Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword Halo

“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

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.

Use

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. Viewed as a holy weapon, the Sangheili pride themselves on their skills with it. They believe that it is better for a Sangheili to fall on his sword as an act to redeem his honor. 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. Breeding with any female they choose is permitted, married or otherwise, to ensure successful transmission of "swordsman" genes. 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. In the Covenant, Sangheili Ultras, Sangheili Zealots, Special Operations Sangheili, Stealth Sangheili, Sangheili High Councilors, and Sangheili Honor Guardsman are permitted to use Energy Swords.

Design

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. 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. 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. 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.

Advantages

The Type-1 Energy Weapon is an extremely powerful and devastating melee weapon when applied during close quarters combat. A single slash 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's blade, 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 even the toughest metals with ridiculous ease, including ODST battle armour and the Titanium-A class plating of UNSC destroyers.

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. 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, common forms of fatality to victims include impalement, loss of limbs, bodies being bisected, and decapitation.

The sheer destructive power of the sword makes it a weapon to be feared on any battlefield, and it is notable for its adverse psychological effects on human soldiers.

Disadvantages

The Type-1 Energy Weapon's most glaring downside is that it is purely a close-quarters weapon; any combat engagement 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, and/ or to apply a form of stealth using both technology and technique. Without these, the user is vulnerable to attack by all forms of ranged attack, especially from sniper-based counterstrikes. 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 blades 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 (which can never be performed in-game) 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.

Last but not least, the Type-1 Energy Weapon can sometimes expose the position of a Sangheili warrior employing active camouflage due to the weapon's energy output.