Mass Effect 2: New Toys, err… Weapons
This article was written by: Patrick Talbert (AzraelPC)
In Mass Effect, you were given use of only a handful of generic weapons from numerous manufacturers: Pistol, Shotgun, Assault Rifle, and Sniper Rifle. Mass Effect 2 has gone beyond that to give us grenade and missile launchers as well as other ‘heavy hitters’. Here are some of your new toys, as well as some old favorites (via Mass Effect 2’s Arsenal Webpage):
M-100 Grenade Launcher
Popular Manufacturer(s): Elanus Risk Control Services
Training Required: Heavy Weapons
Rounds per minute: 125
Related weapons: NoneDescription: Rapid-fire grenade launcher favored by the Blood Pack Vorcha Mercenaries. Capable of taking down multiple enemies with a single well-placed shot. Effective against armor, shields, and biotic barriers.
M-23 Katana ShotgunPopular Manufacturer(s): Ariake Technologies
Training Required: Shotguns
Rounds per minute: 48
Related weapons: M-27 Scimitar Assault ShotgunDescription: Common military shotgun. Deadly at short range, but ineffective at long range. Very effective versus shields and biotic barriers, but weak versus armor. Manufactured by Ariake Technologies, the Katana is a common mercenary weapon, and is also popular on colonies with Varren infestations.
Popular Manufacturer(s): Devlon Industries
Training Required: Sniper Rifles
Rounds per minute: 30
Related weapons: M-97 Viper Sniper RifleDescription: Powerful sniper rifle, capable of taking out most targets in a single shot. Incredibly accurate at long range, but slow rate of fire. Very effective versus armor, but weaker versus shields and biotic barriers. Manufactured by Devlon Industries, the Mantis is primarily used by police and planetary militia groups. The prevalence of kinetic barriers has made this weapon less popular with the military, but it is used more frequently in the Terminus system where these defenses are less common.
M-9 Temptest Submachine GunPopular Manufacturer(s): Elanus Risk Control Services
Training Required: Submachine Guns
Rounds per minute: 925
Related weapons: M-4 Shuriken Machine PistolDescription: Lightweight and easily concealed, this submachine gun fires in long deadly bursts. Very effective against shields and biotic barriers. Inaccurate at long range. Weak against armor. The commonality of kinetic barriers has led to increased demand for rapid-fire weapons like the Tempest. Produced by Elanus Risk Control Services for the Eclipse mercenary band, the Tempest is an expensive but deadly addition to anyone’s personal arsenal.
M-3 Predator Heavy PistolPopular Manufacturer(s): Elanus Risk Control Services
Training Required: Pistols
Rounds per minute: 120
Related weapons: Carnifex Hand CannonDescription: Reliable, accurate sidearm. Effective versus armor, but weak versus shields and biotic barriers. Manufactured by Elanus Risk Control, the predator is valued as a powerful, deadly, and relatively inexpensive weapon. While it is not generally deployed in the military, due to commonality of kinetic barriers, it’s still very popular in the Terminus system where these defenses are less common.
M-8 Avenger Assault RiflePopular Manufacturer(s): Elkoss Combine
Training Required: Assault Rifle
Rounds per minute: 850
Related weapons: M-15 Vindicator Assault RifleDescription: The reliability and effectiveness of the Avenger Assault Rifle in almost any battle condition makes it the weapon of choice for mercenaries and soldiers alike. The Avenger Assault Rifle (and its variants) is a workhorse weapon with low recoil and high accuracy. Its collapsible frame is light, yet substantial, and flexible ammunition load-out allows users to adapt firepower to any opponent-including synthetics.
ML-77 Missile LauncherPopular Manufacturer(s): Armax Arsenal
Training Required: Heavy Weapons
Rounds per minute: 80
Related weapons: NoneDescription: The missile launcher falls into the Heavy Weapons category of armament and is recommended for engagements where large–scale opposition is expected. Single-person portability is retained thanks to the now-standard collapsible design. What makes the missile launcher so effective is the friend–or–foe projectiles it fires – the user can fire the weapon from behind cover and the missiles will, within milliseconds, identify, lock onto and track enemies (organic or synthetic). The intended target has only a 6.8% chance (plus or minus, depending on weather conditions and available cover) of evading the impact(s).
This isn’t all of the weapons, but it’s a nice tease to get your juices flowing in time for Mass Effect 2’s release on January 26 (NA) and January 29 (EU). See you all in the far reaches of space!Source: BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 Arsenal Website (link above)
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