Hawk Missile Launcher

Hawk Missile Launcher is a power in Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode.

Power Ranks

Rank 1: Hawk Missile Launcher

Rip a target into shreds with the T5-V's autofiring shoulder cannon.

Lock onto a target to launch a stinger missile.
Stays active until disabled.
Decreases max shields by 50% while active.

• Recharge Speed: 3 sec
• Missile Recharge Speed: 4 sec
• Damage: 200
• Radius: 0.50 m
• Force: 200 N

Rank 2: Refire Time

Reduce refire time by 10%.

• Recharge Speed: 3 sec
• Missile Recharge Speed: 3.64 sec
• Damage: 200
• Radius: 0.50 m
• Force: 200 N

Rank 3: Missile Damage

Increase missile damage by 30%.

• Recharge Speed: 3 sec
• Missile Recharge Speed: 3.64 sec
• Damage: 260
• Radius: 0.50 m
• Force: 260 N

Rank 4: Shield Penalty/Damage and Force

Shield Penalty Reduce shield penalty by 40%.

Damage and Force Increase missile damage and force by 40%. Recharge Speed: 3 sec Missile Recharge Speed: 3.64 sec Damage: 340 Radius: 0.50 m Force: 340 N

Rank 5: Refire Time/Armor Damage

Refire Time Reduce refire time by 35%. Recharge Speed: 3 sec Missile Recharge Speed: 2.76 sec Damage: 260 (Shield Penalty), 340 (Damage and Force) Radius: 0.50 m Force: 260 N (Shield Penalty), 340 N (Damage and Force)

Armor Damage Increase effectiveness against armored targets by 50%.

Rank 6: Hydra Missiles/Cobra Missiles

Hydra Missiles Upgrade missile housing to fire 2 extra seeking projectiles. Decreases the payload of each missile by 25%. Recharge Speed: 3 sec Missile Recharge Speed: 2.76 sec (Refire Time), 3.64 sec (Armor Damage) Damage: 260 (Shield Penalty), 340 (Damage and Force) Radius: 0.50 m Force: 310 N (Shield Penalty), 390 N (Damage and Force)

Cobra Missiles Upgrade missile munitions to increase damage and force by 150%. Increase impact radius by 300%. Recharge Speed: 3 sec Missile Recharge Speed: 2.76 sec (Refire Time) 3.64 (Armor Damage) Damage: 560 (Shield Penalty), 640 (Damage and Force) Radius: 2 m Force: 560 N (Shield Penalty), 640 N (Damage and Force)

Player Notes

Mechanics

• The Hawk Missile Launcher ability, while named so, acts more like Concussive Shot. It is unaffected by weight, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on if you have heavy or light weapons. It has damage comparable to Concussive Shot, and an equal or greater ability to stagger-stun enemies, making it quite effective at suppressing enemy attacks and movement.
• The Missile Launcher itself fires automatically once activated, and it will home in on a new "locked" target when a new missile is ready.
  • The launcher has a forward firing arc only and will not protect your flanks or rear.
  • The missile will fire while running or while getting up after being revived.
  • The missile will NOT fire if the N7 Destroyer is downed and "bleeding out" or performing any of the following actions: reloading, switching weapons, reviving a teammate, using a ladder, vaulting an obstacle, performing a melee attack, grabbing an enemy behind cover, being grabbed by an enemy (e.g. husks or any sync kill animation), being stunned (e.g. being hit by an Atlas missile), hacking an objective, combat dodging, using an ability (e.g. the activation animation of Devastator Mode or throwing a Multi-Frag Grenade), or leaning out of cover.
  • If the Missile Launcher is making constant beeping sounds, that means the missile is ready to fire but cannot due to the target being obstructed or because the N7 Destroyer is performing any of the above actions.
• The only way to tell if this power is active (aside from seeing it fire) is that the shoulder launcher glows orange.
• Despite the description saying it will take half of your shields, the Missile Launcher will only drain 500 shielding. This is because the shield penalty is calculated from the N7 Destroyer's base, unmodified shield of 1000.
  • Rank 4 Shield Penalty evolution description is also misleading. Despite it saying it will reduce the shield penalty by 40%, the actual shield penalty reduction is 80% (the launcher will drain only 100 shielding).
• Players can offset the shield penalty of the Missile Launcher by using either the Devastator Mode shield evolution for 40% bonus of maximum shields (a net loss of only 10%) or by using Cyclonic Modulators or the Shield Booster gear to increase durability.
• The homing ability of the missile is limited along similar lines as biotic powers, and will not arc around an enemy's cover without a proportional angle of attack.
• When leaning out of full-body cover like wall corners, the missile will often hit the cover itself, even if leaning to the right side.
• Being a power, the missiles will trigger the power-blocking abilities of Banshees, Praetorians and Phantoms.
• The Hawk Missile Launcher can knock the shield back on Guardian units, exposing them to weapons fire or direct damage. It also reliably staggers basic enemies, even shielded ones. On tougher enemies such as Phantoms, low level missiles won't have enough force to stagger them.
• Due its limited homing ability and small blast radius (even if the level 6 Cobra Missile upgrade is selected), the missile has trouble damaging fast moving or dodging targets. However, this can be partially remedied by selecting the Hydra evolution, as the second or third missile will hit the target reliably.
• Rank 6 Hydra Missiles will sometimes seek out nearby targets at random.
• Rank 6 Cobra Missiles take a noticeably wider trajectory to reach targets, which can often cause them to hit terrain or cover. They tend to function best in situations where there are minimal obstructions to targets.
• This power has no ability to set up or even detonate Power Combos.

Strategies

• One of the biggest weaknesses of this power is the inability to designate targets. This can be a problem if it locks onto an enemy that there isn't direct line of sight to or if the player is attempting to attack a specific enemy. This can be especially detrimental against Abominations and Possessed Abominations if you kill them at the wrong time, damaging or downing oneself or allies.

Availability

• Single-player: N/A
• Multiplayer: N7 Destroyer Soldier

Trivia

• The rank 6 evolutions of the Hawk Missile Launcher power, "Hydra Missile" and "Cobra Missile", refer to two missile launcher weapons available in Mass Effect 3: the M-560 Hydra and the Cobra Missile Launcher. The weapons differ significantly in function and potency from the power, however.