Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword

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“A noble and ancient weapon, wielded by the strongest of Sangheili, requires great skill and bravery to use, and inspires fear in those who face its elegant plasma blade.”

— Thel 'Vadamee ^[1]

The Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword, commonly known as the Energy Sword, is a close quarters weapon of the Covenant Empire, for exclusive use of the Sangheili.^[2]

Design Details

A blueprint of the energy sword in Halo: Reach.

The Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword consists of a curved hilt, housing an energy storage module and a device for projecting the plasma which forms the blade. The actual blade is composed of two partially ionized 'blades' of free moving electron based gas held in a blade-like form by two small magnetic-field generators built into the handle of the weapon. This forms and contains the oval shaped, ionized blades for which the weapon is recognized.^[2]^[3] The battery's energy is reduced for each successful strike. Each killing strike from the sword will drain the battery by 10% of its energy. Once the battery power is fully depleted, the sword will deactivate unless recharged, which is impossible in the games.

The hilt of the sword (Halo 3) displays multiple Forerunner symbols. The Halo 2 version has multiple symbols that yet are unknown to be Forerunner.

The Type-1 Energy Weapon contains a failsafe mechanism witnessed during the Battle of Installation 04 that can permanently disable the weapon if the Sangheili wielding it drops it.^[4] When dropped, the failsafe engages by deactivating the magnetic field before dispersing the energy. The energy then consumes the handle and thus destroys the weapon.^[5] The failsafe is included to prevent enemy infantry from acquiring the weapon and using it, and is yet another insight to Sangheili tactics. The failsafe seems to be rarely used, or was only included in a variant of Energy Sword issued to the Covenant ground forces deployed to Installation 04 by the Fleet of Particular Justice.

The Energy Sword is the signature weapon of the Sangheili, and has been their weapon of nobility since its creation during one of their Ages of Discovery.^[6] Viewed as a holy weapon^[7] the Sangheili pride themselves on their skills with this weapon^[8] and believe that it is better for a Sangheili to fall on his sword as an act to redeem his honor.^[7]^[9]^[10] The Sangheili are also very strict on who can be trained in the art of swordsmanship - only aristocrats are permitted to wield Energy Swords and sword wielders are no longer eligible for marriage. Although Fal 'Chavamee was a skilled swordsman and instructor, despite being married it is unknown how his aristocrat status was enforced or if this was changed as a result of his actions. Breeding with any female they choose is permitted, married or otherwise, to ensure successful transmission of "swordsman" genes.^[11] In service to the Covenant, Sangheili of a high or important rank are permitted to wield this weapon - lower ranks are not permitted to wield the sword because of its high status.^[7] In the Covenant, Sangheili Ultras, Sangheili Zealots, Special Operations Sangheili, Stealth Sangheili, Sangheili Councilors and Sangheili Honor Guardsman, are permitted to use Energy Swords.

Advantages

The Type-1 Energy Weapon is an extremely powerful and devastating melee weapon in close quarters combat. A single strike can penetrate through the energy shield systems and into the armor and flesh of a Spartan or a Sangheili. This is due to the design of the weapon which utilizes magnetically sealed, partially ionized, free moving electron based gas rather than traditional shaped, solid matter. The Type-1 Energy Weapon's edge is therefore extremely volatile, being able to slice through the toughest metals with ease, including ODST battle armour and the Titanium-A class plating of UNSC destroyers.^[12]^[13]

OMG Duel Energy Swords! — An Elite Dual wielding Energy Swords

Injuries to living creatures by the Type-1 Energy Weapon can range from bad to gruesome. Stab wounds by the Type-1 Energy Weapon are in most cases fatal — as the blade passes through the body, the innards of the body are burned and cauterized by the temperatures produced by the blades.^[14] Survival is minimal at best and in the case of non-vital organs being stabbed with the energy sword, proper medical treatment must be applied as soon as possible to ensure long term survival. Because of the sword's sheer destructive power, dismemberment is another common form of fatality to victims, ranging from decapitation^[15] to bodies being sliced in half.^[12]^[16] Even loss of limbs is a common injury,^[17] while not always fatal, it will permanently disable a victim.

