Campaign (active camo replaces Master Chief's flashlight). In Halo 3, rather than Active Camouflage, the slightly different Cloaking is available. It is also available as a powerup in five levels during Halo: Combat Evolved: The Truth and Reconciliation, Silent Cartographer, 343 Guilty Spark, Keyes, and Assault on the Control Room.

An interesting fact about Active Camouflage is that although the player can see the Type-1 energy sword-wielding Active Camo Elites in Halo: Combat Evolved (due to the sword), the Marines cannot see them; this is likely because the developers did not realize that the energy sword showed through the Active Camo, leading them to code the Marines' AI to be oblivious to it. This advantage is removed in Halo 2—the Elites now wait, only activating their swords when they're about to kill the player.

Halo 2

In Halo 2, it is noted that the Arbiter's armor, while possessing a built-in active camouflage generator, is not permanent, unlike the more modern generators used by Special Operations Elites. There is a circle on the player's HUD that shows the amount of time left (unfortunately, not shown numerically) for both the usage of the active camouflage and the recharging sequence. The Master Chief can gain this ability with the Envy Skull on Legendary only; however, his screen will lack the meter, forcing you to remember the time allowed for use.

When playing as the Arbiter, using any attack will cause the active camouflage to deactivate, and the player must wait for it to recharge before using it again.^[22]

Halo 3

Main article: Cloaking

In Halo 3, the Active Camo is no longer contained inside a pyramid construct. Instead it appears as a large, glowing sphere with what appears to be containment devices around it, enclosing the powerup in Halo 3 multiplayer; but unlike past Halo games, active camo is not found in campaign. In campaign, Active Camouflage is replaced by the Cloaking equipment, which functions in the same way as active camouflage once did. Melee attacks, shooting, throwing grenades and using equipment will negate the effect of the power-up. Also, wearing the Flaming Helmet is an obvious give-away to the opponent because the fire is still visible. By default, the pick-up lasts 30 seconds and doesn't dissipate with movement, unlike in Reach.

The quality of camouflage in custom games may be set to two different settings:^[23]

Poor Camo: The player has camouflage that might fool a Grunt.
- The player is still somewhat visible.
Good Camo: The player has camouflage that will fool an attentive Elite.
- This makes the player almost invisible, but the light is distorted within the player's shape.

Halo: Reach

The Active Camo in Halo: Reach has undergone many major changes. It is now available as an Armor Ability to both Spartan and Elite players. As a secondary effect, when used, it acts as a Radar Jammer, scrambling the radar of the user and all enemies within 25 meters, making the user harder for enemies to detect on their motion trackers. This function can be both beneficial and detrimental to the player; on the one hand, it can make enemies easier to ambush, however, it also informs the enemy team that someone is using Camo nearby. This can backfire on the player by making the enemy team more perceptive to possible ambushes. The Active Camo also greatly reduces the volume of all sounds for its user, making it more difficult to notice a grenade being thrown or a nearby enemy firing a weapon.

The strength or effectiveness of the Camo also varies depending on whether/how fast the user is moving. When standing still, the player is rendered almost completely invisible. Moving slowly or crouch-walking will slightly decrease the quality of cloaking, although the user is still hard to spot. When moving faster than crouch-walking speed, the Active Camo becomes much less effective, cloaking the user only partially (similar to the Poor Camo from Halo 3). The player's movement speed does not affect the rate at which the Armor Ability meter drains. The freedom for the player to control when they activate their camouflage makes it much more effective, as it allows for use in the most opportune situations, instead of restricting the player to activate it on pickup. However, the reduced hearing and radar jamming effects require the player to be more aware of his surroundings than usual,^[24] and must also take care not to move too fast.

Enemies in campaign and Firefight will detect the user after a while. As such, it is far less effective than previous iterations.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Active camouflage now makes the user extremely hard to spot due to the enhanced graphics. Distortion also covers more the exact shape of the user, unlike previous iterations.

Halo 4

The Type-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage bends light around a structure, hiding it via advanced pattern realignment. It is similar to the version in Halo: Reach, however the jammer no longer makes false hostile contacts appear on the motion sensor, rather it makes neutral contacts appear and in a much tighter grouping than before, therefore not only preventing the user from using it to trick enemies, but possibly giving away their location. Despite this, it still is an effective tool for hiding outside of cover and ambushing enemies.

Halo 5: Guardians

Active camouflage is now a powerup that can be picked up in Arena or requisitioned in Warzone. While active the user is invisible to the motion sensors of enemies as long as they are not sprinting. Moving while crouched no longer deteriorates the quality of camouflage, though moving faster would. It now displays a meter on the HUD that shows the remaining duration of the power up, and shortly before it runs out, the player will be notified via a quiet beeping sound.

Halo Wars 2

Shrouds are able to cloak themselves and other units. Let 'Volir is able to cloak units with leader abilities.

Halo Infinite

Active Camouflage is activated via an animation similarly to Halo 5: Guardians, although it can now be used at will. If the player is killed before they can use it, or while in the process of activating it, they will drop the powerup which can now be picked up by another player. Active camouflage in Halo Infinite behaves like a hybrid of the active camouflage seen in the original trilogy, and the active camo seen in all the games since Halo: Reach. If the player is simply moving and strafing, the camouflage remains consistent, but if they sprint or fire their weapon, the camo fades out. ^[25]

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances

Silver Timeline

Main article: Silver Timeline

Active camouflage is used by Covenant Sangheili.^[26]

Trivia

Changing the graphics card settings on Halo: Combat Evolved for PC (lowering the quality and effects) makes active camouflage users appear as an easily-seen gray, opaque silhouette.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the flood can still see you if you use active camo.
Oddly enough, a group of Major and Minor Grunts in the Halo 2 level Delta Halo used Active Camouflage as they fought alongside a group of Stealth Elites. Spec Ops Grunts are also seen using this in the level The Arbiter just before entering the gas mine. This suggests that at least some Grunts have this equipment.
When used in association with an Overshield, the Active Camo becomes completely useless due to the charges of the overshield washing over the player's body (except in Halo: Combat Evolved). In Halo 3, the same effect occurs when Active Camouflage and Overshields are both working.
The active camouflage has no effect on the flames on the Bungie Armor, allowing enemies to more easily locate the user of the chest piece.
With the Envy skull on in Halo 2, the Master Chief's flashlight will be replaced with active camouflage. This can also be combined with a glitch which allows you to reload from a checkpoint, after saving and quitting, and turning off your console, with infinite active camouflage. This makes the Campaign on Halo 2 considerably easier, even on Legendary difficulty.
In any Halo game, when you have active camouflage on and you get in a vehicle, the camouflage stays on and appears as if there was a ghost driving it or that it was driving itself (works particularly well with the Warthog LAAG). It works with any vehicle which exposes the occupants to view.
In Halo 2 for Windows Vista, when playing on Threshold, your comrades are not picked up by radar when camouflaged.
The lights on a gravity hammer can be seen clearly when camouflaged. It is not recommended to have a Gravity Hammer either as your primary weapon or secondary weapon when using active camo, as the lights make you an easy target for experienced snipers.
In Halo 3, go in Monitor mode and find an Active Camouflage. Go inside it. After about 10–20 seconds, the Active Camo will stop making its shimmering noise and you'll hear a brief whispering sound (like a sigh or breath), and then it will continue its shimmering noise.
Strangely, the active camo module in the Halo: Reach Beta had "UNSC" printed on it, even when being used by Elites, though this is likely because it was a placeholder file.
The Overshield as well as Active camouflage were requested by Hardy LeBel as a feature for Halo: CE's multiplayer. The team working on the campaign saw that they were and added them too.

Gallery

A Stealth Elite using active camouflage in Halo: Combat Evolved.
Active Camo in Halo: Combat Evolved campaign.
Active Camo in Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer.
Active camouflage on Halo: Combat Evolved for PC.
The Active Camouflage in Halo 2.
The Active Camouflage in Halo 3.
Bungie Armor and Active Camouflage in Halo 3.
The Active Camouflage powerup in Halo: Reach.
Multiple SpecOps Sangheili using active camouflage, with one also possessing Overshield.
Active Camouflage in use in Halo 4.
Active camouflage in Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer.
A Spartan using active camouflage in Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer.
REQ card for Active Camouflage in Halo 5: Guardians.
REQ Card for Active Camouflage II.
REQ Card for Active Camouflage III.
A Spartan-IV using active camouflage in Halo 5: Guardians.
HUD icon for the active camouflage in Halo Infinite.
Okro 'Vagaduun using active camo in Halo Infinite.
A Spartan-IV carrying an active camo module in Halo Infinite.
A Spartan-IV activating an active camo module in Halo Infinite.
A Spartan-IV with active camo in Halo Infinite.
A Sangheili with an active camo module in Halo: The Television Series.
The same Sangheili activating the active camo.

