Type-25 Carbine

Were you looking for the Type-51 Carbine, also known as the Covenant Carbine? "Recoil isn't as bad as you might expect, but not because of any sophisticated dampening system – it's because the damn things weigh so much."

- Anonymous UNSC Serviceman

The Type-25 Carbine, also more commonly known as the Spiker or Spike Rifle, is a common Jiralhanae firearm used during the Human-Covenant War.

Design Details
The Type-25 Carbine is an automatic-fire, magazine-fed rail-type weapon. As it's metal projectiles are pulled between the rails they are superheated and elongated into the spikes that are it's namesake. Two large blades made of tungsten carbide, an extremely strong and durable material, are mounted under the barrel of the weapon, increasing its effectiveness in close-quarters. The Spiker's ammunition is fed into the weapon via a small drum magazine with a 40-round capacity. The drum magazine is located on the underside of the weapon, behind the blades and in front of the trigger.

This weapon resembles human technology more closely than it does the other weapons in the Covenant’s arsenal. It performs admirably in a variety of environments; it is a widely held belief that the weapon could sit unattended for several weeks in an active latrine and still operate as issued without maintenance. Unfortunately, this is not far from the truth. Though it was first observed at least 25 years before 2552, this weapon has not been seen in the hands of front-line troops until just recently. The Spiker is based on the Jiralhanae's native pre-Covenant technology, meaning it has been in use since Brutes first learned how to create an automatic firearm. Although the Spiker is classified as a Carbine, it is more of a counterpart to the UNSC's M7 SMG, having very similar range and penetration capabilities. The projectiles, having such low muzzle velocity, would be quite harmless if it was not for their great mass.

Advantages
The Brute Spiker has similar penetration and lethal range to the UNSC M7 SMG, but there are a few key differences. Unlike the SMG, there is little recoil, and therefore almost zero “climb” when using them in their default, fully-automatic setting. This actually makes them a little more efficient and accurate than the SMG in combat situations, since there is no need to adjust aim to compensate for recoil. The Spiker performs well against energy shields due to its high velocity and kinetic impact, although the rounds are usually deflected or disintegrated by the energy shield before inflicting damage to any underlying structure. The Spiker can usually kill a heavily armored or shielded target within a single magazine. Its spikes do terrible damage to human flesh, and can tear through armor with ease, creating devastating wounds that are extremely painful. Its dual blades are very deadly against shielded and unshielded infantry, and can be used to either slash or stab an enemy with fatal effects. A SPARTAN-II or Jiralhanae can dual-wield Spikers, doubling their firepower.

Disadvantages
The Spiker, like the SMG, is most effective at close range. While short bursts can increase accuracy, it is ineffective at medium and long range. The Spiker's rounds lose speed and altitude as they travel, reducing their accuracy over longer distances. The Spiker is considered very heavy in the hands of normal human infantry, and can be quite difficult to carry around and use. The spikes have a very large spread when fired in full-auto; the spread is larger than that of any other weapon in both the UNSC and Covenant's arsenal. The Spiker also has a lower muzzle velocity than other weapons making it practically useless at a range above 300 meters.

Tactics
The Brute Spiker was introduced in Halo 3. It has a fast reload time, even when dual wielding, compared to the SMG. The Spiker's blades increase the damage of the melee attack only marginally to compensate for gameplay. However, rounds fired from the Spiker travel slower than SMG rounds.

Campaign

 * The Spiker is a great weapon for mid- to close-quarters combat. The Spiker is incredibly useful on Sierra 117, Crow's Nest and the interior portions of The Storm and Floodgate.
 * The Spiker is the one of the most effective rapid fire weapons, next to the Plasma Rifle, against the Flood. Spikes will tear through the rotting flesh of Combat Forms efficiently, and it can take out Pure Forms at range. The blades on the Spiker also destroy Flood very effectively. An easy tactic on almost any difficulty level is to allow the Flood to charge you and just melee them one by one. You would almost always destroy all Forms, including Tank Forms, in one hit. Only Shielded Combat Forms would survive on higher difficulty levels. However, any Flood wielding powerful short-range weapons such as the Shotgun, Mauler or Energy Sword should be dealt with at range. The Brute Shot is usually preferred over the Spiker in this situation.
 * The Spiker is always a sound choice for engaging lower ranking Covenant forces such as Grunts, Drones and even Jackals.
 * A good dual-wielding combination would be the Spiker and the Plasma Rifle- the Plasma Rifle takes out Jackal or Brute shields while the Spiker will finish the unshielded enemy off. This is also a good combination in Multiplayer.
 * In Halo 3: ODST, the blades make the Spiker a much more effective melee weapon than other non-bladed weapons; furthermore, the projectiles travel farther than their Halo 3 counterpart.

