Heavy Weapons are a class of weapon designed to deal destruction greater than conventional means. These weapons typically damage through all types of protection but suffer from high power consumption, making their usage situational but devastating given the right conditions.
Heavy Weapons are available to all player classes in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect 2
Rather than the universal thermal clips utilized by smaller weapons, heavy weapons consume power cells that can be found on missions. The ML-77 Missile Launcher, M-622 Avalanche, and M-920 Cain are researched within the Normandy SR-2's tech lab upon acquisition of enough Heavy Weapons ammunition upgrades; the others can be found during missions.
Heavy Weapon Models
Below is a list of heavy weapon models and their base stats:
ML-77 Missile Launcher
- Manufacturer: Armax Arsenal
- Base Damage: 350
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.25 / x1.25 / x1.25
- Power Cells: 15
- Acquisition: Research Project
M-100 Grenade Launcher
- Manufacturer: Elanus Risk Control Services
- Base Damage: 500
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.25 / x1.25 / x1.25
- Power Cells: 10
- Acquisition: Prologue: Awakening
M-451 Firestorm
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base Damage: 15
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.35 / x1.15 / x1.15
- Power Cells: 500
- Acquisition: Zaeed: The Price of Revenge
M-490 Blackstorm
- Manufacturer: Wegner Arms
- Base Damage: 500
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x3.00 / x3.00 / x3.00
- Power Cells: 5
- Acquisition: Terminus Weapon and Armor DLC
M-622 Avalanche
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base Damage: 50
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x8.00 / x8.00 / x8.00
- Power Cells: 20
- Acquisition: Research Project
M-920 Cain
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base Damage: 10,000
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.00 / x1.00 / x1.00
- Power Cells: 100%
- Acquisition: Research Project
Arc Projector
- Manufacturer: Cerberus
- Base Damage: 400
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): Unknown / Unknown / Unknown
- Power Cells: 10
- Acquisition: Cerberus Network
Collector Particle Beam
- Manufacturer: Collectors
- Base Damage: 20
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.00 / x1.5 / x1.5
- Power Cells: 500
- Acquisition: Horizon (mission)
Upgrades
- See also: Upgrade Guide, Research
- Heavy Weapon Ammo 1 - 7 (Microfusion Array)
- +15% heavy weapon ammo capacity
Mass Effect 3
In Mass Effect 3, heavy weapons are no longer available to be equipped at the armory. Instead, they are picked up on the battlefield and thrown away after their limited ammo has been depleted. Despite the scarcity of heavy weapons, however, they remain exceedingly powerful, with some capable of destroying the toughest enemies instantly or eliminating whole enemy squads at once.
In the single-player campaign, switching weapons will cause the heavy weapon to drop in front of you. It can be picked up at a later time (provided it still has ammunition). In multiplayer, the weapon will be replaced on the player's back.
Heavy Weapon Models
Below is a list of the types of heavy weapons in Mass Effect 3. Note that WCFDA stands for weight, capacity, fire rate, damage, and accuracy. The relevant values for those statistics are presented in that order.
Cobra Missile Launcher
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 50 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single shot
- Default ammo: 1 / 2
- Acquisition: Multiplayer
Geth Combat Software
- Manufacturer: Geth
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 200 / 0
- Acquisition: Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons
Geth Spitfire
- Manufacturer: Geth Armory
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 65 / 35
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 200 / 0
- Acquisition: Rannoch: Admiral Koris, Priority: Rannoch1
M-451 Firestorm
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 50 / 25
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 250 / 0
- Acquisition: Attican Traverse: Krogan Team
M-560 Hydra
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Tuchanka: Bomb, Priority: Thessia, Priority: Earth, Despoina: Leviathan, Omega: Aria T'Loak (Mass Effect 3)
M-597 Ladon
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation, Tuchanka: Bomb, Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery, Priority: Geth Dreadnought, Priority: Cerberus Headquarters, Priority: Earth
M-920 Cain
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single Shot
- Default ammo: 100% / 0
- Acquisition: Priority: Earth
Reaper Blackstar
- Manufacturer: Reapers
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single Shot
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Priority: Palaven, Tuchanka: Turian Platoon, Mahavid: Leviathan
Sync Laser
- Manufacturer: Quarians
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 0 / 10 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Target Lock
- Default ammo: NA / NA
- Acquisition: Priority: Rannoch
1 Categorized as a heavy weapon in single-player; is an assault rifle in multiplayer
Mass Effect: Infiltrator
Heavy Weapon Models
Below the exclusive heavy weapon available in the mobile game Mass Effect: Infiltrator. This heavy weapon can be acquired and upgraded via the ingame store in exchange of credits.
M-333 Particle Beam
The M-333 Particle Beam is an experimental focused radiation weapon of Cerberus manufacture, based on Collector technology reverse-engineered in covert offworld labs. Precise and lethal, the M-333 is effective against shields and barriers but less effective against armor.
- Manufacturer: Cerberus
- Base damage : NA/NA
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Ammunition: Heat mechanism
- Acquisition: Store (Mass Effect: Infiltrator)
Trivia
- In Mass Effect Galaxy, the protagonist Jacob Taylor is able to use a heavy weapon attack which is a rocket launcher that can be upgraded at the end of a mission.