Piercer

## Type-25 Guided Munitions Pistol

Covenant

* Plasma Pistol
* Brute Plasma Pistol
* Void's Tear
* Spiker

Medium-Range

* UNSC
	+ M41 Rocket Launcher
	+ M310 Grenade Launcher
	+ Golden Gun
* Covenant
	+ Void's Tear
	+ Hunter Fuel Rod Cannon
	+ Hunter Beam Cannon
* Forerunner
	+ Incineration Cannon

Long-Range

* UNSC
	+ M393 Designated Marksman Rifle
	+ SRS99C-S2 AM Sniper Rifle
* Covenant
	+ Particle Carbine
	+ Focus Rifle
* Forerunner
	+ Sentinel Sniper Beam
	+ Sentinel Light Rifle

The **Type-25 Guided Munitions Pistol**, also known as the **Piercer**, is a Covenant infantry firearm, used mostly by Grunt Ultras and some Brute Commanders.

## Overview & Background

### Pre-SPV3.3

Before SPV3.3, the Piercer sported two firing modes: Pressing the trigger once will fire a five-round burst, while holding the trigger will cause a continuous stream of bursts for a total of 40 flechettes per magazine (200 max ammo or 5 magazines in total). The heated nails fired from the Piercer have a tracking behavior similar to the Needler, albeit not as good as the latter.

### SPV3.3

The Piercer in SPV3.3 has been completely reworked for a different play-style. Originally a more burst-fired version of the Shredder, the Piercer is now a six-shot revolver akin to the Mangler in Halo Infinite. Re-classified now as a heavy pistol/magnum, it is now far more powerful, piercing through shields of even high ranking Elites in one or a few shots, making the Piercer a useful sidearm.

On appearance, this handgun-sized weapon is based on much more primitive technology when compared to the majority of Covenant weapons such as the Plasma Rifle, suggesting a Brute origin. The Piercer fires miniature heated flechettes, not unlike the Type-25 Spiker. The weapon also sports a bayonet, which is utilized during melee animations.

On the field, it is not a particularly common weapon to be seen. Brutes occasionally wield this weapon but it is most fielded by the Grunt Ultras. Then again, Grunt Ultras are amongst the highest rank within the Grunt hierarchy and they are a rather uncommon sight in the field.

## Gameplay Information

### Pre-SPV3.3

This is for pre-SPV3.3 information which is considered outdated by the release of SPV3.3. You can read it to know how it functioned before the revamped.

#### Advantages

* The heated nails of the Piercer deal devastating damage against unshielded enemies, making it capable of taking out relatively weaker enemies such as Grunts, unprotected Jackals/Skirmishers and various Flood forms in a few bursts.
* Unlike the Needler, the Piercer's Flechettes always track a target's centre of mass. This makes the weapon highly effective against Flood Combat Forms; since the original host's centre of mass is mostly taken up by the controlling Infection Form, the flechettes fired by the Piercer can easily strike the Infection Form, killing it and its Combat Form host.
* The Piercer has the fastest melee attack of any weapon available, making it effective at damaging/eliminating enemies in quick succession.
* Like other Brute weapons, the Piercer is equipped with a sharp blade on its underside, allowing it to deal twice the amount of damage with melee attacks. This combined with its fast melee attack means that the Piercer has the most effective melee attack of any weapon.

#### Disadvantages

* Much like other ballistic weapons, the Piercer deals mediocre damage against energy shields. This makes it an unreliable weapon to use against Elites and Brute Commanders/Chieftains unless their shields are down.
	+ Since the homing flechettes always track a target's center of mass, the Piercer is practically useless against Jackal Infantry in a defensive stance, as the flechettes will almost always home themselves into Jackal's point-defense gauntlet and reflect off of it.
* Has very little ammo around the map.

### SPV3.3

#### Advantages

* The Piercer is one of the most powerful sidearms in terms of power-per-shot. With only the Golden Gun superseding it.
	+ It can pierce through shields and armor in one or a few shots, hence its name.
* A relatively accurate weapon at medium-to-close ranged.
* Heated element of its nails makes it devastating on unshielded targets.
* The Piercer has the fastest melee attack of any weapon available, making it effective at damaging/eliminating enemies in quick succession.
* Like other Brute weapons, the Piercer is equipped with a sharp blade on its underside, allowing it to deal twice the amount of damage with melee attacks. This combined with its fast melee attack means that the Piercer has the most effective melee attack of any weapon.

#### Disadvantages

* Weapon is relatively uncommon, so saving up on them is a must in order to still be viable.
* Low ammo pool and slow fire rate makes it unsuitable for horde enemies like the Flood.
* It is considered a precision weapon due to its low ammo/high power, as such, it is considered unviable against the Flood.

## Developer Information

We also totally reworked the Piercer, so it functions like the Mangler from Halo Infinite with a few extra bonuses.

## Trivia

* The Piercer was heavily inspired by a Brute weapon from the cancelled Halo MMO.
* The Piercer originally acted as SPV3's equivalent of a burstfire machine pistol. However, with the revamp of SPV3.3, the Piercer is now a heavy pistol/revolver.
	+ A common complaint before SPV3.3 was that the Piercer was an underused weapon as its niche was outcompeted by other more common or more powerful weapons. As a tracking weapon it was inferior to the Shredder and Needler due to its burstfire nature and lack of supercombine. As a pistol it lacked the precision of the M6G Pistol and the secondary utility function of the Plasma Pistol, Brute Plasma Pistol and the Void's Tear. Finally as a CQC weapon, it lacks the ammo capacity and sheer firepower to compete with the M7 Submachine Gun, MA5E Assault Rifle, Plasma Rifle, Brute Plasma Rifle and the Spiker. The only thing going for it was its fast melee attack.
		- This was eventually addressed in SPV3.3, turning the Piercer into a substantially more powerful and useful precision heavy pistol, finally giving the weapon a unique niche in the game.
* The Flechettes bears resemblance to the Enforcer's Pulse Laser Suppressors, albeit without the homing features.

## Gallery

Fleschettes fired from a Piercer pre-SPV3.3.SPV3.3 Piercer being fired.Ditto.