The sheer destructive power of the sword makes it a weapon to be feared on any battlefield and it is known for its psychological effects on human soldiers.^[3]

Disadvantages

The Type-1 Energy Weapon's main disadvantage is that it is purely a close-quarters weapon, any weapon outside of the effective range puts the wielder at risk. It is for this reason that the Sangheili approach sword combat on the battlefield in two different ways, by funneling the enemy into close-quarters to allow them to strike, or to apply a form of stealth using both technology and technique. Without these, the Sangheili is vulnerable to attack by all forms of ranged attack, especially from sniper-based counterattacks. Infantry with Overshields are also more resistant when facing this weapon as it can take two strikes before the shield system fails and then another for the killing blow.

Furthermore, the Type-1 Energy Weapon is vulnerable to other magnetic fields, as they can block, disrupt, or possibly even alter the functionality of the sword. Two energy swords clashing together create a small disruption of energy as a result of the same type of magnetic fields clashing together, this clash has a slight area of effect damage that can affect the combatants.

As with most other Covenant weapons, the Type-1 Energy Weapon is battery powered, requiring the user to either recharge the weapon or discard it when the power is depleted. Although the handle can generally be used as a club, the Energy Sword's combat effectiveness at that point is minimal. The strength and lethality of the sword in the games are compensated for the sake of gameplay.

Finally, due to the energy output, the Type-1 Energy Weapon can sometimes give away the position of a Sangheili warrior who uses active camouflage.

Changes

Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2

In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Energy Sword has a cyan glow, a far less defined edge and makes a dull clunk when striking an object. It is only used by Stealth Sangheili and Zealots. The player cannot wield the energy sword due to the failsafe mechanism device that destroys the weapon upon killing the sword-wielder.

Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo 2
Halo 3
Halo Reach
Halo 4

In Halo 2, the energy sword is blue with purple undertones and electrical energy crackling on it when the blade is activated. The white glow seen in Halo: Combat Evolved is also replaced with a more glass like transparency. In the campaign, it is only used by higher-ranking Sangheili, such as special operations units, Ultras and Zealots, though players can now wield the sword. The sword in campaign has a battery and can only be used effectively against a limited number of enemy forces before the battery runs out. The sword is usable in multiplayer with an infinite battery power. The Energy Sword has two modes of attacking; a lunge attack and a swing attack.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

In Halo 3, the sword has more of a light cyan tinge, similar to its appearance in Halo: Combat Evolved, but still has a tint of purple near the handle. It also has an angle near the handle, whereas in the two previous games it was curved. Players are now able to parry with the sword. The power exerted by the swords hitting each other will drain both players' shields, but will not kill them unless one makes the fatal blow. The sword's lunge attack has been reduced for balancing purposes, aside from these changes in design and functionality, the power of the sword remains unchanged. In multiplayer, the sword has a limited battery supply.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

In Halo: Reach, the sword resembles closely to the design used in Halo: Combat Evolved, albeit darker in color. When activated, the sword is capable of lighting up the surrounding area. When unused, the sword rests differently on the SPARTAN and Sangheili character models. The energy sword appears to have been balanced out compared to its earlier incarnations, having a slightly faster swing than its Halo 3 incarnation. Its lunge attack has been reduced in range and can now be blocked by a well-timed melee.^[18] The energy sword has its own assassination animations, which are used in place of the SPARTAN combat knife and the Sangheili energy blade.^[19] Elites also hold the sword farther back than Spartans do and actually hunch down slightly when they switch to the sword. The sword can now also be lowered using the Alert carry trick. The Energy Sword now has a "swing time" of about 1.5 seconds in which an object or player in front of the sword can take damage, allowing the player to kill enemies by swinging then moving into an enemy, rather than a lunge, where a player will move to an enemy before striking. Finally, it appears that the Energy Sword always does the same damage, regardless of whether the hit is a melee or a lunge.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

In Halo 4, there is now less space between the two blades of the sword. The points of each blade also don't extend as far down. The activation sound has changed and is now higher in pitch. The aiming reticule has also changed and is now a more complete circle than in past games. You can also drain the sword's energy by hitting a solid around the map.

