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, Jackals, Drones, and some certain Elites and Combat Forms as a standard firearm.

Summary
The Plasma Pistol, like the Plasma Turret and the Plasma Rifle, is a energy weapon that fires bolts of superheated ionized gas (better known as plasma) instead of traditional Human ballistic ammunition. This Covenant weapon is capable of quickly firing low-powered shots. It is just as fast as a plasma rifle if fired quickly enough. And it can charge a single high-powered blast which can instantly deplete any form of energy shielding or Brute Power Armor. 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 conjunction with other anti-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 (usually dual-wielded), according to manuals, novels, etc. It is one of the three weapons found in every level in the Halo Trilogy so far.

Advantages


The Plasma Pistol is one of the most versatile weapons in the Halo universe. Its ability to instantly and completely deplete and incapacitate shielding regardless of strength make it a very valuable weapon in Multiplayer and even more in Campaign against many shielded enemies with armor, especially Elites, Jackals and Brute's with the new found Power Armor. In Legendary campaign, the Plasma Pistol is undoubtedly the most effective weapon against enemies, due to the fact that it can lower their shields. Also, its ability to render vehicles motionless, is a highly effective use of the Plasma Pistol in Halo 3. 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. The Plasma Pistol locks on a nearby Sentinel, making it the only weapon other than Rocket Launcher to do this. A useful combo if taking out Elites is a plasma pistol and a rapid firing weapon. An overcharged shot would disable their shields then using the rapid-fire weapon it would be much easier to kill once the shields are gone. In addition to its standard offensive capabilities, there are also various elements peculiar to each game that enhances 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 forces (except Hunters and other forces on legendary. A Grunt on legendary will still be alive if you shoot him with an overcharged plasma pistol). In Halo 2 the overcharged shot's tracking is increased from Halo 1. 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 Drain, 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 weaponry 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 to 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 what is called a Plasma Punch. 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.

In addition, the Plasma pistol now has the feature to "freeze" vehicles (it would act as an EMP shot when over-charged, it acts as a mini Power-Drain,) making the vehicles more vulnerable. That time could be used to avoid being run over, or to finish a fleeing one off. Which is home to another combo, overcharged plasma shot a vehicle to 'freeze' it, and then switch to a rocket launcher or a plasma grenade to destroy a vehicle. Some call it 'Plasma Rocket'.

However, it is necessary to remember the weapon's tracking capabilities have been reduced in both Halo 1 and Halo 3's Multiplayer mode, ensuring that other weapons or the standard usage of the pistol may be superior in some extreme situations.

The Plasma Pistol can be used to great effect from the back of a Mongoose using it paired with any weapon, but especially the Noob Combo can cause havoc on the battlefield. If used properly, this technique can help you lower the shields of many nearby enemies, and quickly, to aid your team-mates in mowing them down. If you fire a charged a plasma pistol bolt it can immobilize a vehicle.

Disadvantages
The Plasma Pistol will overheat when fired non-stop for extended periods of time, or if the overcharged shot is released, which render the weapon completely useless for several seconds. Also, the weapon, while accurate at shorter ranges, has somewhat of a limited long-range accuracy due to the relatively low velocity of its shots (as compared to most other weapons). It is also a very weak weapon when shot normally, taking several shots to wear out a target's shielding 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 but cannot finish of shieldless enemies, only able to defeat Sentinels in a single shot. The Halo 2 Plasma Pistol's regular shots are also noticeably weak and ineffective. It is noted, though, that on higher difficulties heavy plasma pistol fire will quickly deplete your shields. In Halo 3, holding down the trigger to maintain an overcharged shot will deplete the battery gradually. Another disadvantage to this weapon 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, which is a combination of the plasma pistol with another weapon that can do high physical damage to quickly kill the enemy. Although the plasma pistol cripples any vehicles rendering them unmovable for a time they can still fire any of their mounted weapons. The pistol's homing ability can be easily avoided by sidestepping.

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 all types of shielding and also immediately destroys the Brute Power Armour. The amount of battery power it consumes when fired depends on the firing mode used and it varies from game to game. In Halo: Combat Evolved, its standard fire depletes 1% of its battery for every three 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: Combat Evolved. The tracking abilities of the overcharged shots have varied as well. While they have a slight homing ability in Halo 1 and Halo 3, they are more difficult to dodge in Halo 2.

