Kig-Yar Sniper
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
| Sniper | |
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Ruuhtian
 Ibie'shan
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Function: |
Long-range combat, support |
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Species: |
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Affiliation: |
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Other role(s): |
Reconnaissance, assassination |
- "The only thing worse than Jackals are Jackals with sniper rifles!"
- — Anonymous Marine during the Battle of Mombasa[6]
The Kig-Yar Sniper is a specialized combat role for Kig-Yar in the Covenant and its remnants. They are highly skilled marksmen, though they are not deployed as often as their infantry comrades. Unlike most Kig-Yar, Snipers rarely make use of personal energy shields.[3][7][8][9]
Overview[edit]
Roles and responsibilities[edit]
Kig-Yar Snipers are generally tasked with roles revolving around long-range combat, sniper support, scouting, and assassinations. Kig-Yar Snipers have served in the Covenant military for centuries. The role of Kig-Yar Snipers has been viewed as critical to achieve success in most groundside engagements. Only battle-hardened veteran Kig-Yar are chosen to become a part of the Sniper class.[10] All Kig-Yar are born gifted with extraordinarily acute senses of sight, hearing, and smell, making them adept as scouts and snipers in the Covenant military.[8] The Kig-Yar's natural ability and skill at stealth makes them efficient hunters.[11] Exceptionally skilled in precision shooting, Kig-Yar snipers wield beam rifles or Covenant carbines to great effect, eliminating long-range targets that are often hidden from sight.[8] Kig-Yar Snipers were often used as lookouts posted on patrol or on sniper perches around Covenant installations and military bases. These lookout positions would be rotated multiple times a day between several Kig-Yar.[12]
History[edit]
Following the Human-Covenant War, Kig-Yar Snipers continued to serve in Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant, holding largely the same position that they once did in the Covenant military. Some Kig-Yar Snipers also served as mercenaries in Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group[5] and the Banished.[13][4]
Equipment[edit]
Armor[edit]
Kig-Yar Snipers are protected by a moderate amount of armor. They are largely distinguished among their Kig-Yar brethren by their ocular enhancement helmet—targeting headgear that is smart-linked to their weapon of choice, which provides the Kig-Yar Sniper with targeting capabilities including an enhanced zoom that allows the sniper to target hostiles at extreme distances.[8][11] The helmet comes in at least four varieties; a dark grey one with a holographic display on the left used during the Fall of Reach[14], a silver one with a light on the left eyes mostly used by the Covenant during and after the Battle of Mombasa[15][16], a fully enclosed one with a cyclopic light in the middle used by the snipers that serve Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction,[1][17] and finally the one used by the Banished, which can be customized with a variety of different optics.[4] Some Kig-Yar Snipers in 'Mdama's Covenant are equipped with Type-3 active camouflage armor plug-ins for additional stealth.[18] The armor donned by the Kig-Yar Sniper class was slightly more protective and covering than the armor worn by other classes of Kig-Yar—in both the original Covenant and 'Mdama's faction. Some snipers wear colored armor to blend in with their surroundings.[19][20] Unlike most Kig-Yar, snipers did not equip themselves with personal energy shields.[11]
Weaponry[edit]
Kig-Yar Snipers in service with the Covenant military were armed with a variety of weapons. For long range combat positions, snipers were generally armed with Gadulo-pattern needle rifles, Sulok-pattern beam rifles, and M'tara-pattern focus rifle. For medium range encounters, Kig-Yar would be armed with Vostu-pattern carbines or Mosa-pattern carbines. In the event of a close-quarter encounter, snipers equipped Type-25 plasma pistols as a sidearm. Kig-Yar Snipers serving in Jul 'Mdama's reformed Covenant faction during the Battle of Requiem and Requiem Campaign were mostly armed with Zubo-pattern beam rifles and occasionally Kelos'vaarda-pattern storm rifles or Elo'Nakada-pattern concussion rifles, in addition to the Type-51 carbine.[1] By October 2558, snipers in service of Jul 'Mdama's Covenant began to use Mosa-pattern carbines.[17] Banished Kig-Yar Snipers deployed on Installation 07 in 2560 made heavy use of the Elutuzem-pattern stalker rifle during the conflict on the surface of the ring.[4]
Gameplay[edit]
Generally, Kig-Yar Snipers are considered as support units to other Covenant forces when engaging an enemy. With their superior accuracy, the Kig-Yar Snipers can eliminate any enemy from a distance with their long range weaponry. They are known to snipe from hard to reach places such as ledges, cliffs, rooftops, Covenant watchtowers, and occasionally large branches on trees which provide them a wide view of the battleground, and more importantly, conceal their location. Their positions are often easily revealed when they fire their weapons.
Kig-Yar Snipers often wear headpieces which emit a faint purple glow. This glow can be seen from a distance, thus giving away the sniper's position. On lower difficulties, Kig-Yar Snipers are commonly seen with Covenant carbines, though snipers armed with particle beam rifles will still be encountered, albeit less frequently. On higher difficulties, they are more commonly seen to wield the particle beam rifle. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, a single particle beam rifle shot on the Legendary difficulty will kill the player, regardless of the hit location. In Halo: Reach, Kig-Yar Snipers wield needle rifles and focus rifles instead of carbines and particle beam rifles, preventing them from achieving one-hit kills. In Halo 4, Kig-Yar Snipers are nearly always seen with beam rifles, with Kig-Yar Rangers being the primary wielders of carbines. Some snipers also wield storm rifles.
