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Disambiguous This article is about the Concussive Shot power in Mass Effect 3. For the Concussive Shot skill in Mass Effect: Andromeda, see Concussive Shot (skill).

Concussive Shot is a power in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3's single-player and multiplayer modes.

Mass Effect 2[]

Concussive Shot ME2 Icon A massive blast that propels enemies with bone-crushing force.

Power Ranks[]

  • Rank 1 - An explosive shot knocks down and damages your opponents, leaving them open for additional attacks.
    • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
    • Force: 250.00 newtons
    • Damage: 45.00 points
  • Rank 2 - An explosive shot knocks down and damages your opponents, leaving them open for additional attacks.
    • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
    • Force: 350.00 newtons
    • Damage: 60.00 points
  • Rank 3 - An explosive shot knocks down and damages your opponents, leaving them open for additional attacks.
    • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
    • Force: 450.00 newtons
    • Damage: 75.00 points


Rank 4

Evolves Concussive Shot into one of the following options:

Heavy Concussive Shot[]

  • Significantly increases the power of your Concussive Shot, blasting enemies off their feet.
    • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
    • Force: 600.00 newtons
    • Damage: 100.00 points

Concussive Blast[]

  • High-energy explosive charges give your shot an impact radius large enough to knock down multiple enemies.
    • Recharge Time: 6.00 seconds (Shepard); 12.00 seconds (others)
    • Force: 450.00 newtons
    • Damage: 75.00 points
    • Impact Radius: 3.00 meters

Player Notes[]

  • While Concussive Shot deals 350% damage against barriers, Warp and Reave tend to be more effective against them especially on the higher difficulties. However, since knocked-down enemies take double damage from weapons, Concussive Shot can be very effective at taking down unprotected enemies.
  • As with all projectile powers, an actual projectile is not fired when used by an NPC squadmate. Instead, this power will behave as if it is a hitscan power originating from Shepard, impacting targets instantly upon firing.
    • The squad member performing the attack only goes through an activation animation if it has line of sight to the target.
    • If there is any cover between Shepard (not the firing squadmate) and the target, the power will strike said cover instead.
  • When fired by Shepard, Concussive Shot's projectile will track and land on moving targets, but it will not arc as elastically as other powers that launch seeking projectiles. Instead, Concussive Shot flies more like a miniature rocket on a straight trajectory, curving only as much as needed to track a target. This means clear lines of sight are generally needed to land hits; Concussive Shot can't be "bent" around cover like other projectile powers.
  • Similar to Throw, Concussive Shot causes knockdowns on unprotected enemies, even against larger ones such as YMIR Mechs. It will also instantly kill unprotected Husks and Abominations.
  • Concussive Shot also has the same properties as Throw when used on a floating target subjected to the effects of Pull or Singularity and when used in this way is capable of sending targets flying, often to environmental deaths.
  • Concussive Shot is not considered either a tech or biotic power and therefore does not benefit from any upgrades enhancing the damage or recharge speed of such powers.
  • Although considered ineffective against armoured and shielded enemies, Concussive Shot will nevertheless produce a weak knockback effect on most infantry enemies, stunning them for a second. While not as helpful as putting said enemy on the ground, it may still prove useful in halting their attacks for a moment.
  • The force component of Concussive Shot will deliver a very small amount of damage to any target or protection type that's separate from the listed damage, similar to how the biotic powers Throw and Shockwave can cause small amounts of damage even against protected enemies.
  • Concussive Shot is useful for blowing the arms or legs off of unprotected LOKI Mechs and making them much less of a threat.

Availability[]

Mass Effect 3[]

ME3 Concussive Shot

Power Ranks[]

Rank 1: Concussive Shot[]

Flatten your enemy with a precise blast at short or long range.

Effective against barriers.

  • Recharge Speed: 10 sec (5 sec multiplayer)
  • Damage: 200
  • Force: 300 N


Rank 2: Recharge Speed[]

Increases recharge speed by 25%.

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer)
  • Damage: 200
  • Force: 300 N


Rank 3: Force & Damage[]

Increase force and damage by 20%.

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer)
  • Damage: 240
  • Force: 360 N


Rank 4: Force & Damage/Radius[]

Force & Damage

Increase force and damage by 30%.

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer)
  • Damage: 300
  • Force: 450 N

Radius

Increase impact radius by 1.50 meters.


Rank 5: Shatter/Recharge Speed[]

Shatter

Increase force and damage to frozen targets by 100%.

Recharge Speed

Increases recharge speed by 35%.

  • Recharge Speed: 6.25 sec (3.13 sec multiplayer)
  • Damage: 300 (Force & Damage), 240 (Radius)
  • Force: 450 N (Force & Damage), 360 N (Radius)


Single Player Rank 6: Amplification/Shredder[]

Amplification

Power Concussive Shot with the properties of the active ammo power, enabling it to burn, freeze, disrupt, warp, or pierce armor.

Shredder

Increase damage to organics by 100% over 10 seconds. Increase force by 50%.

