Editing Beacon tower

{{Status|Canon}}
[[File:Installation04Vertical.jpg|250px|thumb|A beacon tower on [[Installation 04]].]]
{{Quote|Those beacons are part of a ring-wide communications network. They can adapt to any frequency, any purpose.|[[The Weapon]] to [[John-117]].{{Ref/Quest|Id=sequence|HINF|Reformation|The Sequence}}}}
The '''beacon tower''' (sometimes shortened as '''beacon'''),{{Ref/Reuse|sequence}} also known as an '''energy beacon''',{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp34|RP|Chapter=34}} is a [[Forerunner]] structure found on [[shield world]]s,{{Ref/SpOps|Id=mountain|Catherine|Spartan Mountain}} [[Halo Array|Halo rings]],{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22P353|Enc22|Page=353}} and [[Installation 00]].{{Ref/Book|Id=h4evg|H4EVG|Page=215}}

==Overview==
===Architecture===
Beacon towers are large delta-shaped structures typically with a cleave down the approximate center where a beam is emitted upwards to the sky and into space.{{Ref/Novel|TF|Chapter=3}}{{Ref/Level|Id=halo|CE|Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|Halo}} This emits a loud sound that can be heard by those in the surrounding area.{{Ref/Map|Id=Valhalla|H3|Valhalla}}{{Ref/Map|Id=fragmentation|HINF|Fragmentation}} The towers typically feature an open-air elevated platform.{{Ref/Reuse|halo}} The beacons display a variety of minor differences in layout, likely reflecting the multiple purposes they serve: while some hold a small room in its center,{{Ref/Reuse|Valhalla}}{{Ref/Reuse|fragmentation}} others host underground chambers that display a continuous data stream,{{Ref/Reuse|sequence}} which contain data such as logs from the installation's monitor.{{Ref/Game|Id=Log01|HI|Audio log (Halo Infinite)#Archaeological Findings 2|Banished Audio log|Detail=Archeological Findings #01 - Reintroduction}} Furthermore, certain underground chambers have a cathedral-type ceiling cut through with supports and spokes that rose in the center.{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp35|RP|35}} The interior may feature an interface—either on a wall or on a plinth in the center of the chamber—for users to access the beacon's functions or retrieve the data being held in the data stream.{{Ref/Reuse|sequence}}{{Ref/Reuse|mountain}}{{Ref/Reuse|rp35}} 

Beacon towers are commonly positioned within deep canyons to protect the facility from off-world debris, and allow them to leverage the steep environment's natural harmonics to amplify their signals when firing deep into space.{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}} During [[Battle for Zeta Halo|their occupation]] of [[Installation 07]], because of the towers' elevated position over their surrounding areas, the [[Banished]] used the towers as makeshift garrisons or lookout towers.{{Ref/Reuse|rp35}}

===Function===
[[File:HINF Sequence Beam Emitter Terminal.png|thumb|300px|A beacon tower's underground chamber.]]
The beacon towers are built to channel, convert, and refine energy streams of almost any types.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22P353}} Each beacon tower is equipped with a supraluminal communications array;{{Ref/Novel|Id=rp32|RP|Chapter=32}} as such, at their base function, the beacon towers act as communication channels to send specific commands to other remote locations.{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}} This is done via a pulse of energy being fired from the tower towards the sky. The pulse of energy is known to carry at least navigation data and communications protocols.{{Ref/Reuse|mountain}} On Halo rings, the beacon towers serve a multitude of purposes, including ring-wide communication and aiding in the activation process of the ring's primary firing mechanism. On [[Requiem]], beacon towers also function as part of the shield world's [[teleportation grid]], featuring [[Slipspace translocation|teleportation portals]] that can transport objects to various other parts of the installation.{{Ref/SpOps|Id=rallypoint|Didact's Hand|Rally Point}}

Entry to the beacon's interior can be restricted either with a locked door or an energy shield.{{Ref/Reuse|sequence}}{{Ref/Reuse|mountain}} Access to its function can also be locked down, though it could be overridden: during the Battle for Zeta Halo, the installation's [[monitor]] [[117649 Despondent Pyre]] generated a data key that could override the lockout [[Cortana]] had placed on a beacon tower. Furthermore, the data key contained adaptation protocols that instructed the tower to send a superluminal message,{{Ref/Reuse|rp34}} allowing [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan-IV]] [[Nina Kovan]] to transmit the ring's current galactic coordinates as well as pertinent data into human-occupied space during [[Battle of the beacon tower|a battle at a beacon tower]].{{Ref/Reuse|rp35}} Later during the conflict, [[John-117]] and [[the Weapon]] accessed four beacon towers and their data streams to construct the security sequence needed to enter the [[Command Spire (location)|Command Spire]].{{Ref/Reuse|sequence}}

