In Dark Sector, the gameplay revolves around the use of the glaive. The glaive is a three-pronged boomerang-esque weapon which returns to Hayden after every throw. The glaive can be used for long-distance dismemberment, solving environmental puzzles, and picking up various items. When up close to an enemy, context-sensitive actions may appear, allowing the player to execute enemies with "finishers". Environmental puzzles in the game usually focus upon capturing various elements (fire, electricity, ice, etc.) with the glaive. For example, a web that is blocking your path can be bypassed by capturing fire with the glaive and then launching it at the web to burn it down. The glaive is dual-wielded with a gun in Hayden's left hand. This allows for combos like stunning an enemy at long-distance with the glaive, running up close, and then shooting them down. As the game progresses, the glaive is given several new abillites; it can be guided through the air, being able to kill multiple enemies (This feature is controlled via the Sixaxis on the PlayStation 3 and by analog stick on the Xbox 360); a charged up throw for deadlier attacks, and is able to make the user invisible for a short period of time.