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer) [Shatter], 6.25 sec (3.13 sec multiplayer) [Recharge Speed]
  • Damage: 300 (Force & Damage), 240 (Radius)
  • Force: 600 N (Force & Damage), 510 (Radius)


Multiplayer Rank 6: Hammer/Shredder[]

Hammer

Increase damage by 50% and radius by 1 meters[sic].

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer) [Shatter], 6.25 sec (3.13 sec multiplayer) [Recharge Speed]
  • Damage: 400 (Force & Damage), 340 (Radius)
  • Force: 450 N (Force & Damage), 360 N (Radius)

Shredder

Increase damage to organics by 200% over 10 seconds. Increase force by 50%.

  • Recharge Speed: 8 sec (4 sec multiplayer) [Shatter], 6.25 sec (3.13 sec multiplayer) [Recharge Speed]
  • Damage: 300 (Force & Damage), 240 (Radius)
  • Force: 600 N (Force & Damage), 510 (Radius)


Player Notes[]

Mechanics
  • In Mass Effect 3, the projectile will be fired towards the cross-hair and arc towards the target just like all other homing projectile powers.
  • Concussive Shot does 400% damage to barriers.
  • Concussive Shot has much faster base cooldown in multiplayer.
  • Concussive Shot will totally knock over most unprotected (red bar) infantry targets, and it will stagger most light targets protected by shields, barriers, or armor. The Rank 4 Radius evolution enables Concussive Shot to damage and stagger-stun targets within the small area of effect, but only the primary target can be completely knocked down.
  • The physics damage from the shot is multiplied if the targeted enemy is suspended by biotic powers. Depending on the power evolution, the impact of Concussive Shot will send the enemy flying a significant distance.
  • Because the projectile travels in an arc and tracks its target, the shot can be used to hit enemies behind cover if the player aims slightly off target.
  • Concussive Shot is not considered a tech power and won't benefit from modifiers to tech power damage, such as the Tech Vulnerability evolution of Sabotage or the Power Synergy evolution of Defense Matrix.
  • The Shatter evolution doubles the damage of Concussive Shot against chilled as well as fully-frozen targets, enabling it to deal double-damage against all types of protection including armor. It also isn't necessary for a target to be fully frozen to take double damage. This also applies to chilled or frozen targets caught within the blast of the Concussive Shot if it is evolved to have a radius of effect.
  • Amplification: In single-player, the Rank 6 Amplification evolution enables Concussive Shot to prime enemies for combos as well as detonate them, and this also works as an exception to the usual rule that the same power can't be used to both prime and detonate a combo.
    • The Rank 4 Radius evolution makes the above tactic even more devastating, as a Concussive Shot can not only detonate a primed target, but simultaneously hit and prime any other enemies in the blast area.
    • Power recharge times do have to be kept fast enough for successive casts to hit primed targets in time to detonate them, however.
    • The level 6 Amplification evolution does not update the power wheel: it shows Concussive Shot to be ineffective against protected enemies even if it is paired with the right ammo power against the target's protection. For this reason, AI controlled party members will favor other abilities over this against protected enemies.
    • Amplification-evolved Concussive Shot does 400% damage to armor if the active ammo power is Incendiary or Warp, or 400% damage to shields if the active ammo power is Disruptor. These bonuses are in addition to Concussive Shot's native bonus against barriers.
    • Concussive Shot enhanced with Disruptor Ammo does not prime Tech Bursts on enemies; this is likely a bug.[1]
Strategies
  • Regardless of how it's evolved, Concussive Shot can detonate Fire Explosions, Cryo Explosions, and Tech Bursts, making it perfect to use against enemies primed for these combos with the various ammo powers/bonuses, or by any other means. A Soldier Shepard can self-execute most of these combos in single-player. Combos will do the most damage if Concussive Shot is at maximum rank, regardless of evolutions chosen.
  • The Acolyte heavy pistol can be used to one-shot the shields or barriers of a target, and if followed closely by a Concussive Shot, the now-unprotected target will be knocked down making it easy prey. Even better, Acolyte hits usually stagger or stun infantry enemies, preventing them from executing any dodge move that would normally evade the Concussive Shot. Finally, the Acolyte with enhanced ammunition will very reliably prime targets for Power Combos that Concussive Shot will then detonate. This technique can be used to dispatch even Phantoms with great efficiency.
  • Concussive Shot with at least one radius upgrade can be used to great effect in tandem with any weapon that deals area damage and staggers opponents such as the M-37 Falcon, preventing them from dodging. This strategy becomes even more effective with ammo powers/modded rounds to create combo explosions, or by using the Rank 5 Shatter evolution and Cryo Ammo.
  • When the Shatter and Shredder evolutions are taken, this power can be used to great effect especially in multiplayer. Take Cryo Ammo and/or a teammate with Snap Freeze or Cryo Blast. With enough power damage, the stacked damage multipliers are devastating against unprotected organic enemies.

Availability[]

References[]

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