List of appearances

Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance)
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: The Flood
Halo: First Strike
Halo 2
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
Halo 3
Halo Wars
Halo 3: ODST
Halo Legends
- The Package
Halo Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
- Headhunters
- The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole
Halo: Reach
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
Halo 4
- Spartan Ops
Halo: Spartan Assault
Halo 2: Anniversary
- Terminals
Halo: New Blood (Mentioned only)
Halo: Last Light
Halo 5: Guardians
Halo: Fractures
- Oasis
Halo: Smoke and Shadow
Halo: Tales from Slipspace
- Hunting Party
Halo Wars 2
Halo: Envoy
Halo: Collateral Damage
Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual (Mentioned only)
Halo: Shadows of Reach
Halo: Divine Wind
Halo Infinite
Halo: The Television Series
- Contact
Halo: The Rubicon Protocol
Halo: Outcasts

Sources

^ Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, episode 4
^ ^a ^b Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 355
^ ^a ^b Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 136 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "h4evg" defined multiple times with different content
^ ^a ^b ^c Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 291
^ Halo: The Fall of Reach
^ ^a ^b Hunting Party
^ ^a ^b Halo: Reach, campaign level Tip of the Spear
^ Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant
^ ^a ^b Halo Wars 2
^ Halo 5: Guardians, campaign level Alliance
^ ^a ^b Halo: First Strike
^ Halo: The Flood
^ Spartan Ops, S107 Invasion, Engine of Destruction
^ Spartan Ops, S108 Lancer
^ Spartan Ops, S108 Expendable
^ Spartan Ops, S109 Key
^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, Headhunters
^ Halo: Reach
^ Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 477
^ Halo Legends, The Package
^ Halo Waypoint: Halo 4 Interactive Guide
^ Halo 2
^ Game Trailers: Custom Games Glitch Gameplay
^ Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Beta Survival Guide
^ YouTube - HALO, Halo Infinite | Multiplayer Overview (Retrieved on Jul 4, 2021)
^ Halo: The Television Series Season One, Contact

[1] Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, episode 4

[enc11-2] Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 355

[h4evg-3] Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 136 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "h4evg" defined multiple times with different content

[goo-4] Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 291

[5] Halo: The Fall of Reach

[HP-6] Hunting Party

[ReferenceA-7] Halo: Reach, campaign level Tip of the Spear

[8] Halo 3, campaign level The Covenant

[HW2-9] Halo Wars 2

[Alliance-10] Halo 5: Guardians, campaign level Alliance

[firststrike-11] Halo: First Strike

[12] Halo: The Flood

[13] Spartan Ops, S107 Invasion, Engine of Destruction

[14] Spartan Ops, S108 Lancer

[15] Spartan Ops, S108 Expendable

[16] Spartan Ops, S109 Key

[17] Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, Headhunters

[18] Halo: Reach

[19] Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe, "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", page 477

[20] Halo Legends, The Package

[Waypoint-21] Halo Waypoint: Halo 4 Interactive Guide

[22] Halo 2

[23] Game Trailers: Custom Games Glitch Gameplay

[24] Bungie.net: Halo: Reach Beta Survival Guide

[mpoverview-25] YouTube - HALO, Halo Infinite | Multiplayer Overview (Retrieved on Jul 4, 2021)

