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Disambiguous This article is about the Power. For the Ammo Upgrade in Mass Effect, see Ammo Upgrades. For the Ammo Bonus in Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer, see Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer/Character Customization/Equipment.

Armor-Piercing Ammo is a power in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3's single-player mode.

Mass Effect 2[]

Armorpiercingammo Increases damage to armor and health.

Power Ranks[]

  • Rank 1 - Your ammo is shaped and hardened to pierce targets, inflicting extra damage to armor and health.
    • Recharge Time: 1.50 seconds
    • Duration: lasts until overridden by another ammo power.
    • Armor and Health Damage: +30.00% weapon damage
  • Rank 2 - Your ammo is shaped and hardened to pierce targets, inflicting extra damage to armor and health.
    • Recharge Time: 1.50 seconds
    • Duration: lasts until overridden by another ammo power.
    • Armor and Health Damage: +40.00% weapon damage
  • Rank 3 - Your ammo is shaped and hardened to pierce targets, inflicting extra damage to armor and health.
    • Recharge Time: 1.50 seconds
    • Duration: lasts until overridden by another ammo power.
    • Armor and Health Damage: +50.00% weapon damage


Rank 4

Evolves Armor-Piercing Ammo into one of the following options:

Tungsten Ammo[]

  • Advanced tungsten carbide rounds in discarding sabots increase the damage done by Armor-Piercing Ammo.
    • Recharge Time: 1.50 seconds
    • Duration: lasts until overridden by another ammo power.
    • Armor and Health Damage: +70.00% weapon damage

Squad Armor Piercing Ammo[]

  • Time spent custom gunsmithing allows the entire squad to gain the effects of Armor-Piercing Ammo.
    • Recharge Time: 1.50 seconds
    • Duration: lasts until overridden by another ammo power.
    • Armor and Health Damage: +50.00% weapon damage

Player Notes[]

  • Armor-piercing Ammo is one of only three ammo powers available as a Bonus Power, along with Warp Ammo and Shredder Ammo. It can provide the highest raw damage bonus against enemy armor (yellow bar) of any ammo power, and the second highest possible damage bonus against health (red bar) aside from Shredder Ammo. This makes it an excellent choice for any player class that lacks Incendiary Ammo, especially if Tungsten Ammo is chosen at rank 4.
  • Due to how damage is applied in Mass Effect 2, Armor-Piercing Ammo is the best ammo power to have active on weapons when going for one-shot kills against any armored foe, followed by Incendiary Ammo and Warp Ammo.

Availability[]

Mass Effect 3[]

ME3 Armor Piercing Ammo

Power Ranks[]

Rank 1: Armor-Piercing Ammo[]

Bring down heavy-armor units. Shoot through light cover to hit enemies.

More weapon damage.
More damage to armor.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +10%
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +10%
  • Armor Effectiveness: -50%
  • Penetration: 0.50 m


Rank 2: Pierce[]

Increase ammo's cover penetration by 40%.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +10%
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +10%
  • Armor Effectiveness: -50%
  • Penetration: 0.70 m


Rank 3: Damage[]

Increase health and armor damage by 4%.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +14%
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +14%
  • Armor Effectiveness: -50%
  • Penetration: 0.70 m


Rank 4: Damage/Squad Bonus[]

Damage

Increase health and armor damage by 6%.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +20%
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +20%
  • Armor Effectiveness: -50%
  • Penetration: 0.70 m

Squad Bonus

Squadmates gain your ammo power at 50% effectiveness.


Rank 5: Ammo Capacity/Headshots[]

Ammo Capacity

Increase ammo capacity by 30%.

Headshots

Increase headshot damage by 25%.


Rank 6: Damage/Pierce[]

Damage

Increase health and armor damage by 10%.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +30% (Damage), +24% (Squad Bonus)
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +30% (Damage), +24% (Squad Bonus)
  • Armor Effectiveness: -50%
  • Penetration: 0.70 m

Pierce

Increase ammo's cover-penetration by 60%.
Decrease the effectiveness of armored targets by 25%.

  • Health Damage Bonus: +20% (Damage), +14% (Squad Bonus)
  • Armor Damage Bonus: +20% (Damage), +14% (Squad Bonus)
  • Armor Effectiveness: -75%
  • Penetration: 1 m


Player Notes[]

Mechanics
  • Though not listed in the in-game description text, there is a 50% damage penalty for piercing any object, including terrain, enemy armor plating, other enemies, or even your own squadmates (which normally obstruct your shots). In multiplayer, Armor-Piercing Rounds and Drill Rounds do not carry this penalty.
  • Care should be used when choosing the rank 4 Squad Bonus if other squad members are using ammo powers as then activating an ammo power with the Squad Bonus will override other squad members' ammo powers. You can tell which ammo power is actually active based on the icon appearing over your gun.
  • The ammunition capacity boost, if chosen, only applies on the active ammo power. Switching to another ammo power will remove the extra ammunition even if both have the capacity boost.
  • Armor-Piercing Ammo reduces the damage reduction provided by armor of targets such as Atlases, Ravagers or Geth Pyros by the percentage listed. It also penetrates through the armor plates protecting enemies such as Brutes, Cannibals after they devour a corpse, or Cannibals and Husks after they are given plating by a Marauder. It even pierces the Guardian's shield. These effects are not given by other armor-weakening ammunition types, such as Cryo Ammo and Warp Ammo.
    • The armor-weakening effect is party-friendly; it creates a short-duration debuff (about two seconds or so) that other players or squadmates can benefit from.[1]
    • The armor-weakening effect is not party-friendly for either Armor-Piercing Rounds or Drill Rounds in multiplayer; only the user will benefit.
  • Some weapons' effects synergize (or stack) cumulatively with Armor-Piercing Ammo:[2]
  • The Particle Rifle and the Reegar Carbine will benefit from the cover penetration conferred by Armor-Piercing Ammo.
  • By contrast, Armor-Piercing Ammo does not confer cover penetration to weapons that are unable to pierce cover: Acolyte, Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, Chakram Launcher, Geth Plasma Shotgun, Graal Spike Thrower, Kishock Harpoon Gun, Krysae Sniper Rifle, M-37 Falcon, Scorpion, Striker Assault Rifle, Venom Shotgun.
  • Upgrades to power damage will increase Armor-Piercing Ammo's listed damage bonus against health and armor. Cover penetration and armor effectiveness are only dependent upon the evolutions taken in Armor-Piercing Ammo.
Strategies
  • Piercing is an excellent attribute to give to NPC squadmates as they have a tendency to try and shoot directly at enemies even when they are in cover or obscured by terrain.

Availability[]

References[]

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