Description
Carried by the batarian military's notorious Special Intervention Unit, the Raider is a semi-automatic shotgun that loads slowly but fires rapidly, with tremendous force. Short-range even for a shotgun, the Raider has a large pellet spread. Rather than eliminating recoil, its integral compensators instead make it predictable and vertical.
Acquisition
The AT-12 Raider was initially available as a bonus item on PC to players who pre-ordered Mass Effect 3 on EA's Origin service.[1] It was later available on-disc of the Wii U version[2], and eventually for all platforms in Mass Effect 3: Leviathan. It can be found on a corpse during Namakli: Leviathan near the first group of enemies encountered.
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Player Notes
- The AT-12's main strength is in its unrivaled firing rate. This coupled with its very high damage (nearly as high as the Wraith's) make it perfectly suited to quickly bringing down single, tough units, like Brutes, but its low clip size and long reload time make it less prudent to use on smaller enemies.
- The AT-12's spread makes it almost useless at any range other than extremely close, making it an excellent choice for Vanguards, and anyone else engaging in close quarters combat.
- Infiltrators will be able to use their Tactical Cloak ability to move into the weapon's effective range undetected. This, combined with the damage bonus, can yield promising results.
- Adrenaline Rush's instant-reload function can be exploited ruthlessly to give this weapon unsurpassed DPS. Four shots in quick succession will likely kill or severely damage even the hardiest enemies. This tactic may also make the Raider more effective at dealing with groups of enemies.
- Due to the Raider's low thermal clip capacity, you might want to consider using the Spare Thermal Clip mod.
- Despite the small improvement shown by the weapon statistics, a level V Smart Choke does produce a fairly noticeable decrease in cross-hair width, making the weapon effective at slightly further distances.
- Due to the typical shot spread pattern of the Raider (oval-outline, with none near either axis of the oval), it is better advised to aim a bit left or right of the reticule if you must shoot at long-range targets.