The Pez'tk-pattern fuel rod gun, also known as the Fuel Rod Gun, is a Covenant shoulder-mounted indirect-fire mortar weapon launching explosive fuel rods. In Halo PC, this weapon has a failsafe in campaign that destroys it after the wielder is killed, while in multiplayer, it fires 28 rods from a battery and could overheat. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, the battery and overheating was eliminated and instead it fires clips of 5 rods that fly more slowly and arc less. The Fuel Rod Gun is most commonly wielded by Grunts, but in Halo 3, it is the preferred weapon of Brute War Chieftains. It is generally not available in Halo 2 and Halo 3 multiplayer.
Design
In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Fuel Rod Gun has a purple body and a gray muzzle with a recoil damper. The body and muzzle were changed to a gold color in Halo 2, and it remained this way in Halo 3. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the gun was equipped with a failsafe that destroyed it after the wielder was killed. This almost killed Grace-093[1].
Ammunition
In Halo PC, the Fuel Rod Gun fires 28 bolts from a form of a battery, similarly to other Covenant weapons. But it overheats after five shots, giving down-time similar to reloading in later games. In Halo 2 and 3, it fires rods from an internal magazine. Rods appear to be fed in belts of five through the top of the weapon. In Halo 3, the rods are equipped with an activation delay that protects the wielder from explosions caused by carelessly firing fuel rods into nearby objects, but rods will detonate if they are fired into enemies at point-blank range.
Advantages
The Fuel Rod Gun has a larger clip and a greater rate of fire than the Rocket Launcher, and its rods track slightly and do more damage than Brute Shot grenades. It also has a 2x scope that makes it relatively easy to fire accurately at long range. In Halo 3, it has a safety feature in the form of an activation delay that the Rocket Launcher and Brute Shot lack. In the hands of Marine and Elite allies, the Fuel Rod Gun is far more devastating because allies fire the weapon quickly and accurately, even from vehicles, and allies do not consume ammo as they fire.
Disadvantages
Rods from the Fuel Rod Gun do less damage and have a smaller explosive radius than rockets from the Rocket Launcher. In addition, both rockets and Brute Shot grenades fly more quickly and arc less than Fuel Rods in both Halo 2 and Halo 3. The large size of the weapon obscures the wielder's peripheral vision. Furthermore, the weapon is not completely safe to use; while it has a safety feature, rods will detonate upon impact with any character or vehicle. In Halo 3, the bright color of the weapon makes the wielder easy to spot, even when the weapon is backpacked. While it is possible to give a Fuel Rod Gun to a Grunt ally in Halo 2, Grunts are very careless and often kill themselves, the player's allies, or the player himself.
Tactics
The Fuel Rod Gun is best used against armor at medium range and against enemy positions and gun emplacements at long range.
Campaign
The Fuel Rod Gun in Halo 2 generally appears only on The Arbiter and Uprising. On the former, it is best to collect 30 rods and hold it until the fight with Sesa 'Refumee. On the latter, it is best in the hands of Elites.
In Halo 3, the Fuel Rod Gun appears far more frequently. The best thing to do with it is to give it to a Marine, who then rides shotgun. It is very useful against enemy heavy armor and gun emplacements, but it is not effective against light armor and infantry.
Multiplayer
In Halo PC, the Fuel Rod Gun is best used as a mortar to bombard the enemy base. It has an advantage of being able to hit enemies that are in cover and over hills, a feature otherwise only possible through the use of grenades. If the wielder uses it against vehicles, correct lead is essential.
In Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Fuel Rod Gun does not appear in multiplayer unless it is added through Forge.
Advanced
On "The Broken Path," the Fuel Rod Gun can be used to destroy the two Phantoms: fire four rods into one of the engines, and the Phantom will explode. A wielder using it to combat heavy armor should aim for the engine or the plasma mortar; the Wraith will go down in three shots. Experienced players can use the safety feature to send rods around corners.
UNSC Remarks
- “Those things are scary as hell. Ya hear that weird “whump” sound and even if ya see it comin' you're transfixed—these big green blobs flying at you throwin’ off sparks!”
- “It’s so weird. I don’t know who first called it a Fuel Rod Gun, but it’s kinda funny. I suppose the projectile is reminiscent of how you might expect to see a nuclear fuel rod depicted in a gee eh cartoon—all glowing green and throwing off sparks.”
- “They’re pretty tricky to handle—first off you gotta get over the fact that there is this glowing, green explosive whatever right next to your head; and it’s not like you can requisition any more ammo for the damn thing—but you can lay down a whole lotta hurt in a very short amount of time I’ll tell you that.”
- “The Type-33s have more in common with the ballistic weapon on the Banshee than it does with the weapon that the Hunters carry around—well, not carry around, but you know what I mean.”
- “I catch a glimpse of green out of the corner of my eye and then there’s this huge “whoomf” and the ‘Hog goes end over end burning with Gaz still at the wheel. I was riding shotty with the em forty-one so I just unlatched and pushed off when we started going up into the air and there went the ‘Hog and Gaz and all our gear cart-wheeling into the ravine.”
- “No sooner had I put the Grunt down than Fisk has got a hold of that bad boy and dumps the whole clip into the column—stickies and everything just cooking off—secondaries like mad! Fisk was a crazy bastard he was—wish he was still with us.”
Character Compatibility
Trivia
Glitches
- When a player wields a Fuel Rod Gun, there is a slightly longer delay between the priming of a grenade and the throwing of the grenade.
- When a Marine wields a Fuel Rod Gun, the animation is the same as for the Rocket Launcher, which has a slightly different orientation of the front grip.
- In Halo 2, Grunts react very strongly to receiving Fuel Rod Guns. When they perform their animation, one arm extends through the weapon.
References
- With the Juicy Filter enabled, the Fuel Rod Gun appears purple.
Discrepancies
- There is a discrepancy about how much the weapon actually weighs. In Halo: First Strike, Corporal Locklear had difficulty lifting the gun when he attempted to shoulder it. However, Grunts seem to have no problem hefting the gun around in Halo: Combat Evolved, so whether the situation is between the gun's weight or a comparison of Grunts' and Marines' strengths is unknown. It is strongly believed however, that Grunts are in fact stronger than their size lets on. Also, the model of the Fuel Rod Gun used in Halo: CE and First Strike might have been heavier than the most recent variants, or Locklear never expected the thing to be so heavy.
Sources
- ^ Halo, First Strike, chapter 20, page 187
Gallery
A Special Operations Grunt with a Fuel Rod Gun in Halo: Combat Evolved.
- 1215454542 Spartanwithfuelrodgun.jpg
A Spatan with a Fuel Rod Gun in Halo: PC Multiplayer.
- 1210493411 Elite Commander.jpg
An Elite with a Fuel Rod Gun. Note the one-handed grip.
A Fuel Rod that has not yet been activated.
A Fuel Rod in mid-flight.
- 1212466468 Fuel Rod Gun.gif
A Fuel Rod Gun render.
