Missing Covenant shotgun, a Plasma Shotgun.

Community General Discussion
1

I understand that we already have 2 shotguns, but why don’t the Covenant have a shotgun that feels like a Covenant weapon?

By Covenant shotgun i am referring to a plasma based shotgun since plasma based weapons are more or less iconic to the Covenant.There are at least 3 versions of just about all of the weapon types except for the melee power weapons.Also, the Covenant shotgun should have a overtime burn effect.It should shoot 1-3 orbs of plasma with slight tracking capabilites that merge together as they fly farther.A excellent representation of what i’m saying is the Geth Plasma Shotgun from ME3.Which uncharged shots were weak but could be fired fast and a charged shot would take up a larger battery charge but more damaging.

Automatic Loadout weapons:AR,Suppressor,Storm Rifle

Primary loadout Precision weapons:BR,DMR,LR,Carbine

Secondary loadout weapons:BS,Magnum,PP

Explosive power-weapons:Inc. Cannon,RL,FRG,C-Rifle,Sticky Det.,Splaser,Railgun

Long range power-weapons:Binary Rifle,Beam Rifle,Sniper Rifle

Close range power-weapons:Shotgun,Scattershot,SAW,Needler

Thrown Explosives:PG,FG,PG

Melee power-weapons:Energy Sword,Gravity Hammer

As you can see each class of weapons has something from every faction, but sorry a needler doesn’t cut it for a shotgun stand-in.

What made me think about this was because i remember some fun times i had in ME3 MP with the Geth Plasma Shotgun.

So what do you guys think about 343 creating a unique plasma based shotgun for the future Halo titles?

Edit:I noticed people are saying the Sword and Hammer take the role of a Covenant close range weapon.The thing about that is, well imagine how the Flood would do without the thruster pack and movement speed increase against a shotgun?Now add people jumping or moving backwards while shooting.So without further thinking i can say that the E-Sword cannot take the role of a shotgun due to its nature.

The Covenant could benefit with a ranged “Plasma-based” close range power-weapon.

Edit 2:Reaper gave a detailed rundown on page 3 with a name for this potential covenant shotgun, so for now “Firedog” is a potential name for this beastly shotgun.

Here’s the post.

> Hmmm, the burn causing collateral burn?
> I do think it can work but only in a very limited way.
> Make the burn very tight and very low damaging to other players.
> That way it acts more like nuisance in a group than it does a single-shot room clearer of sorts.
>
> What I mean by that is that if a burning player touches another, maybe 1 LR burst shot bullet of damage over 1 second is done to the shields/health, maybe. And this effect has to be constant. Players would only receive a burn-hit every second, whether they bump in quickly like a jackhammer or just stand there beside/on top of the burning victim.
> The intent is that if a burning player touches another player, the burn prevents the recharging of shields and/or adds a nuisance hit indicator, but as said minimal damage is done.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Now the big question… Can we set fires elsewhere? I mean as traps and such.
> I think maybe this is where the charge shot can change from making it more lethal at range and instead make it more tool-like like the PP.
> A way to allow the collateral burn to be used without making it OP’d on a weapon seemingly ripe with diverse and useful mechanics.
>
> Consider semi-auto a function that does impact to take out shields and the burn to take down health over time.Now the charge function is a napalm function of sorts.
> Damage-wise against a player, the shield damage is about half and the burn takes the rest down to nothing, and then half health. But let’s go slightly quicker in that burn effect than reloading with more “spread” on the hits. We’re also going larger in burn radius and damage value, say DMR hit per 1 second.
> Of course back to that napalm part. Remember the DMR hit per 1 second of damage? Rhetorical of course. Well let’s say a napalm burn last for 3 seconds. Doesn’t seem that long but that’s a long time in a fierce battle. This can be shot on the ground for a need to jump into action or take at least 1 DMR damage point for getting burned; Be shot on the wall for a larger vertical flame but with less width. And even shot on the ceiling for a dripping plasma-goo effect that covers a vertical height restricted only by ceiling distance, the width of a ground shot, but because it’s dripping, can actually be avoided by those without an HLS if a player sees the drops and avoids according.
>
>
>
> As designed, with the slightly longer burn time of the semi-auto shot teasing for a 2nd shot or melee to finish more quickly before the OSK actually takes effect, the charged shot ability would very, very much tease to use a charged shot followed by a regular shot for psychological warfare (and 1 of two medals. Burn a player from full or completely incinerate with OSK-impact kill).
> It’s quicker at the edge of CQB to charge a shot (which takes say 500-600ms?) and follow up with a single shot than it is to attempt a single-regular shot at that same can’t-melee-distance.
> 2 charged shots would end up taking a bit longer than 2 human shotgun shots, and even a charged shot plus single shot would also take longer than 2 human shots.
> But the human has less OSK and 2SK kill range potential than the Firedog (Plasma-Shotty).
> (And of course this is all slight differences. Nothing to make the Firedog out perform a fullauto at short range, only compete at very short and of course own at CQB).
> Oh and a charged Firedog shot disables a vehicle’s weapon systems for a short time if it has one. It doesn’t disable the mobility, just the weapon for about 1 second.
>
>
> One of my favourite things to do in CE was drive-by sticks. I made the phrase “Oh no not again!” a reality.
> Why would I just run by your back and not smack it? Ponder it, shoot me, it doesn’t matter, you’re already dead.
> That’s what I like about the idea of a burning OSK that actually takes a little bit to finish.

