M-98 Widow

The M-98 Widow Anti-Material Rifle is a sniper rifle in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Description
Accurate and deadly anti-materiel [sic] rifle. Effective against armor, shields, and biotic barriers. Upgrades the Viper Sniper Rifle.

Weighing in at 39 kilograms, the Widow Anti-Material Rifle is primarily used by sniper teams in assault missions against armored vehicles or krogan. While kinetic barriers offer effective protection on vehicles, the kind generated by conventional military field generators are far too weak against the Widow.

The Widow was never designed to be carried and fired by a human. Although this modified model can be carried, no ordinary human could fire it without shattering an arm.

Acquisition
'''Note: This weapon is exclusive to either Infiltrator/Soldier Shepard or Legion. No other character(s) may choose to use it.'''
 * The Widow is acquired as one of three possible weapons on the Collector Ship mission for Soldiers and Infiltrators. This allows Shepard to use the weapon.
 * Conversing with Legion about upgrades will make the weapon available for research. Only Legion can use this Widow.

Squad Usage
Legion is the only squad member who can use the M-98 Widow. Legion deals 43% less damage than Shepard.

Player Notes

 * The Widow is capable of one-shot kills at any range. To do this requires a clean headshot with as many damage modifiers as possible including: fully evolved powers such as Assassination Cloak, Armor Piercing Ammo, Warp Ammo, Shredder Ammo, Heightened Adrenaline Rush and/or Commando; upgrades such as the Scram Pulsar series, the Combat Scanner, and the Tungsten Sabot Jacket; and armor modifications such as the Kuwashii visor. Note that the one-shot, one kill policy will only apply to lower ranked enemies and will vary depending on the difficulty level.
 * The Widow functionally replaces the Mantis sniper rifle, as it deals more damage and has a higher spare ammo capacity; however, some players may prefer the Viper sniper rifle since it has a larger magazine, despite doing lower damage.
 * The M-98 Widow is already very powerful when you first acquire it. However, when fully upgraded, it becomes a seriously devastating weapon, capable of inflicting significant damage to almost any type of enemy personnel with a single shot, making it an ideal choice for emergency situations and boss/mini-boss fights.
 * This weapon also scales extremely well with the difficulty setting of the game. In fact, on lower difficulties, most shots with this weapon would be overkill, since the Mantis or Viper rifles can do the same with one or two shots. However, on Hardcore or Insanity mode, this weapon can still fulfill the 'one shot, one kill' policy where others may not, thus making it ideal for situations where breaking cover to fire for more than a few seconds can be fatal.
 * The Widow, with all damage and bonus upgrades becomes severely damaging when used in Heightened Adrenaline Rush. With a headshot, the Widow can apply 1600 damage to armor, and around 1200 to shields and health. However, if used in Heightened Adrenaline Rush with Tungsten Ammo, it can deal a whopping 1900 damage to armored foes, which on any mode except Hardcore and Insanity is usually enough to take out most opponents in one hit, with certain exceptions (Heavy Mechs, Praetorians, Scions, sometimes Harbinger). Inferno Ammo also generates similar damage.
 * Despite the Widow's impressive one-shot, one-kill potential, it loses a great deal of its killing power punching through a shield or barrier. If you're going up against a multitude of enemies protected by shields and barriers, make sure to prepare accordingly (by using Disruptor or Warp Ammo to compensate). Alternatively, you could simply use another weapon or power to remove the shield/barrier in order to ensure a kill shot.

Description
Several research firms spent a considerable fortune trying to redesign the Widow sniper rifle. Their goal was to retain the geth weapon's considerable firepower while reducing its recoil, so that the gun could be fired without breaking a nonsynthetic's arm. After much trial and error, one company finally produced a usable model rolled out to the galactic market.

Acquisition

 * Single-player: Found during Priority: Thessia on the ledge where the asari sniper is.
 * Multiplayer: Randomly rewarded by purchasing a multiplayer item pack.

Player Notes

 * Remember that the Widow is a single shot rifle, and must be reloaded after each shot. Because of this, it is a good idea to utilize mods or abilities such as the Soldier's Adrenaline Rush that slow time, therefore allowing you to hit moving targets with ease.
 * The Widow is a viciously powerful sniper rifle, capable of killing most enemies in a single shot.
 * The Widow has a unique ability that allows it to penetrate thin cover as well as a Guardian's plated shield. It can even pierce and kill multiple enemies in a single shot if lined up correctly. This means unless the enemy is in deep, thick cover, no enemy is safe.
 * One of the biggest weakness of the Widow is its low capacity and low rate of fire.
 * The Widow is also extremely heavy. Even if used on its own without a second weapon, it cripples players who want to use powers frequently. This makes the rifle a good weapon for Soldiers, who rely less so on powers and more so on bullets and grenades.
 * Ammuntion for the Widow - until the Widow is upgraded, or a good level "Spare Thermal Clip" Mod is obtained, is even more scant than the M-92 Mantis. As such, you must make each shot count, as otherwise you will end up being overrun by enemies.
 * This weapon is one of three sniper rifles in multiplayer capable of armor piercing without using a modification. This frees up a modification slot for other uses such as spare thermal clips.
 * This weapon is extremely effective against Cerberus Guardians. One shot to the center of the shield usually takes them out on lower difficulties.

Trivia

 * In both the Mass Effect 2 research project and the Mass Effect 3 in-game description, the rifle is referred to as being of geth origin, yet geth snipers do not use this weapon; only Legion is seen wielding it. In addition, during the mission Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons, one of the Geth memories from the original geth uprising shows a unit picking up the M-98 Widow; when Shepard remarks that it is the same weapon Legion used, Legion extrapolates that it is "an efficient model." While its presence during the conflict implies that it may be of quarian design, the exact origins of the rifle are unknown.
 * The rifle is referred to as an "Anti-Material Rifle", which appears to be a misspelling of the term Anti-Materiel Rifle, which is the designation given to large-caliber rifles designed to be used against military equipment (or "matériel"), as opposed to enemy soldiers (or "personnel").
 * The Widow can be seen leaning against a railing on board the derelict Reaper ship, and can be scanned for a sniper rifle damage upgrade.
 * The M-98 Widow is roughly tied with the M-300 Claymore as the highest damage-per-shot non-heavy weapon in the game; the relative ranking of the two guns depends on range, upgrades, and type of target.
 * The Black Widow is an Alliance variant of the Widow.