Eos'Mak-pattern plasma pistol

The Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol, otherwise known as the Plasma Pistol, is a Covenant ground firearm, carried most commonly by Grunts and Jackals and certain elites.

Summary
The Plasma Pistol, like the Plasma Rifle, is a directed energy weapon that fires bolts of superheated ionized gas (i.e. plasma) instead of traditional Human ballistic ammunition. This Covenant weapon is capable of quickly firing low-powered shots, or charging a single high-powered blast which can instantly deplete any form of energy shielding, and in Halo 3, it can disable vehicles for a short time. This high-powered shot makes the Plasma Pistol a formidable strategic weapon if used in concert with other infantry weapons. The Plasma Pistol is a standard-issue weapon for lower-ranking Covenant such as Grunts  and Jackals, but is occasionally used by higher-ranking Covenant such as Elites or Brutes, according to manuals, novels, etc.

Advantages


The Plasma Pistol is one of the most versatile weapons in the entire Halo universe. Its ability to instantly and completely deplete shields regardless of strength make it a valuable weapon in multiplayer and invaluable in Campaign against certain shielded enemies, especially Elites, Jackals and Brute Power Armor. It is also highly effective against Sentinels, taking only a single overcharged shot to destroy a standard Sentinel, or two charged-shots to destroy a Sentinel Major, one to deplete its shields and another to destroy it. In addition to its standard offensive capabilities, there are also various elements peculiar to each game that enhance its effectiveness. In Halo: Combat Evolved, it has the ability to briefly stun opponents via its standard firing mode. Also, the overcharged shots cause heavy damage to unshielded opponents in multiplayer as well as unshielded Covenant (except Hunters). In Halo 2, the greatly enhanced tracking abilities of the overcharged shots made it extremely effective, as it is nearly impossible to dodge. In Halo 3, while the overcharged shots have reduced tracking from Halo 2, they can now temporarily disable any vehicle, rendering them immobile for a few seconds, similar to the Power Drainer, though the vehicles weaponry is still active. Also, an overcharged plasma bolt in Halo 3 will destroy a Brute's Power Armor, making them vulnerable to weapons fire.

The Plasma Pistol is most effective when used in conjunction with other weapons, particularly those capable of headshots, i.e. the Battle Rifle, Covenant Carbine, or any M6 series handgun. The weapon can be used in a shot/melee Combo—first, it should be used in a somewhat close range: enough to get in a melee attack after being shot with the Pistol, the Pistol will lower the shields, leaving the target vulnerable yo any type of attack, but to finish, quickly follow up with a quick melee. It's a quick way to kill any target, but it is also pretty risky if you are up against a much more powerful weapon. Note that this weapon alone doesn't cause much damage so have a backup weapon ready. Once the player has disabled their enemy's shields with the Plasma Pistol's overcharged shot, a single headshot from any of those weapons will result in a kill. In Halo 2, the colloquial term "noob combo" has been applied to the Plasma Pistol/Battle Rifle combination due to the extreme tracking abilities of the Plasma Pistol's charged shot as well as the relative ease of achieving headshots with the Battle Rifle. The noob combo is controversial amongst players. Some regard it as cheap while others laud it for its effectiveness. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, the Plasma Pistol is dual-wieldable, allowing the player to use its shield-breaking abilities in concert with another weapon, such as an SMG or pistol. In any Halo game, it is possible to use the Plasma Pistol in conjunction with melee for Close Quarters Combat (CQC, a.k.a. Close Quarters Battle, or CQB). The way you do this is charge up an overcharge shot, and then release it at close range just before using a melee attack. In Halo 1 and 2 (in auto-update 1.1) it should only take one or two melee attacks to kill, and you can melee right after firing. In Halo 3 it is much more effective, as a melee attack after the shields are gone will guarantee a kill. Waiting in halls or buildings which force your enemy into CQB is an effective strategy. It is also effective for a multiplayer game of Juggernaut, as one fully charged shot can deplete the Juggernaut's shield, effectively making the Juggernaut more vulnerable to basic firepower.

However, it is necessary to remember the weapon's tracking capabilities have been reduced in both Halo 1 and Halo 2's Multiplayer mode, ensuring that other weapons or the standard usage of the pistol may be superior in some extreme situations.

Disadvantages
The Plasma Pistol overheats when fired rapidly for extended periods or when an overcharged shot is fired, which render the weapon useless for at least several seconds. Also, the weapon, while accurate, has somewhat of a limited range due to the relatively low velocity of its shots (as compared to most other weapons) and its lack of a scope. It is also a very weak weapon when shot normally, taking multiple shots to wear out a target's shield and doing almost no damage to an unshielded enemy. The weapon's battery cannot be recharged, and thus it must be discarded when the battery is fully depleted. In Halo 2, the overcharged shot is only capable of depleting energy shields and will not kill any enemy, except Sentinels. In Halo 3, holding down the trigger to maintain an overcharged shot will deplete the battery gradually. Another disadvantage to this devastating pistol, is its now-reduced ability to follow the opponent. This is very rarely a weapon of choice, for most players, unless they wish to use the Noob Combo.

Description and Appearance
The Plasma Pistol is capable of quickly firing low-powered shots, or of firing a single high-powered blast which tracks its target to some degree depending on the game. This blast is capable of immediately dissipating Spartans, Elites, Jackal Point Defense Gauntlets and immediately destroys the Brutes battle armor. The amount of battery power it consumes when fired depends on the firing mode used and varies from game to game. In Halo: Combat Evolved, its standard fire depletes 1% of its battery for every five shots, while one overcharge shot will deplete 11% of its battery. In Halo 2, it averages 5 standard shots for every 2% of its battery, while charged shots deplete 15% of the battery. In Halo 3, the battery continually depletes if the trigger is held down for an overcharged shot, and uses 10% upon firing. The core power output is, like the plasma rifle, 100-150 Kv @ 2-3 dA, but, when overcharged, the power output is 1.5 Mv @ 2-3 dA.

