The Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle (OSIPR),[1] also known as Pulse Rifle or AR2 (Assault Rifle 2; stemming from a development codename), is a Dark Energy/pulse-powered assault rifle featured in Half-Life 2. It is manufactured by the Combine.
The Pulse Rifle is essentially a Combine variant of current assault rifles, commonly issued to Overwatch Soldiers and Overwatch Elites.
Overview[]
Rebel firing at the Hunter-Chopper in the Outlands with his Pulse Rifle.
The Pulse Rifle is a fully-automatic directed energy weapon with a 30 round energy cell, which is reloaded with an automatic mechanism built into the weapon from the box magazine. When fired, a large firing pin strikes the chambered cell, causing it to release a portion of its total stored energy in the form of a single pulse projectile capable of causing significant damage to a target.
The box magazine considered an optional upgrade in Half-Life: Alyx, suggesting that it might be a more recent addition or optional attachment to the standard issue weapon design. A Dark Energy Ball shooter is built into it, in which the orb is capable of disintegrating almost anything it touches. On the body can be seen the alphanumerics "V952", also featured on other Combine devices.
Given the observable characteristics of the Combine's dark energy-powered technology, it can be speculated that the Pulse Rifle (and most if not all Combine pulse weaponry) causes damage through destabilizing the physical matter that the projectiles come into contact with, creating tiny spatial distortions that disrupt the molecular structure of the target. To the shooter, there appears to be little difference between this and the ballistic trauma that conventional weapons produce, but the effect is noticeably more pronounced when firing a Dark Energy Ball.
When the ball comes into contact with a living organism, the concentrated dark energy stored inside causes the target to briefly float in the air before being vaporized, as the negative mass interacts chaotically with the mass of the target to cancel gravity before destabilizing enough matter to remove the target from physical space.
While the Pulse Rifle is common amongst the Overwatch forces, only Overwatch Elite are allowed to fire the Energy Balls. If the Overwatch Elite is killed, they will drop an Energy ball and the player can pick it up.
Rebels often utilize Pulse Rifles for their needs. Notably, a Rebel at White Forest informs his comrades that the weapon's secondary attack can be useful against Hunters, leading to the AR3 dispute. While similar, the mounted variant, the Emplacement Gun, is a different pulse gun.
The player first acquires the weapon at the end of Half-Life 2's sixth chapter, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...", scavenged off of a dead soldier previously fighting stray Zombies coming out of Ravenholm. In Episode One, it can be found in a Combine supply room in the chapter Urban Flight. In Episode Two, it is found in a doorway in the chapter Freeman Pontifex, near a small overrun Resistance outpost.
The player first acquires the Energy Ball at the end of chapter "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...", in the warehouse where Rebels fight Overwatch soldiers. In Episode One they can be obtained by killing an Overwatch Elite in the Hospital. In Episode Two they can be obtained in a Supply Crate appearing on the Car Radar before the White Forest Inn.
Tactics[]
Overwatch Soldiers fighting Zombies in the hospital with Pulse Rifles.
- The Pulse Rifle's recoil is strong. The weapon's spread is much worse when firing the weapon in automatic mode, so firing it in short bursts is highly recommended (this also conserves ammo). Furthermore, the player can only hold three full magazines (that is, one in the gun, two spare), which are easy to go through if firing in automatic mode.
- Since the amount of ammo the player can carry for the Pulse Rifle is relatively low and it burns through ammo very quickly if not carefully managed, it is best used in situations where nearby ammo is plentiful - that is, when fighting Combine Soldiers as a rifle dropped gives much more ammo compared to the MP7.
- In most situations, the Pulse Rifle is better than the MP7, and is a good all-around automatic weapon. While the MP7 has a higher rate of fire and bullet capacity, the Pulse Rifle compensates with the much higher damage per shot.
- Take advantage of its high stationary accuracy and go for headshots if possible. This helps to kill the enemy faster than usual and save ammo for later.
- The cores powering the weapon's alternate fire are rather hard to come by and should be preserved for special cases. They are efficient on lined up enemies, since it goes through them all before it hits a wall. Using it in small rooms is also efficient, since it bounces on the walls, floor and ceiling. However, use in outdoor environments where the sky is exposed is unwise, as the projectile orb disintegrates upon flying out into open air, therefore shortening the use and value of the weapon. Also, the orbs are programmed to be a fast projectiles rather than hitscan bullets. Take your time to adjust your aim, as it takes about 1 second to launch an orb when the trigger is pulled.
