The Fuel Rod Cannon is a Covenant direct-fire energy weapon with anti-vehicle and anti-air applications. It is featured in Halo Halo 2 and in Halo 3 as part of the arsenal of various Covenant vehicles. It is the secondary weapon of the Covenant Banshee and the primary weapon of the Anti-Air Wraith.
Description
The Fuel Rod Cannon is a Covenant heavy weapon used by their vehicles as a heavy weapon. Banshees, Anti-Air Wraiths, and Scarabs have all been seen using this weapon. It is a vehicle-mounted version of the infantry issue Fuel Rod Gun. The Banshee's version of the weapon can only fire one shot before reloading, but it makes up for this with its virtually unlimited ammunition. The Halo 3 Scarab has also been seen firing volleys of Fuel Rod shots as a defense mechanism.
Appearances
In Halo 2, the Fuel Rod Cannon has been given a major appearance change, with the body now a shade of yellow and the battery replaced by magazines of 5. This powerful weapon is mostly found on the level The Arbiter, where the Heretic Grunts make extensive use of the weapon. Outside of this level, it is very hard to find, although higher ranked Elites and Grunts will use this weapon against you to great effect. The Fuel Rod Cannon is not available in Halo 2 multiplayer due to frame-rate issues.
In Halo 3, the Fuel Rod Cannon underwent drastic changes. The blasts are weakened to 65% of their previous strength, to compensate for the cannon's large magazine size, fast rate of fire, and the noticeably lessened distance that the rounds fall en route to the target. Also, when fired, projectiles are affected by gravity at a much higher degree and now need time to ignite after being fired from the cannon and failure to give the rounds proper distance to accomplish this will result in a ricochet if a non-enemy surface is struck at an angle. In Halo 3 it has a slight homing feature on vehicles and is devastating when used against slow moving tanks. In Campaign, if given to a AI controlled ally they will also get the bonus of the weapon's rounds homing in on enemy foot soldiers. Shots from an enemy's Fuel Rod Cannon will home on you and your allies to a degree. It becomes increasingly difficult to dodge in higher difficulties. It can still get you if you only try to step to the side.
It is also worth noting that the weapon does not appear by default in any multiplayer maps nor in Matchmaking, and thus is only seen if placed on a custom map using Forge.
Combat Tactics
Advantages
The Fuel Rod Gun fires fairly quickly, and reloads at a slightly faster rate than the rocket launcher while holding much more ammunition. The Fuel Rod Gun has a limited lock-on ability; its projectile follows targets in the air. While easy to avoid at long range, the 2x scope of the Cannon can allow for an accurate original blast and increased chance to catch the victim in the explosive radius.
The high ammo capacity, rate of fire, and damage of the Fuel Rod Gun makes it a force to be reckoned with.
In Campaign mode giving your allies (Elites especially) the Fuel Rod Cannon gives you a massive advantage over your enemies. On levels like Arbiter and Uprising an Elite with a Fuel Rod Cannon can fire the 5 bolts in quick succession with surprising accuracy. This can easily rip apart a group of foes even on Legendary difficulty. The fact that allies have unlimited ammo makes this valuable as well. This is opposite for giving Grunt allies the Fuel Rod Cannon, however, due to their lack of shields, if they happen to fire a rod too close to themselves. But however, Grunts holding Fuel Rod Gun tend to fire rods slightly more often and "wilder" than Elites.
Other advantages include a ricochet effect at wide angles, while firing parallel to a wall the shots can "skip" off. To obtain an effect the angle has to be obtuse and the person firing must near parallel to the targeted wall, this however does not cause the shell to explode but instead sends it off in a new predictable trajectory. You will not be affected by it ricocheting off the ground because its arc will extremely diminish the effect
Disadvantages
The Fuel Rod Cannon's fiery energy pulses are slow. At long range, aiming has to be high and it normally takes multiple bolts to kill a hostile, as a curtain of fire has to be laid down, and the overheating of the Fuel Rod Gun is not conducive to streams of radioactive fire. At short range, however, a single direct or almost-direct hit cannot kill a shielded Spartan/Elite, but it will take down's one shield partially or entirely, killing an enemy with two hits.
Furthermore, the large size will often obscure one's vision, making it harder to see who's there to kill the wielder of this ungainly weapon.
Usage
The Fuel Rod Cannon is a powerful weapon, and vehicles equipped with it should never be taken lightly. The Covenant Banshee in Halo and Halo 3 often uses the weapon to soften you up before firing its plasma cannons, especially if you are using a LAAG or Shade. It is possible and desired to avoid the shot entirely, as they often fire it while they are still far away. This is harder in Halo 3, as the shots now partially home in. In Halo 2, campaign Banshees never use the weapon and the issue does not come up.
UNSC Remarks
“Those things are scary as hell. Ya hear that weird “whump” sound and even if ya see it comin’ yer transfixed—these big green blobs flying at you throwin’ off sparks!”
“It’s so weird. I don’t know who first called it a fuel rod gun, but it’s kind’a funny. I suppose the projectile is reminiscent of how you might expect to see a nuclear fuel rod depicted in a gee eh cartoon—all glowing green and throwing off sparks.”
“They’re pretty tricky to handle—first off you gotta get over the fact that there is this glowing, green explosive whatever right next to your head; and it’s not like you can req any more ammo for the damn thing—but you can lay down a whole lot’a hurt in a very short amount of time I’ll tell you what.”
“[The Type-33s] have more in common with the ballistic weapon on the Banshee than it does with the weapon that the Hunters carry around—well, not carry around, but you know what I mean.”
“I catch a glimpse of green out of the corner of my eye and then there’s this huge “whoomf” and the ‘hog goes end over end burning with Gaz still at the wheel. I was riding shotty with the em forty-one so I just unlatched and pushed off when we started going up into the air—and there went the ‘hog and Gaz and all our gear cart-wheeling into the ravine.”
"Last time I ever drive as a replacement for some. It was broad day light and we were backup for a squad down in sector F-047. I was driving the 'hog down when the last thing I see is a bright flash of green. Next thin' I know I wake up to an overturned warthog, my gunners dead and Johnnys out cold (shotgun)."
Trivia
- In Halo 3, it takes about 8 shots to take down a Phantom on Normal difficulty, about 3-4 shots at the Phantom's "eyes".
- When you give a Fuel Rod Cannon to a Marine, their animation is the same as if they were holding a Rocket Launcher. If you look closely, their left hand is at an angle, just like holding the Rocket Launcher.
- In Halo 2 during Campaign mode (most likely on Legendary), the bolts have a slight homing ability. Only enemies have this ability. If you strafe as the wielder fires upon you, it will turn very slowly into your direction. In Halo 3, it also has a slight tracking ability, but this time it is the player and allies only who get this ability.
- Sometimes in Halo 3 Forge, when you put the Fuel Rod Cannon on a map (usually High Ground), the weapon will not appear in game. It is unknown why.
- Most likely due to the Cowbell Skull, a Phantom only takes four shots to kill with a Fuel Rod Cannon, even on Legendary.
- In Halo 3 Forge, the Fuel Rod Cannon is called the "Fuel Rod Gun".
Character Compatibility
- Elites
- Spartans
- Marines
- Flood Combat Form (Human) (animation in games but not used)
- Flood Combat Form (Elite) (animation in games but not used)
- Grunts
- Hunters (Assault Cannon)
- Brutes