Covenant Weapons

Learn about the Plasma Pistol, Plasma Rifle, Needler, and Fuel Rod Gun in Halo: Combat Evolved. Discover their strengths, weaknesses, and best uses against Covenant foes.

Alright, let's talk about the alien tech you'll be picking up in Halo: Combat Evolved – the Covenant weapons. Honestly, I usually end up preferring these over our human gear when I'm up against them. The biggest perk? They're everywhere! Since you'll be fighting Covenant forces for most of the game, you'll find Plasma Pistols, Rifles, and Needlers just lying around. If your current plasma weapon runs out of juice, you can easily swap it for another one with a higher battery charge. Think of it like this: if you've got a Plasma Pistol with 67 shots left and find one with 68 or more, it's a no-brainer to switch. These Covenant weapons are especially clutch on the harder difficulties.

Plasma Pistol: This bad boy is your best friend for the first half of the game. Its rapid-fire mode can shred through Grunts, Jackals, and even Elites pretty quickly. Just keep an eye on that heat meter – spamming the trigger will cause it to overheat, leaving you defenseless for a bit. The meter under your ammo count shows how hot it's getting. Now, the real magic happens when you hold down the fire button. This builds up a charged shot that's incredibly powerful. One charged bolt can instantly strip the shields off any Elite, and it'll even take out the shield a Jackal carries, leaving them wide open. Plus, a charged shot will instantly obliterate a Sentinel, making it one of your go-to weapons against those annoying floating guys. Don't let its looks fool you; you'll be relying on this weapon a ton, especially on Legendary.

Plasma Rifle: This is another solid choice early in the campaign. Like its pistol counterpart, it'll overheat if you fire it too much, forcing you to wait for it to cool down. It's most effective against Grunts, Jackals, and the weaker Elites. While it doesn't fire quite as fast as the Plasma Pistol, it's a bit stronger and you can keep firing it rapidly by holding down the trigger. A neat trick is that enemies hit by a Plasma Rifle will get stunned and can't move, though they can still shoot back. Personally, I usually stick with the Plasma Pistol, but I'll grab a Plasma Rifle if I'm running low on plasma ammo and can't find a better pistol.

Needler: The Needler is a bit of a niche weapon in this game. It fires these little needles that don't do much damage on impact. The real power comes from sticking enough of them into an enemy – usually around seven – which causes them to explode for significant damage, often killing the target. If you're up close, the needles have a bit of a homing ability. At longer ranges, though, it's pretty inaccurate and not super helpful. You can carry 20 rounds per clip and have about 80 spare needles. I've found its best use is later in the game, especially against Spec-Ops Elites. If you can nail one with enough needles while it's standing still, right when it's about to throw a Plasma Grenade, you can often take it down. Other than that specific situation, you probably won't be using it much.

Fuel Rod Gun: You'll see the more advanced Grunts wielding these later in the game, and Hunters even have a souped-up version. While you can't use it in the single-player campaign, it's a new addition in multiplayer and it's seriously deadly. A single shot can knock out your shields and leave your health critically low. Your best bet to avoid its blasts is to duck, jump, or find cover. If you learn to use it yourself in multiplayer, it's a fantastic weapon. In multiplayer, it has a max battery of 100. Each shot uses 4 rounds, and like the other plasma weapons, it'll overheat if you fire it too much, requiring a cooldown period before you can recharge it.