The most efficient and effective way to eliminate Kig-Yar Snipers is by using a long-range weapon such as the sniper rifle, battle rifle, Covenant carbine, particle beam rifle, lightrifle, or binary rifle and by firing from afar without them discovering the player's location. Sidearms with mounted scopes such as the M6C/SOCOM are also exceptional at killing them, provided that the player aims at the head. Medium-range weaponry such as the Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle, the SMG, and the assault rifle can suppress the sniper, allowing the player to finish them off with a quick melee. Sometimes if the player gets close enough to a sniper and is detected by it, it may drop its rifle and flee. Snipers in Halo 4, however, will almost never flee from melee combat, instead firing their weapon at close range.
Production notes[edit]
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Browse more images in this article's gallery page. |
It is stated on the Bungie site that only battle hardened veterans are selected to become Jackal Snipers. This could suggest that as well as being a special type of rank, Sniper is an elevated rank either for Kig-Yar Majors, or that the rank exists between Kig-Yar Minor and Major. However, their duties do not tend to involve commanding other troops.[citation needed]
Trivia[edit]
- In Halo 2, the Kig-Yar Snipers do not wear helmets, instead wearing a silver combat suit.
- In Halo Wars, an upgrade for Kig-Yar anti-infantry units replaces their weapons with particle beam rifles, implying that all Kig-Yar can become snipers. In addition, these Kig-Yar do not lose the ability to wear the species' trademark energy shield gauntlets.
- In Halo 4, Kig-Yar Snipers can be colored red, orange, blue/grey, or green. In the missions Infinity and Requiem, green snipers can blend in with the vegetation if a player is inattentive.
Gallery[edit]
Concept art and illustrations[edit]
Halo Wars concept art of a Kig-Yar sniper roost.
A Kig-Yar Sniper on a scouting outpost on an unnamed moon in the Headhunters motion comic.
Thel 'Vadam slaying a Kig-Yar Sniper part of a mercenary group in Halo: Escalation.
Halo 2[edit]
A Kig-Yar Sniper standing guard.
A Kig-Yar Sniper takes aim.
A Kig-Yar Sniper under the command of a Sangheili in Another Day at the Beach.
Halo 3[edit]
Full-body portrait of a Kig-Yar Sniper.
A close-up of the Kig-Yar Sniper's head gear.
Kig-Yar wielding a Vostu-pattern carbine.
A Kig-Yar Sniper wielding a Sulok-pattern beam rifle.
Closeup of a Kig-Yar Sniper aiming a particle beam rifle.
Kig-Yar Snipers shooting with their carbines in Crow's Nest.
Halo Wars[edit]
Two Kig-Yar Snipers with Vostu-pattern carbines.
Two Kig-Yar Snipers upgraded to carry Kig-Yar point defense gauntlets.
Two Kig-Yar Snipers upgraded to carry point defense gauntlets and beam rifles.
Halo: Reach[edit]
A Kig-Yar Sniper onboard Ardent Prayer.
A Kig-Yar Sniper in Firefight.
Halo 4[edit]
Render of a Kig-Yar Sniper.
A Kig-Yar Sniper on Requiem wielding a Mosa-pattern carbine.
A Kig-Yar stationed at an elevated location during the Battle of Requiem.
A Kig-Yar Sniper taking aim in Spartan Ops.
Halo 2: Anniversary[edit]
A Kig-Yar Sniper with a Special Operations Sangheili.
A Kig-Yar Sniper on Installation 05.
John-117 targeting Kig-Yar Snipers.
Halo 5: Guardians[edit]
A Kig-Yar Sniper with a Zubo-pattern beam rifle.
Another Kig-Yar sniper on Escape from ARC.
A Kig-Yar Sniper with a T-57B carbine on Attack on Sanctum.
A Kig-Yar Sniper on Urban.
Halo Infinite[edit]
Two Banished Kig-Yar Snipers beside a cliffside on Installation 07.
A Banished Kig-Yar Sniper getting spooked by two UNSC Marines in Halo Infinite.
A Banished Kig-Yar Sniper and an Unggoy Assault on Installation 07.
A Banished Kig-Yar Sniper's headgear projecting a laser.
A Banished Kig-Yar Sniper's headgear emitting a purple glow.
Two Banished Kig-Yar Snipers seen from the front.
Banished Kig-Yar sniper with a headgear that has an antenna on its right side.
Kig-Yar snipers with different headgears.
A Banished Kig-Yar Sniper seen from the back.
Dahks, a Kig-Yar sniper assigned to a joint-operations Swords of Sanghelios strike-team, with a human sniper rifle.
List of appearances[edit]
- Halo 2 (First appearance)
- Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
- Halo 3
- Halo: The Cole Protocol
- Halo Wars
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo Legends
- Halo: Evolutions
- Dirt
- Headhunters
- The Return (Motion comic only)
- Halo: Reach
- Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
- Halo 4
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo 2: Anniversary
- Halo 5: Guardians
- Halo: Ground Command
- Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
- Halo Infinite
- Halo: Battle for the Blood-Moon
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b c d Halo 4
- ^ Halo 2: campaign gameplay
- ^ a b Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition), page 146-147
- ^ a b c d Halo Infinite
- ^ a b Halo: Escalation, issue #1
- ^ Halo 2, campaign level Outskirts
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 100
- ^ a b c d Halo Waypoint, Halo 4 Interactive Guide (Retrieved on Nov 1, 2012) [archive]
- ^ Halo 4: Official Game Guide, page 52: Collector's Edition
- ^ Bungie.net, Stats (Retrieved on Nov 14, 2014) [archive]
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition), page 154-155
- ^ Halo: Evolutions - Headhunters, page 165-167
- ^ Halo Wars 2: campaign gameplay
- ^ Halo: Reach
- ^ Halo 3: campaign gameplay
- ^ Halo 3: ODST
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians
- ^ Halo 4 - Spartan Ops, campaign mission Scattered: Search and Destroy
- ^ Halo 4, campaign level Infinity
- ^ Halo 4, campaign level Requiem
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