The M-37 Falcon is an assault rifle in Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Mass Effect 3[]
Description[]
This Alliance rifle launches 25 mm mini-grenades. Lighter and more accurate than most grenade launchers, the Falcon burns through specialized ammunition as well as standard thermal clips. A field fabrication kit generates this ammunition, leaving the clips as the rifle's only limitation.
Acquisition[]
- Single-player
The M-37 Falcon can be found during the mission Priority: Cerberus Headquarters, on the ground between the destroyed wall and the active door after launching the fighter into the wall. It is also purchasable from Kassa Fabrication via the Alliance Requisitions procurement terminal post-mission if it was missed.
- Multiplayer
Weapons are randomly rewarded through purchases of item packs. The M-37 Falcon is categorized as rare and requires no multiplayer expansion packs.
Player Notes[]
- General
- The Falcon is a grenade launcher that fires explosive projectiles. As with all such weapons, the Falcon's grenades can't penetrate objects or cause bonus damage to enemy heads or weak points, though they suffer no damage penalty against armored enemies as long as their detonation isn't fully blocked by any armor plating.
- The Falcon's projectiles travel fast and bounce off terrain, but they detonate on contact with enemies. The grenades detonate after a short period whether they impact an enemy or not, limiting how far a shot can travel.
- Like the rounds fired by the Krysae Sniper Rifle, the Falcon's grenades have a proximity fuse, causing them to explode in an airburst fashion if they pass very close to a target, enabling enemies to be hit even when they are behind cover. The resulting stagger effect on most infantry enemies will also knock them out of cover.
- While most weapons that fire explosive projectiles can stagger light enemies, the Falcon's grenades are uniquely effective for this purpose, capable of staggering even large enemies such as Banshees, Brutes, and Geth Primes in a very large area. The grenades cannot interrupt the sync kill animations of larger foes, however.
- Even unmodified, the Falcon has the second-highest damage shot of any assault rifle (behind the M-99 Saber), dealing area damage as well. However, the Falcon can't score headshots, and its rate of semi-automatic fire is low, greatly reducing its overall DPS. The Assault Rifle Extended Barrel should be equipped in most situations.
- When fired, the grenades have a small firing arc requiring you to aim slightly above the enemy at long ranges.
- Reload time is an issue with the Falcon, so it's important to be well aware of your surroundings while attempting a reload. As with most weapons, the reload animation can be shortened.
- Another weakness of the Falcon is fairly low magazine capacity and reserve ammunition. This makes very sustained fire impossible unless a power that instantly reloads the weapon such as Adrenaline Rush or Marksman is used to effectively double the number of shots that can be fired before needing to reload. Equipping the Assault Rifle Magazine Upgrade can also help extend firing time.
- Despite the Falcon's large reticule, it is actually fairly accurate, small firing arc notwithstanding. However, it's important to make every shot count with this weapon in view of its slow firing rate and low magazine/extra ammo capacity. The Assault Rifle Precision Scope makes the Falcon laser-accurate at all ranges, making it extremely effective for flushing enemies out of cover with the airburst feature.
- While the Falcon does kick when fired, the targeting reticule will return back to its original firing position on its own in time for the next shot, effectively meaning the weapon is perfectly stable at its default firing rate.
- One of the Falcon's other standout features is its effectiveness with ammo powers (or the equivalent ammo bonuses in multiplayer), reliably producing the "priming" effects of Incendiary, Disruptor, and Cryo-enhanced rounds on multiple enemies with a single shot. This, combined with the staggering and area damage effects of the grenades, makes it the perfect weapon to set up groups of enemies for follow-up powers including those that will detonate Power Combos.
- In single-player, combos will prime far less often from ammo powers gifted by another team member.
- The Falcon is an excellent support weapon, keeping enemies suppressed and stunned should they be present in the blast radius. While it lacks the damage to quickly kill enemies on higher difficulties by itself, when combined with the firepower of teammates it is devastating against groups of dangerous infantry such as Geth Hunters, Geth Pyros, Dragoons, Nemesis snipers, and Phantoms.
