Z-130 Suppressor

Template:Weapon Infobox

The Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon,^[1] also called the Suppressor, is a fully automatic Forerunner energy weapon.^[2] It is commonly utilized by Promethean Knights.^[3]

Specifications

Design details

The Suppressor was first introduced during the Kradal conflicts. It gained prominence during the human-Forerunner war and the Forerunner-Flood war.^[4] The Suppressor is a fully automatic weapon employing a conventional coil set architecture that fires bolts of hard light in rapid succession. Its high rate of fire and efficiency against the Flood led to its widespread use among the Forerunner warriors during the Forerunner-Flood war, particularly when attempting to retake vessels captured by the Flood; however, it is similarly effective against all organic matter.^[5]

The weapon possesses an angular design and metallic casing. It appears to be held together, at least partly, by energy fields as indicated by its self-assembly process. Orange highlights can be seen while the weapon is self-assembling and throughout the casing once assembly is complete; these highlights grow brighter when the weapon is fired.^[1]

Gameplay

Advantages

The Suppressor holds a large ammunition capacity and deals considerable damage at close range, making it even lethal to non-shielded infantry. The Suppressor's high rate of fire is very advantageous in close-quarter situations. Although an individual shot from the Suppressor may do little damage to another player, its high rate of fire and ammunition capacity makes up for it. The Suppressor is more efficient against unshielded individuals. Using a precision weapon, such as the BR85HB battle rifle, with the Suppressor allows the player to be effective at all distances. When paired with the plasma pistol, the plasma pistol can be used to eliminate an individual's shields, while the Suppressor is used to kill the now-unshielded enemy.

Disadvantages

However, it has little to no accuracy at long range (even with short controlled bursts) and has a lengthy reload time. The Suppressor is not very efficient against shielded individuals. The bolts fired by the Suppressor move rather slow, requiring the player to be close to enemies or to lead the target. The Suppressor is not efficient at handling multiple shielded players at once, due to relatively low projectile speed and limited damage against shielded targets.

Tactics

Campaign

The Suppressor is not as effective against Elites and Promethean Knights compared to Grunts, Jackals, and Crawlers.
The Suppressor is more effective against Jackal Snipers and shield-less Rangers, than Jackals with shields. The Suppressor's low accuracy and low damage to shields makes to difficult to combat a shield-wielding Jackal.
It is beneficial to carry a plasma pistol when using a Suppressor. This allows the player to eliminate the shield of an enemy, then kill them with the Suppressor.
The Suppressor can be effective against Promethean Watchers at close-quarters.
When all other enemies have been eliminated, get close to a Promethean Knight and finish it off with the Suppressor.

Multiplayer

The Suppressor works as a good secondary weapon. After the player's primary weapon requires reloading amidst a firefight, switching to the Suppressor allows them to eliminate already damaged players with ease.
When using the Suppressor, equip the Dexterity support upgrade to speed up the reloading time of the weapon.
Use the Suppressor on smaller, close-quarter maps only. It is very inefficient at long ranges.
Active camouflage can be used to get close to an enemy, then eliminate them with the Suppressor.
Fire in controlled bursts only when engaging other players at medium-to-long ranges, or else the Suppressor will be too inaccurate.
An overshield or Damage Boost gives the player higher chances of success when engaging multiple players at once in close-quarters.
Stealth is very advantageous, allowing Suppressor-wielding players to get the jump on others before they have a chance to fight back.

Gallery

Concept art of the Suppressor.
Concept art of the Suppressor.
Profile image of the Suppressor.
A Suppressor with the "Shatter" skin.
A Suppressor with the "Mechanical" skin.
First-person view of the Suppressor in the campaign.
H4-SO-SuppressorRifle-FirstPerson.jpg

First-person view of the Suppressor in Spartan Ops.
H4-Z130Suppressor-Firing.jpg

The lines of the Z-130 Suppressor glows as it fires.
Z-130 reloading.jpg

A Z-130 being reloaded
A Promethean Knight wielding the Suppressor weapon.
A Suppressor with the "Refractive" skin.