Cloaking

This article is about the piece of equipment in Halo 3. For the technology and the in-game items in other games, see active camouflage.

Cloaking
Production overview
Type:	Equipment
Specifications
Duration:	Single use (12 seconds)
Service history
In service:	Human-Covenant War Great Schism

Cloaking is an infantry-portable active camouflage module developed by the Covenant.

Overview

Design details

While active camouflage technology was reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology by the Huragok, Cloaking modules specifically were developed by the Jiralhanae, intended for use against the United Nations Space Command or heretic factions within the Covenant itself.

They visually resemble the Invincibility modules used by the Jiralhanae, though with a blue colouration as opposed to gold. When activated, they grant the user a single-use temporary active camouflage field lasting for roughly twelve seconds. Unlike armor ability modules like the Type-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage, the cloaking field is only a single-use item and cannot be used again once expended.

Gameplay

Halo 3

Cloaking appears as a form of equipment in Halo 3. Once activated, it has the same basic function as active camouflage from Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2: it renders the user nearly invisible. Unlike active camouflage in the previous games, cloaking is a piece of equipment—it can be activated whenever the player chooses to, whereas active camouflage is automatically activated when the player collects it. In addition to being more portable, cloaking is also more effective in Halo 3 than Combat Evolved's active camouflage - while in Halo: Combat Evolved, the entire body can be seen faintly, in Halo 3, only a faint shimmer can be noticed. There is a disadvantage to cloaking, however -- it only lasts for ten seconds, after which its effect fades over the course of an additional two seconds.

Like active camouflage, firing a weapon, performing a melee, tossing a grenade or coming under fire slowly begins to disrupt the effects of invisibility and brings the user into sight. Cloaking also does not mask environmental effects or any shadows cast by the user, so it is less effective on maps where footprints can be left or where shadows can easily be seen.

The symbol for the cloaking on the heads-up display resembles the active camouflage power-up from the first two games - a triangle with an eye in the middle. Enemies will not notice you while you are camouflaged as long as you do not do anything to disrupt it, as noted above, or bump into them. If you activate it in plain sight during a battle, enemies will still know your location. It should be noted that Brute Chieftains can occasionally sense your location, turning slowly as you move and attacking if you get within a few feet.

Cloaking can be found on many levels in campaign, but it is not present in multiplayer. Cloaking is first seen in Halo 3's second campaign level, Crow's Nest. Cloaking appears most frequently on the Halo 3 Campaign level Cortana. It can be quite helpful on Heroic, Legendary, and Mythic.

Trivia

• Like the Invincibility, the Cloaking module's design is based on that of a early revision of the bubble shield. In the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition) and its 2011 reprint, an image is shown of a Cloaking module in its activate state using an image of the early bubble shield's model.
• The Cloaking HUD icon resembles the top of the pyramid seen on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States. The seal can be found on United States Federal Reserve Notes.

Gallery

• 

  The Cloaking HUD icon.

• 

  Alternate view of the Cloaking device.

• 

  The Cloaking powerup device in Halo 3.

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  Cloaking is often found on darker levels, or in darker areas of levels.

List of appearances

• Halo 3 (First appearance)