- The area damage is great for halting and destroying weak but annoying enemies such as geth drones and turrets, Abominations, Swarmers, and Seeker Swarms.
- The stuns will prevent enemy dodge moves, making it easier to land projectile powers.
- Guardians and CAT6 Heavies are also briefly stunned, though it's difficult to harm them with the Falcon unless shots can be bounced to detonate behind their handheld shields.
- While enemies are in a stun animation, they can't be stunned again until they recover. To avoid wasting ammunition, time follow-up shots for when enemies regain their balance; with practice, a single Falcon magazine can render an entire group of enemies completely unable to act for a long time before having to reload.
- Single-player
- The Falcon is an excellent support weapon for squadmates like Ashley Williams or James Vega, who have passive powers to maximize weapon damage and set up Power Combos, and they do not suffer from the Falcon's low ammo reserve. However, squadmates aren't the best at utilizing the airburst capability of the weapon, so they tend to waste shots when firing at enemies behind cover.
- Like several other weapons that fire non-standard rounds, the Falcon is highly ineffective for destroying certain "mission-required" obstacles such as the latches on power control boxes or the generators during the final battle in Afterlife. It is also not easy to destroy Cerberus Shield Pylons or Shield Generators as the proximity detonation will not trigger on inanimate objects.
- If you are not playing Legendary Edition, the Falcon's slow rate of fire makes it risky to use to stop Dr. Eva during Priority: Mars.
- The Falcon's consistent triggering of ammo power effects makes it devastating to unprotected infantry in tandem with Cryo Ammo's rank 6 Damage Combo evolution; 1-2 shots can shatter husks in groups even on Insanity difficulty.
- As the Falcon is only acquired very late in the game, if you're wanting to use the weapon more in a subsequent playthrough, you may want to upgrade the weapon as soon as possible. This is best done at the terminal in the shuttle bay on the Normandy following Priority: Cerberus Headquarters; otherwise, your next opportunity will be once you gain access to the ship in your next playthrough.
- Multiplayer
- The Falcon's effectiveness at stunning targets in groups can make it a good choice for a volus, as the Falcon's relatively low DPS isn't a huge loss to an already support-oriented character. It can also be effective for any character that gets most of its damage from powers or Power Combos. Assault Rifle Ultralight Materials should be used to improve power recharge speeds.
- Following an update which reduced the Falcon's fire rate from 125 to 50 (2.5x slower), the effectiveness of the Falcon against single hardened targets is drastically reduced. It is highly recommended to equip an alternative weapon to deal with enemies like Atlases, Geth Primes and Banshees.
- Shortly after the rate of fire reduction mentioned above, the Falcon's damage was greatly increased from 210 to 280 at level I to compensate. Several more updates have decreased the Falcon's weight, making it a viable option for a power-reliant or support-oriented class.
Mass Effect: Andromeda[]
Description[]
Lighter and more accurate than most grenade launchers, the Andromeda Initiative's M-37 Falcon generates its ammunition through a field fabrication kit. The launcher and explosives contain sensors that allow the miniature grenades to bounce off walls and cover, then detonate immediately on contact with a target.
Features[]
The M-37 Falcon is unable to use an Assault Rifle Receiver Mod. It also does not have a Concussive variant in multiplayer.
Post-launch, the weapon's stats gradually improved. Damage and max ammo trended upward, and as of the final update the multiplayer Falcon boasts improved clip size and reload speed (2.1 seconds from 2.5 seconds). The explosion radius of its grenades also increased from 2 meters to 3 meters.
Strategies[]
- Singleplayer
- Modding the Falcon with a Beam Emitter results in a continuous stream of grenades that rapidly whittles down an enemy's health, in addition to providing numerous tiny explosions.
- Multiplayer
- The Falcon's bouncing grenades can help defend choke points and tight spots, especially during Hack or Upload waves.