[26] Halo: The Television Series Season One, Contact

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Status|Canon}}
-[[File:H3ODST JackalMinor&Major.png|thumb|350px|Two Kig-Yar using ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols.]]
+{{Center|''Are you looking for the Halo 4 [[Type-3 active camouflage|version]]? For other uses, see [[Camouflage (disambiguation)]].''}}
-{{Quote|[The plasma pistol] is the bread and butter of [[Covenant]] small arms—almost as common as the [[MA5 series|MA5]] is with the [[UNSC]]. After [[Solemn Penance|the Covenant Carrier]] jumped there were some areas of [[Mombasa]] where plasma pistols covered the ground like leaves—that maneuver killed a bunch of dudes on both sides.|Anonymous UNSC [[E2-BAG/1/7]] serviceman{{Ref/Site|Id=h3bnet|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/projects/halo3/content.aspx?link=h3plasmapistol|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol|D=31|M=01|Y=2021|LocalArchive=Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present/Plasma pistol}}}}
-'''Plasma pistols''' are a class of single-handed, semi-automatic [[Covenant]] infantry [[Directed-energy weapon|directed-energy]] [[sidearm]] manufactured by [[Assembly Forges]] and [[Iruiru Armory]].{{Ref/Book|Id=osfm|OSFM|Page=187}}{{Ref/Site|Id=waypoint|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-pistol|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page= Universe - Weapons - Plasma Pistol|D=25|M=01|Y=2021|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/plasma-pistol.html}} The Covenant and [[Covenant remnants|its remnants]] formally designated the plasma pistol as simply '''pistols''',{{Ref/Book|Id=enc22p291|Enc22|291}}{{Ref/Book|Id=enc22p478|Enc22|Page=478}} while the [[United Nations Space Command]]'s [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] has typically [[Type classification system|type-classified]] encountered plasma pistols under the designation of '''Directed Energy Pistol'''.{{Ref/Book|Id=evg|EVG|Page=143}}{{Ref/Reuse|cf47}} Nicknames for the plasma pistol include '''The Little C''', '''Green''', '''Greenboy''', '''Greenie''', '''P-Pistol''', and  '''PP'''.{{Ref/Book|Id=enc09|Enc09|Page=320}}{{Ref/Book|Id=enc11|Enc11|Page=334}}
+[[File:HCE Camo Sniper.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Spartan-II|Spartan]] using active camouflage.]]
+{{Quote|One of those [[Sangheili|things]] is inside, and it is ''invisible!''|Cadet [[Thomas Lasky]]{{Ref/Film|H4FUD|Episode=4}}}}
+'''Active camouflage''' (often shortened to '''active camo''') refers to a broad range of optical [[camouflage]] technologies that conceal or cloak its user or an object from visual detection by rapidly adapting to its surroundings.{{Ref/Book|Id=enc11|Enc11|Page=355}}{{Ref/Book|Id=h4evg|H4EVG|Page=136}} Although active camouflage originated from the [[Covenant]]—also inherited and adapted by [[Covenant remnants|its remnants]]—similar technology was employed by the [[United Nations Space Command]], with personal ppactive camouflage being directly reverse-engineered from its Covenant counterpart.{{Ref/Reuse|enc11}}
-==Overview==
+Covenant active camouflage conceals by bending and refracting light around its surface.
-===Design details===
-[[File:Type-25 DEP interior.jpg|thumb|275px|The upper firing coil inside an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol manufactured on [[Hesduros]].]]
-{{Quote|It’s just the right size and it feels good in your hands, but give me an [[M7 SMG|em seven]] or an em eh five any day of the week.|Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}}}
-The plasma pistol's origin dates as far back as the Sangheili society before their encounter with the [[San'Shyuum]].{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} The weapon was initially reverse-engineered from a [[Forerunner]] device,{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} and, following the [[Writ of Union]], the plasma pistol saw improvements from the San'Shyuum that resulted in the weapon's distinctive scaled burst ability.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} The weapon's success in the field has led to very few change in its design since the earliest models first enter production,{{Ref/Reuse|evg}} though this may also be the result of the San'Shyuum's restrictions over legacy designs,{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} which likely also informed the Covenant's centralized manufacturing control.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} That being said, there are cases of superficial and functional changes, as the most common plasma pistol design—the [[Eos'Mak-pattern plasma pistol|''Eos'Mak''-pattern]]—is associated with numerous sub-variants.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
-The general design of the plasma pistol remains consistent across different variants; the weapon is made up of two main components: an upper component, which includes the main rear grip and a firing coil, and a lower component which also functions as foregrip for the weapon (though only humans have been observed to wield the weapon with two hands).{{Ref/Reuse|evg}} As a directed-energy weapon, the plasma pistol fires superheated plasma from its muzzle, where, when the weapon is active, the upper and lower charging poles create a constant plasma energy; on certain variants, the charging poles take on a claw-like appearance.{{Ref/Game|Id=hrgameplay|HR|gameplay}}{{Ref/Game|Id=h4gameplay|H4|gameplay}} The charging poles tend to emit a deep green glow; at the lowest setting, the firearm is an effective source of light.{{Ref/Novel|CH|Chapter=18}} The lower charging pole is connected to the lower component, which extends downwards from the midsection of the upper component of the firearm. The upper component contains the upper firing coil; the coil is covered by a hatch, which opens as a venting port,{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}} as it lifts and exposes the internal components when the weapon overheats, either from firing consistently at its default firing mode or after firing a scaled burst.{{Ref/Book|Id=h4evg|H4EVG|Page=84}} The rear grip features the holographic charge display—a circular progress bar that indicates the weapon charge as it is fired—the display indicates when the weapon is about to overheat from its semi-automatic fire, or when the weapon is fully charged for a scaled burst.{{Ref/Game|Id=hcegameplay|HCE|gameplay}}{{Ref/Game|Id=h2gameplay|H2|gameplay}}{{Ref/Game|Id=h3gameplay|H3|gameplay}} On the left side, there is a small button; this lifts the cover over the upper firing coil and allows access to the weapon's internal components.{{Ref/Game|HI|Plasma pistol idle animation}} Certain variants of the plasma pistol also feature a tracking iron sight.{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}}
+[[texture buffer]] and [[photoreactive panel]]
-The weapon is powered by a battery cell. This battery can be recharged using a variety of power sources,{{Ref/Note|While the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)'' and the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)'' both state that the plasma pistol's battery cannot be recharged, this was seemingly retconned by ''Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual''.}} including UNSC generators, provided an appropriate adaptor is at hand.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}} Plasma pistols have a core power output of 100-150 KV at 2~3 dA, but when overcharged, the power output can reach 1.5 MV @ 2~3 dA.{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}
+==Personal active camouflage==
+===Covenant usage===
+===Human usage===
-[[File:HR Grunt&JackalMajors 2.png|thumb|300px|left|An Unggoy fires the plasma pistol's semi-automatic bursts while a Kig-Yar holds a plasma pistol in its overcharged state.]]
+==Personal active camouflage==
-===Operation===
+===Covenant usage===
-{{Quote|The trigger is soft—no feedback—there’s no break that tells you when the overcharge is gonna kick in. First time I did it was on accident and it damn near sprained my wrist.|Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}}}
+===Human usage===
-While weak on its own, the plasma pistol has a wide variety of functions and becomes deadly in large numbers. The plasma pistol has two modes of fire. The first option is rapidly firing the semi-automatic short bursts of plasma capable of quickly degrading dissipative [[Energy shielding|energy shields]] or vaporizing flesh.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} The second option is holding down the trigger to activate its scaled burst function, which overcharges the weapon's energy output and fires a blast of plasma which briefly tracks a targeted enemy.{{Ref/Reuse|evg}}{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}} The large bolt from the scaled burst has increased damage, but notably carries a devastating short-range EMP effect that can disabled electronics and vehicles on impact.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}} However, after the overcharged bolt is fired, the pistol will automatically overheat. Until it cools down, the pistol cannot be fired again, giving an enemies enough time to counterattack.
+----
-====Semi-automatic bursts====
-When rapidly tapping the trigger, the plasma pistol will fire small bolts of plasma. The semi-auto firing mode can be used until the weapon overheats, after which it must cool down for a few seconds before it can be used again. As the weapon approaches low battery, it may sputter and fail to fire.{{Ref/Reuse|h3gameplay}} These bolts deal little damage to targets protected by energy shields, though still more than most kinetic weapons. Against unarmored targets, though, the lethality of the plasma pistol is extreme. Injuries inflicted to a victim are severe third-degree burns, this level of injury causes the wound to be cauterized instantly upon impact.{{Ref/Novel|TFoR|Page=328}} Body fluids would be subjected to flash vaporization,{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} inducing a strain or a shock on the body after impact.{{Ref/Novel|TF|Page=22}} Fluids trapped in organs or arteries, in addition to the rapid expansion of heat, would cause ruptures or small explosions causing additional damage to the target.{{Citation needed}} Near misses can also cause injury to the target, as they produce severe burns to the area they pass, this can also cause heat trauma or heat stroke from the extreme temperatures of the bolt.{{Ref/Novel|GoO|Page=19}}{{Ref/Novel|Id=tfor|TFoR|Page=315}} Should the plasma strike cover, the impact can cause splash damage by flinging heated debris, though the blast radius is smaller than most Covenant explosive weapons.{{Ref/Novel|TCP|Page=15}}
-====Scaled burst====
+Both the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]<ref name="goo">'''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''', ''page 291''</ref> and the [[Covenant]] use various forms of active camouflage technology, though the term is .
-[[File:HU UnggoyKilledByOvercharge.png|thumb|220px|A trio of [[Unggoy Minor]]s being disintegrated by an overcharged bolt from [[Myras Tyla]]'s plasma pistol.]]
-{{Quote|How the foxtrot does it track anything? Whatever—I guess that’s why I carry an em eh five instead of a [[TACPAD]].|Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}}}
