M19 SSM Rocket Launcher
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Template:Weapon The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher[1] is a heavy ordnance weapon used by UNSC forces in the Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2[2] eras to combat armored vehicles. It features a 2x scope. It is designed so that it can be used by all UNSC Marine Corps personnel. It is also known as the SPNKr, or "Spanker" for the letters painted on the side, as a reference to its namesake from Bungie's previous Marathon franchise.
Summary
The M19 SSM Rocket Launcher, alternatively called the SPNKr, Jackhammer, Rox, or Hunter Killer (by some fans, due to its effective use against Hunters and their heavy armor) is a heavy ordnance weapon of the UNSC arsenal used in Halo: Combat Evolved. It fires H.E.A.T. (High Explosive Anti-Tank) rockets. The launcher sports a 2x scope and can fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy, although in it falls in altitude and moves at a very slow rate if fired from a long distance.
The weapon consists of two disposable barrels and the weapon unit, allowing two consecutive shots. When reloading, the spent barrels are discarded and a new pair inserted. With this mechanism, a Marine can greatly reduce the weight he carries without throwing the weapon away, and reduced production costs as only the barrels are thrown away. A Spartan wielding one is also very effective, since their augmentations have given them the ability to wield both a Rocket Launcher and a small sidearm at the same time, though this is only seen in a cinematic in the Halo 2 level Delta Halo, and cannot be done during actual gameplay. Still, it is a heavy ordnance weapon and is very effective at killing the enemy, but if fired at a target that is too close, the blast can and most likely will kill the user.
Advantages
The Rocket Launcher spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area. It is capable of taking out entire groups of targets at any range and can kill both the passengers and crew of nearly any vehicle (with the exception of the Scorpion Tank or Wraith which takes two to three hits) with one direct hit. It is very useful for killing Hunters, which are often the most difficult enemies to kill. For an anti-tank weapon it is capable of inflicting mass damage to tanks and wraiths because of its ability to quickly launch two consecutive shots, so it is effective in close range assaults against tanks. It was originally possible to kill someone with a single running or jumping version of the Rocket Launcher's melee attack. This has since been corrected. Also in Halo 2 and 3 it has a nice propulsion alternative for the "grenade jump" if done correctly. With the Rocket Launcher you do not have to have perfect aim as the blast's splash damage will be enough to kill them. The lock-on feature in Halo 2 makes aiming much easier and makes killing vehicles almost a guarantee. This feature was deleted in Halo 3 since the Missile Pod has the lock-on feature in a package that Bungie considers to be more balanced gameplay-wise. The rocket launcher is also very hard to dodge.
Disadvantages
A number of factors balance the rocket launcher's sheer power:
- The rocket, though powerful, is implemented in-game as an anti-vehicle weapon, not designed for engaging dismounted infantry. Consequently, for balance reasons, many enemies who would have perished had they been in a vehicle can survive. For example, Elite Zealots within a vehicle cannot survive, while Zealots engaging in direct combat will merely lose their shields and some health.
- Its reload time is quite slow - about three to five seconds.
- The rockets leave a trail of black smoke in their wake, giving away the operator's position and necessitating a fire-and-displace strategy of engagement.
- Ammunition is often limied or unavailable, and the player can carry only 10 rockets.
- The blast of a rocket can severely injure or kill its operator if fired carelessly into surrounding terrain or at an enemy at extremely close range.
- The rocket travels slowly enough to be dodged, and trying to hit moving vehicles from long range will require very precise timing and a predictable opponent. In Halo 2, this is not an issue due to the homing missiles. Also the Rocket Launcher has only two rockets, leaving the operator vulnerable during the long reload time if another weapon is not loaded and ready. The Fuel Rod Gun is better for rapidly firing more than two shots in succession, but sacrifices destructive power.
- If the game jumps when you are about to kill someone you could aim at the ground by mistake and fire, killing yourself.
Halo: Combat Evolved
The Rocket launcher of Halo: CE is known to be the strongest out of all in the Halo universe, for example one shot can destroy a Ghost or a Banshee, and kill you at point-blank range, even with full overshields on. It holds up to 10 rockets (2 in the barrel and 8 in reload position). The size of the Rocket launcher is bigger than the one in Halo 2. Also, it shoots slower than its Halo 2 and Halo 3 counterparts, but can kill a large group of enemies. A downside to this variant of the rocket launcher is that it doesn't lock on to an enemy vehicle like in Halo 2. However, in Halo: Combat Evolved Campaign, enemy Ghosts, Wraiths and even Banshees are driven in straight lines, making them very easy to destroy when moving towards you. Usually, it only takes one rocket to kill a Hunter on lower difficulties.
Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2
- Maximum ammo 8 rockets instead of 10.
- Different firing sound effect.
- Faster reload.
- Faster melee.
- Locks on to vehicles.
