Gravity Hammer

The gravity hammer is a rare weapon, and only dropped by powerful Brute chieftans. If you manage to pick one up, though, you can swing it into the ground by tapping the right trigger, which will cause area-of-effect damage to all nearby foes. If you manage to hit an opponent with a swing, you'll usually instantly kill them, although of course high-level Brutes and hunters will be the exception to this. You can also swing the hammer into the ground and jump immediately before you do so to increase your jump height slightly.

Beam Rifle

The Covenent version of the sniper rifle is the beam rifle. Unlike the sniper rifle, it doesn't use ammo, so it requires no reloading, but it does have a finite number of shots in it (20 if you find a fully-charged weapon). It also can't be fired very quickly; if you attempt to rapid-fire it, it'll overheat and take a few seconds to cool down before it can be fired again. Apart from that, it's a fine weapon; find a distant enemy and send a little love his way if you find one.

Energy Sword

Luckily for you, the Arbiter has no compunctions about using his energy sword when the going gets rough.

The Energy Sword, long a favorite in close-quarters multiplayer, returns to Halo 3 as good as ever. When you have this weapon equipped, you can kill pretty much anything in one blow, whether you use it with a melee attack (B button) or attempt to use the charge manuever that's bound to the right trigger. The charge is most helpful in multiplayer, especially on the intimate, smaller maps, as it'll let you close in on a target before he sees what's coming. Having the energy sword out and in your hand will put an immediate target on your head, so don't be surprised if you suddenly become the center of attention while wielding it.

Mauler (Dual Wield)

Another new weapon in Halo 3 is the mauler, a simple single-handed shotgun that can be dual-wielded. The spread from the fire here is extreme, making it impossible to hit anything that's not right in front of you. The power level also seems to be lacking compared to other weapons. If you're fighting in extremely tight corridors, then this can be useful to finish off a foe after you drop his shields, but apart from that you probably won't want to bother with it.

Fuel Rod Gun

The heaviest weapon in the Covenent arsenal is the fuel rod gun, which acts as a slightly weaker rocket launcher. When fired, the fuel rods quickly accelerate, but they're still somewhat slow and dodgeable while in the air. What's more, they're highly noticeable when they fly, since the projectiles become large and green when they're in the air. Most enemies will have little trouble dodging them if you fire at range.

That, and the fact that the FRG can hold five rounds of ammo in a clip, makes it best used as an up-close anti-personnel weapon. The splash damage is there, but not as big as the rocket launcher, making you less likely to hit yourself with it, and you can fire the rounds fairly rapidly, letting you finish off wounded foes without a problem. The slow speed of the projectiles makes it more difficult to take out enemy vehicles with the FRG, but if you're close enough or approaching from behind, it's quite doable.

Heavy Weapons

Machinegun Turret / Plasma Turret

When you spot a turret in the game world, you're able to use it, sure, but that's for plebians. Real men gird their loins and rip the damn things right off their moorings, then shove them down their enemy's throats, cleaving their bodies in two.

Well, some of that's correct; you can rip a turret off of its base by pressing RB to use it, then tapping B. Some turrets will also be found on the ground, or in the hands of Brute Chieftans. Using a turret in your hands will let you dish out a lot of power, but it will greatly curtail your ability to move, so you'll be more easy to hit while you wield one. You also won't be able to make a melee attack or throw a grenade until you drop the weapon.

Missile Pod

The missile pod is intended to be your anti-vehicle weapon. When you pick it up and aim at a vehicle, it'll instantly lock on, letting you rapidly fire homing missiles at your target. These are quick enough to take down Banshees, but also excel when used against ground vehicles.

Flamethrower

The flamethrower is a heck of a weapon in tight corridors.

The flamethrower is one of the rarest weapons in the campaign, only appearing three or four times in the entire game, and being easy to miss at that. It first made its appearance in the Halo canon in Halo 2 for the PC, and now appears on consoles for the first time. As you may be able to tell from the title, this is a flamethrower; it shoots flammable gel a few meters from your position, causing instant and extreme damage to most foes that you manage to hit with it. Unfortunately, since it slows you down so much, it's difficult to use well on mobile enemies. The flames stick around for a few seconds after hitting an enemy or the floor, so you also need to be wary of using it if you think you might be walking through the flames; they'll burn you just as well as your foes.

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