-If the plasma pistol's trigger is held for a few seconds, the plasma at the tip will gather into a large spherical mass. Holding down the trigger continuously drains the battery.{{Ref/Novel|TF|3}} Releasing the trigger will fire a single bolt of larger size than usual. This bolt, if aimed correctly, will track its target for a short distance if they attempt to dodge. The overcharged bolt creates an [[electromagnetic pulse]], stunning most electronics and even melting some systems.{{Ref/Novel|FS|8}} If the target is protected by energy shields, all but the strongest shields will break, allowing their body to take damage.{{Ref/Reuse|enc11}} If the overcharge strikes a vehicle, it will be temporarily disabled and rendered helpless for several seconds.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}} As such, even the weakest Covenant infantry can thwart an assaulting [[SPARTAN programs|Spartan]] or a vehicle, forcing their foe to retreat or creating an opening for their allies. Should an overcharged bolt strike an unarmored flesh target, it will result in instant death.{{Ref/Novel|TF|Page=81}} During the [[Battle of Cleveland]], [[Myras Tyla]], striking an [[Unggoy Minor]] trio with her plasma pistol, disintegrated three Unggoy rapidly from a single overcharged bolt strike.{{Ref/Comic|Id=HUI3|Comic=Halo: Uprising|Issue=[[Halo: Uprising Issue 3|3]]}}
-===Development history===
+Technically, active camouflage is not quite invisibility, though it is very similar. Rather, the There are a variety of ways to do this, though the UNSC uses [[photoreactive panel]]s on its [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] and [[prowler]] stealth ships for optical camouflage, adapting to the object's background to account for movement. Meanwhile, Covenant active camouflage actually ''bends light'' around the camouflaged object,<ref name="h4evg">'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 136''</ref> a task well within the Covenant's [[Technological Achievement Tiers|tier two technology level]]. The technology can be utilized on human armor systems, such as the [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor|MJOLNIR armor]], but the UNSC has only developed rough equivalents.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'''</ref>
-{{Quote|It’s a damned ray gun—how come we don’t have ray guns?|Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}}}
-Reverse-engineered from a Forerunner tool of indeterminate function,{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} early plasma pistols, such as the {{Pattern|Zo'klada|plasma pistol}}, were designed and forged by the Sangheili centuries prior to the Covenant's formation. The early plasma pistols were used by Sangheili clan warriors during skirmishes on colony worlds. Following the [[Writ of Union]], the San'Shyuum incorporated several design improvements to the plasma pistol, including a less volatile plasma generator core and the addition of overcharge safety restrictors, the latter of which granted the weapon to fire scaled bursts—large sustained expenditures of energy—capable of incapacitating an enemy and disabled power structures or vehicles via an [[electromagnetic pulse]].{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}}
-After the [[Great Schism]] and the dissolution of the Covenant, along with its centralized manufacturing control, new variants of the plasma pistols have appeared in a bewildering variety of casing styles and adornments.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} Furthermore, in the absence of the San'Shyuum's strict restrictions over the usage of legacy design templates, the production of pre-Covenant variants has also resumed.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}}
+==Covenant active camouflage==
+{{Quote|Show yourselves, assassins! The scent of your cloak is faint, but it still fouls the air.|[[Atriox]] smelling active camouflage.<ref name="HP">'''[[Hunting Party]]'''</ref>}}
+[[File:HCE Stealth Elite in AC.png|thumb|200px|A camouflaged [[Stealth Sangheili]] aboard ''[[Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station]]''.]]
+Covenant active camouflage technology uses a field of energy to bend light around the user, thus making them effectively invisible. The armor used by [[Special Operations Sangheili|Spec-Ops]] and [[Stealth Sangheili]], as well as that of [[Arbiter]]s, [[Jiralhanae Stalker]]s and even certain [[Sangheili Zealot]]s,<ref name="ReferenceA">'''Halo: Reach''', campaign level ''[[Tip of the Spear]]''</ref> include built-in active camouflage generators. These built-in generators have a severe drawback in that they divert power from shielding equipment. Troops equipped with permanent active camouflage generators tend to have weaker shielding than those not equipped with an active camouflage generator.
-===Usage===
+Arbiter [[Ripa 'Moramee]] was equipped with an active camouflage generator capable of generating a near-perfect cloaking field indefinitely. Arbiter [[Thel 'Vadam]] was also equipped with an active camouflage generator, but the device was capable only of providing a cloak for a few seconds, and although 'Vadam was equipped with personal shielding, his shields were relatively weak for an individual of such high rank, equivalent to those of a [[Sangheili Minor]].
-{{Quote|It's great in built-up areas and clearing buildings. Anything over a couple dozen meters though? Not so much.|Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}}}
-During the early interstellar expansion period of the Sangheili's history, the precursor of the plasma pistol was employed by Sangheili clan warriors during skirmishes on colony worlds.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} With the formation of the Covenant, the San'Shyuum made modifications to the plasma pistol,{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} and the weapon became the standard sidearm for most Covenant infantry.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}}{{Ref/Site|Id=h4guide|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/intel/inteldetail/e88138bb-9086-41d3-bc01-acd14eb22bfc/plasma-pistol|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Halo 4 Interactive Guide - Plasma Pistol|D=01|M=05|Y=2013|LocalArchive=Halo 4 Interactive Guide#Covenant Weapons}} The weapon was effective and ideal in close quarters, as it provides a high rate of fire and reasonable accuracy over short distances.{{Ref/Reuse|evg}} Sangheili are known to use the plasma pistol as a sidearm,{{Ref/Novel|FS|7}} or even [[dual wielding]] the plasma pistol with an [[energy sword (fiction)|energy sword]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=goopro|GoO|Section=Prologue}}{{Ref/Film|TFoRAS}} It was commonly used by members of the lower caste, such as the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Yanme'e.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc11}} The Kig-Yar frequently fired the scaled burst, though high-ranking Unggoy like the [[Unggoy Ultra|Ultra]] were also known to use that function.{{Ref/Reuse|hrgameplay}}
-Due to their prevalence, plasma pistols were often scavenged by humans from the battlefield;{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}{{Ref/Level|H2|Gravemind (level)|Gravemind}} even [[Spartan]]s are known to pick up the plasma pistol from fallen enemies.{{Ref/Reuse|enc11}}{{Ref/Novel|GoO|15}}{{Ref/Novel|GoO|24}}{{Ref/Novel|FS|2}} Plasma pistols were also recovered by humans from the battles; guards in the [[Eridanus Secundus]] [[Insurrectionists|rebels]] had concealed plasma pistols in their possession.{{Ref/Novel|FS|28}} Although the UNSC first encountered and [[Type classification system|catalogued]] the plasma pistol during the [[First Battle of Harvest|the first contact]] with the Covenant in [[2525]],{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}} the exact mechanism by which the plasma pistol functions was still under investigation by [[United Nations Space Command]] in [[2552]], notably being one of the many Covenant weapons featured in [[Robert McLees (ship designer)|Doctor Robert McLees]]' publication ''[[Machines, Materiel and Munitions from the Human-Covenant Conflict, 2525 - Present]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|h3bnet}}
+Aircraft or ships can also be equipped with active camouflage systems, including the {{Pattern|Ru'swum|Phantom}} that has its own active camouflage generators on board for various stealth missions,<ref>'''Halo 3''', campaign level ''[[The Covenant (level)|The Covenant]]''</ref> and the [[Klavbrig Workshop Shroud]] used by the [[Banished]] to cloak the advance of their armies.<ref name="HW2">'''[[Halo Wars 2]]'''</ref> Larger vessels such as [[Covenant supercarrier|supercarriers]], or entire armies, can be effectively hidden from both plain sight and sensors by using external stealth systems such as [[stealth pylon]]s and [[Cloaking Generator]]s.{{Ref/Reuse|ReferenceA}}{{Ref/Reuse|HW2}}
-Following the Human-Covenant war, the plasma pistol remains an attractive weapon for both Covenant splinter factions and human criminals, as the weapon is simple to use and requires almost no maintenance.{{Ref/Reuse|osfm}} Without the Covenant strict and centralized manufacturing control, both old and new variants of the plasma pistol have become a common sight.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}}
+For personnel not equipped with built-in active camouflage, it can be provided by a variety of devices. Typically, the energy used to provide the effect is suspended inside a small, transparent pyramidal container, or a larger spherical force-field. Personnel can use the light-bending energy by coming into physical contact with the container or force-field, which will cause it to break and release its contents. Upon release, the energy envelops the wearer and bends light around their skin; armor or [[energy shielding]], conforming to their form and rendering them almost invisible. After a short period of time, the energy will gradually dissipate and wear off, slowly revealing its user. The active camouflage provided by these devices lasts for ten seconds, and only prevents visual detection; those using active camouflage can be observed by other means, including motion tracking, noise, and environmental disturbances such as footprints on soft terrain.
-<gallery class=center>
-File:H3ODST PPCollegeBrochure.png|The plasma pistol was employed across all ranks in the Covenant's lower caste.
+===Function===
-File:HR ChargedPlasmaPistol 2.png|The Kig-Yar tend to favor the plasma pistol's scaled burst function.
+{{Quote|Trust me, because I heard… uhhh… from a friend, that if you have active camouflage on and do a crys, it makes a big sizzle sound and everybody can see me hidin' in the corner.|[[Dimkee Hotay]] shares his bad experience with active camo.<ref name="Alliance">'''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''', campaign level ''[[Alliance]]''</ref>}}
-HTMCC-H3 Drones in Crow's Nest 2.png|The Yanme'e overwhelm enemies with the plasma pistol's semi-automatic bursts.
+Covenant active camouflage will easily cloak its user, but its effect does not completely extend to items in the user's possession; [[human]] [[weapons]] are easily cloaked by active camouflage, but Covenant weapons are visible even with active camo, as the light-bending energy cannot mask the glow of the weapons' plasma. In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', however, plasma glow is hidden quite well by the cloaking equipment.
