Editing Hard light stave

{{Status|Canon}}
'''Hard light staves''' are a kind of melee weapon produced and employed by the [[Forerunner]]s, notably their [[armiger]] constructs. They are sometimes colloquially referred to as '''energy staves''', though are distinctly different weapons to the [[energy stave]]s operated by the [[Covenant Honor Guard]]. Instead, they operate on a principle more similar to the [[Covenant]]'s own [[hard light glaive]]s, employing [[hard light]] as their primary mechanism.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HTD11|HiTD|Chapter=11}}

==Overview==
===Design details===
Hard light staves, as used by armigers, consist of a metal frame with a geometric blade of hard light at the end. While a distinct weapon in their own right, they can be formed in the heat of battle by an armiger should they be disarmed of their conventional weaponry, with the stave's staff forming from parts of the armiger's robotic arm. They can be used by their operators to spin at lightning speed and block incoming weapons fire. {{Ref/Reuse|HTD11}}

==Operational history==
Energy staves were heavily employed by the armiger defensive forces encountered by the joint [[United Nations Space Command]]-[[Swords of Sanghelios]] [[Operation: FAR STORM|expedition]] to [[Installation 00]] in [[2555]].{{Ref/Reuse|HTD11}}{{Ref/Novel|HiTD|Chapter=13}}{{Ref/Novel|HiTD|Chapter=16}}

==Production notes==
Energy staves, as described in ''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'', seem to be based on a [[Cut Halo 5: Guardians weapons|weapon concepted]] for a potential inclusion in ''[[Halo 5: Guardians]]'', which was in mid-development around the time of the novel's writing. In the concepts produced, the stave would have been a weapon wielded by the [[Cut Halo 5: Guardians enemies|similarly-cut]] enemy, the [[Forerunner Cavalier]].{{Ref/Site|Id=PRCavalier|URL=https://thepaulrichards.tumblr.com/post/131981421569/for-freelance-inquiries-contact-paul-richards-at|Site=Tumblr|Page=Paul Richards|D=28|M=12|Y=2022}} The staves' use in the novel may have been inspired by these concepts (shown below). The Cavalier concept would ultimately finalise in the game as the [[Warden Eternal]], who also wields a distinct [[lightblade]].

Also of note, a [[Cut Halo: Reach weapons#Forerunner|"Forerunner staff"]] was a weapon found in builds of ''[[Halo: Reach]]'' - though its intended purpose is unknown.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:HR_ForerunnerStaff.jpg|The <code>forerunner_staff</code> in ''Halo: Reach''{{'}}s DLC tag build.
File:H5G_PRCavalier_Concept_7.jpg|One of the many concept pieces produced showcasing ''Halo 5''{{'}}s cut Cavalier enemy type, complete with a polearm. See [[Forerunner Cavalier|here]] for more concept art.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Hunters in the Dark]]'' {{1st}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}
{{Melee Weapons}}
{{Forerunner|weapons}}
[[Category:Forerunner weapons]]