M-12 Locust

The M-12 Locust is a submachine gun in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Description
The Kassa Fabrications Model 12 Locust is a compact submachine gun developed for the Alliance but now favored by gang enforcers and hitmen. Featuring a complex recoil-reducing mechanism and high-grade autotargeting software, the Locust delivers longer-range, more accurate fire than others in its class.

Acquisition
The M-12 Locust can be found during Kasumi's loyalty mission in Donovan Hock's vault on the table with the graybox. If the weapon is not picked up, it will be awarded at the end of the mission. Kasumi refers to it as "the gun that killed two presidents."

Squad Use
This weapon can be used by Miranda, Mordin, Samara/Morinth, Thane, Kasumi, Liara and Dr. Amanda Kenson.

Player Notes
Important Notes
 * Although it has a lower clip capacity, fire rate and slightly weaker damage output compared to the M-9 Tempest, the Locust makes up for these deficiencies by being more accurate at longer ranges and having virtually no muzzle climb.
 * Like the M-22 Eviscerator, the Locust sacrifices some of its penetration power against shields and barriers to add extra damage against armor, making it a more balanced SMG than the Tempest.
 * For the same reason as the Tempest, it upgrades the M-4 Shuriken.
 * Because squadmates operate better with the Tempest than the Locust, it is recommended that you keep the Locust for Shepard while equipping the Tempest on squadmates.
 * The Locust is not carried over from one imported game to the next. This is easily circumvented due to its acquisition mission being readily available.

Class Specific Notes
 * For Engineers, Adepts or Sentinels, Assault Rifle advanced training is no longer a 'must have' - DPS wise, the Locust exceeds the M-8 Avenger, Geth Pulse Rifle, and Collector Assault Rifle. The Vindicator and the M-96 Mattock have higher DPS but much lower magazine capacity.
 * For Infiltrators, this makes Assault Rifle advanced training a wasted investment, since the Locust exceeds rapid-fire assault rifles as described, and as the use of a sniper rifle outclasses the Vindicator and the M-96 Mattock at range.

Mass Effect 3
Locust]]

Description
The Kassa Fabrications Model 12 Locust is a compact submachine gun developed for the Alliance but now favored by gang enforcers and hitmen. Featuring a complex recoil-reducing mechanism and high-grade auto-targeting software, the Locust delivers longer-range, more accurate fire than others in its class.

Acquisition

 * Single-player: Acquired in the mission Priority: Horizon. Or purchasable after the mission Priority: Horizon from Kassa Fabrication.
 * Multiplayer: Randomly rewarded by purchasing a multiplayer item pack.

Player Notes

 * The Locust has an average weight level, moderately-slow rate of fire, very high accuracy, and average clip capacity.
 * The Locust's main strength is its flexibility. It has low recoil, and very high accuracy which allows the Locust to fire full auto even at long range, something no other SMG can do effectively. This means it is very capable of dispatching enemies with shielding with little difficulty.
 * As accurate as the Locust is, it has very low damage, though this is partially remedied by its ability to keep putting headshots on target. As well as this, its slow rate of fire makes it a poor choice for close quarters, where the Tempest, or Hornet would be far superior due to their faster fire rates.
 * Locust is a notably poor choice of SMG when being swarmed by close-quarter enemies, due to its low damage, clip size and high accuracy which becomes negligible at close range. This weapon is a generally bad choice to fight Reaper forces with, considering their up-close fighting patterns.

Trivia

 * The Locust makes considerably less noise with continuous fire than other SMGs; this may be because it is meant to be a suppressed weapon, which fits in with its in-game description as a weapon favored by hitmen and assassins.
 * Despite a vertical fore-grip being integrated into the design of the Locust, there is no animation for any character in Mass Effect 2 utilizing this specific feature of the weapon. Because of this, any character wielding the Locust grips it as if he or she is holding a Heavy Pistol or either of the other two Submachine Guns featured in the game.
 * The Locust does have some similarities to the M-25 Hornet, most notably the integration of the magazine into the grip, similar iron sights, and similar chassis.