M-99 Saber/ME3SP

Description
A heavy-duty semi-automatic rifle favored by only the most elite marksman, the M-99 Saber is jokingly referred to as "The Big Iron" for its sheer stopping power. Each M-99 Saber is designed specifically for its owner, making it one of the Alliance's more expensive weapons.

Acquisition
The M-99 Saber can be found during the mission Priority: Horizon. In the room after taking the tram there is a Pod Status hologram with a "Pod - manual override" option. Activate this, then backtrack to the end of the room from which you entered to open the pod containing the weapon. (It is not purchasable from a shop if missed.)

Player Notes

 * The Saber is a viciously powerful weapon, toting more damage per shot than any other assault rifle, bar the Falcon. The damage is so great that it can take out enemies on lower difficulties in just one or two shots, especially when multiple weapon upgrades are purchased or certain mods are applied.
 * The accuracy of the Saber rivals that of a sniper rifle, which makes it extremely powerful at long range. This can allow the Saber to take out enemies with ease that would otherwise force other weapons to burst fire or single shot to even have a chance of hitting an enemy; however, this comes at the price of its high weight.
 * The main weakness of the Saber is its very slow rate of fire, which is even slower than that of the Mattock or the Falcon. This makes the weapon highly ineffective at close range against multiple enemies, where a more flexible rifle, SMG, or shotgun would be better suited. As well as this, more nimble enemies such as the Nemesis, the Phantom, or Kai Leng will be much more difficult to kill at close range where they can kill you in little time.
 * Other weaknesses include the Saber's high weight, which can cripple your ability to use powers frequently; high recoil, which makes placing further shots outside cover very difficult; and low ammo capacity, which makes each missed shot a costly mistake.
 * A Soldier can however circumvent these limitations, provided no other weapons are carried, by repeated usage of Adrenaline Rush. The ability instantly refills the magazine, making reloads unnecessary even when the weapon is fired continuously. Due to the time dilation, it is easier to make each shot count. This makes the Saber remarkably more powerful in the hands of a Soldier.
 * Because of the sheer damage on the Saber, it can also be used very effectively by an Infiltrator. The extra 50-90% extra damage provided from Tactical Cloak can tear through even the toughest of enemies in just one or two hits even on the hardest of difficulties. With a scope module it can function in a role similar to that of the M-97 Viper. Utilised with an Extended Barrel mod, its already impressive damage is magnified even further.
 * The immense per-shot damage of the Saber makes the Piercing mod less appealing because it offers a 10% damage increase against armored enemies at best. It does however allow the penetration of light cover, a Guardian's shield, or armor plating on Reaper forces.
 * The time between each shot with this weapon make a stability dampener practically redundant.