M249 SAW/FC

Overview	Far Cry	Far Cry 2	Far Cry 5	New Dawn	Far Cry 6

M249

«	Infantry assault machine gun. Puts a lot of metal in the air, but at the cost of accuracy.	»
Game manual

The M249 Machine Gun is one of the most powerful weapons a player is able to carry in Far Cry and the remaster. It offers a high rate of fire and is deployable in a large number of places. However, it suffers from low automatic fire accuracy, requiring the operator to focus fire in one area or on a single target, using fast bursts to be at its most effective.

Until Crowe is killed, the M249 was used exclusively by him, especially when fighting Jack Carver. Upon being killed, his weapon can be obtained, as well as from a few other mercenaries who wielding M249s later in the game.

The M249 is one of the best weapons obtainable and can counter multiple enemies, including assailants with high health. It functions much like an assault rifle-style weapon, but with a 100 round belt and a high cyclic rate of fire. Combined with the decent damage, and when used by someone who can handle and work with the fire rate and combined recoil, it presents a deadly foe in the right hands. What it lacks for an optical sight or grenade launcher, it makes up in sheer rate of fire.

It is advisable to fire from the crouched or prone position to increase accuracy and reduce the enemies' ability to injure the player with return fire.

Far Cry Classic

In Far Cry Classic, the M249 has been given a new model, which is far more detailed and now has a full stock, which was absent in the original game. Like all non-scoped weapons in the remaster, it is now possible to use the weapon's iron sights for more accurate shooting.