Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer

The Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer (or T2 EW/H), more commonly known as the Gravity Hammer, is a powerful, two-handed melee weapon used by the Jiralhanae in the Covenant Empire.

Origin
The Gravity Hammer first appeared in Halo 2, known as the Fist of Rukt, used by the Jiralhanae Chieftain Tartarus. This weapon was a symbolic representation of Tartarus' power and standing. He used it against the player and could kill an opponent with a single swing. It is currently unknown what happened to the Fist of Rukt after the Battle of Installation 05. Halo 3 introduced a newer, and more utilitarian version of the Type-2 Hammer that serves as a companion to the Energy Sword to Covenant melee weapons in the game.

Design Details
The Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer is a large hammer that serves as an excellent and powerful melee weapon in the game. It is a highly symbolic Jiralhanae weapon that is analogous to the Sangheili Energy Sword. This powerful weapon can also be used to manipulate gravity, allowing it to push opponents away or pull them towards the wielder, as well as deflecting incoming projectiles. This weapon consists of a shaft, head, and blade. A field generator, which is located in the head, emits a kinetic pulse (~4.5 meters). The exact mechanism by which it functions is currently under investigation by the UNSC.

Fist of Rukt
The Fist of Rukt was Tartarus' personal gravity hammer, one with a rich legacy befitting his tribe. It was passed down from Chieftain to Chieftain in the Brute pack and belonged to his uncle, Maccabeus, before Tartarus killed him in combat and claimed the legendary hammer for himself.

Halo Wars
In Halo Wars multiplayer, and skirmish mode, the player has access to the Brute Chieftain. The Brute Chieftain's gravity hammer looks very similar to the hammer in Halo 3, except for the fact that it has a very powerful vortex ability. The vortex has the ability to rip things apart, and suck them in. When the vortex grabs units such as marines, the marines will actually be battered about by the shrapnel in the vortex, and by their fellow squad members. When the vortex leader power is put to a halt, either by the player's choosing, or by the opposing armies, an explosion will send everything in the vortex outward. This hammer also has the ability, if you upgrade the chieftain, to pull enemies towards it just before the chieftain strikes.

Changes from Halo 3 to Halo: Reach

 * The lights on the head of the hammer are orange instead of blue.
 * The head of the hammer is larger.
 * The overall length of the hammer is somewhat shorter than in Halo 3.
 * The weapon now has a red decorative symbol on the hammer's head.
 * The shaft's hand guard has been removed.
 * There now seems to be a slight delay in the hammer's swing.
 * In Halo: Reach, when Captains and Chieftains use the hammer, they sometimes swing twice and when you are hit by it, it is treated as a two-hit Jiralhanae melee attack each of regular strength. They can also occasionally be seen jumping high into the air and making a powerful strike as they land, often killing the player instantly, even on Normal difficulty.

Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4

 * Now, with every swing, the Gravity Hammer is lightly flipped back into the wielder's right hand.
 * The Hammer is now held much more horizontally than in the past games.
 * It does not sound as energized as in the previous games.

Advantages

 * The Gravity Hammer has a very high damage percentage against enemies, even on higher difficulties, and is capable of one hit kills.
 * Because of the Gravity Hammer's raw power, it is considered the among best ways to destroy infantry vehicles.
 * Can propel enemies backwards after a long range hit, allowing for an effective kill with a ranged weapon.
 * The Gravity Hammer has the destructive power to provide a sufficient melee kill after its battery has been depleted.
 * The Gravity Hammer's battery depletion rate is 5%, rather than its Elite counterpart the Energy Sword which has a battery depletion rate of 10%.
 * If timed correctly, a Gravity Hammer's swing can deflect incoming frag grenades.

