Type-25 Carbine

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The Type-25 Carbine, more commonly known as the Spiker, is a common Covenant Loyalist firearm.

Introduction
The Spiker was first seen in 2525, during the Battle of Harvest, but only in the wake of the initial stages of the Covenant Civil War has it seen widespread usage amongst the Covenant, specifically the Brutes. Holding 40 spikes per magazine, this vicious and dangerous weapon is favored by Brutes and in fact, is based on their native pre-Covenant technology. Old as its technology is, the rapid-firing, razor-sharp, heated projectile can tear through armor and flesh with ease. This weapon has replaced the Brute Plasma Rifle in active service during the Battle of Installation 05.

The Spiker fires large superheated metal spikes with similar appearance to needler projectiles with the exception that they do not explode when embedded within a target. . These spikes individually might not be as heavy (approx 14-15g) as their crystal counterparts, but because they are composed of superheated metal, they can burn/melt through armor upon impact. The resulting wounds have been described as "horrifying." The spikes fired by this weapon are armor-piercing and appears to penetrate energy shield layers but are defeated before inflicting damage to the underlying structure. If shot directly at a surface, the spikes will collapse under the stress. However, if fired at a sufficiently high angle, the spikes will ricochet with predictable accuracy, but without losing any of their efficiency. This is useful when firing from behind cover. Its ammunition spikes have also been noted to be of the same material of the Spike Grenade (also a Loyalist Weapon). When a Spiker fires a projectile, it leaves a peculiar vapor smelling like burnt hair.

The Brute Spiker is introduced in Halo 3. It has a fast reload time and even in dual wield configuration the Spiker is faster than the SMG. The Spiker ammunition is fed into the weapon via a small drum magazine with a 40-spike capacity. The magazine wheel is located on the underside of the weapon, behind the blade and in front of the trigger.

Blades
The Spiker's blades are made of tungsten carbide and can be used at close range to dismember enemy soldiers. It is extremely hard and durable and a weapon to fear and take advantage of, and has great potential against Gravity Hammers and Energy Swords users. It is reportedly capable of slicing through other weapons, in addition to flesh and bone. In some cases, it can be quite effective against Human Flood Combat Forms. Like all bladed weapons, excluding the Gravity Hammer, it shreds the Flood into pieces, also preventing "revival" by other Infection Forms. Be careful though, as Elite combat forms need to have their shields eliminated on higher difficulties before attempting a melee attack. Though only the two under the barrel are used in combat, there is also one on the bottom of the pistol grip and two on top which act as iron sights.

The Spiker's blade also provides a moderate advantage for players in Matchmaking, making an able melee tool for the adept user. But the damage is only slightly above that of a normal melee attack. A player has 115 (another 7 reference) points and a standard melee does 70 points of damage. All weapons that melee with a blade (Spiker, Mauler and Brute Shot) deal 72 points of damage.

Capabilities
In Multiplayer, the Spiker is capable of depleting an enemy shield in 8 shots, or killing an unshielded opponent in 6. When dual-wielding, this totals up to 16 shots, since the weapon's piercing abilities are slightly decreased.

The Spiker is the Covenant Loyalists counterpart of the UNSC's M7 SMG, and the Elite Plasma Rifle, having very similar range and penetration capabilities. The similarities to the SMG are mainly apparent in close range combat situations, reportedly doing 'terrible things to human flesh'. Also, the two large blades mounted under the barrel of the weapon increase its close quarters functionality. For example, it was stated on bungie.net that a player has 115 hit points (45 body and 70 shield points). A normal melee attack does 70 damage, but because of the Type-25/Spiker blades, a melee attack with it causes marginally more damage (72 damage).

When using the weapon for medium range combat, its similarities to the SMG are limited. When in full automatic, the spikes will gain a very large spread.

The spikes, however, have a much slower velocity compared to the SMG's rounds. If firing at mid-range, it is recommended to lead the shots, as they will quite easily miss their target. Also, take note that the spikes can ricochet off hard surfaces at low angles.

It should also be noted that when firing at a target at medium range, the spikes have a slight arc, enough so that if the shooter is aiming at the chest or head, the spikes may end up hitting the target's feet, or may miss entirely if not using controlled bursts. It is recommended that when firing at medium range, the wielder should place the bottom of the reticule so that the bottom line of the square-shaped reticule is at the head or neck in order for the shots to hit the target's abdomen.

The maximum range is surprisingly high. Although the effective range is still about 130 feet, the spikes are capable of traveling on Sandtrap, from the top of both bases.

Dual-Wielding

 * A commonly used combination is with another Spiker, but, of course, other combos are possible.


 * A Spiker and Plasma Rifle is a devastating combo, an effective equivalent of the SMG\Plasma Rifle combo originally used in Halo 2. A Spiker taking the SMG's role is often better than the former combo.


