EPM3

The EPM3 is a heavy directed energy weapon in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
The EPM3 is a semi-automatic weapon that uses a miniature fusion reactor to generate and fire hardened bolts of condensed energy at range; under prolonged fire, the reactor overheats and automatically retracts to vent, before being pushed back in and regulated.
Not having a traditional trigger, the EPM3 has a side-mounted pistol grip that allows the weapon to be carried and fired.
==Specifications==
*Designer: Atlas
*Weight: 10.4 lbs
*Barrel length: 23.1 inches
*Action: Dense plasma focus
*Features: Anti-blooming pulse
==Multiplayer==
The EPM3 is a medium damage semi automatic weapon. It requires three shots to kill at any range and is capable of a two-shot-kill if one hit is a head shot. However it will drop to a four shot kill at long range if using a damage-reducing variant.
The EPM3 is a very bizarre weapon which fills a similar niche to the MK14. The firecap is set at an extremely high 1200RPM. However, the overheat shot limit is abysmally low, overheating after just 11 shots (or 16 shots if a Heat Sink is attached). To compound this, none of the variants make the overheat slower (excluding the Panorama, which has a Heat Sink integrated into the weapon). The recoil is low, and is almost unnoticeable if using a Foregrip. In addition, the mobility traits are awful. The hip-fire is large, and the user will move slow. The EPM3 has obstructive iron sights. It is highly recommended to use optical attachments if possible. The EPM3 lacks penetration power, making it impossible to shoot through any walls or objects.
The EPM3's best advantage is its consistency with damage. The EPM3 has a very high damage output that can easily kill enemy players. It is also a three-shot kill at all times (or a one shot kill at all ranges in Hardcore). As well, the EPM3's head multiplier is x2.9, allowing one to score a two-shot-kill with the EPM3 if at least one is a headshot (each headshot will deal a very high 98.6 damage per shot). Due to the recoil being very manageable, the EPM3 can make a mark when playing.
The EPM3 has limited attachments available to it, including certain optical attachments, the Foregrip, the Stock, the Parabolic Microphone, the Quickdraw Grip, and the Heat Sink. The Foregrip can be useful if the player wishes to reduce the weapon's already low recoil down to a minimum. The Stock can be useful for more mobile players that use this weapon at medium range. The Parabolic Microphone can be useful to locate players suppressed weapons and effectively leave them at a disadvantage. The optical attachments are extremely useful due to the somewhat blocky iron sights and the extra clarity on target. Finally, the Heat Sink is arguably the most useful attachment as it reduces the chance of overheating with sustained usage.
In Hardcore mode, the EPM3 becomes extremely deadly, as it is a one shot kill at any range on any part of the body. For best performance, optical attachments are recommended to land accurate shots. Heat Sink becomes less necessary than Core modes as players will generally fire fewer shots in each engagement. The Parabolic Microphone is only effective when UAVs are in play.
In conclusion, the EPM3 is a weapon that is difficult to use. It's not flexible by any means, and it suits a long range, designated-marksman role more than anything else.
The EPM3 has very few variants that serve good purpose as most of them only increase the EPM3's range, which has no effect on the weapon whatsoever due to the damage being 34 at all ranges. One of the good variants to choose is the Panorama, which gives the player an integrated Heat Sink, with its only drawback being a slight increase in recoil per shot, which doesn't hinder the weapon's performance and can easily be countered with the Foregrip.
It is worth noting the Exterminator, the Marksman variant, has no advantage whastoever anymore. This is due to the fact that prior to an update, it used to increase the head multiplier to x2.9, although a patch made the said multiplier available to the base EPM3.
==Exo Survival==
The EPM3 also appears in Exo Survival. It costs 3 upgrade points to buy, and is unlocked at round 15. It is also used by enemy EPM3 troops.
It has medium damage, the longest range in its class, low mobility, a slow aiming speed and an unlimited amount of ammunition but can overheat. It is very comparable to the EM1 and the MK14; the EM1 because they are both directed energy weapons with infinite ammunition and the MK14 due to it being somewhat a bridging of the gap between an infantry rifle and a sniper rifle. Due to its heavy weight, it isn't good for trying to complete objectives that require a lot of running, like the dog tag objective.
If using it more like a sniper rifle, it can be a better choice than the MK14 due to it being unlocked earlier and it having unlimited ammo. However, it has lower damage and a slower aiming speed than the MK14. The weight problem can be fixed moderately by changing to the Light or Specialist Exo classes, acquiring Weapons Free and buying the EPM3, but the aiming problem cannot be fixed due to the lack of the Quickdraw Grip being available in Exo Survival.
Compared to the EM1, it is like a marksman version of it, as the EM1 is full-auto while the EPM3 is semi-auto. Again, this makes it better for long-range situations than the EM1, while the EM1 is suitable for medium-range.
==Attachments==
*Red Dot Sight
*Hybrid Sight
*Auto Focus Sight
*Target Enhancer
*ACOG Scope
*Foregrip
*Stock
*Parabolic Microphone
*Quickdraw Grip
*Heat Sink
==Supply Drop Variants==
Name 	Rarity 	Advantages 	Disadvantages 	Notes
Interval 	Enlisted 	Range: 747.5-1177.6 	Damage: 34-34-33 	
M-Coil 	Enlisted 	 	Damage: 34-34-33Viewkick +10% 	
Anodized 	Enlisted 	Viewkick -10% 	Overheat time -10% 	
Magnified 	Enlisted 	Range: 747.5-1177.6 	Hipspread +10% 	
Legit 	Professional 	Range: 747.5-1177.6Viewkick -10%	Damage: 34-33-33 	
Panorama 	Professional 	Range: 747.5-1177.6 	Viewkick +10% 	Integrated Heat Sink
Longitude 	Professional 	Range: 747.5-1177.6 	Overheat time -10% 	Integrated ACOG Scope
Parsec 	Elite 	Range: 812.5-1280 	Only optical attachments 	
Bona Fide 	Elite 	Viewkick -30% 	Damage: 34-33-33Overheat time -10%	
Royalty 	Elite 	Range: 893.75-1407.5 	Only optical attachments 	
Exterminator	Permanent (Unlocked at 300 kills)	 	Overheat time -15% 	
==Gallery==
EPM3 AW.png|The EPM3 in first person
EPM3 iron sights AW.png|Iron sights
EPM3 concept art AW.png|Concept art of the EPM3.
EPM3 concept sketches AW.jpg|Conceptual sketches of the weapon.
EPM3 Concept Art by Alex Jessup AW.jpg|Concept art by Alex Jessup, note the side mounted trigger
==Trivia==
*The Create-A-Class image for the EPM3 actually depicts the Magnified variant of the EPM3, with a shroud over the barrel. The default EPM3 does not have this shroud.
*Getting 120 kills with the EPM3 will notify the player that they have unlocked the Thermal Sight. However, it cannot be equipped as it is not present in the attachment selection.
Category:Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Heavy Weapons