In other media

In Halo Graphic Novel's The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor, there is a variety of sword-type weapons hung on a wall in the dueling chamber of the Seeker of Truth.^[20] These range from energy clubs to sickle-like plasma weapons. The sword used by Rtas 'Vadum and Bero 'Kusovai in their duel changed its design a number of times to exhibit the basic structure of the Type-1 with a few slight differences. In the story Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, a Sangheili is shown with a very odd, light-pink sword with very thin blades.^[21]

During the events of Halo Wars, the Arbiter, Ripa 'Moramee, sported two energy swords with modified hilts and hand-guards. In the Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe Headhunters short story, a new energy sword variant is introduced; it is described as being composed of a red-hued energy combined with a white electrical flicker, giving it a blood-colored glow.

Tactics

There are two ways a player in Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Reach and Halo 4 can attack, the first is to lunge with the energy sword. With this, the player lunges forward at the other player. However, this only works when the aiming reticule is lit red, indicating that the opposing player is within range. The second attack is the simple melee, this performs a quick underhanded or overhanded swipe.

Campaign

In Halo 2, the sword is extremely valuable against Elites in campaign. When facing sword-wielding Elites a sound tactic is to jump and lunge attack them. This will kill them quickly and save your shields or your life on higher difficulties.
In both Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Energy Sword is a very strong anti-Flood weapon, as it will destroy Flood Combat Forms and Flood Pure Forms in one strike (although if an infected Elite still has its shield, it may take two swipes, depending on the difficulty setting). Due to its limited energy supply it's more advisable to use a Brute Shot to melee instead, as it serves the same function and cannot run out of energy.
When fighting against the Flood, an attack with the Energy Sword will deplete the battery by a very small amount (about 2.5%) due to their soft tissue, making it useful for extended durations.
The Energy Sword in Halo 2 and Halo 3 can be used to destroy the corpses of Flood Combat Forms so that they cannot be re-infected by Flood Infection Form. However, the cutting process does drain battery power. Although, any weapon's melee attack can be used to destroy combat form corpses if used enough times, even a depleted Energy Sword hilt.
In Halo 3, the Energy Sword is very hard to come by in the campaign outside of Floodgate, Cortana, and Halo. The player can obtain an Energy Sword by killing an Elite ally on The Covenant or by draining Arbiter's shield during combat (this happens more frequently on higher difficulties). If you do, it is a very good weapon against the Jiralhanae, although the battery will deplete very quickly.
In Halo: Reach, the energy sword is a valuable weapon in campaign, ironically best used against its former owner. The sword is especially useful on the level Long Night of Solace, since it provides a quick kill against the various Elites stationed on the Corvette. It is able to kill all lower Covenant species and Sangheili Minors, Sangheili Rangers and Special Operations Sangheili with one strike, and it only takes two strikes to kill Sangheili Ultras and all Sangheili Zealots.
When combating againist an enemy using an energy sword, it is essential to keep your distance from them. Try using your ranged weapons aganist an enemy wielding an energy sword.

Multiplayer

The sword is easily one of the best close range weapons to use in Halo 2. The best tactic is to lay into an enemy player with your secondary weapon getting closer, then when within range perform a quick swipe with the sword for the finishing move. However since there is no way of telling which player has the sword, or no sound way to stop it, it has often been labeled as a cheap tactic.
Using Active camouflage with the sword in Halo 2 is not a wise thing to do as the sword in Halo 2 is still visible with it active. In Halo 3 however, using the sword with active camouflage is a sound tactic as it will now cover the sword when picked up.
In Halo 3, if a Mongoose is coming at you, you can actually sword-lunge over the windshield and kill the driver or passenger if there is one. But it requires very precise timing.
In Halo 3, the sword lunge is shorter, and the player cannot perform a quick strike. In addition, the sword's handle is now visible on the character's leg. In order for the sword to be most effective the player must lure a player into a trap where the sword will become effective; camping with the sword in a corner and waiting is the best way to use it to its fullest extent. As a special note, there is a range difference between the B button melee, and the right trigger lunge. The lunge has the maximum range, whilst the B button seems to only work at 1/2 to 3/4 the range. This is most likely for balancing, as the B button swings the sword at a much faster rate.
If the enemy controls the sword room in the Halo 3 multiplayer map The Pit, stick to the outer wall. The range is just short of the wall and if you're lucky your opponent will lunge and miss, giving you the perfect opportunity to kill him or her.
Occupants in vehicles can be killed with a sword with precise timing. This is extremely difficult to do and is not recommended in plain view.