- Ammunition indicated in scope when zoomed in.
- HUD ammo indicator illustration changed.
- Less firepower & splash damage.
Effective Against
Regularly most enemies, vehicles, and even particularly heavier vehicles such as the Wraith and Scorpion can be succumbed by one shot; one accurate shot can kill a Scorpion's driver in Halo: Combat Evolved. Two quick shots to the front or close up on the flank will destroy it. A Wraith may take two hits to the front before getting destroyed. Sometimes, it will take three, but in certain instances it will take one hit in the back to destroy it if the shot hits the exact weak spot. However, against enemy vehicles on their flanks and at medium ranges it is arguably useless and ineffective over the map, unless in flat terrain and using extreme leading. It performs poorly against Ghosts and Warthogs due to their high speed and agility. If fired at an oncoming vehicle at medium range it can usually be avoided. It can also be used with deadly efficiency in some of the indoor multiplayer levels if the player can predict the rockets impact point and where the target will be at that given time. This is easier than it sounds due to the "splash" radius of the rocket.
Ammo
M19 Surface to Surface Missile (x2) 102mm Shaped-Charge High-Explosive (as shown on Ammo Box in Halo Graphic Novel). It has a very lethal explosion and when it hits a vehicle it releases a jet of what is essentially magma into the vehicle, crippling it.
Influences
Apart from its lock-on ability in Halo 2, the M19 SSM is essentially a Halo Universe copy of the SPNKR-X18 SSM Launcher from the Marathon series, making the "SPNKr" on the side of the M19 SSM a possible inside joke for fans of Bungie's former series. The M19 is also nicknamed the "Spanker" due to the "SPNKr" labeling on the launcher and the rectangular cases that contain rocket ammunition.
Character Compatibility
- Spartans
- Elites (Halo 2 and Halo 3)
- Marines
- Flood Combat Form (Human)
- Grunts (Can be given to them in Uprising.)
Trivia
- This version of the Rocket launcher has a TEST button that, when pressed, spins the barrels around. This animation only happens when the player is idle.
- The rocket launcher in Marathon bore the same name, SPNKr (which is stenciled onto the side of the Rocket Launcher).
- Gamestop released a Halo 3 Rocket Launcher missile case game holder to coincide with the release of Halo 3.
- The letters on the side say "SPNKr", which is pronounced "Spanker", prompting some players to yell "Spanked!" after killing an enemy with a rocket melee.
- According to the diagram on the side of the Rocket Launcher, everybody using it is holding it on the wrong side. The only exception is the Master Chief in the Delta Halo cinematic.
- In the novel Halo: The Flood, Hunters can actually deflect rockets (that is, redirect it). This is highly improbable, as the rocket explodes the moment it comes in contact with anything, unless it is hit at its side. So a possible explanation is that the Hunters mentioned timed it perfectly and gave it a swift hit at the rocket's side. John-117 performed a similar feat with the help of Cortana during a test on Reach.
- In Halo 2, if a player drives a vehicle to the top of the hill in a given map, and another player stands a certain distance away, locks on, drags the aiming reticule away to a certain point, and releases, the rocket will actually fly around the vehicle in a perfect circle until something gets in the way or the hill player moves. Furthermore, if the player in the vehicle gets out, the rocket will stop homing on to the vehicle and fly off at a random circular trajectory. This glitch is also seen in Halo 3 with the missile pod.
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo: PC, it is often referred to as the rocket "lawn chair".
- While your shields are upgraded to Overshield status, aim at the ground, jump, and fire a rocket at your jumps peak to be given a moderate jump boost. This is because the explosive shock wave of the rocket launcher causes you to fly a little, but is also only possible because during the short (around 2.5 second) period that your overshields charge, you are temporarily invincible.
- Strangely, in Halo: CE, it is the only weapon which Marines cannot pick up (even if you bump-possess them). This is because they do not have the animation for it.
- If you seat yourself as a passenger in an enemy's Warthog in Halo 2, and have the Rocket Launcher with you, you can lock onto to the vehicle as long as the driver is not on your team. It takes one to two shots to kill you both, although the gunner can survive.
- The only known image of a Marine wielding the Rocket Launcher in the "Combat Evolved"-era is on the concept cover for Halo: The Flood in the lower left-hand corner.
- Douglas-042 uses this weapon in the campaign of Halo Wars.
- Strangely, the M19 is written as "M41 SSR MAV/AV" in-game. This is wrong, as it is actually an M19 SSM.
- With the help of the sputnik skull, a rocket launcher melee in Halo 2 will instantly kill anyone, if falling down from a jump, without shields (besides hunters) and some shielded enemies. This also goes for the master chief's shields as hitting your co op team mate will instantly kill him. Although an Ultra Elite's shields are too strong and can withstand it.
Sources
- ^ In the Halo PC manual
- ^ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/h/halo2/gamemanual.htm
