The Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer, also known as the Gravity Hammer, is the largest Jiralhanae weapon in the game, usually wielded with both hands, intended for close combat.
Introduction
The Gravity Hammer is essentially an over-sized blunt hammer that serves as an excellent melee weapon because of its tremendous weight and through the 'brute' strength of its intended user species. It can also manipulate gravity, altering it to propel objects and living beings alike away from its bearer.
The Gravity Hammer was first seen in Halo 2, although it was unusable by the player at the time. In Halo 3 a weaker and much more common variant of the Gravity Hammer appears and can be used. It is used primarily by Brute Chieftains.
The most notable Gravity Hammer is the Fist of Rukt, which was wielded by the greatest[1] Brute Chieftain, Tartarus[2] before he died.
Fist of Rukt
- Main article: Fist of Rukt
The Fist of Rukt was Tartarus's personal battle hammer. It was passed down from Brute Chieftain to Brute Chieftain in a Brute pack, and belonged to Maccabeus before Tartarus overthrew him and took the legendary hammer. This is stated in Halo: Contact Harvest. It also seems that the hammer had no effect on gravity at the time of Halo: Contact Harvest, but was upgraded around the time of Halo 2.
Appearances
Gravity Hammers were never seen or mentioned in Halo: Combat Evolved, and are only wieldable in Halo 3.
Halo 2
Tartarus was always seen with his personal Gravity Hammer, the Fist of Rukt.
After the conclusion of the Battle of the Gas Mine and after the Arbiter killed the Heretic Leader (Sesa' Refumee), Tartarus appeared on the scene, using his Gravity Hammer to freeze 343 Guilty Spark, and send the Oracle hurtling towards the hammer. Tartarus proceeded to pluck it out of the air and dispose of 343 Guilty Spark up the Gravity Lift of a nearby Phantom.
After the conclusion of the Battle of the Quarantine Zone on Installation 05, Miranda Keyes and Avery Johnson of the UNSC were able to retrieve the Sacred Icon from Delta Halo's Library. The Arbiter, however, knocked both of them unconscious, and Tartarus once again appeared on the scene. The Chieftain of the Brutes was able to levitate Miranda towards himself with his hammer. Subsequently, Tartarus used the Fist of Rukt to attack the Arbiter, using the gravity shock wave to send the Arbiter flying into a seemingly bottomless pit.
At the Control Room of Installation 05, the Arbiter, Johnson, numerous Elite Councilors, Zealots, Ultras and Special Operations Elites attempted to kill Tartarus and deactivate Installation 05. The Fist of Rukt was one of Tartarus's few advantages, and despite being heavily outnumbered, the massive area effect damage was able to send most of the Elites flying into oblivion, and stalwart Sangheili that attempted to attack Tartarus at close range with Energy Swords were beaten to death by the massive Fist of Rukt. After the Arbiter and Johnson killed Tartarus, the Fist of Rukt fell from the Brute Chieftain's limp hands, although its fate afterwards is uncertain. It is possible that the Elites kept it as a trophy to remember their bloody war against the Brutes. The hammer is unusable by players in Halo 2.
Starry Night
- Main article: Starry Night
The first hinting of the Gravity Hammer's appearance in Halo 3 was seen in the "Starry Night" TV spot released on December 4, 2006. In the very end of the trailer (00:52), one of the Brute Chieftains that SPARTAN-117 was about to attack was carrying a Gravity Hammer.
Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?
- Main article: Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?
In the video documentary Et Tu, Brute? released December 20, 2006, there were a few animations of Brutes using Gravity Hammers, and Brutes in game play that were wielding hammers in mostly untextured alpha builds. The hammers were unique in the fact that when they swung, a massive electric blue shock wave was projected in a spherical blast from the tip of the hammer, mirroring a Plasma Grenade's detonation, except possibly larger and stronger. Crates and other objects in the path of the shock wave were displaced. It was also seen a brute chieftain holding a gravity hammer that resembled the fist of rukt
Halo 3
The Gravity Hammer is usable in Halo 3. It is most effective in close combat. It is extremely devastating in combat, capable of smashing vehicles away, and bouncing grenades away from the wielder. The attack is an instant kill on any target (unless damage resistance or shields have been modified), except if the target deflects the blow with an Energy Sword. Even then, it is an instant shield drain, although the sword-wielder will normally kill a hammer wielder before a second blow can be made. The hammer creates small shock-waves, shaking the perspective of players nearby. The hammer also hurls targets backwards if it connects, often incredibly far. In addition, rockets shot at the wielder can be knocked away if the attack is timed well. However, to make up for the power of the weapon, the battery drains slightly faster than an energy sword, and attacks very slowly. On maps with platforms in the air, the weapon can be utilized to fling an opponent off. On very rare occasions, Flood-infected Brutes have been seen wielding Gravity Hammers particularly on the level Halo. Giving a Gravity Hammer to Elite allies in Halo 3 is a bad idea; they will not swing it at all & will charge uselessly into battle, probably because it's a Brute ceremonial weapon, such as it's Sangheili counterpart the energy sword. Upon killing the Arbiter, leaving a Hammer near his corpse will result in him springing up with it. He will not swing it, but will charge you bellowing a war cry. After a while he will put the Hammer on his back & pull out an Energy Sword.
- In the Campaign, Gravity Hammers can be found on all levels except for Tsavo Highway.
- The Gravity Hammer is an excellent anti-Flood weapon. It is capable of killing multiple Flood enemies in one swing due to its massive shock wave - this is useful for killing swarms of Infection forms or combat forms. (Though use it wisely on Cortana as it is easy to miss and hit the sacs of infection forms on the walls.)
