Bulldog

Bulldog
Gameplay role
Faction:	Human (UNSC)
Weapon tier (?):	Pickup weapon
Weapon class (?):	Shotgun
Firing mode:	Pump-action
Effective range:	Close
Counterparts:	Human (UNSC): Shotgun; Covenant: Energy Sword; Gravity Hammer; Mauler; Forerunner: Boltshot; Scattershot; Heatwave;
Weapon stats
Damage:	High
Damage type (?):	Kinetic
Projectile speed:	Very high, near instantaneous
Rate of fire:	Low
Accuracy:	Low
Magazine size:	7 shells

This article documents its subject as it pertains to the gameplay of the Halo games, rather than the lore.

"A highly responsive and fast-firing tactical shotgun. Devastating at close range."

— In-game description

The Bulldog is a human shotgun first introduced in Halo Infinite. Only effective in close ranges, it fires a spread of projectiles in a wide angle, which deal substantial kinetic damage if most or all of the projectiles land. However, due to being pump-action, the time between shots is fairly high.

Universe and lore

Main article: CQS48 Bulldog

Manufactured by Misriah Armory at their Eos Chasma facility, the CQS48 Bulldog is a pump-action shotgun in service with the UNSC Armed Forces. Unlike the more common M45 and M90 shotgun lines, it fires 12-gauge shells from a detachable rotary magazine that can hold up to 7 total shells, allowing for faster reloading at the cost of smaller calibre ammunition. The weapon usually features a gunmetal grey finish, with bright orange accents and lettering.^[1]

The CQS48 Bulldog entered production at some point before 2559. By December 2559, the weapon was in service with UNSC forces aboard the UNSC Infinity, and saw action at the Battle for Zeta Halo as well as ensuing conflicts at the ring in the ensuing year.^[2]

CQS48 Bulldog
Halo Infinite

Overview

The Bulldog is a powerful pickup weapon first introduced in Halo Infinite as a successor to the Shotgun. It appears in both campaign and multiplayer, though is relatively rare in both due to its power. The Bulldog is a powerhouse in close quarters, able to kill an enemy Spartan in multiplayer with just two shots, but due to its massive spread, is entirely useless at longer ranges.^[1]

Counterparts

Throughout the Halo franchise, there have been several weapons similar in role to the Bulldog.

Of these, the most similar is the Shotgun, a similar human weapon first introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved, and featured in most games since. As with the Bulldog, it is a pump-action, close-range weapon which fires a number of projectiles in a spread, which deal significant damage. Originally, the Shotgun had 12 shells per magazine, nearly double that of the Bulldog, but from Halo 3 onwards this was halved, to 6; one less than the Bulldog. The Shotgun was generally more powerful than the Bulldog, able to kill enemy players in multiplayer with just one shot. However, to compensate, it also had an even slower rate of fire.

On the Covenant side, a number of weapons beg comparison with the Bulldog. First are the Energy Sword and Gravity Hammer, which are melee weapons comparable to the Bulldog due to also being only effective in close ranges. Beyond these, however, there is also the Mauler featured in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. The Mauler is a relatively slow-firing handheld shotgun. Like the Bulldog, it is only effective in close range, and requires two shots to kill an enemy Spartan in multiplayer. It was most effective when paired with a melee; the initial shot would lower the enemy's shields, then the melee could finish them off. However, it could also be dual-wielded, unlike the Bulldog.

Finally, the Forerunners have three counterparts: the Boltshot, Scattershot and Heatwave. The Boltshot was a Promethean pistol with multiple firing modes. Of particular note is the Halo 4 iteration, which featured a firing mode where the weapon would charge up and release a shotgun-like blast, highly effective in close ranges. This blast was powerful enough to instantly kill an enemy player in multiplayer, but cost half of the Boltshot's magazine. The Scattershot was a more traditional shotgun, featuring a 5-round magazine, with each shot being very powerful - enough to kill most enemies in a single hit. Its main distinguishing feature was the fact that its projectiles would ricochet off surfaces multiple times if they didn't impact an enemy. The Heatwave, introduced in Halo Infinite as a successor to the Scattershot, was broadly similar, but featured an increased 8-round magazine, at the cost of being less powerful; like the Bulldog, it requires two shots to kill an enemy player in multiplayer. Like the Scattershot, the Heatwave's rounds ricochet off of surfaces they impact, but unlike the Scattershot, the player has the ability to decide the spread pattern the Heatwave's projectiles will fire in, toggling between either a vertical or horizontal configuration.

Shotgun
Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo: Spartan Assault, Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer, Halo: Spartan Strike, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Online and Halo: Fireteam Raven
Energy Sword
Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Online and Halo Infinite
Gravity Hammer
Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Online and Halo Infinite
Mauler
Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo Online
Boltshot
Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians
Scattershot
Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians
Heatwave
Halo Infinite

Gameplay

Stats

This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

The following table summarises the Bulldog's stats in Halo Infinite:

	Infinite
	Infinite
Weapon type	Pickup
Damage type	Kinetic
Firing mode	Pump-action
Precision weapon	✗
Zoom levels	1.40x
Magazine/clip size	7

Advantages

Deals a lot of damage per shot
Has a relatively large magazine

Disadvantages

Massive spread makes it useless at long ranges
Fairly slow rate of fire; time between shots is relatively long

Tactics and strategies

Very effective in tight, close-quarter environments
Can be combined with a melee to kill enemies quicker
Completely useless when fired from longer ranges; close the distance first, or use a different weapon
Sometimes useful for defending zones in objective modes, as enemies are forced to come into the zone to capture it

Skins and coatings

Main article: Weapon coatings (Halo Infinite)

In Halo Infinite, the Bulldog can be outfitted with various weapon coatings to customise its appearance.

Weapon customization/Coating/CQS48

Medals

The following medals are exclusive to the Bulldog, or to the shotgun weapon class in Halo Infinite. Other, less specific medals, can also be earned with the Bulldog, but the ones listed are only those that are unique to shotguns or to the Bulldog itself.