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Weapons

Most weapons in the Mass Effect universe are micro-scaled mass accelerators, using mass-reducing fields and magnetic force to propel miniature slugs to lethal speeds. Nearly every gun on the battlefield is laden with features, from targeting auto-assists to projectile shavers that can generate thousands of rounds of ammunition from a small, internal block of metal.

Mass Effect[]

See also: Combat, Grenades

In Mass Effect, to generate ammunition a weapon shaves a projectile the size of a sand grain from a dense block of metal contained within the weapon's body. The projectile is launched at supersonic velocities by decreasing its mass in a mass effect field. Thousands of these tiny rounds can be produced from a single ammunition block. Ammunition is never a concern because of this, but managing the weapon's internal heat is; if a weapon is fired too rapidly, heat will build up inside of the weapon and it will overheat, forcing the operator to stop firing long enough for the weapon to disperse that heat buildup.

Weapon Attributes[]

Damage - The amount of Damage inflicted on a targets Shields first, and then Health minus their Damage Protection (%) on a successful hit. In contrast to subsequent games in the series, weapons in Mass Effect do not deal bonus damage to heads or other specific body parts.

Shots before Overheat - The number of rounds a weapon may fire before being disabled due to overheating. For more information see the relevant section of the Combat page.

Accuracy Rating - Each weapon has a uniquely-sized circular targeting reticle visible in the HUD when weapons are unholstered. The size of the circle is a rough indicator of the "probability cone" where rounds may travel when fired. Narrower circles indicate greater accuracy than larger ones. For more information see the relevant section of the Combat page.

Level - Weapons also have a level (I through X) which denote their overall quality. Higher level weapons inflict more damage, maintain greater accuracy, and can fire for longer time periods before overheating than lower level weapons.

Weapon Types[]

Weapons in Mass Effect fall into four categories:

Upgrades[]

All weapons of level I-VI can be upgraded with one modification to the weapon itself and one modification to its ammunition and weapons of level VII and above can accept two upgrades to the weapon itself. The exceptions are in-game available weapons from Geth Armory, which do not accept upgrades to the weapon or its ammunition. Upgrades to weapons have various effects, such as increasing damage or stability, but often have negative effects as well, such as reducing shots before overheating. Upgrades to ammo also have effects, such as poisoning or burning targets, but sometimes have negative effects, such as a slower rate of fire or greater heat generation.

Legendary Edition[]

In Mass Effect Legendary Edition, weapons can deal bonus damage with headshots against almost all enemies with heads (or head analogs). This mechanic does not exist in the original version of Mass Effect.

Weapons now have different firing modes depending on the manufacturer:

  • Full auto (most assault rifles, some shotguns and pistols) - weapon keeps firing 1 round at a time with short breaks in-between continuously until overheating while the trigger is pressed (by default left mouse button).
    • Three/Five-round burst (some assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles) - a variant of Full auto, where the weapon keeps firing bursts of 3 or 5 rounds while the trigger is pressed (instead of 1 round for standard Full auto). Each round in a burst contributes individually to weapon overheating, thus a weapon may overheat in the middle of a burst, releasing only some rounds of the final burst (e.g. 2 rounds) before the weapon is disabled until it cools down.
  • Semi auto (some assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles) - weapon fires a single round when the trigger is pressed, to fire another round - the operator must release and press the trigger again.
  • Bolt action (most shotguns and sniper rifles) - similar to Semi auto, but includes an extra inter-shot cooldown (additional to weapon overheating) before the next round can be fired.

Shotguns also differ by the pattern of pellets fired per round.

