Z-130 Suppressor

Z-130 Suppressor
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Ferrarius Assembler Vats
Type:	Directed energy automatic weapon
Specifications
Length:	94.2 centimeters (37.1 in)
Width:	15 centimeters (5.9 in)
Height:	36 centimeters (14 in)
Weight:	6.4 kilograms (14 lb)
Ammunition type:	Light mass
Feed system:	48 rounds (Halo 4); 42 rounds (Halo 5: Guardians);
Operation:	Coil set architecture
Rate of fire:	840 RPM (Halo 4); 368 RPM (Halo 5: Guardians, minimum); 500 RPM (Halo 5: Guardians, maximum);
Muzzle velocity:	98 m/s (220 mph)[citation needed]
Effective range:	Short (Halo 4); Short to medium (Halo 5: Guardians);
Service history
In service:	Kradal conflicts ; Human-Forerunner wars; Forerunner-Flood War; Post-Covenant War conflicts

The Suppressor (UNSC Z-classification: Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon, Z-130 DEAW)^[4] is a fully automatic Forerunner energy weapon. It is usually utilized by the Prometheans.^[5]

Overview

Operational history

The Suppressor was first introduced during the Kradal conflicts. It gained prominence during the human-Forerunner war and the Forerunner-Flood war.^[1] 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.^[3] Thousands of years later, the Suppressor's coil set design was reverse-engineered by the Covenant for many of their weapons.^[2]

A small number of Sangheili members within Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and Spartan-IVs aboard the UNSC Infinity also utilized the Z-130 during the Requiem Campaign.^[6] It is ranked a Common REQ in Warzone simulations, and is available at Level 1 energy while giving 50 REQ points if sold.

Design details

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.^[4] The Supressor was manufactured and developed by Ferrarius Assembler Vats.^[7]

Variants

Song of Peace: In the chaotic final days of the Forerunner ecumene an unfortunate number of the Librarian's Conservation Measure operations required military intervention to complete. The Song of Peace is an upgraded Suppressor with a faster rate of fire, a larger magazine holding 48 rounds, and reduced recoil.^[8]
Razor's Edge: As extinction loomed, desperation led the Forerunners to experiment with volatile derivations of hard light. The Razor's Edge is an advanced Suppressor firing fast-moving metastable energy shards and carrying 48-round magazines. If multiple shards strike a target in 0.9 seconds, they will create a "supercombine" explosion, similar to blamite, but with the ability to cause targets to disintegrate.^[9]

Song of Peace.
Razor's Edge.

Gameplay

Advantages

The Suppressor has a large ammunition capacity and deals considerable damage at close range, making it even more 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 grants the weapon the fastest killing speed of all primary loadout weapons. The Suppressor is more efficient against unshielded individuals. Using a precision weapon, such as the M395 DMR, 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.

In Halo 5: Guardians, the Suppressor features latent homing projectiles, greatly improving its ability to hit a given target.

Disadvantages

Despite being the quickest-killing primary loadout weapon when every shot fired hits its target, the Suppressor's various disadvantages make it difficult to achieve this. It has little to no accuracy at medium and long range (even with short controlled bursts) and has a lengthy reload time. The Suppressor is not very efficient against shielded individuals. In addition, the bolts fired by the Suppressor move rather slowly, 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.

In Halo 5: Guardians, the Suppressor now requires a brief warm-up period to reach its maximum rate of fire, giving the opponent a brief window to more easily eliminate the user.

Halo: Spartan Strike

In Halo: Spartan Strike the Suppressor has low accuracy and low damage, but compensates with high ammo capacity (200 rounds), suitable for close range combat. It is the only weapon that will not fire properly into the crosshair; when fired, it has a very wide range of fire, possibly 45 degrees to both sides. Promethean Knights and Crawler Alphas use this weapon.

Changes from Halo 4 to Turbo update

The Suppressor's damage has been raised, with the weapon now killing in three less rounds.
Auto aim has been reduced.
The spread of the weapon's projectiles has been reduced.

Changes from Turbo to Halo 5: Guardians

Weapon can now be Smart Scoped.
Accuracy and effective range is significantly increased.
Heavy recoil added.
Shots now track enemies and home in onto weak points, similar to the Needler and Boltshot.
Rate of fire significantly decreased to 368 RPM, requiring a short period before reaching maximum firing rate of 500 RPM, down by 40.5% to 56.2% from Halo 4.
- In addition, the weapon now expands while being fired until it hits its maximum firing rate. If not fired again for some time, the weapon compresses and reassembles itself.
Aiming reticle has shrunk in size.
Decreased damage, now killing in 18 shots rather than 16.
Magazine holds 42 rounds rather than 48 rounds.
- The two REQ variants hold 48 rounds.
Maximum reserve ammo capacity decreased from 288 reserve rounds to 168 reserve rounds.
- The two REQ variants hold up to 240 reserve rounds.
Reload speed lengthened.
Melee animations changed.

Trivia

If Bottomless Clip is enabled in a custom game in Halo 5: Guardians, then the Suppressor will fire only at its starting speed and be unable to reach its maximum firing rate.^[10]
- However, this does not affect the Suppressor's REQ variants.

Gallery

Illustrations

John-117 using a Suppressor during the Skirmish on Installation 03 in Halo: Escalation.
Chakas with a Suppressor on the cover of Halo: Renegades.

Halo 4

Concept art of the Suppressor for Halo 4.
Concept art of the Suppressor.
The Suppressor in Halo 4.
Profile image of the Suppressor.
HUD icon of the Suppressor in Halo 4.
Halo 4 infobox.
First-person view of the Suppressor in the Halo 4 campaign.
The lines of the Z-130 Suppressor glow as it fires.
A Z-130 being reloaded.
A Promethean Knight wielding a Suppressor.
Forerunner symbols on the Halo 4 Refractive skin.
Another view of the symbols on the Halo 4 Refractive skin.
Mesh of the Halo 4 Refractive skin.

Halo: Spartan Strike

A Spartan using a Suppressor during the Battle of Installation 03 in Halo: Spartan Strike.

Halo 5: Guardians

Edward Buck engaging a Promethean Knight on Meridian while armed with a Suppressor.
First-person view of the Suppressor by Frederic-104 in the Halo 5: Guardians campaign.
Smart scope view of the Suppressor by Fred-104 in the Halo 5: Guardians campaign.
Fred-104 with a Suppressor on Genesis.
First-person view of the Suppressor in Halo 5: Guardians.
Smart scope with the Suppressor.
Third-person view of the Suppressor engaged in smart scope.
A Sangheili Ranger with a Z-130 on Skirmish at Darkstar.
First-person view of the Song of Peace.
A Centurion-clad Spartan-IV wielding the Song of Peace.
First-person view of the Razor's Edge.
A Centurion-clad Spartan wielding the Razor's Edge.
Third-person view of the Razor's Edge engaged in smart scope.