Energy shielding
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Several UNSC, Covenant and Forerunner vehicles, devices and armor systems make use of Energy shielding to protect users from harm. Energy shields consist of a field of energized particles that wraps around a surface, which deflects objects that attempt to impact the surface.
Human energy shielding
Humans started using energy shield technology with the production of the MJOLNIR Mark V powered assault armor, and has since been incorporated into all later models. This breakthrough was achieved through reverse-engineering the technology used in Kig-yar point defense gauntlets. Unlike the Covenant Elite Personal Energy Shield, when the human shield takes damage, it glows gold instead of blue.
Although the shields of MJOLNIR armor are very resilient, they can be stripped in seconds if the wearer isn't careful. Plasma weapons are especially effective against MJOLNIR and Elite Personal Energy Shield shields. Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols, and Plasma Cannons are all very good at depleting the MJOLNIR's shields.
One of the UNSC's most recent breakthroughs in energy shield development came with the creation of the YSS-1000 starfighter, which is the first human spacecraft known to use energy shields.
During the Fall of Reach, ONI utilized a prototype "drop shield" which had the protective abilities of the bubble shield and the healing abilities of a regenerator.[1] Collapsing under continuous fire, the drop shield proved to be not as indestructible as the bubble shield, and not as fast a healer as the regenerator. The shield itself greatly resembles the bubble shield, even sporting its counterpart's comprising geometric shapes, but is instead blue in color.[2]
Covenant energy shielding
The Covenant make extensive use of energy shielding technology. Nearly all Covenant starships larger than a corvette use energy shields, and several ground-based structures, such as pre-fabricated bases and spires, use shields as well. Many Covenant warriors are equipped with energy shields.
Personal shielding
Most Sangheili, many Jiralhanae, and some high-ranking Yanme'e are equipped with energy shields that are integrated into the wearer's armor, or, in the latter case, carapace. Kig-yar warriors use energy shield gauntlets that protect them from most oncoming fire but leaves them vulnerable to flanking attacks and grenades. The Covenant often use Huragok to provide energy shielding to troops on the battlefield. The Covenant also utilize overshields, which provide additional layers of energy shielding to the wearer, and energy shield regenerators.
Though the Hierarchs are not meant to encounter combat, their gravity thrones emit powerful energy shields. They are able to deflect all forms of projectile, plasma, and explosive weaponry and seemingly never become depleted. However, one can simply walk through the shield. The shield used by Tartarus, the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, was much different and seems to have to be actively turned on. His shield could deflect nearly all attacks save for those of a captured beam rifle.
Starship and single ship shielding
Nearly all Covenant vessels are protected by highly resistant energy shields. These shields can withstand an impressive amount of firepower and can recharge very quickly. Covenant vessels' shields can absorb almost all missile fire, including hundreds of Archer missiles and even a low-yield Shiva-class nuclear missile, although Shiva nukes will usually deplete their shields, making them vulnerable to smaller weapons. The only UNSC weapons capable of penetrating a Covenant starship's shield are the Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. Even then, ship-based MACs take multiple rounds to drop the shields; only a "Super MAC" round from an orbital defense platform can penetrate a Covenant ship's shields in one hit.
Covenant starship shielding does have a notable flaw, however: Whenever a starship launches a plasma torpedo or pulse laser, a small section of the energy shield must drop to allow the weapon to fire. Otherwise, the energy released would detonate on the inside of the shields, damaging the ship.
While projectile weaponry is generally ineffective against Covenant starship shielding, directed energy weaponry can disable shields with relative ease, in much the same manner as Sangheili energy shields. Another way to disable the shipboard energy shields is through the use of a large-scale electromagnetic pulse.[citation needed]
The Covenant's Type-31 "Seraph" fighters are typically equipped with energy shields, though this does not seem to always be the case.[3] Phantom gunboats are equipped with powerful shields that can deflect missile attacks.[4]
Vehicle shielding
Few Covenant ground vehicles are equipped with energy shields. The most notable exception is the Locust, a repurposed mining platform that is used as a "building killer". The Locust emits a spherical shield that can resist most high-impact projectiles. However, this shield is rather weak and will dissipate under concentrated fire, exposing the Locust's vulnerable hull. Type-32 "Ghost" assault vehicles and Type-26 "Wraith" tanks, while almost universally unshielded, can be retrofitted with energy shields that deflect most projectiles.