Assault Rifles
Model Manufacturer Firing Mode
Avenger Elkoss Combine Full auto
Banshee Elanus Risk Control Three-round burst
Breaker Kassa Fabrication Five-round burst
Crossfire Armax Arsenal Semi auto
HMWA Spectre - Master gear Full auto
Kovalyov Rosenkov Materials Full auto
Lancer Hahne-Kedar Full auto
Pulse Rifle Geth Armory Full auto, rate of fire increases over time
Raptor Devlon Industries Full auto
Thunder Haliat Armory Semi auto
Tsunami Ariake Technologies Five-round burst
Shotguns
Model Manufacturer Firing Mode
Armageddon Kassa Fabrication Full auto, hexagonal pattern (6 pellets around, 1 in center)
Avalanche Armax Arsenal Bolt action, slug (1 pellet per round)
Firestorm Devlon Industries Bolt action, hexagonal pattern (6 pellets around, 1 in center)
HMWSG Spectre - Master Gear Bolt action, hexagonal pattern (6 pellets around, 1 in center)
Hurricane Elanus Risk Control Full auto, hexagonal pattern (6 pellets around, 1 in center)
Katana Ariake Technologies Bolt action, X-shaped pattern (4 pellets on each diagonal, 1 in center)
Scimitar Elkoss Combine Bolt action, X-shaped pattern (4 pellets on each diagonal, 1 in center)
Sokolov Rosenkov Materials Bolt action, X-shaped pattern (4 pellets on each diagonal, 1 in center)
Storm Hahne-Kedar Bolt action, hexagonal pattern (6 pellets around, 1 in center)
Tornado Haliat Armory Bolt action, slug (1 pellet per round)
Pistols
Model Manufacturer Firing Mode
Brawler Armax Arsenal Semi auto
Edge Elkoss Combine Semi auto
HMWP Spectre - Master Gear Full auto
Karpov Rosenkov Materials Semi auto
Kessler Hahne-Kedar Semi auto
Raikou Ariake Technologies Three-round burst
Razer Kassa Fabrication Three-round burst
Stiletto Haliat Armory Semi auto (slow fire rate, high damage per bullet)
Stinger Devlon Industries Semi auto
Striker Elanus Risk Control Three-round burst
Sniper Rifles
Model Manufacturer Firing Mode
Avenger Hahne-Kedar Bolt action
Equalizer Haliat Armory Semi auto
Hammer Elanus Risk Control Three-round burst
Harpoon Kassa Fabrication Three-round burst
HMWSR Spectre - Master Gear Bolt action
Naginata Ariake Techologies Bolt action
Punisher Armax Arsenal Bolt action
Reaper Elkoss Combine Bolt action
Striker Devlon Industries Bolt action
Volkov Rosenkov Materials Semi auto

Mass Effect 2[]

See also: Combat (Mass Effect 2), Thermal Clips

In Mass Effect 2, personal weapons have undergone a massive shift. It was discovered that, in an age of kinetic barriers, most firefights were won by the side who could put the most rounds downrange the fastest. As such, detachable heat sinks, known as thermal clips, were adopted first by the geth, and shortly thereafter by organic arms manufacturers. Ammunition may never be a concern with modern arms, but the availability of thermal clips is; weapons without thermal clips have nowhere to disperse their heat and are incapable of firing. Luckily, thermal clips litter modern battlefields, and can be obtained from fallen enemies or found lying around the environment.

Thermal clips become more likely to drop from slain enemies when the extra carried ammunition (i.e. not the rounds still in the weapon's magazine) for any of Shepard's weapons starts to drop below maximum capacity. Some enemy types will never drop thermal clips upon death, mainly those that don't utilize conventional weapons such as Husks. Occasionally some clips found in the environment are capable of "respawning" in the same location a short time after being picked up.

Thermal clips dropped by slain enemies restore a smaller amount of ammunition than clips found already lying around the environment. Picking up thermal clips will restore a flat amount of ammunition to all of Shepard's weapons not at full carrying capacity, the amount varying for each weapon type. Ammunition will not be restored to a weapon with an empty or partially empty magazine if the weapon is still at maximum capacity for extra clips, so weapons should always be reloaded before obtaining ammunition pickups to maximize the ammo regained.

Legendary Edition: Spare clips will go over max capacity as necessary so that they will be at max capacity after reloading. It is not necessary to reload weapons before picking up clips to optimize replenishment. This is the same way thermal clip replenishment works in Mass Effect 3.

The HUD element, in the lower left corner of the screen, shows how much ammunition the player has in their equipped weapon. The number on the left (the one which decreases along with the nearby bar) shows how many shots you can fire before you need to reload. The other number, on the right, shows how many shots are available from your backup clips. The player can manually "reload" a thermal clip at any time, or Shepard will automatically do so when the current clip becomes saturated with heat. Reloading a new clip before using up all of the rounds in a magazine will not waste the remaining rounds.

