M-8 Avenger

The M-8 Avenger is an assault rifle in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Description
A common, versatile, military-grade assault rifle. Accurate when fired in short bursts, and deadly when fired on full auto. The Avenger is effective at penetrating shields, armor, and biotic barriers. The modular design and inexpensive components of the Avenger make it a favorite of military groups and mercenaries alike. The avenger has a reputation for being tough, reliable, easy to use, and easy to upgrade.

Manufactured by the Elkoss Combine.

Acquisition
This is the default assault rifle acquired during the Freedom's Progress mission at the beginning of the game, provided the player is a Soldier. This weapon can be acquired later on for other classes by accepting assault rifle specialization on the Collector Cruiser.

Squad Use
This weapon can be used by Garrus, Grunt, Legion, Samara/Morinth, and Zaeed. Squadmates deal 45% less damage than Shepard.

Player Notes

 * It is fairly accurate at long range and with less recoil than the M-9 Tempest SMG and more recoil than the M-15 Vindicator Battle Rifle.
 * The Targeting VI upgrade reduces the bullet spread, allowing it to compete with the Vindicator at medium range.
 * With fully automatic fire, and the largest ammo capacity at 440 round (or 11 "clips"), the Avenger is a good weapon for protracted fights. Especially when the player is fighting defensively against large numbers of enemies. It's a good weapon for Soldiers, who can use both special ammo and the Adrenaline ability to inflict lethal damage on targets.
 * Before researching the Targeting VI, the most accurate way to fire is to 'feather' the trigger. This minimally increases the crosshair spread and prevents muzzle climb, making it perfect for players who like to run-and-gun.
 * The Avenger's main drawback is its low damage per shot, as this forces the player to remain out of cover for longer than with weapons like the M-96 Mattock. Keep this in mind when deciding what missions to take it on.
 * Because squad members deal even less damage than Shepard, this is even more of a problem for them. However, Zaeed – whose class power gives him much greater weapon damage – is less disadvantaged by this and the Avenger can be used as a useful suppressive weapon in his hands if desired.
 * The weapon's low damage can be countered by equipping damage-increasing armour parts, or by making assault rifle damage upgrades a priority. However, weapons like the Mattock and Vindicator will still out-damage it by far, whilst also exposing Shepard to enemy fire less often.
 * This disadvantage can be mitigated with Incendiary Ammo, Disruptor Ammo, or Cryo Ammo to stun-lock enemies with constant fire.

Mass Effect 3
M-8 Avenger/ME3SP|Single-player M-8 Avenger/ME3MP|Multiplayer

Trivia

 * Many cutscenes show Shepard and other squad members using the Avenger, even if they don't have use of it in-game.
 * Weapons Lockers show an Avenger picture as their icon.
 * The appearance is based on the default Hahne-Kedar "Lancer" assault rifle in Mass Effect – the original Elkoss Combine "Avenger" rifle had the same 3D model but a red texture without the M8 markings.
 * The side of the rifle's scope is emblazoned with the words "Hard Lock." One place where it is easy to see this is at the end of Mass Effect 2, when Joker is providing covering fire, shooting down the Collector infantry.
 * The N7 Valkyrie is a variant of the Avenger.
 * Like the Mattock and Vindicator, the Avenger's integrated scope was removed from its model in Mass Effect 3, likely to avoid looking redundant if the player adds a scope mod. In game, this does not affect its (unmodded) accuracy.
 * There are two versions of the Avenger seen in Mass Effect 3: one similar in appearance to its previous incarnation, carried by NPCs, and one without the built-in scope, carried by Shepard and the squad.