-File:HTMCC-H2A ElitesDualPlasmaPistol.png|A pair of [[Sangheili Minor]]s dual wielding plasma pistols.
-File:H2A Beach - Noob Combo.jpg|An [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers|ODST]] scavenged a plasma pistol and primes its scaled burst.
+Though active camouflage is quite effective from a distance, it can faintly be seen if an observer is close enough to the wearer. However, it is difficult to spot a camouflaged opponent from a distance using a scoped weapon—actual physical proximity is required to reliably spot a person using active camo. It should be noted, though, that active camouflage does not mask environmental effects such as footprints, meaning that it is not as effective on soft terrain such as snow.
-File:HTMCC-H4 PPElites.png|Three Sangheili armed with plasma pistols during [[Invasion of the UNSC Infinity|an assault]] on the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}.
-</gallery>
+The shielding provided by Covenant active camo can be disrupted if projectiles pass through it; such a disruption weakens the invisibility effect and temporarily reveals the wearer. The [[power-up]] can be disrupted if the wearer fires shots or if the wearer is hit. It also progressively worsens: the longer the wearer fires (or is hit), the more visible they become. Once the disruptions end, however, the wearer quickly regains their invisibility.
-==Known variants==
-===''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol===
+Talcum powder and other atmospheric particles can disrupt the systems, causing the technology to overload and fail.<ref name="firststrike">'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> The device also generates a considerable amount of heat, causing its user to be clearly visible on human thermal goggles and some variations of the [[SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle]].<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]'''</ref> The humans of [[Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base]] on [[Installation 04]] used this advantage when their base was infiltrated by stealth Elites, equipping their [[fireteam]]s with infrared goggles allowing them to easily see the attackers. In addition, [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] [[William-043]] and [[Kelly-087]] employed talcum powder in order to overload the camouflage on [[Reach]] in order to find them.{{Ref/Reuse|firststrike}} [[Atriox]] was able to detect the use of active camouflage through smell.{{Ref/Reuse|HP}} However, it is possible he was just smelling the users themselves rather than the cloaking field, and was calling them out for its use.
-{{Main|Eos'Mak-pattern plasma pistol}}
-The ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol, designated by ONI as "Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol",{{Ref/Reuse|evg}}{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}}{{Ref/Site|Id=hrbnet|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=ordnance&cid=24582|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Halo: Reach Ordnance Page|D=07|M=02|Y=2021}} was the most common variant of the plasma pistol, often utilized by the frontline infantry like the Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and Yanme'e.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} Within the ONI's designation, however, there are innumerable different sub-classes, much to the consternation of UNSC intelligence officers tasked with categorizing new variants.{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
+During the [[Requiem Campaign]], active camouflage was used to shield the [[seven]] [[HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon]]s smuggled aboard the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}} from detection by the ship's AI [[Roland]]. After [[Fireteam Crimson]] took out a Sangheili holding a cloaking remote, Roland realized this tactic. By tracking the energy signature from the cloaking generator, Roland was able to locate the warheads in the Engine Room and direct Crimson where to go to disarm them before they could be used to destroy the ''Infinity''. Unlike conventional active camouflage, this type shielded the warheads from sensors but they could be physically seen by nearby persons without any issue.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', [[S1/Invasion/Engine of Destruction|S107 ''Invasion'', ''Engine of Destruction'']]</ref> Later, in the [[Warrens]], the Covenant hooked up active camouflage to their shield generators to prevent the human forces from finding and destroying them. Spartan [[Jared Miller]] was eventually able to identify the Sangheili who controlled the active camouflage and after Crimson took him out, the active camouflage dropped, revealing the generators.<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', [[Expendable/Lancer|S108 ''Lancer'']]</ref>
-<gallery class=center>
-File:PlasmaPistol-HaloCE.png|An ''Eos'Mak''-pattern sub-variant employed by [[Fleet of Particular Justice]]
+After the death of [[Gek 'Lhar]], his corpse was looted by [[Fireteam Majestic]]. Spartan [[Gabriel Thorne]] took Gek's active camouflage module<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', [[Expendable|S108 ''Expendable'']]</ref> which he subsequently used during the attempted rescue of Dr. [[Catherine Halsey]].<ref>'''Spartan Ops''', [[S1/Key|S109 ''Key'']]</ref>
-File:PlasmaPistol-H2.png|An ''Eos'Mak''-pattern sub-variant employed by [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration]]
-File:H3-PlasmaPistol.png|An ''Eos'Mak''-pattern sub-variant employed by [[Truth's fleet]]
+==UNSC active camouflage==
-File:HReach-PlasmaPistolSide.png|A sub-variant equipped with tracking sights
+[[File:ONIPRO 01.png|thumb|250px|''[[ONI PRO-49776]]'' disengaging its advanced cloaking field, an outlier in UNSC camouflaging technology during the [[Covenant War]].]]
-File:H4-T25PlasmaPistol-SideRender.png|A [[Hesduros]]-manufactured sub-variant{{Ref/Reuse|waypoint}}
+The UNSC has developed several varieties of active-camouflage technology. These do not utilize the same light-bending energy as Covenant active camouflage and are generally less effective. The most common form of human active camouflage technology operates on a different principle than the Covenant counterpart, using [[photoreactive panel]]s to impersonate the surrounding environment like a chameleon. A device known as the [[camouflage cloak]] can hide the wearer's infrared signature, beside serving as a form of camouflage.{{Ref/Reuse|goo}}
-</gallery>
+[[File:Headhunters Roland camo.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Roland-B210]] with his camouflage activated.]]
+The [[Semi-Powered Infiltration armor]] used by the [[SPARTAN-III program|Spartan-IIIs]] utilizes photo-reactive panels to conceal the wearer's infrared signature and to blend in with the surrounding environment. When combined with their natural talent and training for stealth, it can be a very effective tool. Some [[Headhunters]] used a prototype camouflage almost identical to the Covenant version, rendering them almost invisible, except that it only lasted 3–5 minutes and other systems have their power drained while it recharged. This feature saw very limited use in field tests by [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper|ODSTs]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[Headhunters]]''</ref>
+A common human active camouflage device, copied from similar Covenant technology, comes in the form of a "plug" which attaches to a socket located on the lower back of compatible armor. The non-integral nature of the device allows it to be added or removed at will for improved operational flexibility. The device provides a conditionally effective cloak; as long as the user remains still or moves slowly, the camouflage will be highly efficient, providing near-total invisibility for minimal energy loss. However, if the user moves more quickly, the camouflage will only provide rudimentary coverage and drain its energy very rapidly. Firing a weapon will also disrupt the camouflage and reveal the user. Furthermore, external sounds will be highly muffled to the user while this camouflage is in use, and if the user is equipped with motion tracking equipment, the detection capability of the motion tracker will be severely compromised, jamming the display with "ghost" targets.<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]'''</ref>
+Much like the SPI armor, UNSC [[prowler]]s use [[texture buffer]]s or "active camouflage skin" in conjunction with [[stealth ablative coating]]s to conceal themselves from view in addition to masking their heat and radar signatures.{{Ref/Reuse|goo}} This camouflage is not perfect, however, and cannot keep up with a constantly changing background such as a gas giant's atmosphere.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole", ''page 477''</ref> However, more advanced stealth ships were developed, such as ''[[ONI PRO-49776]]'' using a form of cloak "bubble" similar to the light-bending energy fields used by the Covenant. This technology has not been observed in widespread use.<ref>'''[[Halo Legends]]''', ''[[The Package (animated short)|The Package]]''</ref>
+The [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor [GEN2]]] system is capable of incorporating Covenant [[Type-3 active camouflage|T-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage]] modules for stealth.<ref name="Waypoint">[http://www.halowaypoint.com/en-US/Halo4Guide '''Halo Waypoint:''' ''Halo 4 Interactive Guide'']</ref>
+==Changes throughout ''Halo''==
+{{Cleanup|Section}}
+If the active camo is active during [[Campaign]], the player is completely invisible to the AI enemies unless they fire their weapon. Active camouflage is only usable in Campaign when playing as the [[Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter]] in ''[[Halo 2]]'', or if the player obtains the [[Halo 2 skulls#Envy|Envy Skull]] and restarts Campaign (active camo replaces Master Chief's flashlight). In ''[[Halo 3]]'', rather than Active Camouflage, the slightly different [[Cloaking]] is available. It is also available as a powerup in five levels during ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'': [[The Truth and Reconciliation]], [[Silent Cartographer]], [[343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark]], [[Keyes]], and [[Assault on the Control Room]].
+An interesting fact about Active Camouflage is that although the player can see the [[Type-1 energy sword]]-wielding Active Camo Elites in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' (due to the sword), the [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marines]] cannot see them; this is likely because the developers did not realize that the energy sword showed through the Active Camo, leading them to code the Marines' AI to be oblivious to it. This advantage is removed in ''Halo 2''—the Elites now wait, only activating their swords when they're about to kill the player.
+===''Halo 2''===
