The MCX Spear is a battle rifle produced by SIG Sauer. One of several variants of the MCX rifle family that use the short-stroke gas piston developed for the earlier MPX, the Spear is chambered for the 6.8x51mm SIG cartridge. In 2021 the weapon was entered into the United States Army's Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program, and was announced as the winner on April 19, 2022, under the designation XM5 (later changed to XM7).
The prototype model of the MCX Spear appears in Battlefield 2042 as the M5A3. In the game's continuity, the weapon was adopted by the United States military in 2034, becoming its standard service rifle.
Battlefield 2042[]
— In-game description
The M5A3 is a weapon featured in Battlefield 2042, first seen in the reveal trailer, and is the default assault rifle available to all players.
The M5A3 is a very versatile "jack of all trades" rifle, with attachments that bring it closer to the likes of submachine guns or more of a medium-range rifle like the other ones. As the beginner weapon, it boasts a comfortable, controllable recoil with many viable configurations allowing it to compete against close range to long range weapons.
By default, The M5A3 comes with a 30 + 1 rounds Standard Issue ammunition, This may be increased to 40 + 1 through the use of Standard Issue / Extended which will minorly increase its reload speed. Standard Issue rounds for all intents and purposes have balanced performance overall and will generally work well when paired with a Shortened Barrel, Giving the M5A3 a competitive time to kill up close versus submachine guns and mid range against assault rifles.
Close Combat ammunition when combined with Shortened Barrel will give it a high 900 RPM rate of fire, The highest amongst all assault rifles but only suitable for close range.
High-Power inversely will lower the rate of fire of the weapon, increase recoil but give it a more forgiving damage range extending out to 74 meters. This can be combined with Extended Barrel and be treated as a lesser marksman rifles.
Subsonic are primarily built around stealth, As combining it with a Suppressor will drastically lower the spot range and allow one to move undetected with higher success. The lowered velocity can hurt ranged engagements though making leading shots more important.
Armor Piercing rounds deal negligible damage to armored vehicles and despite disregarding IBA Armor Plates, The overall shot to kill benchmark will not change.
Its access to underbarrels allows it to further complement its role. With the standard LS-1 Laser Sight providing an increase in hip fire accuracy, further complementing its role in close range, or the BCG Light Grip tightening its spread to be more viable than before at the minor expense of accuracy. With it even having access to 40mm Grenade Launcher, All providing difference uses from outright killing or even providing cover.
Overall the M5A3 is a solid assault rifle with its weakness being that it does not specialize in any role.
Damage Chart[]
| Ammunition types | 0-9m | 10-29m | 30-39m | 40-74m | >75m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Issue Standard Issue / Extended |
22 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| Close Combat | 22 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
| High-Power | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 18 |
| Subsonic | 22 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 15 |
| Armor Piercing | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Gallery[]
Retail[]
Pre-release[]
Skins[]
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Factory Default |
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Carbon Series M5A3 Mastery 1 (T5) |
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Dogwood Escalation Free Battle Pass tier 1 |
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Rare Earth EA Play reward |
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Resilient New Dawn Free Battle Pass tier 1 |
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Tier 1 M5A3 Mastery 40 (T1) |
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Evergreen Free ("Thank You for Playing Season 1: Zero Hour") 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Endangered I Bundle) 1,000 BFC (Best of M5A3 Bundle) 5,000 BFC (Red Envelope Bundle) |
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Freedom Fighter 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Air Americana Bundle) 500 BFC (Enlister Pack) 1,000 BFC (Best of M5A3 Bundle) |
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Parched 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,750 BFC (Dry Dunes Bundle) 1,000 BFC (Best of M5A3 Bundle) 5,000 BFC (Red Envelope Bundle) |
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Replicator Escalation Free Battle Pass tier 52 |
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Reverse Osmosis Eleventh Hour Premium Battle Pass tier 39 |
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Charred 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 2,400 BFC (Fire Team II Bundle) 5,000 BFC (Red Envelope Bundle) |
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Barracuda 1,000 BFC (Best of M5A3 Bundle) 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (From the Depths Bundle) |
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Force Fusion Earn 50 ribbons during the first week in Arkangel Directive (2023) playlist 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 2,400 BFC (Arkangel Bundle) |
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Breaker 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Tidal Fire Bundle) |
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Highlight Reel 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Perish Blue Bundle) |
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Immortal Vow 500 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Coalition's Dawn Bundle) |
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Obsidian Ultimate Edition owner |
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Red Notice Master of Arms Premium Battle Pass tier 81 |
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Hellion 750 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,750 BFC (Dynamic Duo Bundle) 1,750 BFC (One Man Army Bundle) 4,000 BFC (Liquidators Bundle) |
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Terminal Access 750 BFC (Weapon Skin) 2,400 BFC (Activation Bundle) (Leviathan Rising (2023), Leviathan Rising: Redux) Earn 90 ribbons during the Leviathan Rising (2024) in any official game mode or 45 ribbons in Leviathan Rising (2024) playlist 2,200 BFC (Activation Bundle) (Leviathan Rising (2024)) 3,400 BFC (Leviathan Rising (2024)) |
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Bronze Retribution Battlefield 2042 Battle Pass Ultimate Pack - Season 7 |
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Deep Blue King 2,000 BFC (Battle Pass Tier Skip Bonus Bundle) 750 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,400 BFC (Prehistoric King Bundle) |
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Absolute Zero 750 BFC (Weapon Skin) 1,750 BFC (Deep Freeze Bundle) |
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Weapons of
Trivia[]
- Carbon Series weapon skin was originally called Carbon Gravemaker. This was changed in Update 1 (Season 1).
- The Factory M5A3, a Hazard Zone variant of the M5A3 with default attachments, used to be able in the collection menu for customization for a short time with the same attachments as the M5A3.