Weapon Types[]

Weapons in Mass Effect 2 fall into six categories:

Each of the playable character classes is only able to equip some of the five conventional weapon types; the Soldier can wield the most by default, being able to carry all types with the exception of submachine guns. No more than one of each type of equipable weapon can be carried at a time during a mission. Squadmates are only able to carry two types of conventional weapon. In contrast to the original Mass Effect, as long as a weapon type can be equipped, it can be used without any other penalties to effectiveness.

In Mass Effect 2, all conventional weapons save sniper rifles suffer a damage penalty at extremely long ranges and benefit from a damage increase at very close (nearing melee) ranges. Almost all conventional weapons save shotguns gain bonuses to accuracy when aiming down sights (zooming) and a further bonus when clinging to any type of cover; sniper rifles are extremely inaccurate if fired "from the hip," or unscoped. Unlike in the original Mass Effect (not Legendary Edition), there is no longer any accuracy penalty (crosshair bloom) for moving while shooting, though most automatic weapons will lose accuracy the longer they are fired.

Heavy weapons, carried only by Shepard, are a special weapon type separate from the five conventional weapon classes. In Mass Effect 2, they utilize power cells instead of thermal clips. These power cells can be found in crates throughout the environment and are usually an important find because heavy weapon ammo is not automatically refilled to maximum between missions like the ammunition of other weapons. Power cells will also restore a large amount of ammunition to non-heavy weapons at no penalty to the amount of heavy weapon ammo restored. Picking up power cells while at full heavy weapon ammo capacity will refill the ammo of other weapons and also salvage 100 credits. Heavy weapons can only be used by Shepard and not squadmates. They can be researched, unlocked with DLC, and occasionally, found on missions. Heavy weapons usually have special functionalities not available from other weapon types such as homing in on a target, stunning or disabling enemies, or causing damage in large areas.

Upgrades[]

Upgrades in Mass Effect 2 are not weapon-specific modifications. Instead, the player obtains upgrades through research which apply across an entire weapon type. For example, an Assault Rifle Damage upgrade will boost the damage output of all assault rifles that the player owns, not just a specific model.

Ammo Powers[]

Another fundamental change from Mass Effect is how ammo types for weapons can be modified. Previously, a given weapon could be upgraded to use Cryo Rounds to freeze enemies or Proton Rounds to cut through their shields. In Mass Effect 2, ammo for all weapon types except heavy weapons can be modified through the use of different powers which can be applied at any time at the cost of a very short cooldown. Ammo powers usually provide weapons with a damage bonus to specific types of protection or health and often secondary effects as well, all of which become more powerful with rank.

The ammo powers available in Mass Effect 2 are:

All of the ammo powers have rank 4 evolutions that can share the power to all members of Shepard's squad. Only one ammo power can be active per weapon, and activating a squad-evolved ammo power will override other active ammo powers for the currently selected weapons only. Finding a new weapon or changing weapons at a weapons locker during a mission will deactivate all ammo powers across the entire squad.

Which ammo power is active can be verified either from looking at which power icon is highlighted in the HUD, or by visually inspecting weapons for a glowing holographic effect color-coded for each ammo power, or by firing a weapon as each ammo power imparts a distinctive colored particle effect to the firing bursts, bullet trails, and shot impacts of the weapons they are active on. Note that Shepard's own ammo powers can't be used if a heavy weapon is the current weapon selection, even if the ammo power is evolved for squad-sharing.

The following squadmates all can have ammo powers of their own: Garrus Vakarian, Grunt, Jack, Jacob Taylor, Thane Krios, and Zaeed Massani. Shepard can have access to various ammo powers as either native class powers or as bonus powers. Various enemies in Mass Effect 2 can also use ammo powers at higher difficulty settings.

Mass Effect 3[]

See also: Combat (Mass Effect 3), Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer/Character Customization#Weapons

The weapons system in Mass Effect 3 is expanded by incorporating systems from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Like in the original Mass Effect, a large number of possible weapons and weapon modifications are available in Mass Effect 3.

Like in the first Mass Effect game, new weapons and mods can be found during missions by exploring carefully, while others are available for purchase at various locations. Once found, a weapon or mod is "unlocked" and becomes available for use by Shepard and squadmates able to use the item without any restriction on quantity. This improves on Mass Effect 2's general lack of item variety while retaining its more efficient inventory management by preventing redundant item finds.