==Production notes==
*The beacon towers in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' were designed and modelled by artist Chris Lee.{{Ref/YouTube|Id=IGN|9ndZbg8Mr-Q|IGN|Halo: Combat Evolved Devs React to Speedrun (Martin O’Donnell, Marcus Lehto)}}
*According to designer [[Jaime Griesemer]] and Art Director [[Marcus Lehto]], the beams emitted from the towers were intended to be high bandwidth communications "lasers" being fired from one side of the ring to the opposite side.{{Ref/Reuse|IGN}} Although this was never explicitly explained in any media released by [[Bungie]]—only being hinted at by the inclusion of an antenna on the beacon tower in [[Forge World]]—it was eventually canonized in ''[[Halo 4]]''{{'}}s ''[[Spartan Ops]]'' and ''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''.{{Ref/Reuse|mountain}}{{Ref/Reuse|h4evg}}
*Beacon towers serve as base buildings on certain multiplayer maps, including [[Infinity (Halo: Combat Evolved map)|Infinity]] in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', [[Valhalla]] in ''Halo 3'', [[Ragnarok]] in ''Halo 4'', and [[Fragmentation]] in ''[[Halo Infinite]]''. On Fragmentation, when a team scores a point, their beacon tower fires a pulse into the sky.
*In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 3'', if the player stands at the top of a beam tower, over the chute in which the beam fires from, the beam can either kill them, sending the player over a hundred feet in the air, or completely pass through the player. When killed by the beam, it will say "''(Player) was killed by the Guardians''".
*During the ''[[Halo Wars 2 Open Beta]]'', the [[Control Tower]]s—which serve as objectives in the [[Domination]] multiplayer mode—heavily resembled the beacon towers. In the final version of ''[[Halo Wars 2]]'', they were redesigned with three prongs.
*For ''Halo Infinite'', the beacon tower's design was built by the Forerunner environment art team; it was one of the first pre-production works done to establish the game's art direction.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://sharlene.artstation.com/projects/3dNWXB|Site=ArtStation|Page=Sharlene Lin - Halo Infinite - Forerunner Environment|D=15|M=7|Y=2024|Quote=This is a forerunner tower that got built by the whole forerunner team. It was one of our first pre-pro works to get the art direction in place.}}

==Gallery==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes}}
===Concept art===
<gallery>
File:HR ForgeWorld Concept 1.jpg|''[[Halo: Reach]]'' concept art of [[Forge World]] and its beacon tower.
File:HR Installation04 BeamEmitter Concept.jpg|''Halo: Reach'' concept art of the beacon tower on Installation 04.
File:H4 ForerunnerBeamHole Concept.jpg|''[[Halo 4]]'' concept art of a Forerunner "beam hole".
File:H4_RequiemBeamTower_Concept.jpg|Concept art for a beam emitter in ''Halo 4''.
File:HI AnnounceTrailer Concept 2.jpg|A beacon tower firing in a piece of concept art for the ''[[Halo Infinite]]'' [[Halo Infinite announcement trailer|announcement trailer]].
File:HINF RiverStructureConcept.jpg|''Halo Infinite'' concept art of a beacon tower connected to a bridge.
File:HINF DesertChopperConcept.jpg|''Halo Infinite'' concept art of a beacon tower in a desert.
File:HINF Concept BeamEmitter1.jpg|Concept art of beacon towers for ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Concept BeamEmitter2.jpg|More concept art of the beacon tower in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Concept BeamEmitter.jpg|Concept art of a beacon tower on Installation 07 for ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF BeamEmitterConcept2.jpg|More concept art of a beacon tower on Installation 07 for ''Halo Infinite''.
</gallery>

===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:HCE - Halo.jpg|A beacon tower on [[Installation 04]] in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:Val ext3.jpg|A beacon tower on [[Valhalla]] in ''Halo 3''.
File:HTMCC-HR ForgeWorldBeacon.png|A beacon tower on [[Forge World]] in ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.
File:Insti04ff.png|A beacon tower on [[Installation 04 (map)|Installation 04]] firing in ''Halo: Reach''.
File:BeamEmitterAnniversary.jpg|A beacon tower on Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary''.
File:H4-MP-Ragnarok-Aerial.jpg|A beacon tower on [[Requiem]] in ''Halo 4''.
File:H5G - Array 1.jpg|The beacon tower on [[Apex 7]] in ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''.
File:HW2B Domination Point.png|The Control Tower in ''[[Halo Wars 2 Open Beta]]'' that resembles a beacon tower.
File:HINF BeamEmitter1.png|A beacon tower on [[Installation 07]] in a pre-release build of ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF BeamEmitterUW.png|An ultrawide shot of a beacon tower at a different time of day in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence Beacon 1.png|A beacon tower on a cliff edge in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence Beacon2.png|A beacon tower firing a pulse in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence Beacon 3.png|A beacon tower located in a valley in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence Beacon 4.png|A beacon tower at the edge of a ring fragment in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Beacon Close.png|A beacon tower, as seen from its base, in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Zeta Halo Forerunner Glyph.png|An [[Eld]]-like Forerunner glyph in a beacon tower in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence Beacon.png|Data stream underneath a beacon tower in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:HINF Sequence J117 Weapon.png|John-117 and the Weapon observe a beacon tower firing a beam in ''Halo Infinite''.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo 3]]''
*''[[Halo: Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]''
*''[[Halo 4]]''
**''[[Spartan Ops]]''
*''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]''
*''[[Halo Infinite]]''
*''[[Halo: The Rubicon Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo: The Television Series Season Two]]''
**''[[Halo (TV Series)|Halo]]''

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

{{Forerunner|array}}
[[Category:Forerunner technology]]