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For the shotgun in Mass Effect, see Ariake Technologies.

The M-23 Katana is a shotgun in Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, and Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Mass Effect 2[]

Description[]

Common military shotgun. Deadly at short range, but ineffective at long range. Very effective versus shields and biotic barriers, but weak versus armor.

Manufactured by Ariake Technologies, the Katana is a common mercenary weapon and is also popular on colonies with varren infestations.

Acquisition[]

Automatically granted on Freedom's Progress if Shepard is of the Soldier or Vanguard class, or if Shepard has Shotgun advanced training.

Squad Use[]

This weapon can be used by Grunt, Jack, Jacob and Tali.

Player Notes[]

  • With the availability of the M-22 Eviscerator, the M-23 Katana is essentially obsolete from the beginning of the game.
  • That being said, the Katana may still be preferred by Vanguards and Soldiers with shotgun-oriented playstyles due to its larger clip size, a major drawback for the Eviscerator.

Mass Effect 3[]

Description[]

Manufactured by Ariake Technologies, the Katana is a common mercenary weapon, and is also popular on colonies with varren infestations. It's deadly at short range, but ineffective at long range.

Acquisition[]

Singleplayer

The M-23 Katana is automatically given to Vanguards, Soldiers, and Sentinels at the beginning of Priority: Mars. Otherwise, it can be found on a dead Cerberus trooper after leaving the sterilization room. It is not purchasable from a shop if missed during the mission.

Multiplayer

The M-23 Katana is one of the five starter weapons. Upgrades are randomly rewarded through purchases of item packs. The Katana is categorized as common.

Player Notes[]

  • The Katana, along with the M-92 Mantis, is one of the better starting weapons. Unlike the M-4 Shuriken, M-8 Avenger, or M-3 Predator, the Katana's burst damage nature reduces exposure to enemy fire if the player only pops out from cover to fire a shot.
  • The Katana has a forgiving 5 shots in the magazine to work with, a good reload speed, and fair damage, but it is not accurate enough to be effective at longer ranges, which goes for most conventional shotguns that fire a spread of pellets. The Shotgun Smart Choke can extend its range and make it easier to land a majority of the pellets in the same area for more damage, especially with headshots.
  • The Katana's slow firing rate and high weight make it sub-optimal compared to any of the other shotgun models, and like all the starting weapons, it should be ditched in favor of alternatives once they become available.

Mass Effect: Andromeda[]

Description[]

The M-23 Katana was a popular shotgun among Milky Way soldiers, criminals, and civilians. It was manufactured by Ariake Technologies, an Earth-based company eager to do business with the Andromeda Initiative.

Features[]

The Katana had multiple changes to its damage. The base weapon saw an increase to damage per pellet while the multiplayer S variant got adjusted to 714-854 as of the final balance update.

Strategies[]

  • As one of the basic player shotguns whatever the galaxy, the Katana has some early utility when there are few other weapons available. Its relative heaviness means that players will have to kill what the Katana can't with skills.
  • The S variant in multiplayer allows it to be competitive with several other "average" shotguns, and quickly obtaining one may mean regular focused spending on Advanced Packs.

Stats[]

Singleplayer
Rank Damage Rate of Fire Max Clip Size Max Ammo Accuracy Weight
I 322 85 5 40 22 40
II 350 85 5 41 24 38
III 371 85 5 42 25 36
IV 399 85 5 43 25 33
V 420 85 5 44 26 31
VI 448 85 5 46 26 29
VII 469 85 5 47 27 27
VIII 497 85 5 48 27 24
IX 525 85 5 49 27 22
X 546 85 5 50 28 20

Multiplayer I-X
Rank Damage Rate of Fire Max Clip Size Max Ammo Accuracy Weight
I 448 85 5 40 22 40
II 462 85 5 41 24 38
III 483 85 5 42 25 36
IV 497 85 5 43 25 33
V 511 85 5 44 26 31
VI 532 85 5 46 26 29
VII 546 85 5 47 27 27
VIII 560 85 5 48 27 24
IX 581 85 5 49 27 22
X 595 85 5 50 28 20

Multiplayer S
Rank Damage Rate of Fire Max Clip Size Max Ammo Accuracy Weight
I 714 85 5 40 22 40
II 728 85 5 41 24 38
III 742 85 5 42 25 36
IV 756 85 5 43 25 33
V 770 85 5 44 26 31
VI 784 85 5 46 26 29
VII 798 85 5 47 27 27
VIII 812 85 5 48 27 24
IX 826 85 5 49 27 22
X 854 85 5 50 28 20

Development[]

Rank Rd icon milkyway orange Blueprint Unlocked Omni-gel canister icon Omni-Gel Canister Iron icon Iron Cadmium icon Cadmium Vanadium icon Vanadium MEA Augmentation Slot For Tables Augmentation Slots
I Level 1 20 80 40 10 0
II Level 6 20 90 40 10 2
III Level 11 20 100 50 10 2
IV Level 21 30 110 50 10 2
V Level 31 30 130 60 20 2
VI Level 41 30 140 70 20 2
VII Level 51 30 145 70 20 2
VIII Level 61 40 150 70 20 2
IX Level 71 40 155 70 20 2
X Level 81 40 160 80 20 2
Total N/A 300 1260 600 160 N/A

Trivia[]

  • The appearance is similar to the alternate shotgun in the first Mass Effect game.
  • The Katana is likely named after a type of sword.
  • The Katana shotgun has a unique draw and holster sound-effect. Instead of hearing the weapon "assembling" itself - as heard when drawing and holstering all other weapons in Mass Effect 3 - the Katana shotgun will sound like a katana blade being (un-)sheathed.
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