The offensive capabilities of the weapon have varied somewhat from game to game. For example, in Halo: Combat Evolved, the standard shots were, like the Plasma Rifle, capable of briefly stunning an enemy. This ability is absent in Halo 2 and Halo 3. Also, the standard shots are much weaker in Halo 2 and Halo 3 than in Halo 1. The tracking abilities of the overcharged shots have varied as well. While they have a somewhat slight homing ability in Halo 1 and Halo 3, they are almost impossible to dodge at close range in Halo 2.

Internal Mechanism
It is not known exactly how the firing mechanism of the Plasma Pistol functions, but it has been suggested that an electrical current from the battery is passed between the 'prongs', ionizing the surrounding gas into a plasma and this is then propelled forwards by an electromagnet. This is what causes the weapon to overheat - if the weapon used stored plasma it would super-cool, not heat. However, this is speculation and it is still not known exactly how the weapon functions.

In Halo 2 and Halo 3, if your character remains idle for a moment while holding a Plasma Pistol, your character will open it and you will be able to see the internal mechanisms of the pistol.

Melee
This weapon is extremely delicate, and cannot withstand really high impacts as the Plasma Rifle can, so, instead of using the weapon to knock the enemy out, the player delivers a punch.

The melee action has changed through the games. In the first Halo game, the Master Chief used his right arm to punch the enemy. To do this, the Chief would hold the Plasma Pistol in his left hand (which was in a supportive position underneath the weapon) and do a quick swing with his right arm. It was the fastest melee in Halo: Combat Evolved

In Halo 2, this was changed, and the player punched with the left (free) hand, while keeping a hold on the trigger with his right. Also, the punch switches between a swing and a direct punch.

Changes from Halo: CE to Halo 2

 * Melee changed (see above).
 * Long tail that would trail an overload eliminated.
 * Cannot fire as individual non-overload shots as fast as the Halo: CE counterpart.
 * Overload is smaller and slower, but tracks better.
 * Overloads do not kick up as much dirt, dust, and debris as the Halo: CE counterpart.
 * Overloads do no damage to unshielded targets.
 * It is able to be duel-wielded.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * Maintaining an overload slowly decreases battery.
 * Gun takes slightly longer to cool down after overheating.
 * If an overload collides with a vehicle, it is temporarily disabled.
 * Overload is faster, but tracks less.
 * It only "homes" in small-range strifes, rarely does it seek out enemies like its counterpart in Halo 2.

UNSC Remarks
“The trigger is soft—no feedback—there’s no break that tells you when the overcharge is gonna kick in. First time I did it was by accident and it damn near sprained my wrist.”

“It’s a damned ray gun—how come we don’t have ray guns?”

“It’s great in built-up areas and clearing buildings. Anything over a couple dozen meters though? Not so much.”

“How the foxtrot does it track anything? Whatever—I guess that’s why I carry an MA5 instead of a TACPAD.”

“It’s just the right size and it feels good in your hands, but give me a M7 or an MA5 any day of the week.”

“[The Type-25 DEP] is the bread and butter of Covenant small arms—almost as common as the MA5 is with the UNSC. After the Covenant Carrier jumped there were some areas of Mombasa where plasma pistols covered the ground like leaves—that maneuver killed a bunch of dudes on both sides.”

Influences
The Plasma Pistol was inspired by the human "Zeus-class fusion pistol" from the Marathon series. Like the fusion pistol, the Plasma Pistol is a reasonably damaging single-shot weapon with an overcharge mode. However, the fusion pistol's overcharge was far more damaging and could kill nearly any enemy in the game, with one caveat: if the gun was left overcharged for too long, it would explode, killing its wielder.

Character Compatibility

 * Grunts
 * Elites
 * Jackals
 * Drones
 * Spartans
 * Marines
 * Flood Combat Forms

Trivia

 * In the popular machinima series Red vs. Blue, Medical Officer "Doc" Dufresne uses the plasma pistol as a medical device of some kind. It seems to have the abilities of multiple medical tools rolled into one.
 * To release the charge of the pistol, simply let go of the trigger very slowly. It may take some practice to not release it too fast, but it saves the energy of the weapon.
 * In Halo 2, if you hit the power cell on a Ghost with an overcharge shot it will explode, destroying the vehicle and killing the driver, though it is hard to do in actual combat due to the Ghost's high speed and maneuverability.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved you can press the trigger rapidly enough to fire the weapon faster than the Plasma Rifle, although it overheats at a ridiculously high rate.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved the plasma pistol bolts will drop over extremely long ranges.
 * In Halo 3, slowly releasing the trigger while overcharging will cause the weapon to stop its charge. In Halo: CE and Halo 2, slowly removing the trigger to its original position does nothing, and causes the weapon to fire its bolt.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved the plasma pistol can light up even when empty.
 * In Halo 3, it is the only dual-wieldable weapon that does not cause less damage per shot when dual wielded then when single wielded. (26 head/body shots single or dual wielded to kill with normal shields; as compared to the M6G that takes 5 head or 8 body single wield but 7 head or 11 body when dual wielded).
 * The Plasma Pistol in Halo 3 can temporarily disable a vehicle of any sorts if over charged.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, if you remain idle while wielding a Plasma Pistol, Master Chief will pull off the top off the pistol, showing what seems to be a power cell. In Halo 3, this happens if it is overcharged.

Links

 * http://h2.halowiki.net/p/Plasma_Pistol