Advanced Tactics

It is possible to dodge a lunge from the Energy Sword. To do this, one must move quickly to the right when facing the lunging opponent, towards the hand which does not hold the sword. Conversely, to prevent your target from dodging your lunge, simply jump; jumping reduces all chances of missing or being dodged by an opponent.
In Halo 3, a new feature has been added so that players can parry their opponent's sword by meleeing or lunging at the same time. If you pull the right trigger right before the other person makes contact, a parrying electric clash is produced, but you do lose some or all of your shield. However, when you get down to no shields, a sword clash will not affect your health, though your screen will flash bright red. This is sometimes known as "Fencing", and can be a game, first to die loses, a useful tactic to use in sword-on-sword fight is, once you parry, melee with the sword. If you time it well enough the sword fight can last indefinitely.
Jumping can make the Energy Sword much more fearsome, brutally effective and accurate. Jump and point your reticule down, waiting until it turns red to lunge at the opponent.
In Halo 2 avoiding a sword lunge is extremely difficult, if timed correctly and with a bit of luck, side stepping in the direction of the enemy players free hand may save your life, however this is often difficult. In Halo 3, avoiding a sword lunge can be done by using either a Brute Shot or a Shotgun, there is still some difficulty in pulling it off, but the odds of killing an enemy player using the Sword is much greater than on Halo 2.
An extremely useful tactic against another player wielding an Energy Sword is to, rather than hitting B twice for two quick melees, strike first with a melee, and then finish them on with the lunge. This tactic is much quicker with two melees, to compensate for the blowback from the initial parry.
In Halo: Reach, a player may block a sword lunge with any weapon they are carrying at the time, although they will lose drastic amounts of health and shielding. This is done by simply meleeing the incoming attack and stopping the attack with a well timed strike. Fast ambushes must be made to prevent enemy players from parrying your lunge.
The Energy Sword is efficient when used in combination with the Sprint or Evade armor ability, and deadly with Active camouflage.

