EPM3

"Semi-automatic directed energy. No ammunition but can overheat. Best in class range."

- In-game description

The EPM3 is a heavy directed energy weapon in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Description
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.

Multiplayer
The EPM3 is a medium damage semi automatic weapon. It requires three shots to kill at close range, regardless of shot placement, and drops off to four at long range if using a damage-reducing variant.

The EPM3 is a very bizarre weapon. The firecap is set at an extremely high 1200RPM. However, the overheat shot limit is abysmally slow, overheating after 7 shots (minimum). 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.

The cooldown time is somewhat slow and almost all 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.

Like the other Directed Energy Weapons, the EPM3 lacks penetration power. It is 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). 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 desires less recoil, but the default recoil is pretty low. The Stock can be useful for more mobile players that use this weapon at medium rnage. The Parabolic Microphone can be useful to locate Suppressed users and effectively leave them at a disadvantage. The optical attachments are extremely useful due to the blocky iron sights and the extra clarity on target. Finally, the Heat Sink is very useful to lessen the chance of overheating with sustained usage. However, self moderation of the weapon's heat level might deem the Heat Sink to be of less use.

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 was subject of two major buffs. The first one was an increase in damage, being a 3 shot kill at all ranges. The second buff, released with the Havoc DLC pack, greatly reduced the recoil of the EPM3 to much more manageable levels.

A bizarre thing to note is that the EPM3 Exterminator has a 2x Multiplier on the head, meaning the EPM3 Exterminator can 2 shot kill at any range if the player scores a headshot.

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 infantry and sniper. 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, aquiring 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 (not really for close-range, as the EM1 does very little damage).

Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight
 * Hybrid Sight
 * Auto Focus Sight
 * Target Enhancer
 * ACOG Scope
 * Foregrip
 * Stock
 * Parabolic Microphone
 * Quickdraw Grip
 * Heat Sink

Supply Drop Variants

 * Parsec [Elite] (Range +3, only optical attachments are allowed)
 * Bona Fide [Elite] (Accuracy +3, Damage -2 , Fire Rate -1 )
 * Panorama [Professional] (Integrated Heat Sink, Range +1 , Accuracy -1 )
 * Legit [Professional] (Accuracy +1, Range +1 , Damage -2 )
 * Longitude [Professional] (Integrated ACOG Scope, Range +1 , Fire Rate -1 )
 * Anodized [Enlisted] (Accuracy +1, Fire Rate -1 )
 * Interval [Enlisted] (Range +1, Damage -1 )
 * Magnified [Enlisted] (Range +1, Handling -1 )
 * M-Coil [Enlisted] (Accuracy +1, Damage -1 )
 * Exterminator [Marksman (300 kills)] (Damage +2, Fire Rate -2 )

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.
 * If fired at exactly the point where the player stops moving in multiplayer, it will overheat instantly, this is due to the very high firecap "firing" all the shots in rapid succession.
 * If cooling the weapon manually, the barrel can be held open by holding the action button.