Disadvantages

 * The Gravity Hammer is quite huge and visible, so when wielding it as a primary or secondary weapon, you risk making yourself a prime target for snipers.
 * If you swing the hammer too slowly or out of range, it will push your opponent back, making it harder for you to finish him off and easier for him to counter your attack.
 * The glowing blue (Halo 3) or orange (Halo: Reach) vents at the top of the weapon are still visible when a player has Active camouflage engaged
 * The large area of effect of the weapon means that using it in tight quarters with friendly players is highly inadvisable.
 * An enemy wielding a Shotgun can easily take down a player with the Gravity Hammer before he has time to swing.
 * While the Gravity Hammer takes only 5% energy for a swing compared to the Sword's 10% depletion, the sword only wastes energy when it hits while the Hammer wastes with every swing regardless of if it hits or not.
 * If the Gravity Hammer is being used as a player's secondary weapon, you cannot swing momentarily as it is wielded. The character must have rested his right hand on the handle before a swing can be attempted. This is similar to the Energy Sword having to ignite before a lunge is possible and might have been added due to balancing issues.

Campaign

 * Very useful weapon against Brutes, which is quite ironic (one hit will kill most opponents even on higher difficulties).
 * The Gravity Hammer is an excellent anti-Flood weapon. It is capable of killing multiple Flood forms in one swing due to its massive shock wave.
 * Try to use it against large groups of fleeing Grunts. The shockwave will kill any surrounding Grunts that are close to the one you hit. Also, if the Brute leader in the area has been killed, taking out the Gravity Hammer will cause the Grunts to panic.
 * Reserve usage of the Gravity Hammer for priority targets, such as high-ranking Brutes or Tank Forms. It will normally kill them one hit.
 * This weapon's usefulness increases when you use the Cowbell Skull. As things will fly farther when you hit them, but remember, if you get hit with this you will also fly farther.
 * Because of this weapon's rarity on lower difficulties, it is best to conserve ammo for vehicular destruction or large scale exterminations.

Multiplayer

 * The Gravity Hammer is best used as a secondary weapon to pull out if faced with nearby foes on a ledge, an incoming vehicle, or a grenade coming towards the player. The Hammer is apt at dealing with all three of these threats.
 * The Gravity Hammer's blast can go through walls and floors, and this can be used to hit players in an adjacent room.
 * The Gravity Hammer can be used to propel the player higher than normal, if the player times the attack as they jump, it will elevate them farther and higher. You can gain just as much height as a grenade jump with no risk.
 * The Gravity Hammer is also one of the only two weapons available in the Grifball gametype along with the Energy Sword. It is the cause of many betrayals, however you can also "ride the wave" and use your enemy's gravity hammer to launch yourself to their goal.
 * Using the hammer you can easily deflect and change course incoming light vehicles, such as mongooses, ghosts, and warthogs. If you plan on doing so, make sure to swing it only before the targeting figures turns red, which will cause you to lunge at it and get splattered before the hammer unleashes its shockwave.
 * If you time the shock wave from the hammer at the right time you can send a Rocket Launcher missile and Missile Pod missile in another direction.
 * The Hammer may be known as a great CQB weapon, but it is slower to compete against the Shotgun. Also, even though the energy sword lunges slightly slower, it has a farther lunge and can parry your attacks, but you cannot parry the sword carrier's attacks. If you find yourself up against one of these weapons, create space between you and your opponent (you can knock him back with the shockwave if he's too close) and change to a long-range weapon to take down the enemy. It is important to remember that Mauler wielders are considered easy targets for the Gravity Hammer.
 * Try combining a Gravity Hammer jump and grenade jump to get to spots that aren't normally reachable for an advantage.
 * It is possible to stick a Plasma or Spike Grenade on the end of the Hammer.
 * A well timed swing can also stop an energy sword charge leaving the opponent open to attack for a brief period of time.

