In Mass Effect 1, you didn't get new weapons; you got new numbers. Mass Effect 2 changed up the system, so that you get functionally different weapons...well, two or three of each category without DLC.
Mass Effect 3 introduced a large arsenal of weapons and added more weapons through both single-player and multiplayer DLC. Each weapon bears different functionality, with different balances between power, capacity, accuracy, weight, and other attributes.
But what weapons are considered the best? Is there a weapon which holds a significantly larger share of fans than others of its type?
This series of polls will determine which weapons are favoured by the Mass Effect Wiki Community. There is one poll for each category of weapon, with the top-scoring weapons in each category entering into a final poll to determine the best weapon of Mass Effect. Heavy weapons present in Mass Effect 2 but absent in ME3 are included in the heavy weapons poll.
Feel free to announce your picks in the comments section, or to discuss various weapons from the series.