Multiplayer

 * As with Campaign, dual-wielding a Spiker with a Plasma Rifle is a great combination for taking out shielded targets.
 * In multiplayer, shooting from a medium range then closing in for a melee kill is a sound tactic. Just be sure that the enemy does not have a counter weapon, such as a Shotgun or Energy Sword.
 * If engaging a target at mid-range, lead your shots to compensate for the slow velocity of the spikes.
 * It can be easily countered by a Shotgun wielder, but if the Spiker wielder backpedals furiously, he may be able to kill the Shotgun user before he can get close enough to fire.
 * Be aware that the spikes have a slight arc when traveling over medium range, such that if the wielder were aiming at the chest or head, the spikes may have ended up hitting the target's feet, or missed entirely if not using controlled bursts. At those ranges, the spread would render the Spiker ineffective, so engaging an enemy at this range is not recommended.
 * The Spiker with a Plasma Pistol is another effective Noob Combo when attempting to surprise attack a lone enemy. Use an overcharged Plasma Pistol shot to take out the enemy's shields, and then use the Spiker to kill the now unshielded enemy.

UNSC Remarks

 * “Even though the Spike Rifles are really heavy, I still wish there was some way to retrofit a full stock onto 'em.”
 * “Recoil isn't as bad as you might expect, but not because of any sophisticated dampening system – it's because the damn things weigh so much.”
 * “I saw the Baby Kong go dry so I moved in with my shotty, well that's the last time I'll be doing that, huh? Damn cleaver-bayonet-thing went right through the shotty and cut my arm off just above the elbow. Only reason I'm still here is because of, well you know, because of him."
 * “Every action requires exaggerated movement; cycling the bolt, seating a magazine, charging the chamber. Even squeezing the trigger takes quite a bit of effort. And it isn’t all that surprising considering the disparity in size of our two species.”
 * “Bravo Kilos sure have a thing for sticking blades on their equipment, don’t they? I bet their mess kits have three knives.”
 * “The projectiles fired from this weapon seem to be made out of the same material as the Spike Grenade’s casing. Wounds caused by this weapon are horrifying.”
 * “Spike Rifles always have a weird sorta burnt hair smell about them. And you know you’re heading towards a firefight where they’re bein’ used if it smells like a barbecue gone wrong.”

Trivia

 * The projectiles while inside of the magazine are most likely spherical due to the fact that the spikes are longer than the actual magazine.
 * Though it appears to have two barrels these are actually the tips of the electro-magnetic rails, see Railgun.
 * Massive amounts of heat are created when firing, this is visually evident in the projectiles and, in Halo:Reach, the muzzle.


 * The projectiles decrease in altitude the further they are shot, similar to the Needler.


 * Over time the Type-25 Carbine has garnered the nicknames “Spike Rifle," “Spiker,” "Nail Gun," and “Hatchet Gun.”


 * Brutes use it as a pistol but it is referred to as a rifle, as the retired soldiers in the video "Enemy Weapon" called it a "spike rifle." However Sergeant Johnson called it a "heavy pistol" in Halo: Contact Harvest.
 * It has been quoted in the Halo 3 Guide Book that the Spiker may have a rapid rate of fire, but the projectiles themselves are quite slow to reach their target.


 * In Halo: Contact Harvest, it states the bayonets on the Spiker are fully functional in combat- Tartarus first uses the blades to impale Captain Ponder while buying time for the citizens of Harvest to escape, and later during his ritual combat with Maccabeus.


 * B-113-421 lost both of the blades on his spiker.