Trivia

The Energy Sword, like the Sangheili Plasma Rifle, does not appear in Halo 3: ODST, because there are no living Sangheili in the game. However, near the deceased body of a Sangheili in Tayari Plaza, one can find his two depleted sword hilts.
In 2008, the sword was to be released by Jasman Toys to go with their other laser tag weapons; the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle. However, its release has been canceled or delayed, possibly because of the sharp tips of the blade, or because Laser Tag is a shooting game, and the Sword is a melee weapon.
It was originally going to be usable in Halo: Combat Evolved, but was cut when the game became a First-Person Shooter.^[22]
In the Halo 3 ViDoc Et tu Brute? there is an unfinished animation depicting a Jiralhanae Chieftain wielding an Energy Sword. Despite this, the Energy Sword is never seen in the hands of Jiralhanae in any game.
In Halo 3 on the level Crow's Nest, when you fight the Jump Pack Brutes, you can betray the Arbiter for his Energy Sword. However, once you get back the Hangar, the sword will vanish, leaving you equipped with one weapon. This may be because the sword was not meant to be used in this mission, and it could be used to easily kill the Brute War Chieftain later on.
The Fable 2: Limited Edition comes with "Hal's Sword", a crystal blade shaped like an Energy Sword for in-game use, to coincide with the use of "Hal's Armour", which resembles MJOLNIR armor. Joystiq: Fable 2's Spartan armor and Energy Sword pictured
In Halo 2 and Halo 3, a glitch can be performed to give the player a Silhouette Sword.
In Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, seven Forerunner glyphs are visible on each side of the Energy Sword's hilt.
It is possible to get a Sword Spree Medal, even a Slice 'N Dice Medal with an Energy Sword that's out of battery.
The distinctive shape of the Energy Sword is apparently based on ceremonial Sangheili swords. In The Duel, Harka is seen wielding a large 2 handed sword variant with similar style in shape to the energy sword however being larger and shaped with 2 hilts to accommodate being a 2 handed variant
Another possible predecessor of the familiar Energy Sword is the Curveblade, a traditional Sangheili hunting knife. The curveblade closely resembles a shortened, steel, single-bladed Energy Sword - right down to the shape of its blade, with the same wide, semicircular part that curls around the handgrip before elongating into a point used for stabbing. In addition, the curveblade apparently predates the introduction of Energy Swords by some indeterminate amount of time, having been in use for so long that not even the Sangheili have any memory (whether written or as a cultural tradition) of their invention and first usage.
When it spawns in most multiplayer maps, rather than lying on the ground, it will be floating in mid-air blades pointing up until it is hit by any damage or grabbed by a player. One exception is the Halo 2 Vista exclusive map, Uplift, where it respawns lying down.
In Halo: Reach, Sangheili armor now has a built-in energy punchblade used to assassinate (serving as an equivalent to the UNSC Combat Knife utilized by Spartans in assassinations). Its appearance is similar to that of the original Energy Sword. The only differences are that the blade is shorter, is not split at the middle and extends from the top of the wrist rather than from a handle.
In Halo: Reach, parrying will cause shields to go down, similar to Halo 3. However, damage will then be done on base health, therefore the player with less health will die first. This means that players can no longer parry for an unlimited amount of time.
In Halo: Reach, it's possible that one of the Energy Sword assassinations is a reference to how the Prophet of Truth was killed in Halo 3.
In Halo: Reach, the combat posture of a Sangheili changes when using the Energy Sword, causing them to hunch, which makes their stance appear like the regular stance in Halo 3.
The Energy Sword does not drain battery when an assassination is performed in Halo: Reach. This is likely to be an overlook during game production, and will allow players to kill more than ten characters with a fully charged Energy Sword.
When its battery is drained, assassinations with the Energy Sword can still be performed. The player will punch the hilt into thin air, but the opponent will still die.
Some players like to refer to the depleted hilt of the energy sword as "Brass Knuckles", although in reality it more closely resembles a "fistful of quarters".
In Halo Wars, the Energy Sword is called a Plasma Sword.

The Energy Sword being tossed into the air in Halo: Reach.
In Halo: Reach, if an Energy Sword is put in the water the blade becomes invisible and therefore only the location is known to the one who finds it or (if in forge) the one who decides to place it there, however if the sword is placed pointing upward the parts of the blade near the hilt is not visible but the tips are.
To promote the release of Halo: Reach, participating stores across America gave away inflatable Energy Swords at the midnight launch of the game, along with other promotional items.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Energy Sword has a more intense glow than in other games.
When an Elite draws an Energy Sword in Halo: Reach, they first toss it into the air and then grab it. This can be seen most easily by looking at another player or at your own shadow. This can be seen in the picture to the right.
In Halo 2, Marines cannot wield the Energy Sword.
The sound effect the Sword makes when drawn in Halo 2 and later games closely resembles the sound of a Plasma Grenade explosion in Halo: Combat Evolved.
Emile A-239 and Noble Six were both killed by Elites who wielded Energy Swords.
In Halo Wars, you see that Ripa 'Moramee often dual-wields Energy Swords. However, most Sangheili don't dual-wield Energy Swords, and the player cannot do so.
Xbox marketplace offers an Energy Sword Prop for Xbox Avatars.^[23]
In Halo 2, when the Sword's battery dies, it will make a punch sound and then a deactivation sound.