Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic

The Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic, known in game as the Boltshot, is a Promethean Forerunner pistol featured in ''Halo 4. ''It can be used as a secondary weapon for War Games and Spartan Ops loadouts, and can be found throughout the campaign. It made its first appearance as an unnamed weapon in the Halo Waypoint UNSC weapons demonstration. It is a close-range precision weapon and excels at destroying organic matter.

History
The Boltshot was originally used during the first century of the conflict between the Forerunners and the Flood. It remained in use when the war ended two centuries later, and during the Requiem conflicts.

Design Details
The Boltshot is a Forerunner Promethean pistol-type weapon which fires concentrated "bolts" of hard light.

The Boltshot has two firing modes: standard and a charged burst. Using the standard mode of fire, it takes 10 shots to drop a player's shield, and takes 3-4 shots to kill a player. It can also kill an unshielded player instantly with a shot to the head.

Holding the trigger down will charge the weapon. Continuing to hold the trigger for about 2 seconds or releasing the trigger manually will cause the burst shot to release. This burst can kill a shielded player from point-blank range to a few meters, although its damage drops quickly at range. Projectiles from the charged shot do not cause extra damage to the head. The charged shot will use 5 bolts from the clip, but only one bolt is needed to charge and fire. A burst that uses less than 5 bolts will have the same number of projectiles and do the same amount of damage as a burst that uses 5 bolts.

The weapon is found throughout most of the campaign and in many Spartan Ops missions, being dropped from the standard Promethean Crawler, and by Promethean Watcher.

Ammunition
The Boltshot, like most Promethean weapons, fires a "bolt" or "shot" of hard light. Hard light is a Forerunner technology which inexplicably transforms normal light into a solid shape, forming a "projectile" of light. This technology is not found in just Promethean weapons. Some Forerunner, structures, and installations such as bridges and consoles are made of hard light. There is also the Hardlight Shield.

Advantages
The Boltshot is unique among other weapons in that it acts like both a pistol and a shotgun in one. Its shots travel instantaneously and therefore make it excel at acquiring headshots, which makes it effective against Promethean Crawlers, Grunts, and Jackals. Its burst shot can be used to take out a Promethean Knight, Promethean Watcher, or Elite usually within two shots at point blank range.

Disadvantages
One of the disadvantages of the Boltshot is that it is generally very weak overall if not used correctly. It requires about one full magazine to bring down an opponent's shield and another shot in the head to finish them off. That, and coupled with the fact that it has very little max ammo (only 40 shots), means this is a VERY difficult weapon to master. Thus, it is advised to train with it first before going into any serious combat.

Tactics
Use the Boltshot like a Magnum at medium range and a Plasma Pistol at close range. Shoot slowly and watch the recoil while steadily closing in. At close range, charge up the last shot in your clip and shoot it at your target like a Shotgun. If the target survives, either go in for a melee kill or take cover, reload, and keep shooting.

Campaign

 * Use this weapon to headshot Grunts, Jackals, and Promethean Crawlers when no other ranged weapon is available or to conserve ammo.
 * When facing an Elite or Promethean Knight, it is best to carefully close in on it (at point blank range) and unleash the burst functionality, followed by a headshot or melee if needed.  The same can also be done against Promethean Watchers.
 * Couple this with a primary weapon such a the MA5D to create a fairly versatile weapons loadout.

Multiplayer

 * Use it to ambush opponents around corners.
 * Use it to headshot someone after lowering their shield with a more powerful weapon.
 * Use it to kill a charging opponent.
 * Use it alongside Promethean Vision to anticipate the enemy rounding the corner before using its charged shot to kill them.
 * Even if you fail to kill a target, the enemy's shields will be weak enough to finish them off with your other weapon or a melee attack.

Trivia

 * Watchers can fire charged shots at close ranges. This behavior is rare due to the Watcher's mobility and skittishness under fire.
 * This is likely either the predecessor of the Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol, or what the weapon was based on, as most Covenant weapons were based on the technology of the Forerunners.
 * The Z-110 is the third weapon in the Halo series that is capable of a headshot but does not include a zoom function. The first two were the M6C seen in Halo 2 and the M6G seen in Halo 3, which are both dual-wieldable and therefore cannot support a zoom function.
 * In the February Title Update, the Boltshot's effective burst fire range was drastically reduced.
 * The Boltshot was once called the Stasis Pistol, which can be found in the files of Halo 4.

Appearances

 * Halo 4