- The Pulse Rifle's energy cores are also a one-hit-kill against even a Hunter (note that the Energy Ball is destroyed when it hits the Hunter). If the player has energy orbs in their inventory and come into contact with a group of Hunters (such as the inn ambush and White Forest assault), it's advisable to dispatch of them quickly using your energy cores, rather than try to fight them with the Gravity Gun or explosives. Hunters have a habit of strafing around and are quite nimble, so make sure to line up your shots to avoid wasting an Energy Ball.
- Energy Balls can be deflected by a blast made with the Gravity Gun, by capturing it. This happens whether or not the Gravity Gun is infused with the Citadel's Dark Energy.
- Energy Balls can be used to kill Striders, but they only do around a third of the damage of the RPG rockets. Since seven RPGs are required to take down a Strider, it's best to conserve your energy cores for other uses. When killed by an Energy Ball, a Strider completely breaks apart, rather than the usual falling-down from a rocket.
Behind the scenes[]
IRifle worldmodel.
- At one point in Half-Life 2's development, there were three assault rifles: in addition to the Pulse Rifle, there was the AK-47 (or AR1) and the Incendiary Rifle that used a slightly different Pulse Rifle model and functioned as a Flare Gun with a five-round magazine. The Pulse Rifle was originally slated to be an OICW and would be the Combine's weapon of choice. All three weapons were finally scrapped. Instead, the Incendiary Rifle's model was turned into the Pulse Rifle's, which became the only assault rifle in the final game. The Pulse Rifle's model still uses the name of the original model ("v_irifle").
Trivia[]
- Gordon holds the Pulse Rifle with only one hand. This is merely a design oversight.
- Originally, the Energy Ball could disintegrate Barnacles only in Episode Two. In the other episodes, it would merely pass through the creature without harming it. It has now been updated so that it disintegrates Barnacles in every game.
- The reload animation used by NPCs for this weapon was recycled from that of the OICW. Therefore, though in the viewmodel it is reloaded internally using an automatic system, when used by NPCs it appears to reload manually and externally. The reload for the NPCs is a manual reload, where the NPC pulls a magazine out and pushes it into the gun, like an MP7. Bizarrely, though, there is a finished reloading animation specifically made for Rebels of them pulling out an ammo cartridge and inserting it into the proper location. After inserting a new magazine, the NPCs also pulls the charging handle even though the Pulse Rifle doesn't have one.
- When fired by NPCs, the Pulse Rifle uses sounds recycled from that of the OICW. Similarly, the APC's pulse gun sounds just like the player's Pulse Rifle.
- The recoil of the Pulse Rifle will reset abruptly if firing a large amount of rounds on full-auto. This is most easily seen by modifying the magazine size to 40 or higher.
- Rebels holding an MP7 will always replace their weapon with the Pulse Rifle. In Half-Life 2, Rebels armed with a SPAS-12 generally retain their weapon, while in Episode One and Episode Two they will swap the shotgun with the Pulse Rifle.
- NPCs can only fire 25 rounds before they need to reload. However, Father Grigori is the only NPC able to fire 30 rounds, and while doing this in full-auto mode the recoil will not increase.
- Its ammo symbol in the HUD resembles the shape of the early energy core model.
- NPCs armed with the Pulse Rifle are unable to fire the weapon when enemy is at point blank. Therefore NPCs armed with this weapon will always move backward when they have physical contact with an enemy, unless that NPC has melee attacks.
- Only Overwatch Elites can fire the energy ball in normal gameplay. This may be because regular Overwatch soldiers simply do not have the ammunition or are not allowed to use them. This is more likely for balancing and difficulty reasons.
- It is possible to get the Pulse Rifle in Direct Intervention. After getting the transmission, by going in and out of the elevator Combine will spawn, and allowing Alyx to kill them will keep the dropped Pulse Rifle from being destroyed, so you can pick it up.
Gallery[]
Half-Life 2[]
Half-Life: Alyx[]
Models[]
List of appearances[]
 The Half-Life Wiki has more images related to Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle.
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- Half-Life 2 (First appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Deathmatch (Non-canonical appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (Non-canonical appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Source Particle Benchmark (Game files only) (Non-canonical appearance)
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Half-Life: Alyx
References[]
- ↑ Half-Life 2 Prima Guide