Weapons can be selected and modified at the beginning of missions with occasional opportunities to change loadouts at specific points within certain missions as well. Finding a new weapon on a mission provides an opportunity to change weapons for Shepard and the squad right then and there, but only to change weapon types, not weapon mods. Both weapons and weapon mods can be changed at weapon benches found during missions, at the start of missions, by choosing to restart a mission, and aboard the Normandy Shuttle Bay between missions.

In the weapon loadout screen, the following base stats of a weapon are shown as blue bars: Base Weight, Capacity, Fire Rate, Damage, and Accuracy. Changes applied to any stats (except weight) caused by the installation of weapon mods show up as green bars added to the blue. Different weapons can be compared, with gold colored lines helpfully appearing on the bars to indicate how a prospective new weapon choice stacks up against the currently equipped weapon in that slot.

Weapon Upgrades[]

Weapon levels have also been brought back from Mass Effect, but they no longer depend on random drops or player level but are instead upgraded. Upgrades increase a weapon's reserve ammo capacity, damage and accuracy while also reducing its weight. Weapons can be upgraded at a terminal in the Shuttle Bay (and at the Armax Arsenal Arena if it is available) at a cost in credits that increases with each upgrade level. Weapons can be upgraded up to level V on a first playthrough; creating a New Game Plus will carry over the pre-existing upgrade level and also allow additional upgrades to a maximum of level X. In a New Game Plus, finding the weapon in-game adds three levels and is the only way to reach level X for weapons that are found during missions. If such a weapon is already at level X it will no longer be found during missions.

Players looking to conserve credits on a subsequent playthrough should purchase the lower level upgrades while waiting to find the weapon during a mission to provide levels VIII, IX, and X at no cost. Because of the limitations on upgrades based on the playthrough and on what missions certain weapons can be found, it can take until a third playthrough to have certain guns available at level X from the start of the game without the use of PC tweaks.

If a weapon that can be found during missions is missed during a first playthrough it will enter the inventory at level III on subsequent playthroughs (with the exception of the M-3 Predator pistol).

Certain weapons aren't found during missions but instead are only purchasable from the Spectre Requisitions office or included with DLC such as the Firefight Pack and Groundside Resistance Pack. These weapons can be upgraded up to level V on a first playthrough and up to level X on subsequent playthroughs without restriction aside from the cost in credits.

Weapon Types[]

In Mass Effect, Shepard's class determined what weapons could be used effectively, while in Mass Effect 2 it determined which could even be carried at all. In Mass Effect 3, any class can carry up to five total weapons, with no more than one chosen from each of the five weapon types (in multiplayer mode the player is limited to two weapons maximum); however, the total weapon loadout is subject to a weight limit. Exceeding weight capacity increases power recharge times while going underweight decreases them. SMGs and pistols are the lightest weapons while the most damaging shotguns and sniper rifles are the heaviest.

This system allows players to customize their builds extensively: classes wanting to use powers as their primary attack method can choose to equip a light weapon loadout; conversely, any class has the freedom to carry more heavy-hitting weapons if desired though at the cost of rapid power use. Some classes can be built to carry heavier weapon combinations without receiving penalties to power recharge speed.

As in the previous game, clinging to cover and/or aiming down sights (zooming) grants accuracy and stability bonuses to almost all weapons except most shotguns, whose accuracy and firing patterns are independent from cover use. Firing sniper rifles "from the hip" (not scoped) severely penalizes not only their accuracy but damage as well.

Weapons in Mass Effect 3 all fall under one of the following categories:

Heavy weapons are no longer available as inventory selections in Mass Effect 3 and can now only be found as limited-use pickups during certain missions.

Weapon Mods[]

Main article: Weapon Mods

Weapon modification returns from the original Mass Effect, though with some changes. Each weapon class has specific modifications available to it that can be equipped on any weapon of that class but not across classes. Every weapon has two available slots for mod customization, though certain combinations of mods aren't possible. Weapon modifications can be found throughout the game during missions, or purchased at various locations on the Citadel or via the Procurement Terminal in the Shuttle Bay aboard the Normandy SR-2. If a certain mod is missed or not purchased during a first playthrough, they can be found or purchased in subsequent playthroughs.