+In ''Halo 2'', it is noted that the Arbiter's armor, while possessing a built-in active camouflage generator, is not permanent, unlike the more modern generators used by Special Operations Elites. There is a circle on the player's HUD that shows the amount of time left (unfortunately, not shown numerically) for both the usage of the active camouflage and the recharging sequence. The Master Chief can gain this ability with the Envy Skull on Legendary only; however, his screen will lack the meter, forcing you to remember the time allowed for use.
+When playing as the Arbiter, using any attack will cause the active camouflage to deactivate, and the player must wait for it to recharge before using it again.<ref>'''[[Halo 2]]'''</ref>
+===''Halo 3''===
+{{Main|Cloaking}}
+In ''Halo 3'', the Active Camo is no longer contained inside a pyramid construct. Instead it appears as a large, glowing sphere with what appears to be containment devices around it, enclosing the powerup in ''[[Halo 3]]'' [[multiplayer]]; but unlike past Halo games, active camo is ''not'' found in campaign. In campaign, Active Camouflage is replaced by the [[Cloaking]] [[equipment]], which functions in the same way as active camouflage once did. Melee attacks, shooting, throwing grenades and using equipment will negate the effect of the power-up. Also, wearing the [[Armor customization (Halo 3)#Spartan Armor Permutations|Flaming Helmet]] is an obvious give-away to the opponent because the fire is still visible.
+By default, the pick-up lasts 30 seconds and doesn't dissipate with movement, unlike in Reach.
+The quality of camouflage in custom games may be set to two different settings:<ref>[http://www.gametrailers.com/player/20131.html '''Game Trailers''': ''Custom Games Glitch Gameplay'']</ref>
+*'''Poor Camo''': The player has camouflage that might fool a [[Unggoy|Grunt]].
+**The player is still somewhat visible.
+*'''Good Camo''': The player has camouflage that will fool an attentive [[Sangheili|Elite]].
+**This makes the player almost invisible, but the light is distorted within the player's shape.
+===''Halo: Reach''===
+The Active Camo in ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' has undergone many major changes. It is now available as an [[Armor abilities|Armor Ability]] to both Spartan and Elite players. As a secondary effect, when used, it acts as a Radar Jammer, scrambling the radar of the user and all enemies within 25 meters, making the user harder for enemies to detect on their motion trackers. This function can be both beneficial and detrimental to the player; on the one hand, it can make enemies easier to ambush, however, it also informs the enemy team that someone is using Camo nearby. This can backfire on the player by making the enemy team more perceptive to possible ambushes. The Active Camo also greatly reduces the volume of all sounds for its user, making it more difficult to notice a grenade being thrown or a nearby enemy firing a weapon.
+The strength or effectiveness of the Camo also varies depending on whether/how fast the user is moving. When standing still, the player is rendered almost completely invisible. Moving slowly or crouch-walking will slightly decrease the quality of cloaking, although the user is still hard to spot. When moving faster than crouch-walking speed, the Active Camo becomes much less effective, cloaking the user only partially (similar to the Poor Camo from Halo 3). The player's movement speed does not affect the rate at which the Armor Ability meter drains.
+The freedom for the player to control when they activate their camouflage makes it much more effective, as it allows for use in the most opportune situations, instead of restricting the player to activate it on pickup. However, the reduced hearing and radar jamming effects require the player to be more aware of his surroundings than usual,<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=26366 '''Bungie.net''': ''Halo: Reach Beta Survival Guide '']</ref> and must also take care not to move too fast.
+Enemies in campaign and Firefight will detect the user after a while. As such, it is far less effective than previous iterations.
+===''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''===
+Active camouflage now makes the user extremely hard to spot due to the enhanced graphics. Distortion also covers more the exact shape of the user, unlike previous iterations.
-===''Rohakadu''-pattern plasma pistol===
+===''Halo 4''===
-{{Main|Rohakadu-pattern plasma pistol}}
+The '''[[Type-3 active camouflage|Type-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage]]''' bends light around a structure, hiding it via advanced pattern realignment. It is similar to the version in ''Halo: Reach'', however the jammer no longer makes false hostile contacts appear on the motion sensor, rather it makes neutral contacts appear and in a much tighter grouping than before, therefore not only preventing the user from using it to trick enemies, but possibly giving away their location. Despite this, it still is an effective tool for hiding outside of cover and ambushing enemies.
-The ''Rohakadu''-pattern plasma pistol was designed and commissioned per [[Let 'Volir]]'s requests under a shadow contract between the Banished and [[Iruiru Armory]]. While functionally and visually similar to its precursor {{Pattern|Zo'klada|plasma pistol}}, it features slight improvements to its durability and native-link compatibility.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p478}}{{Ref/Game|Id=hinfgameplay|HI|gameplay}}
-*'''[[Rohakadu-pattern plasma pistol|''Rohakadu''-pattern plasma pistol]]''': This variant of the plasma pistol features slight improvements to its durability and native-link compatibility.{{Ref/Reuse|hinfgameplay}}
-**'''[[Unbound Plasma Pistol]]''': A modified variant of the plasma pistol with a white chassis that fires faster, stronger bolts. In addition, its scaled burst fires six bolts instead of a single overcharge bolt; the bolts detonate in a "supercombine" explosion if they hit the same target.{{Ref/Game|HINF|Forge - [[Unbound Plasma Pistol]] description|Quote=Bolts detonate when super-combined on target; over-charge increases detonation and tracking.}}
-<gallery class=center>
-File:HINF PlasmaPistol Crop.png|''Rohakadu''-pattern plasma pistol
-File:HINF PlasmaPistol Unbound Crop.png|Unbound Plasma Pistol
-</gallery>
-===''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistol===
+===''Halo 5: Guardians''===
-{{Main|Zo'klada-pattern plasma pistol}}
+Active camouflage is now a powerup that can be picked up in Arena or requisitioned in Warzone. While active the user is invisible to the motion sensors of enemies as long as they are not sprinting. Moving while crouched no longer deteriorates the quality of camouflage, though moving faster would. It now displays a meter on the HUD that shows the remaining duration of the power up, and shortly before it runs out, the player will be notified via a quiet beeping sound.
-The ''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistol, designated by ONI as "Type-54D Directed Energy Pistol",{{Ref/Site|Id=cf47|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-locke-load|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - Locke & Load|D=2|M=8|Y=2021|LocalArchive=https://archives.halopedia.org/waypoint/www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/canon-fodder-locke-load.html}} was one of the original plasma pistol design templates from the Sangheili.{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}} Its chassis carries a noticeably bulbous design.{{Ref/Game|Id=h5gameplay|H5G|gameplay}} With the dissolution of the Covenant and the [[San'Shyuum]]'s restrictions over legacy templates, this variant became a common sight in the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts]],{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p291}}{{Ref/Reuse|enc22p478}} particularly in the [[Blooding Years]].{{Ref/Reuse|h5gameplay}}
-*'''[[Zo'klada-pattern plasma pistol|''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistol]]''': This variant of the plasma pistol features a holographic [[Smart scope]] projector on its chassis.{{Ref/Reuse|h5gameplay}}
-** '''[[Spitfire]]''': This improved variant has a faster rate of fire and reduced heat generated per shot.{{Ref/Game|Id=spitfire|H5G|[[Spitfire]] [[List of REQ cards#Weapons|REQ card]]|Quote=The skill and finesse of Kig-Yar armorers should be never underestimated. Improved Plasma Pistol with faster rate of fire and reduced heat generated per shot.}}
-** '''[[Void's Tear]]''': An advanced variant that fires overcharged shots, which create an unstable gravimetric vortex at the point of impact by superheating exotic nuclear isomer. The vortex pulls in nearby objects before exploding.{{Ref/Game|Id=void|H5G|[[Void's Tear]] REQ card|Quote=Superheating exotic nuclear isomers is pure folly, but it was done with the best of intentions. Advanced Plasma Pistol with overcharged shots that create an unstable gravimetric vortex at point of impact, pulling in nearby objects then exploding.}}
-<gallery class=center>
-File:H5G-Plasma Pistol.png|''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistol
-File:H5G Spitfire.png|Spitfire
-File:H5G-VoidsTearclear.png|Void's Tear
-</gallery>
-<!--
-==Gameplay==
-===Advantages===
-The plasma pistol is a great close-to medium range weapon. While it can't inflict high damage at long range, the plasma pistol can be used at a distance if the user fires slowly and aims carefully by leading the target. It is extremely efficient at killing "soft" targets, while dealing large amounts of damage to a heavily armored target. Its overcharge ability is extremely dangerous to shielded infantry, and to non-shielded infantry. Because of the extreme temperatures released, a vehicle running on a hydrogen engine, or one that is lightly covered, can be damaged or disabled if the overcharged bolt hits it — in addition to the high temperatures, the electromagnetic bottle containing the plasma can produce an EMP which can disable any electronic device within range. When compared with the [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|plasma rifle]], the plasma pistol's non-overcharged firing mode is far more accurate at medium and long ranges, although the plasma projectiles tend to arc downward at long range. SPARTANs and Sangheili have the ability to dual-wield plasma pistols, doubling their efficiency in close- to mid-range combat situations. If fired fast enough, the high velocity of the plasma projectile coupled with the force of the kinetic impact, can knock over, or stun infantry.
-===Disadvantages===
+===''Halo Wars 2''===
-The plasma pistol, when fired continuously, or when an overcharged bolt is fired, will overheat because of the rapid cycling, loading, ignition, and release sequence of energy. To prevent the weapon from being damaged, the Type-25 DEP temporarily shuts down and opens a cooling vent to allow the excess heat to dissipate before the weapon reactivates. This process leaves the weapon temporarily inoperable. Infantry who are not aware of the function of the plasma pistol can get killed because of this. Human military experts and scientists do not understand how Covenant plasma weapons work, or how they are recharged; as such when the battery is depleted the plasma pistol must be discarded or replaced. At 10% charge level the plasma pistol will begin to misfire, this is due to the battery's inability to deliver enough energy to start and complete the ignition and release phase of operation. As such this hampers the operators use of the weapon. Continuously holding down the trigger while in overcharge mode will rapidly deplete the energy source, and if not careful the weapon can be wasted before firing a single round. Another disadvantage is its short range which is about 10–25 meters depending on the charge level.
