Needlers, sometimes known as Needler pistols, are a class of single-handed, fully-automatic infantry specialized weapons developed by the Covenant that launch kemuksuru—also known as Subanese crystalline shards—that are capable of homing in on targets. The Covenant and its remnants formally designated the needler as needle launcher or shard launcher, while the United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence has typically type-classified encountered needlers variants under the designations of Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher (T-33 GML) or Type-56 Guided Munitions Launcher (T-56 GML). Nicknames for the needler include Pinkies and Shrimp Shooter.
The needler fires shards of kemuksuru—colloquially known as blamite or Subanese crystal—a pink crystalline substance mined from the interiors of Suban, one of Sangheilios' two moons. The exposed crystals are held within the upper cowling of the weapon, allowing the user to use the sharpened ends of the exposed shards as an improvised melee weapon.