2

That would be cool to have a Covenant Shotgun in the next title. Problem is, will 343 do it?

Also, refer to Halo 5 Suggestion Thread.

3

Haha… 50 high in Team Doubles when Halo 3 first shipped was basically Team Maulers. They put those everywhere on the maps when the game shipped.

Anyways, the Covenant CQC supremacy weapon is the sword. Has been since the second game.

4

I believe that the energy sword and gravity hammer fill in that role within the covenant armory.

Besides. We already have a scattershot, human shotty, and the god forsaken boltshot so I think another might just make things messy.

5

I’d say the needler feels more like the covenant SAW in h4, though in previous games I did see it as the covie shotgun.

That said, I don’t really see the need for a covie shotgun. Having a weapon just for the sake of having X species weapon makes all of them feel less interesting. Now, if its something more than just “a shotgun that fires a blue thing and uses a battery” maybe.

That’s why I really liked how Reach had the needle rifle, focus rifle, and plasma launcher, because they felt vastly different than their UNSC equivs, even if their execution wasnt necessarily the best.

I think having the covie shotgun be some big brute thing would be cool, but it doesn’t fit with halo’s current direction.

Also, as Futbol said, the covenant has its own unique close range weapons already.

I personally wish the Forerunner armory felt more unique.

6

The Sword and Hammer are melee weapons and barely feel like powerweapons due to the slowing down effect when getting shot.

If you have played ME3 you know what the Geth Plasma Shotgun was like.It was very accurate and had long range capability’s.

I was thinking that the Covenant shotgun could shoot a single powerful shot that will kill in a single shot regardless of range but move slow like most Plasma weapons.10% battery use in multiplayer and 5% battery use in campaign.

7

I have no idea how I forgot! What about the halo 3 maulers? Those were dual wieldable brute shotguns. And I hated those -yoinking- things I am NOT sorry to see them go. Although I would prefer those over the boltshot come to think of it

8

> The Sword and Hammer are melee weapons and barely feel like powerweapons due to the slowing down effect when getting shot.
>
> If you have played ME3 you know what the Geth Plasma Shotgun was like.It was very accurate and had long range capability’s.
>
> I was thinking that the Covenant shotgun could shoot a single powerful shot that will kill in a single shot regardless of range but move slow like most Plasma weapons.10% battery use in multiplayer and 5% battery use in campaign.

But there is no slowing effect on people using swords and hammers… right? Someone help a brotha out I don’t want to state a fact if it isn’t true

9

I think it would be awesome to have one of those on the Covie arsenal. =D

Maybe… if it worked like the Contact Beam of Dead Space…

10

> I think it would be awesome to have one of those on the Covie arsenal. =D
>
> Maybe… if it worked like the Contact Beam of Dead Space…

Isn’t the contact beam basically the exact same as the spartan laser? Minus the ground diffractor ofc, and the ds2 stasis addition to said diffractor

11

I think the Covenant shotgun weapon would be a slow-burning plasma based weapon.

Make it a very special weapon type where it does damage over time per “pellet” hit.
Make the plasma burn blue and purple (and white) too.
So what would happen is that the weapon could potentially kill in one hit but it’s a delayed one hit. A OSK would require a melee to finish quickly in CQB but still be a OSK due to the slow-burn effect.

Nothing instant like the other shotgun-weapons but also not really too slow. Say the weapon fires just slightly slower than the H4 shotgun and does more damage at distance due to the combination of spread, pellet count and DpH. A OSK will take out shields completely and then the burn will drain the health. Also have the burn kill just after a 2nd shot is available. That way players can choose to waste rounds for a flash death, have to melee, maybe pull out another weapon to quicken things… Who knows, haven’t played with it to feel how it has to change to fit into an effective but seemingly unique role.

If it’s a half shot, half the shields would be taken down and then perhaps the burn would eventually drain the shields to nothing. This is where the melee or teammates become very important. It’s not that it won’t kill, it’s that the enemy can do some great damage before dying.

