The Power Drainer is a short-range magnetic offensive weapon featured in Halo 3.
Function
The power drainer creates a short-range magnetic induction effect which causes disastrous failure of powered field systems within a set radius, and is designed primarily to interfere with common varieties of field-based shielding, vehicle and power generation. It also has a damaging effect on biological systems and can wound or kill most bipeds in its resulting explosion. [1] Essentially, the Power Drainer is like a reverse Regenerator; instead of energizing a player's shields, it causes any player's shields within the area of effect to drain away, making them vulnerable to harm. Plus, if you stand near it for long enough, it will explode and kill you. The Power Drainer can also disable vehicles, rendering them unable to move or fire for the duration of the effect. If a Regenerator and Power Drainer are deployed in close proximity, the regenerator will stop working.
The Power Drainer, like the Bubble Shield, Trip Mine, Radar Jammer and the Portable Gravity Lift, are all in the category of equipment and can be deployed using the "X" Button. It activates a very short time after it is thrown - it has just enough inactive time to travel away from the user, leaving them unaffected.
In the Multiplayer Beta, the players got the Power Drainer and the Bubble Shield mixed up and ended up dying or shielding the enemy player.
The power drainer can even disable non drivable vehicles like the scarab as seen in TGS Demo Part 2 link[1]. In fact it will affect any device that runs on any type of electrical energy within its radius in game.
Spawns
High Ground
The power drainer can be found on a small metal ledge inside the main compound of the High Ground base. The ledge is within jumping distance of the flag spot.
Snowbound
The power drainer spawns inside "Low Base" on Snowbound.
Valhalla
The power drainer spawns near the center man cannon at either side on Valhalla.
The Pit
The power drainer is located in the center of the map, on the bridge connecting the upper level to the control room (between each base).
Narrows
The power drainer spawns right in front of the man cannon on each side of the map.
Last Resort
The power drainer is found on the small set of stairs in the back corner of the main base.
Construct
The power drain can be found in two places; the first is at the bottom of the yellow gravity lift to the top of the map, the second is next to the sword spawn on the enclosed catwalk on the top level.
Trivia
- It shares many physical similarities with the Radar Jammer.
- It is also be capable of draining vehicle power as well, causing the vehicle to stop in its tracks or malfunction. If a vehicle got in the drainer's radius for a brief second they would lose control of the vehicle for a short time. A Bungie employee remarked that "the guy [he] just boarded used the Power Drainer to once again disable [the Banshee]."