Editing Shade

[[File:H2A - Grunt on Shade.jpg|thumb|300px|An [[Unggoy Minor]] manning a {{Pattern|Eeo'Pimu|Shade}} on [[Installation 05]].]]

'''Shades''', more formally designated by the [[Covenant]] as '''Gun Pods''' and by the [[United Nations Space Command]] as '''Anti-Infantry Stationary Guns''', are a series of standardised defensive turret emplacements used by the Covenant and its [[Covenant remnants|remnants]]. They consist of manned stationary gun turrets that are easily air-deployable via [[dropship]] and are extremely varied in design - with dozens of [[design pattern]] variations to account for ever-changing battlefield needs and the ergonomic requirements of the Covenant's client species.{{Ref/Book|Id=Enc22|Enc22|Page=302-303}} Shade variants vary in shape and role, but are similar enough in function and purpose to be grouped into the same category.{{Ref/Site|Id=universe|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/weapons/shade|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Shade Turret|D=30|M=09|Y=2016}}{{Ref/Book|EVG|Page=171}}

Shade turrets were once exclusively designed and manufactured by the [[Assembly Forges]] of [[High Charity]]. After the holy city [[Fall of High Charity|fell]] to the [[Flood]] and was later [[Raid on High Charity|destroyed]] by [[John-117]], [[Achoem Weapons]]—based in [[Tolvuus]], [[Sanghelios]]—maintains the long-standing tradition of manufacturing the Shade turret.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

==Design details==

[[File:HCE-T29ShadeASG-Screen.jpg|thumb|250px|A pair of {{Pattern|Mamua'uda|Shade}}s operated by [[Unggoy]] on [[Installation 04]].]]

The Shades serve as the Covenant's primary stationary gun turrets and are commonly operated by [[Unggoy]]. Virtually all models of the Shade offer a wide field of fire by virtue of their mobile turret chassis nestled on a 360-degree traversal anti-gravity mount. The Covenant use this to their advantage and place Shades at strategic points where they can do the most damage, often around their outposts or [[Military base|bases]]; more permanent facilities are usually also equipped with heavier {{Pattern|Kewu Umppi'pa'|citadel turret}}s. Though most of the Shade models fill an anti-infantry role, anti-vehicle and anti-air variants of the Shade turrets also exist.

Anti-infantry Shade guns fire bolts of slow moving, high-powered plasma encased in magnetic fields. The accuracy of a Shade's weapon is fairly low, as the bolts of plasma fired can hit anywhere within the aiming reticle. The anti-infantry Shade is effective against most infantry. However, due to their high intelligence, [[Sangheili]] will often find cover and escape the Shade's range of fire. On this same note, the bolts fired lack the required punch to damage [[Mgalekgolo]], whose armor and combat shield can withstand most Covenant and UNSC small firearms, causing the plasma bolts to have little to no effect on them. It has shown good defense against light vehicles such as the [[Ghost]], and in desperate situations, can serve as anti-aircraft defense, requiring only a few direct hits to destroy a [[Banshee]].

Categorising the vast array of Shade [[design pattern]] variants has proven a challenge for [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] analysts, due to the Covenant's disregard for standardised doctrine. For thousands of years at the empire's height, fleets were simply provisioned with "Shades", with chassis and armaments styles that would be unrecognisable to a modern observer. ONI [[Type classification system|type-classifications]] group Shades by the year in which they were first encountered - by contrast, the Covenant's methodology for Shade deployments was ultimately decided by the aesthetic whims of the [[San'Shyuum]] official in charge of supplying a given military unit.{{Ref/Reuse|universe}}

*'''[[Type-25 Shade]]''' - a rarely-seen variant of Shade, and considered by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to be a slightly newer variation of the ''Murien''-pattern [[heavy plasma cannon]] installed on the {{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}} dropship.{{Ref/Site|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/universe/vehicles/spirit|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=Spirit|D=01|M=11|Y=2020}}

*'''{{Pattern|Bmur'resh|Shade}}''' - a variant based on the ''Eeo'Pimu''-pattern, designed by the [[Sangheili]] in the [[Post-Covenant War conflicts|post-war era]] without the restrictions upon firepower imposed by the [[San'Shyuum]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*'''{{Pattern|Eeo'Pimu|Shade}}''' - a lightweight and portable Shade variant developed for [[Covenant Special Operations]] units and [[Covenant fleet|fleets]] serving directly under [[Hierarchs]].{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*'''{{Pattern|Mamua'uda|Shade}}''' - one of the oldest Shade variants in use, and one especially prized by Covenant commanders due to its antiquity.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*'''{{Pattern|Preksheda|Shade}}''' - the most common Shade used during the [[Human-Covenant War]]. The ''Preksheda'' is a modular and extremely versatile Shade variant, with alternate weapons fittings including anti-armour [[fuel rod cannon]]s and anti-air rapid-fire plasma cannons.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*'''{{Pattern|Rizsheda|Shade}}''' - an alternate variation on the ''Preksheda'', with more focus on gunner protection - though not as commonly used.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

*'''{{Pattern|Sho'riru|Shade}}''' - a post-war variant most predominantly used by [[Jul 'Mdama's Covenant]], prized for its extraordinary rate of fire and considered to be without equal.{{Ref/Reuse|Enc22}}

File:H5G - Shade render.png|''Bmur'resh''-pattern Shade

A number of Shade offshoots have been designed for use by the [[Banished]].

*'''[[Bolroci Workshop Shade]]''' - a shade highly based on the {{Pattern|Preksheda|Shade|}} design, though with [[energy shielding]] installed for gunner protection.

*'''[[Banished Shade|Shade (Halo Wars 2)]]''' - an unidentified model used by Banished forces [[Second Ark Conflict|occupying]] the [[Installation 00|Ark]].

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File:HINF ShadeTurret Crop.png|[[Bolroci Workshop Shade]]

*In [[Forge/Halo: Reach|Halo: Reach's Forge]], the shade turret is the only Covenant vehicle that can be colored based on the team, only changing the base of the turret