Bungie Universe
This topic has moved here: Subject: How exactly does the Halo ring work?
  • Subject: How exactly does the Halo ring work?
Subject: How exactly does the Halo ring work?
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

I'm talking about the function where it can destroy all life within its range.

How can it do that? Is there some sort of wave that travels outward?

Or do they just instantly die? Did the forerunners alter the races (Sangheili, Human, etc.) to respond to the ring's activation?

I was just wondering. Sorry if I sound like an idiot, I don't read Halo books or anything (well, I did read Onyx)

  • 09.05.2011 2:05 PM PDT

The Forerunners kept humans, sangheili, etc on installations that were not effected by the Halo rings therefore allowing them to survive.

  • 09.05.2011 2:08 PM PDT

"There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only WAR!"

its like a ripple effect. one ring will activate, creating a huge wave of destruction through out the cosmos, and then before its power dies off, the second ring will launch, creating a wave behind the first wave, pushing it farther and farther out with each consecutive ring. i dont know the placement of the rings. but yes, they did have the power to destroy nearly all life in the galaxy. except the life the forerunners, had hidden away. enough individuals kept in cryo (to repopulate) to be awoken after the rings effects had worn off, and the flood had died.

[Edited on 09.05.2011 2:23 PM PDT]

  • 09.05.2011 2:21 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

According to the new book, Cryptum, it says that the Halo rings emit a neutrino pulse that essentially turns the brains of every complex and sentient being to mush. Not only does it kill them, but it starves the Flood.

  • 09.05.2011 3:03 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

It is described as being a harmonic pulse consisting of "cross-phased supermassive neutrinos". There is no detailed explanation of how it affects living organisms, but here is my theory:

It is a resonance pulse. Its frequency is tuned to the resonance frequencies of each species' central nervous systems, or an important part of it. (Each species will have different CNS', so differing wave frequencies will be needed, thus the harmonics I think) The wave imparts massive vibrational energy into the CNS until it is destroyed.

A simple way to visualize what this resonance entails is in a child's swing. If you push the swing in time with when the swing just begins its motion away from you, the energy that you put into the swing will add to the swing's preexisting energy and it will go higher. If you push as the swing is coming towards you, you will end up slowing it down - you will steal its energy away. Halo's pulse is like this in that it must cause vibrations in parts of your CNS, and the waves are in time to these vibrations so that they "push" them higher and higher. In the same sense that if you push the child's swing too high it will fly off the bar (Or the child will fly off the seat...) so too is the CNS' structure eventually broken down by these constantly increasing destructive vibrations. The only difference is that it is massive energies transferred almost instantly.

Or something.

/theory

  • 09.05.2011 3:10 PM PDT

I thought that all the rings detonated at the same time, not in serise.

I know you can set each one off manually, but can't set the off at the same time from the Ark? It would make a lot more sence then activating them one after another

  • 09.06.2011 11:34 AM PDT