Internal Mechanism
How the Plasma Pistol's firing mechanism functions is unknown, but it has been suggested that an electrical current from the battery is passed between the 'prongs', ionizing the surrounding gas into a plasma bolt 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 hypothesized and it is still not known exactly how the weapon functions (nor has it probably been designed with a realistic method in reality.)

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.

Changes from Halo: CE to Halo 2

 * Melee changed (see below).
 * Overload shot trail was removed.
 * Cannot fire a standard shot as fast as the Halo: CE counterpart.
 * Overload is slower but tracks much 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 dual-wielded as with many other weaponry.
 * It is noticeably weaker and almost useless (except an overload).
 * Green electricity is present between the "prongs" of the plasma pistol.
 * While already wielding one, the game will only offer to "press X to pick up" if the new one has a higher battery charge. In-story, this could mean the Master Chief is familiar enough to recognize the charge level at a glance.

Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3

 * Maintaining an overload decreases battery.
 * Gun takes slightly longer to cool down after overheating.
 * If an overload collides with a vehicle, it is temporarily disabled and has the same effect of the Power Drain.
 * Overload is easier and faster.
 * It only "homes" in small-range strife's, rarely does it seek out enemies like its counterpart in Halo 2.
 * Energy Pulses released from overcharging do not track as well
 * When wielding, if you look at the shadow of the gun, you can see a little "cap" on the posterior end, which is actually the overheating hologram.

Melee
The Plasma Pistol is extremely delicate and cannot withstand hard impacts as the Plasma Rifle can, so, instead of using the weapon to knock the enemy out, the player delivers a strong 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. Ironically, the third person model still punched with his left hand. It was the fastest melee in Halo: Combat Evolved, and comparably the strongest.

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 hook/swing and a direct punch.

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 the wielder.

Character Compatibility

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

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.”

Trivia

 * A charged blast from the Plasma Pistol can even drain the shield of an overshielded Spartan or Elite.
 * The Plasma Pistol was designed by Robt McLees.
 * 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. It is also used as a switch to accidentally activate a thirty megaton bomb in the robot that Private Church was possessing at the time.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, if you have a MadCatz controller with a turbo button, you can fire the Plasma pistol as fast as the second highest turbo setting, which is as fast as the assault rifle. However, it overheats ridiculously fast.
 * 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).
 * 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.
 * In Halo CE, if your Plasma Pistol is running low on energy, (less then 10%) when you fire it, then it will occasionally splutter and refuse to fire. This may be due to the fact that the power cell is unable to focus the remaining energy into a ball of plasma.
 * This is the only weapon, along with the Plasma Rifle, that appears in every level of the halo trilogy.
 * It is also possible to have a zero percent energy bar, as 3 shots deplete 1% of your battery, fire an overcharged shot. However, it does not always work and can result in mere plasma blooming and overheating.
 * Jackals, unlike Grunts, utilize the Overcharge ability to take down your shields.
 * When given a Plasma Pistol, some Elites will say,"Do I look like a Grunt to you?"
 * Dadab is the only named Grunt who utilized the overcharge mechanism of the Plasma Pistol.
 * Use the overcharge in conjunction with a head shot kill to earn the EMP medal in the Halo 3 Meta Campaign.
 * In Halo 3, it takes 7 single shots from a Plasma Pistol to detonate an active Trip Mine.
 * In Halo 3, if you look at your shadow whilst holding a plasma pistol, you may notice a "cap" like protrusion on the back of the gun. This is actually the hologram on the gun that indicates if it is overheated.
 * In the book Halo: The Fall of Reach the Plasma Pistol seems to be much more powerful, capable of killing the target and the user at point blank range. It is also mentioned to have more power in other books then it does in the games, though not to the extent of Fall of Reach.
 * In the Halo 2 E3 2003 Demo, the Plasma Pistol's firing sounds are that of a Plasma Rifle just as they did in Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * In the Another Day At The Beach video from the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack, Gunnery Sergeant Stacker uses a Plasma Pistol to take down the shields of an Elite and a member of his ODST squad uses a Battle Rifle to kill it, effectively using the Noob Combo.
 * In "Contact Harvest," a Grunt uses the plasma pistol as a cutting tool.
 * There are no known Brutes to have used the Plasma Pistol.
 * There is no trigger visible on any part of the weapon.