If the enemy is half shields and blasted by a OSK, then the net damage after the shields bleeds through and damages the health of the enemy, quickening the burn kill time.

If a player is low in shields and takes a OSK for an instant death, I’d like a different death animation… Perhaps similar to the Promethean death but blue+purple and more explosive (Grunt Bday skull type death).

Call it the Type-35 Direct Energy Shotgun, AKA the Firedog

12

> I think the Covenant shotgun weapon would be a slow-burning plasma based weapon.
>
> Make it a very special weapon type where it does damage over time per “pellet” hit.
> Make the plasma burn blue and purple (and white) too.
> So what would happen is that the weapon could potentially kill in one hit but it’s a delayed one hit. A OSK would require a melee to finish quickly in CQB but still be a OSK due to the slow-burn effect.
> Nothing instant like the other shotgun-weapons but also not really too slow. Say the weapon fires just slightly slower than the H4 shotgun and does more damage at distance due to the combination of spread, pellet count and DpH. A OSK will take out shields completely and then the burn will drain the health.
> If it’s a half shot, half the shields would be taken down and then perhaps the burn would eventually drain the shields to nothing. This is where the melee or teammates become very important. It’s not that it won’t kill, it’s that the enemy can do some great damage before dying.
> If the enemy is half shields and blasted by a OSK, then the net damage after the shields bleeds through and damages the health of the enemy, quickening the burn kill time.
> If a player is low in shields and takes a OSK for an instant death, I’d like a different death animation… Perhaps similar to the Promethean death but blue+purple and more explosive (Grunt Bday skull type death).

That sounds pretty close to how a Plasma Shotgun should behave, thank you for your input.Perhaps even keep a tight spread due to being Plasma based weapon.I was thinking of a single ball of plasma but perhaps 3 colors blending together with a swirling animation.Would look neat and in the right hands could be a devastating new addition to the Covenant arsenal.

13

> > I think it would be awesome to have one of those on the Covie arsenal. =D
> >
> > Maybe… if it worked like the Contact Beam of Dead Space…
>
> Isn’t the contact beam basically the exact same as the spartan laser? Minus the ground diffractor ofc, and the ds2 stasis addition to said diffractor

It isn’t, you can mantain the charge while walking with the Conact Beam, and works better at close range than the laser, so it would be a good shotgun.

14

If 343 wants to do it easy, then bring back brutes. People love them, and The Brute Mauler is already a botltshot, but people are more familiar, and It’a a pure shotgun. Well, more like a revolver, but in space.

15

> > The Sword and Hammer are melee weapons and barely feel like powerweapons due to the slowing down effect when getting shot.
> >
> > If you have played ME3 you know what the Geth Plasma Shotgun was like.It was very accurate and had long range capability’s.
> >
> > I was thinking that the Covenant shotgun could shoot a single powerful shot that will kill in a single shot regardless of range but move slow like most Plasma weapons.10% battery use in multiplayer and 5% battery use in campaign.
>
> But there is no slowing effect on people using swords and hammers… right? Someone help a brotha out I don’t want to state a fact if it isn’t true

Hmm i may have mistook that thanks for mentioning.I think i remember someone mentioning that there was no slowing effect with sword and hammer.Though it’s because every time i used them people just jumped backward threw grenades and shot so rarely did i get a chance to experience time with the sword and hammer.

16

> That sounds pretty close to how a Plasma Shotgun should behave, thank you for your input.Perhaps even keep a tight spread due to being Plasma based weapon.I was thinking of a single ball of plasma but perhaps 3 colors blending together with a swirling animation.Would look neat and in the right hands could be a devastating new addition to the Covenant arsenal.

Larger yet less balls, works for me :slight_smile:
I think 4-6 would be a good number to work with. Getting into 7 maybe too much, but it might not. It’s a great number, but it’s maybe spreading things too thin for the idea of higher damage per pellet (and allowing for higher burning over time values).

I do like the idea of a charge time varying the damage so that quick shots can have more spread but charged shots allow for a focused shot that still as stated, burns before killing outright on a full health player.
It might be too much but it’s a unique shotgun to begin with, it may work with that in its mechanics.

17

The Concussion Rifle is close enough.

18

> The Concussion Rifle is close enough.

I put the CR and RG as similar roles, not the CR with a Shotgun. The advantage is to the RG in maximum potential damage per hit but the potential damage over-time of a CR is nothing to joke at.

19

> The Concussion Rifle is close enough.

I don’t know… it doesn’t give me that shotgun-y feel (That’s now a word). It should me more shor-ranged and like x2 more powerful and with some AoE damage

20

I understand with the Concussion rifle being close to a shotty, but I feel it’s more to counter the sticky detonator. Much like how it was to counter the Grenade launcher in Reach.