+Shrouds are able to cloak themselves and other units. [[Let 'Volir]] is able to cloak units with leader abilities.
-Although the plasma pistol can strike a target at long ranges, it is not suited for long-range combat, due to two distinct properties of the weapon's operation. The first is the rate of thermal expansion which is determined by the rate of the bloom of the bolt; "blooming" is the result of plasma breakdown in the air at energy densities of around a megajoule per cubic centimeter. This effect causes the plasma to defocus and dissolve into the atmosphere. It can be more severe if there is fog, smoke, or dust in the air. As the bolt is accelerated away from the "barrel" of the weapon the plasma begins to decay as a result of the weakening magnetic field. Speed also factors in to this, the faster the bolt is accelerated, the farther the bolt will travel before the temperature of plasma begins to decay and the magnetic field becomes unstable and finally dissipates. As the bolt loses velocity it also loses kinetic damage as it travels longer distances.
+===''Halo Infinite''===
+Active Camouflage is activated via an animation similarly to ''Halo 5: Guardians'', although it can now be used at will. If the player is killed before they can use it, or while in the process of activating it, they will drop the powerup which can now be picked up by another player. Active camouflage in ''Halo Infinite'' behaves like a hybrid of the active camouflage seen in the original trilogy, and the active camo seen in all the games since ''Halo: Reach''. If the player is simply moving and strafing, the camouflage remains consistent, but if they sprint or fire their weapon, the camo fades out. {{Ref/YouTube|Id=mpoverview|n-O7OuliQRY|HALO|Halo Infinite <nowiki>|</nowiki> Multiplayer Overview|D=4|M=7|Y=2021}}
-===Changes===
-<div class="tabcontainer">
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2</div>
-<big>'''''Halo 2'''''</big>
-[[File:PlasmaPistol-H2.png|right|300px]]
-{{Main|Halo: Combat Evolved|Halo 2}}
-* The plasma pistol can now be dual-wielded.
-* Melee animation changed - instead of the Master Chief holding it in his left hand and punching with his right, he holds it in his right and punches with his left.
-* Overcharged shot contrail has been removed.
-* Less damage per shot, 26 shots are required to kill a fully-shielded Spartan instead of 15.
-* The overcharged bolt does no damage to unshielded targets instead of killing a fully-shielded Spartan in 3 overcharged bolts.
-* Rate of fire is slower.
-* Overcharge charges up slower but has better tracking.
-* Overcharged shots do not kick up as much dirt, dust, sparks and debris as the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' counterpart.
-* Green electricity is present between the "prongs" of the Plasma Pistol.
-* The color of the plasma pistol (blue) was darkened from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''{{'}}s version.
-* The crosshairs of the reticule move closer together when the overcharge is locked-on to a target.
-* The overcharge now takes 15% battery instead of 10-11%.
-* The plasma pistol has only 200-300 shots before it runs out of ammo, instead of 500.
-* The plasma pistol no longer slows nor stuns targets.
-</div>
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Halo 2 to Halo 3</div>
-<big>'''''Halo 3'''''</big>
-[[File:H3-PlasmaPistol.png|right|300px]]
-{{Main|Halo 3|Halo 3:ODST}}
-* Maintaining an overcharge without releasing decreases the battery rapidly (about 3% per second). Overcharges also drain 10% power in addition to the amount decreased when maintaining the charge.
-* Takes slightly longer to cool down after overheating.
-* If an overcharge impacts with a vehicle, the vehicle is temporarily disabled; same effect as the [[power drain|Power Drain]].
-* Shorter time to charge an overcharge when holding down the trigger.
-* Tracking distance has been lowered; the overcharged bolt will only seek out targets at close range.
-* Overcharged bolt has longer contrail than in ''Halo 2''.
-* The plasma pistol is ''marginally'' weaker than it was in ''Halo 2'', often requiring 1 extra shot to kill most enemies compared with its performance in ''Halo 2''.
-* The plasma pistol does the same amount of damage as the assault rifle against unshielded enemies; on [[Heroic]] difficulty, both the plasma pistol and assault rifle take 5 shots to kill a [[Unggoy Minor|Grunt Minor]], and 9 shots to kill a [[Unggoy Major|Grunt Major]] or [[Kig-Yar|Jackal]].
-* The plasma pistol now has 400 shots before it runs out of ammo.
-* The plasma pistol is now purple instead of blue; it also appears to be smaller than in ''Halo 2''.
-<big>'''''Halo 3: ODST'''''</big>
-*The plasma bolts in ''ODST'' are somewhat smaller and less pronounced than in ''Halo 3''.
-</div>
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Halo 3 to Halo: Reach</div>
-<big>'''''Halo: Reach'''''</big>
-[[File:HReach-PlasmaPistolSide.png|right|300px]]
-{{Main|Halo: Reach}}
-* The strength of the plasma pistol has been greatly increased. 10 shots are required to kill a fully-shielded Spartan instead of 26.
-* The plasma pistol has received a graphical overhaul with noticeable changes to its design. Its texture appears to be more crudely metallic than in any previous game. Some other changes includes a small raised section on the top, presumably an [[iron sight]] and a more defined grip on the lower section.
-* Overcharge bolt tracking has been reduced.
-* The overcharged bolt creates small area-of-effect damage.
-* The pistol produces a faint buzz after you equip it, because of its activation.
-* The plasma pistol's rate of fire is reduced to compensate for its higher power.
-* Its battery now takes one full energy unit per shot in Multiplayer (five shots in Campaign and Firefight).
-* The overcharged bolt not only disables shields, but will also damage around one third of a SPARTAN's health points.
-* The overcharge will now drain 15% of the battery per shot (10% in Campaign and Firefight).
-* The player will now occasionally melee with the pistol itself, instead of only using their fist.
-* Grunts can now use its overcharged function in Campaign and Firefight.
-</div>
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Halo: Reach to Halo 4</div>
-<big>'''''Halo 4'''''</big>
-[[File:H4-T25PlasmaPistol-SideRender.png|300px|right]]
-{{Main|Halo 4}}
-* 12 shots are required to kill a fully-shielded Spartan.
-* 4 overcharged bolts are required to kill a fully-shielded Spartan (5 with splash damage only).
-* Each shot drains 2% of the battery.
-* An overcharged shot now drains 20%-25% of the battery, which is much more than previous games.
-* Orange markings on the weapon are now bright blue.
-* The sounds have been upgraded.
-** The normal shots sound sharper.
-** The overcharge is higher pitched and no longer buzzes while it's held.
-* 360 RPM firing rate for normal shots.
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-</div>
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Halo 4 to Halo 2: Anniversary</div>
-<big>'''''Halo 2: Anniversary'''''</big>
-[[File:H2A T25DEP.png|right|350px]]
-{{Main|Halo 2: Anniversary}}
-* Like the original ''Halo 2'' version, the plasma pistol does not lose battery while being overcharged and cannot disable vehicles. However, it can only be overcharged for 5 seconds before the charge dissipates and loses 9% battery.
-* Less damage per shot, requires 26 shots to kill a fully-shielded Spartan.
-* Cosmetically resembles the ''Halo: Reach'' and ''Halo 4'' variations, most specifically the small "sight" atop the main body of the weapon, and the raised hologram at the rear.
-* The overcharge is larger and emits a brighter glow.
-* After overheating, the pistol emits a cloud of green steam.
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-</div>
-<div class="tabbox">
-<div class="tab">Non-FPS games</div>
-<big>'''''Halo Wars'''''</big>
-[[File:Covenant suicide grunt.gif|thumb|250px|Suicide Grunts wielding plasma pistols.]]
-{{Main|Halo Wars}}
-*Plasma pistols do not drain shields instantly, even when overcharged.
-*Grunts now overcharge plasma pistols in-game.
-*Jackals are not capable of using them.
-*Elites are not capable of using them.
-<br>
-<big>'''''Halo: Spartan Assault''''' and '''''Halo:Spartan Strike'''''</big>
-{{Main|Halo: Spartan Assault|Halo: Spartan Strike}}
-*The maximum battery size is 200 as opposed to 100 in previous games.
-*Ammo can be picked up.
-*An overcharged shot resembles and behaves similar to that of a [[Fuel Rod]].
-<br>
-<big>'''''Halo Wars 2'''''</big>
-{{Main|Halo Wars 2}}
-*The grunt wielding Plasma Pistol cannot be upgraded to wield [[Type-33 needler|Needlers]].
-*Suicide Grunts can no longer wield Plasma Pistol except in [[Blitz]] game mode.
-*[[Unggoy Heavy|Heavy Grunts]] wielding the Plasma Pistol shoots red projectiles and does slightly more damage against aircraft.
-<br>
-</div>
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-{{clear}}
-</div>
--->
 ==Non-canon and dubious canon appearances==
-[[File:HTV-PPpew.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Riz-028]] using an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol to kill a Sangheili in ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''.]]
 ===Silver Timeline===
 {{Main|Silver Timeline}}
-Plasma pistols are used by the Covenant against humanity.{{Ref/Film|Id=Contact|TV|Episode=Contact}}{{Ref/Film|Id=Reckoning|TV|Episode=Reckoning}}
+Active camouflage is used by Covenant Sangheili.{{Ref/Film|[[Halo: The Television Series Season One]], [[Contact]]}}
 ==Trivia==
-* The plasma pistol was inspired by the "[[marathongame:Zeus Class Fusion Pistol|Zeus Class Fusion Pistol]]" from the [[Marathon (Video Game Series)|''Marathon'' series]]. Like the Fusion Pistol, the plasma pistol is a reasonable-damage single-shot weapon with an overcharge mode. However, the Fusion Pistol's overcharge was far more deadly in-game and could kill nearly any enemy in the game, with one limitation: if the gun was left overcharged for too long, it would explode violently, killing the wielder.
+*Changing the graphics card settings on [[Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' for PC]] (lowering the quality and effects) makes active camouflage users appear as an easily-seen gray, opaque silhouette.
-* In all of the mainline ''Halo'' games (except ''Halo 4''), if the player remain idle while wielding a plasma pistol, the player character will pull the top off the pistol, showing the plasma pistol's upper firing coil.
+*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the flood can still see you if you use active camo.
-* In [[Wikipedia:Konami|Konami]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:Super Bomberman R|Super Bomberman R]]'', the Plasma Pistol is the weapon and special ability used by the [[Grunt|Grunt Bomber]].
+*Oddly enough, a group of Major and Minor Grunts in the ''Halo 2'' level [[Delta Halo]] used Active Camouflage as they fought alongside a group of [[Stealth Sangheili|Stealth Elites]]. Spec Ops Grunts are also seen using this in the level [[The Arbiter]] just before entering the gas mine. This suggests that at least some Grunts have this equipment.
