The Active Camouflage power-up is light-bending energy which is stored in the same way as the Covenant Overshield. When the user breaks the active camouflage container, the energy envelops the wearer and bends light around the skin, armor, or shielding, conforming to it's user's form, rendering him almost invisible. This effect wears off as the energy dissipates.
When any projectiles pass through this shielding, it is temporarily deactivated causing the user to become visible. It should be noted that this is speculation based on field reports, and has not been proven because no one has yet captured an intact device.
The technology can be utilized on human armor systems, such as the MJOLNIR armor, but the UNSC has only developed a rough equivalent, the Camouflage Cloak[1].
Some Elites have active camouflage generators, as do some Grunts.[2] The Arbiter has old armor with an old active camouflage generator that needs to recharge after using the camouflage for too long.
Combat Usage
The Camouflage covers the entire body. The coverage does not extend to the entirety of the user's equipment. Lights like on the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle can be seen, as can the Energy Sword, giving away the user's position. Also, if close enough the Characters outline is seen faintly and it looks like a moving silhouettes. Yet it's hard to see the outline and the seemingly "ghost" from a far angle. Even on a scope Like the Sniper Rifle or Battle Rifle it can be hard to see the opponent.[3]
In Halo 2, it is noted that the Arbiter's armor, while possessing an in-built active camouflage generator, is not permanent until turned off, unlike the more modern generators used by SpecOps Elites. There is a circle on the player's HUD that shows the amount of time left for both the usage of the active camouflage and the recharging sequence. The Master Chief can gain this ability with the Envy Skull.
Unlike in Halo: Combat Evolved where one could attack without breaking active camouflage permanently, in Halo 2 usage of a weapon causes active camouflage to deactivate until it is recharged and can be used again.[4]
Notes:
In Halo:Combat Evolved active camouflage does not hide you from the Flood Infection Form, they still know where you are.
By changing the graphics card settings on Halo PC, active camouflage users appear as a big purple figure and are very visible.
Active Camouflage and Shielding
An odd discrepancy is present in the difference between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 active camouflage. In Halo, Stealth Elites using active camouflage had no shielding whatsoever; furthermore, Elites were the only Covenant to possess it. However, in the last level, a Flood Elite was seen with an Active Camouflage. In Halo 2 active camouflage was seen in use by both Elites and Grunts (only in Aribiter level). In "A Day At the Beach," an Elite Minor is seen engaging his own active camouflage at the expense of his shields (though when the camouflage seems to be shorted out by the plasma grenade explosion his shields are reactivated)[5]. It can be conjectured from this evidence that perhaps all Elite armor has active camouflage systems installed, but in all but the highest echelons of Elite rankings the power drain deactivates the shield in favor of the camouflage. Only Ultra Elites and Spec-Ops Elites seem to have enough power in their armor to run both systems at the same time.
In Halo 3
It appears the Active Camo will no longer be kept inside a triangular prism. It seem to be a glowing sphere in the Halo 3 Beta and appeared on High Ground, Last Resort, and Snowbound.[6] It's not known if it's usable the campaign.
Sources
- ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach
- ^ Halo 2, The Arbiter and Oracle
- ^ All Halo games
- ^ Halo 2, all levels played as Arbiter
- ^ "Extra" cutscene included in retail version of Multiplayer Map Pack
- ^ Halo 3 Beta