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The ML-77 Missile Launcher is a heavy weapon in Mass Effect 2.

Description[]

Rapid-fire missile launcher with seeking projectiles. Effective against armor, shields, and biotic barriers.

Missile launchers are surfacing with increasing frequency among the Terminus Systems mercenary bands, but their origin is unknown. Each projectile features a friend-or-foe recognition system, ensuring it will find a hostile target -- though not necessarily the one in the crosshairs. In urban situations, it is useful for taking out snipers and other entrenched enemies, so it is popular with the Blue Suns mercenary band. It is nearly impossible to duplicate, as it uses Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology.

Acquisition[]

Unlocked at the Normandy SR-2 research station after one Heavy Weapon Ammo upgrade has been researched. Costs 5,000 iridium.

Player Notes[]

Mechanics
  • The missiles of the ML-77 are seeking projectiles and they will always attempt to home in on any active enemy targets in the area (regardless of whether Shepard can see them). This includes targets using cloaking abilities such as Geth Hunters.
    • The missiles do not seek the target Shepard has highlighted or locked in the HUD but instead "choose" their own targets.
    • A missile appears to acquire a target almost immediately after being fired, and target acquisition appears erratic and random, with successive missiles rarely choosing the same target if there are multiple enemies present (see Talk page).
    • Missiles can't acquire non-enemy targets such as environmental destructible objects (e.g. crates, boxes, or explosive tanks).
    • Missiles seek targets more aggressively and with a tighter turning radius when they are in close proximity to the target than at long range.
    • The detection range for missile target acquisition is very long; in general, if there is any enemy active in the current battle space, ML-77 missiles will home in on them.
  • If there are no enemy targets to acquire, the Missile Launcher's missiles do not fire straight down the crosshair but instead have a very wide, random spread pattern, making it almost impossible to place a missile accurately on a non-enemy target or location
  • Like the grenades fired by the M-100 Grenade Launcher, ML-77 missiles deal explosive damage in an area and possess a force component that enables them to stun/stagger enemies hit and instantly kill husks. A single missile will kill a Husk or Abomination on all difficulties except Insanity.
    • In contrast to the Grenade Launcher, the force component of the Missile Launcher appears much weaker; where the Grenade Launcher can knock many unprotected enemies off their feet and send them flying, the Missile Launcher will only stagger them. The staggering effect will work even on many heavier, tougher enemies such as Scions.
    • Just like the Grenade Launcher, the force component of a Missile Launcher projectile can instantly kill a husk even if the husk has armor protection when hit, provided the damage component of the projectile is sufficient to completely eliminate the remaining armor (see the Grenade Launcher page notes for more information).
  • Missiles do take some time to reach their target so time shots appropriately.
  • While each missile deals only moderate damage, the ML-77 can carry more than twenty missiles when fully upgraded and can fire them rapidly.
  • The Missile Launcher does deal friendly fire damage to Shepard's squad and to Shepard, so firing the weapon when enemies are at very close ranges is not recommended.
Strategies
  • Plainly put, the ML-77 is not that effective for general combat except on lower difficulties where relatively low enemy health greatly increases the weapon's ammo-to-kills ratio. If you're looking for a general combat heavy weapon with more punch, either the Grenade Launcher or the M-622 Avalanche are superior options.
  • The inability to single out and focus on one particular target in a crowd with this weapon is in most cases a frustrating weakness, though not always. It can be useful for finishing off or stunning multiple but highly spread out enemies moving erratically.
  • Despite seeking enemies, fast-moving foes such as varren and FENRIS Mechs can evade missiles at long range; missiles track targets more aggressively at shorter ranges, though this increases the chance of self-damage.
  • It is useful for being able to attack with impunity while totally obscured from enemy view, something not possible with conventional or even most heavy weapons. This can be useful for fighting especially dangerous enemies such as Gunships, YMIR Mechs, or the Oculus which can deal considerable damage to an exposed player and often move unpredictably.
  • Since missiles can home in on targets even if they are currently out of sight behind cover, this can make the ML-77 good for laying down covering fire if you or allies must expose themselves out of cover for any reason, since enemies have a tendency to pop out of cover to attack whenever you do, allowing missiles that were already launched while they were hiding to hit and stun them the moment they pop out, if timed well.
  • The ML-77 has some niche uses; for example, its ability to seek even very distant, out-of-sight targets can be used for a nice advantage on the N7: Eclipse Smuggling Depot assignment.

Trivia[]

  • The ML-77 Missile Launcher is featured in the Mass Effect 2 Official Cinematic Trailer.
  • The comment in the weapon description which points out the weapon's Fabrication Rights Management (FRM) technology may be a reference to digital rights management (DRM), a controversial set of measures which is employed to inhibit uses of digital content that are not desired or intended by the content provider.
  • In Mass Effect 3, the ML-77 was originally intended to be available for the player, as many pre-release gameplay videos show Shepard using it, but data still remains on the game's code in the form of spreadsheet statistical data and other heavy weapons that were cut. Because of this, it only appears in the hands of Geth Rocket Troopers.

See Also[]

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