Once a weapon mod is found, it may be applied to any and all of the weapons of the applicable type for Shepard or for squadmates. Finding another instance of a mod the player already possesses will upgrade that mod to the next level. Weapon mods can reach a maximum level of 5; some mods can't reach level 5 on an initial playthrough due to limited availability. Shops will always carry mods one level above those the player currently has.

The weapon mods available in Mass Effect 3 fall under the following categories:

Ammo Powers[]

Ammo powers return in Mass Effect 3 and in single-player work much the same way as they did in Mass Effect 2. However, one improvement in Mass Effect 3 is that ammo powers no longer have a recharge time and can still be activated even when other powers are on cooldown. In addition, cryo, tech, and fire ammo effects can set up corresponding Power Combos on affected targets.

In single-player, evolutions of ammo powers that share the power with party members still exist but the ammo power will work at reduced effectiveness for all but the owner of the power. For ease of assigning a particular ammo power to specific weapons and/or party members, Shepard should carry at least two weapons, even if one is only a lightweight placeholder.

Ammo power assignments on weapons for the entire squad are remembered by game saves. There is almost no way to deactivate ammo powers entirely from weapons once they are activated, except for loading a save from before any ammo powers were turned on. Finding a new gun and selecting "Change Loadout" or accessing a weapon bench during a mission will deactivate all ammo powers across the entire squad.

The following squadmates available during story missions have access to ammo powers of their own: Ashley Williams, James Vega, Garrus Vakarian, and Liara T'Soni. Shepard can have access to ammo powers either as class powers or as bonus powers.

The ammo powers available in single-player Mass Effect 3 are:

The above ammo powers do not exist in multiplayer mode, but single-use ammo bonuses can provide many of the same effects, as well as a few more unique to multiplayer.

Special Attributes[]

Many weapons in Mass Effect 3 have unique properties and behaviors as opposed to merely differing base stat numbers. For example, many guns fire explosive rounds or other projectiles as opposed to standard bullets or pellets. Some gain damage or firing rate bonuses after being continuously fired. Still others deal bonus damage to specific enemy protections.

Reload Cancelling[]

A "quick reload" or "reload-cancel" is a technique that can shorten the thermal clip reload times on most weapons by interrupting the reloading animation with almost any other action, the most common being using a power, performing a melee attack, or pressing the Use/Cover/Storm key (SPACEBAR by default on PC) after a new clip has been loaded. This should be performed about halfway through the reload, once the ammo indicator shows the magazine has been replenished, usually coinciding with an audible click. The reload sequence will appear to halt, but the weapon will be loaded and ready to fire faster than by letting the full animation play out. This can also be accomplished by other actions such as going over a drop, sliding over cover, or starting to climb a ladder. Reload cancelling is most useful on weapons with lengthier reload times, and it is not possible on weapons that don't utilize thermal clips such as the Particle Rifle.

Damage Modifiers[]

The following weapons deal additional damage of varying amounts to certain enemy protections:

Piercing[]

Weapons in Mass Effect 3 that fire standard bullets (or otherwise function as hitscan weapons) can also penetrate solid objects, either by default, or with the aid of certain mods or powers. This enables them to hit enemies through terrain like walls, armor plating, other forms of physical protection, other enemies, or even allied characters (which normally block weapon fire). The weapons that penetrate by default in Mass Effect 3 in both single-player and multiplayer modes are: the Javelin, N7 Typhoon, M-98 Widow, Black Widow, Executioner Pistol, and the N7 Crusader. These weapons suffer no damage penalty for hitting enemies through other enemies or objects unless they are additionally modified with Armor-Piercing Ammo in single-player, which does suffer a penalty. Mods that enable penetration will not cause these weapons to deal reduced damage when piercing as they would when equipped on other guns.

