Human weapons are those used by the Marines (your allies), and are kinetic - i.e. they use bullets, shells, shrapnel, and concussion to damage your enemy. They are frequently not as effective against Covenant shield technology as energy weapons.

Every weapon you are capable of wielding (save for manned, stationary weapons, which cannot move, much less melee) has the ability to "melee attack" - essentially, instead of firing it, using it to bluntly smack your enemy. Melee attacks can be useful at close ranges, and especially when you're out of ammo or reloading - even in the middle of a reload sequence, you can melee. While all weapons in the game will deal the same melee damage, they strike at different speeds, so be aware that a few weapons (e.g. the rocket launcher, sniper rifle, or needler) melee very slowly.

Covenant weapons are the weapons carried by your enemy, the alien Covenant. They are energy-based, mostly using charged, superhot plasma to deal out damage, and can be very effective. However, most Covenant weapons are basically throwaways; they are incomprehensible to humans, and as such, cannot be reloaded by the player (the exception to this is the needler.) Also, most plasma weapons can overheat under heavy usage, necessitating a short cooling-down period during which you will be unable to fire.

Every weapon you are capable of wielding (save for manned, stationary weapons, which cannot move, much less melee) has the ability to "melee attack" - essentially, instead of firing it, using it to bluntly smack your enemy. Melee attacks can be useful at close ranges, and especially when you're out of ammo or reloading - even in the middle of a reload sequence, you can melee. While all weapons in the game will deal the same melee damage, they strike at different speeds, so be aware that a few weapons (e.g. the rocket launcher, sniper rifle, or needler) melee very slowly.