Pistol/Doom (2016)

"The Pistol is a sidearm with limitless ammo that is most effective against weaker targets."

- Arsenal description

The UAC EMG Sidearm, also known as the Pistol, is a weapon featured in Doom (2016). Unlike its original iterations, it shoots directed-energy beams instead of bullets, and also has unlimited ammo. The pistol is the first weapon found in the game, found near the Doom Marine's sarcophagus.

Tactical analysis
The pistol is very weak compared to other weaponry in the game, but it can be used to conserve ammo and is effective against Imps and the possessed. To some extent, it can even be used on Possessed Soldiers and Hell Razers, if cover to charge shots is available. It is not advised to take on larger foes (such as Hell Knights) with the pistol, due to their higher damage resistance.

The Charged Energy Shot is a useful tool for finishing staggered demons out of Glory Kill range, provided you don't have the Intimacy is Best rune equipped. Even without the Mastery upgrade, it is capable of staggering an Imp on a fully charged body shot, or dispatching it in one well-aimed, full-charge shot to the head. It can also stagger Possessed Soldiers, Possessed Securities (provided it isn't blocked by their shields) and Hell Razers with a fully charged headshot.

Modifications
The Pistol comes with a pre-installed weapon modification which can be upgraded without Field Drone. This modification allows the pistol to be charged up for more damage in a manner similar to Quake's Blaster.

Codex
Every UAC employee is provided a standard UAC EMG (Energy-Matter-Gel) Sidearm upon promotion to Tier 2 and above. This sidearm is reliable and effective at short range. A gravity gear dynamo in the stock charges a capacitor whenever the operator moves. When the weapon is fired, the capacitor compresses up to 4 megawatts of Argent Energy into a hardening plasma gel and launches the slug at high velocity. The gel slug has the same impact properties of conventional ammunition, making the weapon act and feel like a standard ballistic firearm.

The weapon is constructed of thermally diffusive metal alloys which allow it to discharge rapidly and repeatedly without overheating or compromising the accuracy. The capacitor in the EMG can also be upgraded to concentrate the energy into one large pulse for more stopping power.

Trivia

 * EMG stands for "Energy-Matter-Gel."
 * The Charged Energy Shot for the pistol is similar to the Vortex Rifle's charged shot; the longer it is aimed down the sights, the more damage it will cause.
 * The pistol is functionally very similar to the Blaster from Quake 2 and Quake 4, particularly the latter since the Quake 4 Blaster had the same charge-up alternate fire mode.
 * A closer look on the pistol shows there are two Japanese kanji (or Chinese) characters inscribed, which appear to be "刀无". In Chinese, 刀无 (dāo wú) means "no knife" or "no sword." This could perhaps be a sidelong reference to John Romero's Daikatana, the title of which was written 大刀 (daidāo) meaning "big sword." There are in fact other bilingual English-Chinese signs all over the UAC base, so it may be intended to be Chinese.
 * On the side of the pistol, it says "LFG," possibly meaning "Little Fucking Gun."
 * There is a multiplayer equivalent, known as the Mark V Pistol.
 * Originally the Pistol fired bullets rather than limitless energy, and its appearance was notably a futuristic version of the Beretta M9 from the Classic Doom games.
 * Despite using directed energy as ammunition, the weapon ejects cases when fired. It is possible this was a holdover from the original plans of the Pistol to fire bullets.
 * The infinity symbol ∞ in the ammo counter that appears when the Pistol is being used can also be seen with all the other numbered weapons, upon obtaining the Rich Get Richer Rune plus a required amount of armor.