Miscellaneous

 * If you use the Armless Glitch, the range of the Gravity Hammer will be greatly increased and will cause players to float and lose their shields, this can also cause objects to move around the map and if paused at the right moment in Theater, you can see that with each attack the entire map turns a shade of blue. This is especially effective if used near the (must be knocked down first) bridge on Last Resort, causing it to twist and move forwards, eventually swinging around unpredictably, which can be used as an extremely powerful catapult.
 * The Gravity Hammer is used in the popular Double XP weekend playlist Grifball, in which the players have no shields and must somehow take their bomb and get it to the other team's base. The Hammer is often used to create enough force to propel the bomb-carrying player over the heads of their opponents and into the goal.
 * In the early development of Halo 3 the Gravity Hammer was identical to that of the Fist of Rukt used by Tartarus.
 * The Gravity Hammer included with the Brute Chieftain Action Figure has four lines that make an 'X' shape. The same shape is on the Beam Rifle that comes with other Halo 3 figures.
 * In the map Sandbox, there is a remodeled version of the Gravity Hammer called "7 wood". The Hammer acts the same, but it swings faster and is modeled to look like a Golf Club. The "7 wood" also features a new reticule similar to that of the mauler.
 * ODSTs can use the Gravity Hammer effectively in Halo 3: ODST, despite them being normal humans, and not having the strength of a Spartan-II, Spartan-III, Spartan-IV, Elite, or Brute.
 * In a cutscene in Halo 3: ODST, a Brute Chieftain demonstrates the ability to hit with the blade on the rear side of the Gravity Hammer, and use it to finish off opponents (Romeo in this case).
 * The Gravity Hammer appeared in the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta.
 * Despite being a weapon only wielded by Brute Chieftains, in the adapted motion comic The Return, various lower ranking Brutes are seen using it. Either this means that Gravity Hammers are not only carried by Chieftains, or it means that after the Great Schism the Brutes allowed the right to carrying this powerful weapon to the lower ranking Brutes in order to survive the Sangheili hunt.
 * In Halo: Reach the secondary melee switches between the blade of the hammer to swipe across or the bottom tip of the hammer.
 * Brute Captains now, also wield the Gravity Hammer, in Halo: Reach.
 * When your Gravity Hammer runs out of energy you melee with the bottom tip when there is a knife on the other side.
 * The Gravity Hammer resembles a larger version of a ball peen hammer, which could have been the source of inspiration for the weapon.
 * It takes multiple swings of the Gravity Hammer to kill a Hunter on any difficulty, and two hits to kill high ranking Elites such as Ultras, Zealots, and Generals on Heroic and Legendary Difficulty (the first swing merely throws them back with depleted shields, and the second hit for the kill).
 * Despite being a melee weapon, the Gravity Hammer doesn't have its own assassination animation like how the Energy Sword does.
 * In Halo 3 multiplayer, this weapon deals 72 points of damage per melee hit.
 * Despite the absence of Brutes in Halo 4, 343 Industries confirmed that the Gravity Hammer will return in the game.
 * In the game 'Red Faction: Armageddon', there is a weapon called the 'Maul'. It's a gigantic hammer that can smash down walls and aliens in one or two hits. It is possible that this weapon was inspired by two Brute weapons, the Mauler (possibly inspiring the name 'Maul') and the Gravity Hammer.
 * The Gravity Hammer is the only Brute technology that appears in Halo 4.

Glitches

 * The Gravity Hammer has been seen to have no alternate third person animation for melee; in third person, you would simply look like you're swinging the hammer with no explosive effect or splash effect. This only occurs with the SPARTAN models, however. Sangheili models have the same animation they have if they melee someone with a flag. This has been fixed in Halo 3: ODST - the Hammer now has a third person animation for melee.
 * When you combine RT with clicking LT, the shock wave will have no sound effect, the attack will be negated, and it will count as a normal melee attack. Also, if you press the RT button and then crouch, you will achieve the same effect.
 * When a passenger in a Warthog or Mongoose uses the Gravity Hammer, it kills the driver instantly.
 * On the level Floodgate and the level The Covenant, if you give the Gravity Hammer to an Elite, he won't use it. He will just hold it and run up to an enemy and do nothing. In the Halo 3 campaign, if you give the Gravity Hammer to the Arbiter, he will not use it either.
 * This weapon can be used to perform the Forge ball trick.

Internal

 * Fist of Rukt
 * Jiralhanae
 * Hammer Time
 * Hammer Spree
 * 7 wood

External

 * GrifBall Official Website - (Gravity Hammer as a primary weapon for the most recently popular gametype/sport)
 * Omegathon

Martillo de energía Arma a Energia/Martello Tipo-2