"A powerful tool no matter whose hands it is in. Heavy firepower is what you wish? You can have it. Firing for long periods of time? You can have it. This weapon is as flexible as a Lekgolo worm, and as powerful as a colony of them. This is a true weapon."
―A Sangheili merchant convincing a potential customer to buy a Plasma Striker.
The Type-56 Light Directed Energy Weapon, also known as the Plasma Striker, is a powerful small arms weapon manufactured by the independent merchants of the Sangheili market world Righteous Cause. Production started in early 2558, as the merchants saw opportunity in selling it to both sides of the growing conflict between Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and the Swords of Sanghelios. However, this attracted the interest of many neutral forces, and as a result the weapon was sold to multiple freelancers and mercenaries as well. In mid-2558, when Jul 'Mdama's Covenant decided to occupy Righteous Cause, many Sangheili warriors from its ranks took a hold of the weapons.
After Spartan IV Fireteam Caliber liberated Cause with the help of the Swords of Sanghelios, an interest was taken in the Plasma Striker, subsequently leading to it becoming an exclusive weapon in War Games. The Striker is a small, compact weapon, with the bulk of its mass being taken up by a large battery core that supplies it with its plasma ammunition. It is often fitted with two muzzles, one on each side, for maximum lethality. The Plasma Striker has a generous six hundred battery units, much more than compared to a T-25 Plasma Rifle. The Striker's plasma bolts do roughly the same amount of damage as a plasma rifle, but with the ability to fire from three barrels, at once, the firepower is basically tripled. This makes the weapon much more powerful and more effective at stripping shields, while giving it only a third of the time to use up the ammunition.
A notable feature for the gun is the ability to attach and detach the side barrels, leaving one muzzle. This practically turns it into a Plasma Rifle with more ammunition, but grants more accuracy and longer firing time if besieging a position. When detached, it makes the weapon easy to dual-wield. When the barrels are mounted, they click into an electronic pathway that signals the weapon to open up two linings among its carapace that connect to the attached muzzles, and vice versa for when they are detached, as to avoid excess plasma. The Plasma Striker is quite hard to overheat because its battery core is so large and contains venting, and it is commonly called the Tri-Blaster among other names for its three muzzles.
