| Clip Size | 18 rounds |
| Shield Drain | 6 shots |
| Health Drain | 6 shots |
| Unlock Cost | 2 SP |
The Covenant Carbine has been around since Halo 2 in one form or another (there was a brief stint as the Needle Rifle at one point). Usually it falls between the Battle Rifle and the Designated Marksman Rifle. It fires faster than the DMR and is more accurate than the Battle Rifle but has less punch to it. Instead of bullets, plasma or lasers, it fires a small radioactive canister at enemies instead.
In Halo 4, the Carbine is the fastest firing of the four primary precision weapons. While it takes two more shots to get through shields, if the following shot is a head shot then the weapon takes roughly as much time as the other weapons. The weapon is remarkably accurate and has very little recoil but it requires you to be more accurate with more shots to make a kill. When working on a good time, this is a fantastic weapon for a clean up teammate. Combining this weapon for headshots with another player using the Light Rifle for body shots (since only 3 are needed to drop shields), you maximize your potential of both weapons.
In single combat, however, it is a subpar weapon compared to the others. If you don't know your team or you aren't particularly accurate (since it takes 6 body shots instead of three to kill), it's best to leave this weapon home.