-* The plasma pistol is the main facilitator for the [[Noob Combo]], in which a player uses a plasma pistol's scaled burst to take down the shields of an enemy before using a headshot-capable weapon (such as the [[BR55 battle rifle]]) to headshot the unshielded enemy. In the "[[Another Day at the Beach]]" video from the ''Halo 2'' [[Multiplayer Map Pack]], [[Butkus]] and [[Fones]] ([[Marcus Stacker]] in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'') effectively used this combo to take down a Sangheili that had taken [[Walpole]] hostage.
+*When used in association with an [[Overshield]], the Active Camo becomes completely useless due to the charges of the overshield washing over the player's body (except in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''). In ''[[Halo 3]]'', the same effect occurs when Active Camouflage and Overshields are both working.
+*The active camouflage has no effect on the flames on the [[Bungie Armor]], allowing enemies to more easily locate the user of the chest piece.
+*With the [[Halo 2 skulls#Envy|Envy]] skull on in ''[[Halo 2]]'', the [[John-117|Master Chief]]'s flashlight will be replaced with active camouflage. This can also be combined with a glitch which allows you to reload from a checkpoint, after saving and quitting, and turning off your console, with infinite active camouflage. This makes the Campaign on ''Halo 2'' considerably easier, even on Legendary difficulty.
+*In any Halo game, when you have active camouflage on and you get in a vehicle, the camouflage stays on and appears as if there was a ghost driving it or that it was driving itself (works particularly well with the Warthog LAAG). It works with any vehicle which exposes the occupants to view.
+*In ''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista, when playing on Threshold, your comrades are not picked up by radar when camouflaged.
+*The lights on a [[Gravity hammer (fiction)|gravity hammer]] can be seen clearly when camouflaged. It is not recommended to have a Gravity Hammer either as your primary weapon or secondary weapon when using active camo, as the lights make you an easy target for experienced snipers.
+*In ''Halo 3'', go in Monitor mode and find an Active Camouflage. Go inside it. After about 10–20 seconds, the Active Camo will stop making its shimmering noise and you'll hear a brief whispering sound (like a sigh or breath), and then it will continue its shimmering noise.
+*Strangely, the active camo module in the ''Halo: Reach'' [[Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta|Beta]] had "UNSC" printed on it, even when being used by Elites, though this is likely because it was a placeholder file.
+*The Overshield as well as Active camouflage were requested by Hardy LeBel as a feature for Halo: CE's multiplayer. The team working on the campaign saw that they were and added them too.
 ==Gallery==
-{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of Plasma pistols}}
-===Concept art and illustrations===
 <gallery>
-File:H2 MMP CoverArt Concept.jpg|Concept art for ''Halo 2'' [[Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack|Multiplayer Map Pack]]'s cover depicting a Spartan dual-wielding a plasma pistol with an SMG.
+File:HaloCE-ActiveCamouflage.jpg|A Stealth Elite using active camouflage in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
-File:Assault on CF-32.png|Two Unggoy Minors wielding ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols in ''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''.
+File:HCE_Campaign_ActiveCamo_Pickup.jpg|Active Camo in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' campaign.
-File:HW2-CrabUnggoy.jpg|Blitz card of a trio of Banished Unggoy armed with plasma pistols in ''[[Halo Wars 2]]''.
+File:HCE_MP_ActiveCamo_Pickup.png|Active Camo in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer.
-File:HCD-covies.png|A [[Sangheili Minor]] with an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]'' [[Halo: Collateral Damage Issue 1|Issue #1]].
+File:HCEPC ActiveCamoflage.png|Active camouflage on ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' for PC]]''.
-File:Hroa5 battle.jpg|A [[Jiralhanae]] takes aim with an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''[[Halo: Rise of Atriox]]'' [[Halo: Rise of Atriox Issue 5|Issue #5]].
+File:H2 Active Camouflage.png|The Active Camouflage in ''Halo 2''.
-</gallery>
+File:H3_ActiveCamo.jpg|The Active Camouflage in ''Halo 3''.
-===Screenshots===
+File:H3_Bungie_Camo.jpg|Bungie Armor and Active Camouflage in ''Halo 3''.
-<gallery>
+File:HReach Active Camouflage.jpg|The Active Camouflage powerup in ''Halo: Reach''.
-File:Jackals.jpg|Kig-Yar armed with ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
+File:HR SpecOpsElites.jpg|Multiple SpecOps Sangheili using active camouflage, with one also possessing [[Overshield]].
-File:Incoming32001200.jpg|A swarm of Yanme'e armed with ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols in ''Halo 2''.
+File:H4 ActiveCamo_Spartan.jpg|Active Camouflage in use in ''[[Halo 4]]''.
-File:H3 A lone grunt.jpg|An Unggoy Major wielding the ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo 3''.
+File:H2A-ActiveCamo.png|Active camouflage in ''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]'' multiplayer.
-File:Drone Swarm.jpg|A Yanme'e wielding an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo 3''.
+File:H2A-CloakedSpartan.png|A Spartan using active camouflage in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer.
-File:H3ODST GruntTrio.png|A trio of Unggoy employing ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
+File:REQ Card - Active Camo I.png|REQ card for Active Camouflage in [[Halo 5: Guardians]].
-File:H3ODST PlasmaPistolBolt.png|An Unggoy Minor firing an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
+File:Activecamo2.png|REQ Card for Active Camouflage II.
-File:HR ChargedPlasmaPistol 1.png|A Kig-Yar Minor firing an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo: Reach''.
+File:Activecamo3.png|REQ Card for Active Camouflage III.
-File:HTMCC-H4 PPCollegeBrochure.png|Sangheili, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar firing ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistols in ''Halo 4''.
+File:H5G-Camo.png|A Spartan-IV using active camouflage in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
-File:HereticJackal.png|A Kig-Yar snarling with an ''Eos'Mak''-pattern plasma pistol in the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' [[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]].
+File:HINF ActiveCamouflage Icon.png|HUD icon for the active camouflage in ''[[Halo Infinite]]''.
-File:HTFOR-SangheiliStorm.png|A Sangheili Storm dual-wielding a plasma pistol with an energy sword in ''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''.
+File:HINF-CamoOrko.png|[[Okro 'Vagaduun]] using active camo in ''Halo Infinite''.
-File:H5G-MultiUnggoyImperials.png|[[Unggoy Imperial]]s wielding ''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistols in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
+File:HINF-Deadlockcamo.jpg|A Spartan-IV carrying an active camo module in ''Halo Infinite''.
-File:H5G-John&PP.png|John-117 firing a ''Zo'klada''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
+File:HINF-Camo1.png|A Spartan-IV activating an active camo module in ''Halo Infinite''.
-File:HINF-Unggoy Conscript.png|An [[Unggoy Conscript]] wielding a ''Rohakadu''-pattern plasma pistol in ''Halo Infinite''.
+File:HINF-CamodSpartan.png|A Spartan-IV with active camo in ''Halo Infinite''.
-File:HTV-Reckoning Chief HUD.png|First-person view of [[John-117/Silver|John-117]] using plasma pistol in ''Halo: The Television Series''.
+File:HTV-Contact-ActiveCamomodule.jpg|A Sangheili with an active camo module in ''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''.
+File:HTV-Contact-ActiveCamo.jpg|The same Sangheili activating the active camo.
 </gallery>
 ==List of appearances==
-{{Col-begin}}
-{{Col-2}}
 *''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
 *''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
@@ Line 256: / Line 156: @@
 *''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
 *''[[Halo 2]]''
-*''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''
-**''[[The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor]]''
 *''[[Halo: Ghosts of Onyx]]''
-*''[[Halo: Uprising]]''
 *''[[Halo 3]]''
-*''[[Halo: Contact Harvest]]''
-*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
-*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''
 *''[[Halo Wars]]''
-*''[[Halo: Helljumper]]''
 *''[[Halo 3: ODST]]''
 *''[[Halo Legends]]''
-**''[[The Duel]]''
-**''[[Homecoming]]''
-**''[[Origins]]''
-**''[[Prototype]]''
 **''[[The Package (animated short)|The Package]]''
-*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
+*''[[Halo Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
-*''[[Halo: Blood Line]]''
+**''[[Headhunters (short story)|Headhunters]]''
+**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
 *''[[Halo: Reach]]''
-*''[[Halo: Fall of Reach]]''
-**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant|Covenant]]''
-**''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion|Invasion]]''
 *''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
-**''[[Terminal (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
+*''[[Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn]]''
-*''[[Halo: The Thursday War]]''
-{{Col-2}}
 *''[[Halo 4]]''
 **''[[Spartan Ops]]''
 *''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''
-*''[[Halo: Initiation]]''
-*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''
-*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]''
-*''[[Halo: Broken Circle]]''
 *''[[Halo 2: Anniversary]]''
 **''[[Terminal (Halo 2: Anniversary)|Terminals]]''
-*''[[Halo: Spartan Strike]]''
+*''[[Halo: New Blood]]'' {{Mo}}
-*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series]]''
+*''[[Halo: Last Light]]''
-*''[[Halo: Shadow of Intent]]''
+*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
-*''[[Halo: Ground Command]]''
-*''[[Halo Mythos]]''
 *''[[Halo: Fractures]]''
-**''[[Breaking Strain]]''
+**''[[Oasis]]''
+*''[[Halo: Smoke and Shadow]]''
+*''[[Halo: Tales from Slipspace]]
+**''[[Hunting Party]]''
 *''[[Halo Wars 2]]''
 *''[[Halo: Envoy]]''
-*''[[Halo: Retribution]]''
+*''[[Halo: Collateral Damage]]''
-*''[[Halo: Recruit]]'' {{C|Non-canonical appearance}}
+*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]'' {{Mo}}
-*''[[Halo: Fireteam Raven]]''
-*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''
-*''[[Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual]]''
-*''[[Halo: Lone Wolf]]''
-*''[[Halo: Meridian Divide]]''
 *''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''
 *''[[Halo: Divine Wind]]''
+*''[[Halo Infinite]]''
 *''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''
 **''[[Contact]]''
-**''[[Homecoming (TV Series)|Homecoming]]''
+*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]''
-**''[[Reckoning]]''
-**''[[Transcendence]]''
 *''[[Halo: Outcasts]]''
-{{Col-end}}
-==Notes==
-{{Ref/Notes}}
 ==Sources==
 {{Ref/Sources}}
-{{Covenant sidearms}}
+{{Navbox/Pickups/Gameplay}}
-[[Category:Covenant infantry weapons]]
-[[Category:Infantry plasma weapons]]
+[[Category:Camouflage]]
+[[Category:Armor abilities]]
+[[Category:Power ups]]