Stats[]
- Singleplayer
| Rank | Damage | Rate of Fire | Max Clip Size | Max Ammo | Accuracy | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 255 | 90 | 6 | 36 | 48 | 30 |
| II | 272 | 90 | 6 | 37 | 52 | 28 |
| III | 288 | 90 | 6 | 38 | 54 | 27 |
| IV | 305 | 90 | 6 | 39 | 55 | 25 |
| V | 321 | 90 | 6 | 40 | 56 | 23 |
| VI | 338 | 90 | 6 | 41 | 57 | 22 |
| VII | 354 | 90 | 6 | 42 | 58 | 20 |
| VIII | 371 | 90 | 6 | 43 | 59 | 18 |
| IX | 387 | 90 | 6 | 44 | 59 | 17 |
| X | 404 | 90 | 6 | 45 | 60 | 15 |
- Multiplayer
| Rank | Damage | Rate of Fire | Max Clip Size | Max Ammo | Accuracy | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 498 | 90 | 10 | 40 | 48 | 30 |
| II | 508 | 90 | 10 | 41 | 52 | 28 |
| III | 518 | 90 | 10 | 42 | 54 | 27 |
| IV | 528 | 90 | 10 | 43 | 55 | 25 |
| V | 539 | 90 | 10 | 44 | 56 | 23 |
| VI | 550 | 90 | 10 | 45 | 57 | 22 |
| VII | 561 | 90 | 10 | 46 | 58 | 20 |
| VIII | 573 | 90 | 10 | 47 | 59 | 18 |
| IX | 585 | 90 | 10 | 48 | 59 | 17 |
| X | 598 | 90 | 10 | 50 | 60 | 15 |
Development[]
| Rank |  Research Cost
|
 Omni-Gel Canister
|
 Copper
|
 Nickel
|
 Element Zero
|
 Augmentation Slots
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 125 | 20 | 100 | 50 | 10 | 0 |
| II | 140 | 30 | 110 | 50 | 10 | 3 |
| III | 155 | 30 | 130 | 60 | 20 | 3 |
| IV | 170 | 30 | 140 | 70 | 20 | 3 |
| V | 185 | 40 | 160 | 80 | 20 | 3 |
| VI | 200 | 40 | 170 | 80 | 20 | 3 |
| VII | 215 | 40 | 180 | 80 | 20 | 3 |
| VIII | 230 | 40 | 190 | 90 | 20 | 3 |
| IX | 245 | 50 | 190 | 90 | 20 | 3 |
| X | 260 | 50 | 200 | 100 | 20 | 3 |
| Total | 1925 | 370 | 1570 | 750 | 180 | N/A |
Trivia[]
- Mass Effect: Infiltrator features a specific model of the M-37 Falcon used by the turian escapee that can switch between automatic assault rifle and shotgun mode. Unlike its Mass Effect 3 counterpart, the M-37 Falcon in the mobile game will generate heat instead of using thermal clips.
|
Mass Effect: Andromeda Weapons |
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Augmentations • Mods | |||
| Assault Rifles | L-89 Halberd • M-8 Avenger • M-37 Falcon • M-96 Mattock • Cyclone • N7 Valkyrie • Pathfinder Pioneer • P.A.W. • Revenant • Sandstorm • Soned • Sovoa • Sweeper • Thokin • X5 Ghost • Zalkin | ||
| Pistols | M-3 Predator • M-5 Phalanx • M-25 Hornet • Carnifex • Charger • Equalizer • N7 Eagle • N7 Hurricane • Pathfinder Ranger • Rozerad • Scorpion • Sidewinder • Silhesh • Talon • Ushior | ||
| Sniper Rifles | M-90 Indra • Black Widow • Incisor • Inferno • Isharay • Kishock Harpoon Gun • Lanat • Naladen • N7 Valiant • Pathfinder Observer • Raptor • Shadow • Vanquisher • Viper • Widow | ||
| Shotguns | M-23 Katana • Dhan • Disciple • Hesh • N7 Crusader • N7 Piranha • Pathfinder Deep Impact • Reegar Carbine • Ruzad • Scattershot • Shorty • Venom | ||
| Melee Weapons | Angaran Firaan • Asari Sword • Biotic Amplifier • Electric Firaan • Kett Carfalon • Kett Vakarsh • Krogan Hammer • Omni-Blade • Remnant Cryo-Gauntlet | ||