The M-97 Viper is a sniper rifle in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

Mass Effect 2 Edit

M-97 Viper
Type		Sniper Rifle
Location		Illium
Accuracy		High
Recoil		Low
Fire Mode		Semi-Automatic
Fire Rate		240 RPM
Reload Time		1.5 s
Damage Stats
Base Damage		81.9
Damage Multipliers	Armor	x1.35
	Shields	x1.15
	Barriers	x1.15
Ammunition Stats
Shots Per Clip		12
Maximum Spare Ammo Capacity	Default	48
	Armor Pack	52
	Upgraded	N/A
	Both	N/A
Ammo Pickup Amount		4 - 9

Description Edit

Rapid-fire military sniper rifle. Incredibly accurate and deadly at long range, these weapons are popular amongst infiltrators and assassins. Very effective against armor; somewhat effective against shields and biotic barriers. Upgrades the Mantis sniper rifle.

Rosenkov Materials developed this deadly weapon in response to the rising prevalence of kinetic barriers. While kinetic barriers still offer some protection from this weapon, its sheer power and rapid rate of fire make it capable of quickly killing almost any target, regardless of its defenses.

Acquisition Edit

The M-97 can be found during Thane's recruitment mission, near the service elevator that takes you to the bridge. The rifle is in a dead-end corridor, to the right of the elevator, when your back is against its door. If missed, it can be also acquired later in the same mission, next to the Comm Terminal just before going to the roof. If the weapon is not picked up at any of these locations, it will be awarded at the end of the mission.

Squad Use Edit

This weapon can be used by Garrus, Legion, Thane, and Zaeed. Squadmates deal 35% less damage than Shepard.

Player Notes Edit

• General Notes
  • While the M-97 Viper does less damage per shot than the M-92, it features semi-automatic fire, a twelve round clip and a relatively large spare ammo capacity. These factors help to mitigate the liability of missing a shot. Whether these factors constitute an upgrade is a matter of personal preference.
  • The M-97 is best used for stripping shields and barriers and, while not as efficient as the M-92 or M-98, in the role of soft-target interdiction, the M-97 Viper can still kill lower ranked enemies with two or three shots to the head, however, this requires careful aiming to compensate for enemy movements.
  • The M-97 can have the highest base damage rate of the sniper rifles if the fire rate is 'feathered'.
• Class Specific Notes
  • The M-97 can be a worthwhile primary support weapon choice onboard the Collector Cruiser for the weapons-light classes such as the Adept, Sentinel and Engineer, who are less likely to require the one-shot kill capabilities of the single-shot sniper rifles.
  • If Shepard is a Soldier, then the rifle's problem with low damage can be remedied with powers such as a fully upgraded Heightened Adrenaline Rush, and rifle upgrades such as the Scram Pulsar, allowing Shepard to perform one-shot kills on many weaker enemies depending upon difficulty level.
  • The M-97 paired with the M-76 Revenant can be an excellent choice for a soldier; The Viper can be used to rapidly weaken enemies with shields or barriers at long range and outright kill weaker opponents while the M-76 can tear apart anything that manages to get within medium and short range (especially armored opponents).

Mass Effect 3 Edit

Trivia Edit

• While the M-97 looks nearly identical to the alternate sniper rifle from Mass Effect, the fluted heavy barrel's holes pass horizontally instead of vertically.

See Also Edit

• Sniper Rifles