Venom Shotgun/ME3SP

Description
The Venom shotgun was developed by the salarian Special Tasks Group to meet the unpredictable needs of those stationed in hostile areas. The double barrel fires ammunition that detonates on impact, while a third barrel below can be charged to fire a round of microgrenades. Given the nature of most STG assignments, the Venom was designed to force an exit strategy and was issued to teams whose primary objective was to extract compromised undercover operatives. The shotgun is now issued to frontline soldiers in the war against the Reapers.

Acquisition
Available after downloading the Mass Effect 3: Groundside Resistance Pack.

Player Notes

 * This weapon has 2 firing modes:
 * Uncharged - fire one explosive round on a shallow trajectory to target that detonates on impact.
 * Charged - fire one round on a shallow trajectory to target that separates into five bomblets on impact, which in turn detonate.
 * Charged shots can be used to flush targets out of cover by firing it to the side of where they're hiding.
 * A charged shot's powerful explosive nature can blow enemy bodies into scraps. This can be used to prevent Cannibals from having a corpse to consume for their armour plating.
 * Treat the Venom as a grenade launcher. Using charged shots you can bombard groups of targets at range, or attempt trick shots exploiting walls and ceilings to rain bomblets against enemies that took cover.
 * Because the Venom essentially shoots grenades, mods that enhance penetration serve no purpose.
 * The Shotgun Spare Thermal Clip is recommended to enhance the Venom's capacity.
 * The Venom's main disadvantage is its weight: even after upgrading the Venom to rank X, it remains considerably heavier than other shotguns such as the M-11 Wraith. Players reliant on tech and/or biotic powers should note this weight penalty.
 * The Venom can be considerably helpful on Insanity difficulty with the proper loadout. At rank X, with the Shotgun Extended Barrel mod equipped and Incendiary Ammo active, a single charged shot from the Venom that hits its mark can instantly kill tough enemies like Brutes and Phantoms, and three to four charged shots can easily take down Atlases, Geth Primes, Adjutants, and Banshees. This factor is not to be underestimated. It functions quite literally as the Heavy Weapons did from Mass Effect 2, if used with the same sorts of moderation.