User:Trandra/Sandbox/M-77 Paladin

The M-77 Paladin is a heavy pistol in Mass Effect 3.

Single-player =

Description
The Paladin is a reliable, durable weapon developed by law enforcement looking for a high-powered but easily concealed sidearm for undercover agents. Surprisingly small for its hitting power, the Paladin is a variant on the Carnifex pistol. While it has a smaller clip than the Carnifex, its shots are unquestionably more powerful.

Acquisition
The M-77 Paladin is purchasable from the Spectre Requisitions terminal in the Citadel Embassies for 200,000 credits.
 * Multiplayer: Randomly rewarded by purchasing an item pack.

Player Notes
Multiplayer =
 * Much like the Carnifex, the Paladin is a heavy pistol with a low rate of fire, but very high damage; this allows you to easily pick off targets at long range, but also leaves you more vulnerable at short range.
 * The Paladin has one of the highest power-to-weight ratios in the game, making it an ideal backup weapon for classes reliant on powers such as Adepts and Engineers.
 * This gun is also ideally used as a sidearm for players whose primary weapon has a higher rate of fire and larger clip size (such as Assault Rifle-wielding Soldiers).
 * Infiltrators already wielding powerful, slow-firing weapons, such as the Black Widow and Mantis sniper rifles, would not gain much addtional benefits from the Paladin.
 * The Paladin is also a very effective weapon against shields and armor even without the Piercing Mod, able to take down most enemies at lower difficulties with only one shot.

Description
The Paladin is a reliable, durable weapon developed by law enforcement looking for a high-powered but easily concealed sidearm for undercover agents. Surprisingly small for its hitting power, the Paladin is a variant on the Carnifex pistol. While it has a smaller clip than the Carnifex, its shots are unquestionably more powerful.

Acquisition
Weapons are Randomly rewarded by purchasing an item pack. The M-77 Paladin is categorized as ultra-rare.

Player Notes

 * The Paladin functions very similarly to the M-6 Carnifex, albeit with half the clip size, less spare ammo capacity and over 1.5x the damage (when compared at the same level). It is also significantly heavier.
 * The Paladin's main drawback is its extremely low thermal clip and reserve capacity: only 3 shots in the thermal clip and 21 in reserve without upgrades. This makes the Paladin the heavy pistol with the lowest capacity in the game, with fewer shots than some shotguns and sniper rifles. In order to maximize effectiveness, it is recommended to go for headshots whenever possible or weaken the target with powers first.
 * A Paladin, even at level 1, can kill any basic troops with a headshot in Silver difficulty, even better if a High Caliber Barrel is attached. This makes the weapon on par with a Valiant when it comes to DPS, with Valiant having a much longer range and faster reload and Paladin having much more damage per shot.
 * A Paladin X, especially if modified with a Scope and a Magazine Upgrade, can act as a substitute for a sniper rifle; at this point having similar statistics and range. However, its shallower firing profile and lower recoil mean that it is faster to aim and re-sight. Foregoing the Scope for the High Caliber Barrel and the Piercing Mod makes it on par with a Black Widow in medium range encounters.
 * Due to its rarity, getting the Paladin alone is difficult; getting 9 more is even harder (though this can be decreased if other weapons are maxed out).
 * The Magazine Upgrade can be very useful for extra damage per clip, but it will only increase the shot capacity by 2 shots. A Piercing Mod can devastate Guardians, Reapers protected by armor plating (such as those of the Brute and the Marauder's enhancement) and light cover, but it loses some of its punch with penetration. A High Caliber Barrel will give the Paladin enough power to eliminate unprotected enemies in one shot, and some shielded enemies in two. A Scope could provide a longer ranged option, but peripheral vision is decreased when zoomed in.
 * Recent updates made the Paladin lighter and slightly more powerful, however it is still the heavy pistol with the biggest weight penalty.

Trivia

 * Paladins, also known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charles the Great's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France.
 * The Paladin's color/light is not affected by the Pistol Piercing or the Pistol Magazine mods.