- It should be noted that taking out a hammer in the midst of Grunts will cause them to immediately panic (even Ultras).
Halo: Uprising
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In Halo: Uprising, on the cover of Issue 3, John-117 is seen holding a Gravity Hammer. It is virtually identical to the one seen in Halo 3.
Multiplayer Recommendations
- Try to use the Gravity Hammer (GH) as a secondary weapon because its battery runs out too fast. Whip it out when someone throws a grenade at you. If you hit the ground soon enough, the grenade will fly away. Also, if someone is coming towards you in a ground vehicle, hit the ground to send the vehicle flying away from you. Try to melee with it as much as you can, but otherwise use another weapon. If the vehicle gets away, try doing another primary attack. The shock wave will sometimes flip the vehicle leaving its occupants exposed for a follow up. At the same time you can also flip a vehicle off a map if they're near the edge on maps like Rat's Nest and Standoff. The Gravity hammer is great during CQB.
- On maps with a Gravity Hammer, use your built-in scope to look at opponents. Since their secondary weapon is on their back or side, the Gravity Hammer is visible even when not in use. If you can, it is advisable to take the hammer-wielder out from a distance using a Sniper Rifle, Beam Rifle, Carbine, or Battle Rifle. A skilled marksman may attempt to use a Magnum at a medium range. Spartan Lasers can also be used due to their one-hit kill and 2x zoom, however, like the hammer, ammo is scarce, so this is not recommended.
- Note:The Gravity Hammer may also be used to gain distance from another player or stay in the air for a certain amount of time if timed right but you must aim at the ground and attack while in air with the hammer to do this. As an addition, if unlimited ammo and minimal gravity are enabled, repeatedly using the hammer after jumping causes the shock waves to drastically increase the distance of your jumps. This is particularly useful on Valhalla, as combining the effects of the Man-Cannon with the Smash-Jump can propel the user nearly across the entire map.
- The best tactic in Hammers-Only matches, such as "Hammerzeit", or "Hammer Time" is to use lots of grenades. If you can get a grenade hit on an enemy they will die easier with a hit. And since the Hammer has area effect damage you can score a hit at a bit longer range that standard Melee then drop a grenade for the kill. Another good tactic is to wait until the targeting reticule turns red and you are apt enough to attack the enemy. Be aware, however, as waiting for the reticule can create situations where you both either cancel out, if you both have the gravity hammer, or don't make contact at all and miss. The best allies when using the gravity hammer are distance and timing, and it is a good idea to use them well.
- The Gravity Hammer is also one of the only two weapons available in the Grifball gametype along with the Energy Sword. It is the cause of many betrayals, however you can also "ride the wave" and use your enemy's gravity hammer to launch yourself to their goal.
- If you time the shock wave from the hammer at the right time you can send a Rocket Launcher missile in a another direction and blow up but there have been some cases that the missile doesn't blow up.
- The Hammer may be known as a great CQB weapon, but it is far too slow to compete against the Energy Sword or the Shotgun. If you find your self up against one of theses weapons, create space between you and your opponent, and either change to a dual wield configuration, such as plasma rifle and S.M.G (great combo with the plasmas shield drain and S.M.G's flesh cutting rounds) or use grenades and head shots to take down the enemy. Although it is important to remember that the Mauler is considered an easy target for the Gravity Hammer.
Disadvantages in Multiplayer
The Gravity Hammer is clearly visible on your back, unlike the Energy Sword which emplaced on the Spartan or Elite's thigh is considerably hard to see, and if you rush head on with a Gravity Hammer, your opponent may just back peddle and fire at you out of fear. It has a shorter and slower lunge distance compared to that of the Energy Sword.
- Also, if you're too slow to swing your weapon, your opponent may have the chance to evade the attack, and can quickly take you down or the weapon's shock wave could knock the player back far enough to be out of range of your hammer and finish you off.
Just like the Energy Sword in Halo 2, the Active Camouflage has little effect on the Gravity Hammer, making it highly visible to your opponents. Also, even when you are invisible, the little blue light on top of the hammer is still able to be seen, thus making hammer attacks while invisible useless against the vigilant player.
- The chief concern when using the Gravity Hammer is splash damage. If used too close to other players, the massive shock wave will take down their shields. This makes friendly fire a very real and factual possibility.
Glitches
- The Hammer has been seen to have no alternate third person animation for melee, in third person, you would simply look like you're swinging the hammer with just no explosive effect or splash effect.
- When you combine RT with clicking LT, the shock wave will have no sound effect, the attack will be negated, and it will count as a normal melee attack
- Occasionally if you hit the roof of the Elephant's cabin the Hammer's blast will go through and kill the driver and its occupants.
- The Gravity Hammer can redirect Rockets from the Rocket Launcher.
Trivia
- Curiously enough, though the Gravity Hammer has a lunge, the player cannot get a Bulltrue achievement by taking out a lunging Hammer, it is unknown why.
- There is a type of gravity hammer called the Fist of Rukt used by Tatarus.
- The Gravity Hammer has been seen to be used in a game players call 'Baseball' were the Gravity Hammer deflects rockets shot by a Rocket Launcher.
- In Campaign, you can give the Gravity Hammer to all Sangheili allies, however, they will not attack with it, and instead will uselessly charge the enemy. Upon reaching them, they will simply stand in place and yell battle-cries.
Related Links
External
- [1] - GrifBall Official Website (Gravity Hammer as a primary weapon for the most recently popular gametype/sport)
- [2]- Gravity Hammer is seen around 50 second mark.
- [3]-Omegathon
References