 * Another combo is the Spiker/SMG combo, which, though not as good when paired with a plasma rifle, is still mildly effective at close quarters. However, the different ammo capacities and rates of fire can make organized reloading a challenge, though it can be more effective when trying to keep a weapon available especially when still combating with enemies.


 * The Spiker/Plasma Pistol combo is most effective to surprise-attack a lone enemy. Ideally, this tactic is quick and precise, and should be executed the same way. This is easily countered by superior numbers, so the user must be discreet. Bring another surprise along to further counter numbers.


 * A Spiker and a Mauler can be effective: The Spiker first tears through shields as the user closes on an enemy, to deliver a final blow with the Mauler. The Mauler can be--though not as effectively--replaced with a Magnum. However, this combo is not as effective at far, when such distance can't be closed, and the user runs the risk of being sniped, or gunned down.


 * Another mid-range combo is the Plasma Pistol/Spiker combo with the pistol being on the left, and the Spiker being on the right for its melee capabilities if the battle becomes close.


 * Also, remember that marines cannot dual wield Spikers, though they can use them single-handed.

Keep in mind that the Spiker is a formidable weapon with plentiful ammunition.

Equivalents

 * M7 Caseless Submachine Gun
 * Brute/Plasma Rifle

Remarks

 * “Even though them 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’ve got 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.”.

Related Articles

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

Trivia

 * The Spiker is the replacement for the Brute Plasma Rifle from Halo 2.
 * It has been quoted in the Halo 3 Guide Book that the Spiker may have a withering rate of fire, but the projectiles themselves are quite slow to reach their target.
 * If aiming for a distant enemy, you should aim higher then the actual target as the projectiles decrease in altitude the further they are shot.
 * Despite the popular belief, The Spiker's bayonets do, in fact, provide a small increase in melee damage. The spiker's melee damage is 72 points. All non-Brute weapon melee attacks in Halo 3 (with exception to the Sword, Hammer, and assassinations) inflict 70 points damage out of a players 115 total points (70 points are devoted to shields, 45 to a players health). Link to Bungie Weekly Update 2/08/08 which speaks on melee damage
 * The Spiker can actually be considered the Covenant counterpart with human's SMG due to its automatic fire and similarity.
 * The E3 2000 demo's version of the Needler fired projectiles that were similar in appearance to the rounds of the Spiker, though they detonated like they do in the final game.
 * The Spiker is the largest dual-wieldable weapon in Halo 3.
 * After the spikes stick into the target, they cool down from the bright glowing orange color to a dark black before fading away.
 * The spikes that are visible sticking into a target are considerably longer than the gun's clip. This is for dramatic affect, because if the the spikes in the target were the correct size they would barely be visible and seem out of tune with the power of the weapon. It could also be that the spikes in the magazine were smaller and heated up to make them bigger which explains the spikes glowing red when shot.
 * If you are shot in the shoulder with a Spiker, you can see it actively in your HUD. It also wiggles realistically whenever you move.
 * In campaign mode, if a Phantom is shot down and a Grunt survives from it, it will always have a Spiker as it's weapon, firing faster than its normal rate.
 * It's said that the very first concept of the Spiker was to be a single wield weapon, but was tuned down and made dual wieldable so it could balance out the SMG and Plasma Rifle.
 * The Prophet of Truth uses a spiker as his main weapon which he used to kill Miranda Keyes.
 * The Spiker is incorrectly labeled in the game manual as having 48 rounds per clip, instead of the actual 40.
 * Two Grunts can be seen wielding Brute spikers. One on The Ark and the other on The Storm. On The Ark it is a Grunt Heavy. He can be seen on the top of of the tunnel where the human vehicles come out of where there is a crashed Phantom just before the Scarab battle.
 * The Spiker's contestant and equal weapons are the Plasma Rifle, Brute Plasma Rifle and the SMG.
 * The Spiker works well when in conjunction with the shield-depleting plasma rifle.
 * In the novel Halo: Contact Harvest, Maccabeus is killed by his Tartarus using the blades attached to a Spiker rifle.
 * Even though the Spiker is called a carbine or a rifle, Sgt. Johnson called it a "heavy pistol" during Halo: Contact Harvest.
 * In the novel Halo: Contact Harvest, the Brutes were all carrying Spikers when Johnson and his men went to negotiate with them.
 * In Halo: Contact Harvest, Captain Ponder is impaled by two Spikers wielded by Tartarus while buying time for the citizens of Harvest to escape.
 * A possible reason that the spiker was not in Halo 2 is because the ship that destroyed Harvest was a Brute controlled ship. Since the Elites were still the ruling military race, the spiker would have been considered obsolete for use until the Brutes came to power, in which case, they would prefer to use their own weapons.
 * Players dual-wielding the Spiker's should not treat them as dual Needlers. Instead, keep your aim on the target and fire carefully, ensuring that the spikes actually hit.  Remember that they do not follow a target like the Needles.
 * It is quite easy to kill a brute or a pack of grunts with two brute spikers then a assault rifle. But remember to keep locked on to your target.