Vorpal Talon

Vorpal Talon
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Assembly Forges
Model series:	Domotos-pattern fireblade
Type:	Handheld, single-handed sword
Specifications
Length:	128.5 centimetres (50.6 in)
Weight:	2.2 kilograms (4.9 lb)
Ammunition type:	Shaped plasma
Energy capacity:	100 battery units
Effective range:	Melee
Service history
In service:	Post-Covenant War conflicts

"Light as a feather when wielded with unrestrained malice. Advanced Energy Sword that provides additional thruster hangtime and two thruster evades per cooldown."

— In-game description

The Vorpal Talon is a special variant of the Domotos-pattern fireblade.

Overview

Design details

The Vorpal Talon is a named variant of the Domotos-pattern energy sword, imbued with various upgrades from two thruster evades between cooldowns to increased jump height, longer stabilizer duration, increased lunge distance, and a built-in motion tracker that retains its visibility on the user's HUD even when using Smart-Link, mirroring the built-in motion tracker of the Nornfang SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle. Described to be virtually weightless when its wielder uses it with unrestrained malice, the Vorpal Talon has a maroon handle and an orange-to-cyan gradient for the main blade coloring.

Service history

In October 2558, Fireteam Osiris, accompanied by 031 Exuberant Witness, discovered a copy of the Vorpal Talon in an area on Genesis that they passed through on their mission to rescue Blue Team from Cortana's Cryptum.The weapon was later integrated into War Games simulations for use by Spartan-IVs aboard the UNSC Infinity.

Gameplay

Halo 5: Guardians

The Vorpal Talon is a special weapon that can be found in the campaign mission Guardians. It is found on top of a ledge immediately in front of the first gravitational core.

An Ultra Rare Level 4 REQ worth 150 REQ Points when sold, the Vorpal Talon's operation is identical to that of a normal Energy Sword, although it has some noticeable differences. It has a longer lunge range of 8.89 m (29.17 ft), which increases to 15.50 m (50.85 ft) with Smart-Link activated; these increases in range allow Vorpal Talon users to stab enemies from greater distances than before. In addition, it makes way for increased mobility by way of granting its user an additional thruster evade before recharging, which allows for easier escapes from danger; longer stabilizer duration of 4.95 seconds, useful for reaching hard-to-reach places and planning Ground Pounds more easily; and an increased jump height, facilitating even higher jumps that can be further raised with the Crouch jumping technique. In the same manner as Linda-058's Nornfang, the Vorpal Talon comes with a built-in motion tracker that remains visible even when its user activates Smart-Link, giving them information about nearby allies and enemies. These improvements make the Vorpal Talon useful for exploring hard-to-reach places, attacking enemies from greater distances, and/or simply evading danger more easily, the latter being especially useful on Heroic or Legendary difficulties.

The two thruster evades granted by the Vorpal Talon can be taken advantage of to speedrun the ending sequence of the final campaign mission Guardians to the point of skipping the final Guardian pulse entirely, especially in Co-op while playing as Olympia Vale, as she has a higher base movement speed and jump height than her allies.

In Warzone, Legendary Elite bosses may carry the Vorpal Talon, including Elite Primes and Ranger Commanders, which makes them even deadlier in close quarters due to the sword's increased range.

Changes from the Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword

• Increased lunge range.
• Grants two thruster evades between cooldowns instead of one.
• Increased stabilizer duration of 4.95 seconds.
• Increased jump height.
• User retains their motion tracker on their HUD even when using Smart-Link, as long as the weapon does not run out of battery.

Trivia

• The Vorpal Talon's ability to maintain the player's motion tracker while scoped is mechanically identical to the Awareness support upgrade from Halo 4.
• Due to being a melee weapon, the Vorpal Talon is the only special weapon (excluding the Nornfang and Oathsworn) that cannot be picked up by AI-controlled Spartans.
• The Vorpal Talon lacks third-person sword lunging animations when used with Smart-Link, instead reusing the lunging animations without Smart-Link. This is most likely an oversight.
• The name Vorpal Talon is a reference to the Vorpal Blade of the Lewis Carroll poem - Jabberwocky - where such a weapon is the only way to kill the eponymous Jabberwock.

Gallery

Screenshots

• 

  A side view of Vorpal Talon.

• 

  First-person view of the Vorpal Talon by Edward Buck in the Halo 5: Guardians campaign.

• 

  First-person view of the Vorpal Talon in Halo 5: Guardians.

• 

  Smart scope with the Vorpal Talon. Notice that the motion tracker is still present.

• 

  A Centurion-clad Spartan with the Vorpal Talon.

Halo 5: Guardians REQ cards

• 

  Vorpal Talon.

List of appearances

• Halo 5: Guardians (First appearance)