M35 Mako
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The M35 Mako infantry fighting vehicle was designed for the Systems Alliance's frigates. It is designed to fulfill the role of rapid deployment that its predecessor, the M29 Grizzly, fell short of accomplishing. Though the interior is cramped, an M35 is small enough to be carried in the cargo bay and easily deployed on virtually any world. The Mako seems to draw design cues from the 20th century Russian BTR-series of APCs, especially in the turret, body shape and side entry door areas (even though they arent used in the game, they are visible.)
With its turreted 155mm mass accelerator cannon and coaxially-mounted machine gun, the Mako can provide a fire team with weapon support as well as mobility. Since Alliance marines may be required to fight on any world in a variety of planetary environments, the Mako is environmentally sealed and powered by a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell. For deployment on low-gravity planetoids, it is equipped with micro-thrusters and a small element zero core, which can be used to increase mass and provide greater traction. The vehicle's armor is tough enough to withstand high drops, extreme heat and cold and rough terrain. The Mako's suspension and propulsion system allow the vehicle to adapt to various terrain, as well as enabling the vehicle to change direction quickly via independently reversible wheels (similar to a tank).
While not large enough to nullify the vehicle's mass, the core can reduce it enough to be safely air-dropped (a manoeuvere normally requiring a minimum of 100m of open terrain). This allows frigates to deploy their shore parties while limiting the ship's exposure to defensive anti-aircraft artillery. When used in conjunction with thrusters, it also allows the Mako to extricate itself from difficult terrain.
The Mako's hull is covered with laser detection arrays, which forewarn the crew of enemy laser-guided ordnance. Ground-penetrating radar allows detection of anti-vehicle mines and other subsurface anomalies. These will be brought to the attention of the crew by the vehicle's micro-frame computer system.
[edit] Tactics
The Mako is your tank, mobile turret, emergency cover and all-round best friend when exploring hostile areas, and it has plenty of assets to exploit.
[edit] Ramming
One of the simplest and most effective ways to use the Mako is to simply ram opponents with it. Smaller enemies can be crushed under the tyres, taking heavy damage their shields can't compensate for; larger enemies like Geth Armatures, which are easily unbalanced, can be knocked over and rendered helpless while the Mako is free to fire. This is especially effective against Geth Colossi due to their size and armaments. There is an additional advantage to this tactic when there are environmental hazards nearby. With care, the Mako can ram an Armature into molten lava or over the edge of a cliff for an instant kill.
[edit] Machine gun
The Mako's secondary weapon is a machine gun that handles like a massive assault rifle. While not as powerful as the cannon, the machine gun allows for a lot more precision. It is much better against smaller or individual enemies as it will knock them over rather than blowing them away. The machine gun's other major advantage is against your opponent's shields. The cannon can take out two shield levels at once but then takes time to recharge, while the machine gun's small projectiles will shred them very quickly. The disadvantage of using the machine gun is that it overheats with prolonged firing, but careful handling and alternating the machine gun with the cannon should take care of this.
[edit] Cannon
The primary weapon and the Mako's heavy artillery, the mass accelerator cannon is extremely powerful and will make a mess of anything it hits. The cannon is suitable for large groups of smaller enemies on lower difficulty settings - it will instantly vaporize all of them in one hit - but on all difficulties, against larger enemies like Geth Armatures or Geth Colossi, or against stationary targets like turrets, there's nothing to compare with it. Use the machine gun to take their shields out first, then use the cannon while they're vulnerable. If fired into an enclosed space full of smaller enemies, the cannon will clear the room very effectively. The cannon takes several seconds to recharge after each shot, so plan to dodge or use the machine gun.
[edit] Propulsion jets
These are useful as well as fun. The propulsion jets enable the Mako to jump, making it easier to negotiate rough terrain. In combat they can be a lifesaver against well-armed geth and turrets. An Armature's Siege Pulse or a Geth Juggernaut's rocket moves slowly enough for the Mako to lift over it harmlessly - and you can keep firing the machine gun at the same time. Timing the jumps correctly means you can take out an Armature while dodging everything it throws at you. More importantly, using the propulsion jets messes up enemy targeting. They will often aim at where you were rather than where you are, and careful use of the jets can ensure their missiles go wide.
[edit] Shields
The Mako can take a lot of punishment, even on higher difficulty levels, but once the shields are down it can take them a long time to recharge. A high Electronics stat will help, but it's still a good idea to give the shields time to recover between tough battles. Though the Mako's hull is sturdy even when unshielded, on higher difficulty levels your enemies can inflict heavy damage very quickly and once the hull is gone, it's game over. Repairing the Mako's hull with omni-gel is again made easier by a high Electronics stat; not only does it restore more hull per repair, it reduces cooldown time between repairs if the Mako is heavily damaged. Unfortunately, while repairs are in progress, the Mako is stationary and unable to fire. If it is heavily damaged and there are still enemies around, get some distance between them first and stay out of their line of sight while repairs are ongoing.
[edit] Cover
Though the Mako is a match for almost every enemy in the game, there is an XP penalty for fighting in the Mako, making it harder to get to levels 50 or 60. A good compromise is to soften tougher enemies up with the Mako's armaments, then disembark and use the tank as cover to finish them off. Quite often the enemies will focus their fire on the Mako, allowing you to take them on while they're distracted. This works nicely against thresher maws (unless you park too close) and Geth Colossi. However, the Mako often takes heavy damage during these battles, so don't re-enter the Mako unless you're absolutely certain there are no enemies on your radar.
[edit] Trivia
- Given its predecessor was nicknamed 'Grizzly', the Mako is likely named after the mako shark.
- A human vehicle similar to the Mako appears throughout the game, sporting a similar design, although it is lower to the ground, has wheel covers and has a different turret design. It is possible this is the M29 Grizzly, but no markings are visible on it and it cannot be identified. The vehicle can be found on the Feros skyway, various uncharted worlds and parked next to outposts. It is not drivable, and is never used (aside from as a stationary turret on Noveria). According to The Art of Mass Effect this vehicle was an early concept for the Mako, but the developers liked the look of it and kept it in the game as a static object.
- The Mako is disabled at the end of the game, when it flies out of the Conduit onto the Citadel's Presidium, crushing several geth soldiers in the process.