 * The Spiker does about 60% more damage than the M7/Caseless Submachine Gun and 20% more damage than the MA5C Assault Rifle; on Heroic difficulty, it takes 20 Spiker rounds, 24 assault rifle rounds, or 32 SMG rounds to kill a human Marine. This makes the Spiker the most powerful full-auto projectile weapon in the game, but this is balanced out by the slightly reduced rate of fire and the fact that the projectiles are not hitscan. (which game?)


 * In Halo 3 campaign mode, if a Phantom is shot down and a Heavy Grunt survives from it, they will often have a Spiker as its weapon, and in which case will not shoot at you.


 * Oddly, in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, while other solid projectiles are deflected, the spikes from a Spiker will lodge themselves into a Jackal's energy shield, but will not hurt the Jackal.


 * It takes many rounds from a spiker for a player to be killed. An unshielded player can take around 25 shots before death. (game?)

In Halo 3

 * The actual weight of the Spiker is much disputed. It is often too much for a UNSC Marine to hold with one hand. However, in Halo 3, The Prophet of Truth, who is frail and weak, is presumed to have fired a Spiker with only one hand to kill Miranda Keyes in a cutscene in the level The Covenant. He then proceeds to dispose of the weapon with two fingers. However, as he is seen holding it with one hand only after Keyes' death, it is possible that he fired the weapon with two hands. This may just be an oversight by Bungie.
 * Despite the popular belief, the Spiker's bayonets do, in fact, provide a small increase in melee damage. The Spiker's melee damage is seventy-two points. All non-Brute weapon melee attacks in Halo 3 with the exception to the Sword, Hammer, and assassinations inflict seventy points damage out of a player's 115 total health. It is 70 to the shield, and then the remaining 45 to the player's own health.

In Halo 3: ODST

 * In Halo 3:ODST, during the level Mombasa Streets, there is often evidence of multiple skirmishes throughout the city, with Spiker rounds commonly embedded in walls, and also in the bodies of dead police officers.
 * The melee damage increase from Halo 3 is much more effective and noticeable, largely because the ODSTs are physically inferior to Spartans in terms of having lower overall melee damage with non-brute weaponry.

In Halo: Reach

 * It makes an appearance in Reach's Campaign and Firefight modes whenever Brutes are encountered, and kills with it count towards the "Standard Issue" Campaign Commendation, as well as the "Rifling' Through" Commendation for Firefight Matchmaking.
 * Currently the Spiker does not appear by default on any of Halo:Reachs Multiplayer Maps, much like the Sentinal Beam and Firebomb Grenades in Halo:3.
 * The Spiker's ability to ricochet makes it one of the easiest non-explosive suicidal guns in the game. All you have to do is deflect the spikes at a hard surface such as a wall so that it hits your armor and fire until death.
 * The Type-25 Carbine resembles Human weapons more than other Covenant weapons.
 * Brutes in Halo: Reach now wield the Spiker with two hands.
 * In Halo: Reach, The Spiker's lights on its sights have changed from blue to orange much like the Gravity Hammer.
 * The Halo: Reach Spiker features a kind of firing bolt mechanism. It also has more prominent iron sights.
 * In Halo: Reach, the barrel of the Spiker will turn red-hot after continuous fire, and eventually orange/white-hot. This has no effect on the weapon, save for triggering overheating dialogue on non-multiplayer operators. The white-hot glow may be to indicate its peak point of inaccuracy.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Spiker is commonly referred to as the Spike Rifle.
 * In Halo: Reach, the Spiker appears to behave more like a plasma- based weapon than in other titles as it now drops shields noticeably faster than the Assault rifle and is slightly less effective against unshielded targets, this may be due to the extreme heat of the Spiker's projectiles.
 * The orange lights on the Spiker's sides glow brighter as the weapon heats up
 * The Spiker will not glow red with bottomless clip activated
 * Althought the spiker's barrel will glow red with constant firing, it will not overheat like the plasma weapons.

Related Pages

 * Type-2 Antipersonnel Fragmentation Grenade
 * Type-3 Antipersonnel/Antimaterial Incendiary Grenade
 * Type-52 Pistol
 * Type-25 Grenade Launcher