Type-25 Carbine

Were you looking for the article of the related name, the Covenant Carbine?

The Type-25 Carbine , more commonly known as the Spiker, is a 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. Holding 40 spikes per magazine, this vicious and dangerous rifle 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 projectile can tear through armor and flesh with ease.

This weapon replaced the Brute Plasma Rifle in service during the Battle of Installation 05.

The Spiker fires large superheated metal spikes resembling Needler projectiles. These spikes individually might not be heavy (approx 14-15g) as their crystal counterparts, but because they are composed of superheated metal, they can burn/melt through armor upon impact, inflicting wounds that 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 crumple. 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 like "burnt hair."

Note that this and other covenant weapons are actually quite large. If you look at the last picture on this page you will see its size in human hands.

The Brute Spiker has a very fast reload time in Halo 3. 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 well is located on the underside of the weapon, behind the blade.

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. 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 (as like all bladed weapons, excluding the Gravity Hammer) shred the flood into pieces, also preventing "revival" by other infection forms.

The Spiker's blade also provides a moderate advantage for players in Matchmaking, making an able Melee tool for the adept user..

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 reduced.

The Spiker is pretty much the Covenant Loyalists counterpart of the UNSC's M7 SMG, 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. As with the SMG, firing in short, controlled bursts will result in increased accuracy.

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. So it has a technically more range then the BR 55.

Dual Wielding
The most common combo is with other Spikers, but other combos are of course possible. The Spiker and Plasma Rifle can be devastating together, the effective equivalent of the SMG/Plasma Rifle combo from Halo 2. The Spiker takes the place of the SMG, and often works even better than the previous combo.

Another combo is the Spiker/SMG combo, which, though not as good as the plasma rifle combo, is still mildly effective at close quarters. However, the many 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. Yet another combo is the Spiker/Plasma Pistol combo. This combo is effective mostly for single enemy surprise attacks.

A Spiker and a Mauler can be extremely effective, the former firearm tearing through shields while you rush the enemy, then follow up with a mauler shot to put them down. Just be careful not to run out into the open, or long range weapons such as a sniper rifle will take you out.

Another mid range combo is the 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.

The conclusion is the Spiker is a formidable weapon with plentiful ammo. (Unless there is the Famine Skull!)

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.
 * Despite the popular belief, The Spiker's bayonets do, in fact, provide a small increase in melee damage. The spiker's melee damage is 75 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 a "Brute SMG" due to its automatic fire and similarity to the SMG.
 * The Spiker's Needles greatly resemble the Needles of the Needler, with the obvious exception of the colour.
 * If fired over long distances, the Spiker's needles fall towards the ground, loosing altitude and probably missing a target. In order to make sure the Spiker's needles hit, it is truly effective only at close and medium ranges, and especially effective when dual wielded.

Images & Video
 http://www.haloforever.com/images/weapons/halo_3_weapons_spiker.gif