 Technologically , the Covenant are described in The Flood and First Strike to be imitative rather than innovative — most of the Covenant 's sophisticated weaponry and propulsion systems are based on Forerunner artifacts , rather than the Covenant 's own research . Covenant weapons are generally based on Forerunner technology and utilize plasma . These weapons are built around a battery that generates plasma and discharges it at a target . Frank O 'Connor , Bungie 's former public relations head , hinted that there may be something more to the Covenant 's weaponry , saying " the actual technology is not plasma as we know it , but something far more dangerous , arcane , and destructive . " A few of the Covenant 's weapons are not plasma @-@ based , including the Needler , which fires razor @-@ sharp pink needles capable of " homing in " on organic foes and exploding . A weapons expert noted parallels between the Needler and ancient Greek Amazons painting their daggers pink as a psychological weapon in an issue of gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly . 
