M249

Summary
The M249, formally referred to as the M249 S quad A utomatic W eapon (SAW), is a light machine gun which was added to R2DA in its 100th update — otherwise known as v1.0.0.

It has quite a bit of ammo, great range, decent accuracy, and can be compared to the Minigun due to the fact that they both tear zombies to bits. The most important difference between the two, however, in that the M249 is refillable.

However, this does come with some trade-offs: higher rank requirement, higher price, longer reload, and the shared trait of slowed walkspeed. This makes you an easy target for Brute clubs, Elemental fireballs, Edgars' tongues, etcetera, so you must be aware of your positioning.

Background Story
It was as if a hole was in their hearts. Shredding zombies to pieces didn't provide their usual kick. Something about just holding the trigger down to wipe out everything that people saw made people feel good.

Sure, there were options already available. However, neither the M1A1 Thompson or the AK-47 fired quickly or damaging enough to be satisfying. The Skorpion fired too fast for people to even register that it happened. The Minigun was their best option, but it was hard to scavenge the ammo needed to continue the rush.

Through multiple customer focus groups (yes, they still exist), data was compiled that people were looking for something "a step down from the Minigun". As such, the M249 was considered the best fit for this set of complicated criteria.

The M249 was designed to mow down zombies at satisfying speeds, while still using ammo that was cheap and easy to supply, albeit still being deadly.

Tips

 * This weapon slows you down while it is equipped.
 * Be aware of any mobs the same way as if you had a Minigun.
 * However, it only takes a quarter of your speed.
 * Compared to the Minigun, your movement speed is increased by +4.
 * Fire in short bursts of rounds to conserve ammo.
 * This gun is also decently accurate and long-ranged, so don't be afraid to attack far away enemies.
 * You can bring it a step further and try aiming for the head. A simple headshot with this deals 190 damage!
 * You can also crouch and ADS to improve the accuracy even further to achieve maximum efficiency.
 * Bring in a reliable secondary that can help with the long 7 second reload.
 * The CK Swat and Axe can quickly take care of zombies that are closing in.
 * The Steyr M is also a good choice to use with its abundant ammo.
 * The Dual Uzis are the most reliable weapons to use against zombies chasing after you while reloading, since their Rate of Fire (~0.115s 520RPM) can mow down a horde of zombies in a matter of seconds.
 * The Rambo Knife, Karambit, and Tinpot are nice and light weapons to use to get away from zombies while having to reload.
 * The Baseball Bat, with a Tactical II can clean a huge horde of zombies.
 * If your secondary isn't enough, stick with teammates so they can protect you when reloading.
 * Bring a Tactical II with you, the vest provides bonus stamina which can be useful if you need to run away from the battle to reload.
 * Unlike the Minigun, the M249 does not need to use the Bandolier to gain extra mags. Normal vests are fine.
 * Like the Minigun, this is a good tool to use against a Brute.
 * A single magazine can even take care of a Charged Brute, assuming that you're able to land most of your shots.
 * You should consider this weapon a reloadable Minigun. Treat it as such.
 * If Killstreaks matter to you, this weapon can be used to rack up combos.
 * It's best to bring the Hipfire attachment on small maps like Café County as it increases your accuracy.
 * This can penetrate through 2 targets, hitting 3 targets in total.

Trivia

 * This is the second machine gun to be added to R2DA, with the Minigun being the first.
 * However, this is the first light machine gun in the R2D series, as the Minigun is a heavy machine gun.
 * This is the first Prestige Rank weapon since the days of the former Rank 25 requirement for the Spas-12.
 * Prior to v1.0.2, you had to be rank 25 to unlock this gun for purchase.
 * With a Rank 30 requirement, this is tied with the Mini Uzis.
 * This is the first gun to offer animations as Attachments.
 * This is the second weapon that you cannot sprint with, the Minigun being the first.
 * With the price of $85,000, this is currently the most expensive weapon in R2DA.
 * Note that this weapon has no gamepass.
 * After v1.1.4, this gained pierce ability, currently the third gun capable of doing it.
 * Stats-wise, the M249 is a direct upgrade to the M1A1 Thompson, not counting reload speed and move speed.
 * In real life, the M249's firing rate is quite faster than in-game.
 * The M249 is sometimes referred to as the "Squad Automatic Weapon" alone.
 * An actual M249 has a 200 round capacity compared to the 55 you see in-game.