Forerunner energy shielding
Many Forerunner constructs make use of some form of energy shield. Standard Forerunner Sentinels are encased within an ovoid energy shield that can withstand moderate damage, while Onyx Sentinels possess spherical golden shields that activate whenever a fast-moving projectile approaches. The larger Enforcers posess a three-part energy shield that protects their photoreceptor and chassis from frontal assault, but does not protect against attack from any other angle.
The majority of Forerunner energy shields seem to consist of a translucent bubble composed of hexagonal patterns, as opposed to the wraparound shields typically used by the Covenant and UNSC. The Bubble shield also projects a similar shield, perhaps implying that it is an example of Forerunner technology.
Gameplay
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, the status of the energy shield is shown at the top-right corner of the screen above the health bar, in Halo 2, it is in the bottom-left above the motion tracker, in Halo 3, it is in the top-center of the screen, and in Halo: Reach, it is shown in the top-center of the screen above the health bar. They have been modified since Halo: Combat Evolved to charge faster and be more resistant.
- Both in Campaign and Multiplayer shields protect you for a brief amount of time from small arms and weapons. However, in Multiplayer, you can have 50%, 100%, 200%, 300%, 400% (Halo: Combat Evolved), 500%, 1000%, 2000% shield, or none at all. Both Elites and Spartans have the same amount of shielding. A player's shields can be further augmented if they pick up an Overshield.
- In Halo CE under standard game settings, energy shields begin regenerating 5 seconds after last being hit, and take 4 seconds to fully recharge from a total drain.
- In Halo 2 and Halo 3 under standard game settings, energy shields begin regenerating 4.25 seconds after last being hit, and take 1.75 seconds to fully recharge from a total drain.
- According to the E3 demo of the Halo: Reach campaign, energy shields begin regenerating 6 seconds after last being hit, and take 2.75 seconds to fully recharge from a total drain. Multiplayer regeneration may follow different numbers.
- A Regenerator can be used to make your shields recharge very quickly after taking damage.
- If a player deploys a Bubble Shield they will be protected from weapons fire by a spherical energy shield.
- Activating the Deployable Cover will generate a stationary energy shield that regenerates after disabled by continuous damage.
- Shield doors can be found on several maps and can be placed in all DLC maps in Forge In Halo 3, and in most of the maps in Forge in Halo: Reach.
Trivia
- In Halo: Combat Evolved, the shielding that Elites use is slightly stronger than that of a Spartan. Elites' shields only take 70% of the damage that projectile weapons deal out, whereas a Spartan's shielding tends to take full damage. (Case in point, the Spartan shield, with 75 hit points, only takes three shots from the M6D Pistol to break, whereas a Minor Elite's shield, which has 100 hit points, takes 8 shots from the same weapon.) Apparently this was changed in Halo 2 and 3 - in Halo 2, it takes four bursts from a Battle Rifle to break either a Spartan's shield or a Minor Elite's shield.
- In Halo 3, in Campaign, the energy shields of Shielded Flood Combat forms do not flare when taking damage, like the Brute Power Armor. However, other Elite's shields still flare when taking damage.
- In Halo 3: ODST, certain Drones are outfitted with personal shields.
Gallery
- A Sangheili's Shields.jpg
A Sangheili's Personal Energy Shield overloading from sustained fire in the Halo: Reach Beta.
- Halo Reach UNSC Shields.jpg
A Spartan III's Personal Energy Shields flicker while taking damage from a Needler round in the Halo: Reach Beta
Sources
- ^ Halo Waypoint Lars Bakken Interview
- ^ Halo: Reach Firefight gameplay
- ^ Halo Legends: The Package
- ^ Halo: Reach, campaign level Long Night of Solace
