Editing Particle beam rifle

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:H5G-T27vsT50.png|thumb|300px|[[SPARTAN-IV program|SPARTAN-IV]] personnel employing a ''Sulok'' (left) and ''Zubo'' (right)-pattern beam rifle.]]
'''Particle beam rifles''' (or simply '''beam rifles''') are a type of [[sniper rifle]] system employed by the [[Covenant]] empire and its [[Covenant remnants|remnants]]. They fire an ionized [[Particle beam weapon|particle beam]] at extremely high velocity, capable of dealing damage comparable to the [[SRS99 series]] rifles employed by [[human]]ity. Within the [[Type classification system|type-classification schema]] for Covenant materiel catalogued by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], particle beam rifles are designated as '''Special Application Sniper Rifles (SASRs)'''.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} Within Covenant [[design pattern]] nomenclature, they refer to the various patterns of beam rifles as '''Long Rifles'''.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=293}}

==Overview==
===Design details===
Beam rifles are massive weapons, measuring over a metre and a half in length. They operate by accelerating ionised [[hydrogen]] particles down a narrow path at immense velocities, allowing them to penetrate most infantry armour and [[energy shielding]] with ease.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

Beam rifles are commonly employed by [[Sangheili]], [[Jiralhanae]] and especially [[Kig-Yar Sniper]]s. At the outbreak of the [[Human-Covenant War]], the Covenant did not effectively employ these tools, but lessons learned from observing human [[sniper]]s placed a higher priority on the weapons seeing production and use.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

===History===
Particle beam rifles are a technology of [[Sangheili]] origin{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} - having emerged in the species' spacefaring history prior to the Covenant and eventually used alongside other Covenant-developed sniper weapon systems like the {{Pattern|M'tara|focus rifle}} and {{Pattern|Elutuzem|stalker rifle}} in service.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} The focus rifle is a weapon in the same lineage as particle beam rifles, though operates on an inherently different operating mechanism more akin to that of a [[focus cannon]], firing streams of [[Plasma|superheated plasma]] reversed engineered from [[Forerunner]] weaponry. The focus rifle's [[Smart-linking|smart-link]] firmware is based on that of the particle beam rifle.{{Ref/Site|Id=FocusRifle|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/focus-rifle|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Focus Rifle|D=14|M=5|Y=2021}}

The sea-hunter guilds on the [[Covenant colonies|colony world]] of [[Feldokra]] maintain beam rifles as part of their hunting traditions.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}} However, it was not until the [[Human-Covenant War]] that encounters with [[United Nations Space Command]] [[sniper]]s informed the Covenant of how effective marksmen could be incorporated into a tactical doctrine. Accordingly, particle beam rifles were selected by the empire's ecclesiarchy as the most effective option available to emulate [[Misriah Armory]]'s SRS99 rifle series.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} 

As the war dragged on, particle beams found themselves in the hands of [[Sangheili]] and [[Kig-Yar Sniper]]s{{Ref/Reuse|universe}} - becoming a favoured tool of the secretive [[Jha'kaar]].{{Ref/Site|Id=CFHVT|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-high-value-histories|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Canon Fodder - High Value Histories|D=08|M=09|Y=2022}} This led to older Sangheili designs being refurbished for use while the [[Assembly Forges]] on [[High Charity]] were instructed to prioritise the construction of new beam rifles for the war effort. Accordingly, when the city [[Fall of High Charity|fell]] in [[2552]], the production of beam rifles slowed (though did not stop). In the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war era]], organisations such as the [[Merchants of Qikost]] and foundries on [[Sanghelios]], [[Hesduros]], [[Eayn]] and other worlds continue to produce them.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

==Variants==
The Covenant does not distinguish the various Particle Beam Rifle patterns from each other (at least, not to the [[Type classification system|obsessive level]] that the Office of Naval Intelligence tracks every refinement), and simply groups them together based on core components and intended use. Whatever their casing style and aesthetics, all are charged particle beam cannons of prodigious power – capable of killing shielded infantry in one or two shots, depending on accuracy.{{Ref/Site|Id=universe|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/beam-rifle|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Beam Rifle|D=13|M=04|Y=2016}}

*'''{{Pattern|Sulok|beam rifle}}''': Type-classified by ONI in [[2550]], this weapon was crafted according to the traditions of the Feldokran sea-hunter guilds, and came to prominence during the Covenant war.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
**'''[[Type-50 Alpha beam rifle|T-50α beam rifle]]''': A Type-50 "Alpha" model beam rifle issued to Kig-Yar marksmen working on [[Installation 04|Alpha Halo]] during the [[Battle of Installation 04]].{{Ref/Game|H5G|List of REQ cards|REQ card|Detail=T-50α beam rifle}}
**'''[[Type-50 Delta beam rifle|T-50δ beam rifle]]''': A Type-50 "Delta" model beam rifle issued to the [[Prophet of Truth]]'s personal assassins during the [[Great Schism]] around [[Installation 05|Delta Halo]].{{Ref/Game|H5G|List of REQ cards|REQ card|Detail=T-50δ beam rifle}}
*'''{{Pattern|Zubo|beam rifle}}''': Type-classified by ONI in [[2527]], the ''Zubo''-pattern is an ancient Sangheili design revived during the war and heavily employed by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]] in its aftermath.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}
**'''''[[Sword of the Faithful]]''''': A customised ''Zubo''-pattern rifle modified by the [[Prophet of Regret]]'s majordomo.{{Ref/Game|H5G|List of REQ cards|REQ card|Detail=Sword of the Faithful}}
**'''''[[Krith's Left Hand]]''''': A customised ''Zubo''-pattern rifle once wielded by the pirate lord [[Krith]], and retrieved from his vaults by former-[[Arbiter]], [[Ripa 'Moramee]].{{Ref/Game|H5G|List of REQ cards|REQ card|Detail=Krith's Left Hand}}
*'''{{Pattern|Wukrshuz|particle rifle}}''': An experimental San'Shyuum design.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/canon-fodder-digsite-dissection|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Cannon Fodder: Digsite Dissection|D=28|M=7|Y=2023}}
*'''{{Pattern|M'tara|focus rifle}}''': while not a particle beam rifle in operation, the ''M'tara'' is descended from the same line of weapons - firing beams of superheated plasma as opposed to ionised hydrogen.{{Ref/Reuse|FocusRifle}}
<gallery class=center>
File:H5G Beam rifle render.png|The {{Pattern|Sulok|beam rifle}}.
File:Halo_5_Beamα.png|The [[Type-50 Alpha beam rifle|T-50α beam rifle]].
File:H5G_H2_Beam_2.png|The [[Type-50 Delta beam rifle|T-50δ beam rifle]].
File:H5G-T27ParticleBeamRifle.png|The {{Pattern|Zubo|beam rifle}}.
File:Halo 5 Beam SotF.png|The ''[[Sword of the Faithful]]'', a customised ''Zubo''-pattern beam rifle.
File:H5G Krith's Left Hand.png|''[[Krith's Left Hand]]'', a customised ''Zubo''-pattern beam rifle.
File:HaloReach-FocusRifle-Profile.png|The ''M'tara''-pattern focus rifle; a distinctly related (albeit functionally different) weapon.
</gallery>

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Covenant rifles}}
[[Category:Particle beam rifles| ]]