Charging[]

Several weapons can be "charged" like the Geth Plasma Shotgun in Mass Effect 2 by holding down the trigger for a short period and then releasing it to fire. These include the afore-mentioned Geth Plasma Shotgun, Acolyte, Arc Pistol, Chakram Launcher, Graal Spike Thrower, Kishock Harpoon Gun, and the Venom Shotgun. While these weapons all have unique properties to their charged shots, they all share certain attributes:

  • The charging level of a shot is usually indicated by a sound effect that increases in pitch, plateauing a moment after maximum charge.
  • Attempting to charge a shot while sticking to cover will always force the player to pop out and expose themselves to enemy fire to shoot at anything past said cover. If the weapon has a scope, this also forces the player to zoom through it. The only way around this is to avoid attaching to cover entirely to fire charged shots and just stand behind tall cover for protection.
  • It is possible to fire shots from chargeable weapons in situations or in the middle of other action animations where it is impossible to shoot normally, e.g. while running, deploying medi-gel with First Aid, in the middle a melee attack, immediately after detonating Tech Armor or using Biotic Charge, or while stunned from an enemy attack.
  • Once a shot begins charging other actions can be performed without releasing the shot or cancelling the charge, such as a normal melee attack, a dodge move, or using most powers. Certain powers or using a heavy melee will release the shot.
  • It's usually possible to release a charged shot before reaching maximum charge. The Acolyte pistol is an exception as it fires only fully charged shots with no uncharged shot.
  • Releasing a charged shot while invisible will not break Tactical Cloak, but starting to charge a shot will. The Arc Pistol is an exception—releasing a charged shot will break the cloak.
  • Charging a shot or holding a charged shot can be interrupted by walking or climbing over uneven terrain. Going over any drop or even going downhill slightly can cause a charged or charging shot to be fired or cancelled. Climbing up or over an obstacle won't release a shot but will reset the charge, as will taking cover. Climbing up or down a ladder will release a held charge.
  • In single-player, NPC squadmates never utilize the charging feature of any weapon, with the exception of the Acolyte.
  • It is not possible to disable devices or pick up an object while holding a charged shot in multiplayer mode.

Explosive Rounds[]

Some weapons in Mass Effect 3 do not fire standard hitscan bullets but instead utilize explosive projectiles with a noticeable travel time that can damage multiple enemies caught in the impact detonation. These include the Scorpion, Krysae Sniper Rifle, Venom Shotgun, M-37 Falcon, Chakram Launcher, Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, Striker Assault Rifle, and the Acolyte. There is no SMG that fires explosive rounds. While these weapons all have unique attributes, they also share certain properties:

  • The detonation of the projectiles is able to stun many lighter enemy foot soldiers, and sometimes even heavier enemies. This property combined with the ability to hit multiple opponents can make most explosive weapons excellent at laying down suppressing fire that slows enemy advances and prevents them from attacking, taking cover, or evading.
  • They do not deal extra damage from headshots or hits against enemy weak points such as the rear exhaust port of an Atlas. Powers or mods that enhance headshot damage have no effect on explosive weaponry.
  • Weapons that fire explosive projectiles cannot penetrate terrain, armor plates, or enemies, even with a penetrating mod or ammo modified to penetrate.
    • Armor-plated enemies can still receive damage from the detonation of a projectile as long as the detonation strikes areas not protected by the plating.
    • They are able to damage Cerberus Guardians and CAT6 Heavies by hitting them directly in areas not protected by their handheld shields, such as their feet, the "mail slot" in the shields, or by aiming behind them to cause detonations that strike their exposed rear. This can be difficult to pull off reliably in practice, however.
  • Explosive munitions ignore enemy shield gates, except for the Krysae Sniper Rifle in multiplayer.[1]
  • While devastating against light or medium targets, explosive weapons generally lack the firing rate to be effective against the toughest armored foes especially on higher difficulties; however, explosive rounds suffer no damage penalty from striking enemy armor. This also applies to other unconventional projectile types such as the bolts fired by the Kishock Harpoon Gun or the flechettes fired by the Graal Spike Thrower.
  • Explosive rounds tend to be highly effective when modded with ammo powers and ammo bonuses, especially with cryo, fire, or disruptor effects that can prime multiple Power Combos on clustered enemies.
  • Explosive Rounds in multiplayer are a separate ammo bonus, but they possess many of the above properties and can impart them even to weapons that don't normally fire explosive projectiles.

Self-Cooling[]

The Particle Rifle, M-7 Lancer, Collector Sniper Rifle (multiplayer only), and the Collector SMG (multiplayer only) do not utilize thermal clips that must be reloaded like other weapons and instead rely on self-cooling like the weapons in the first game. The ammo counter continuously regenerates (cools off) whenever the weapon is not being fired, unless the weapon is fired until the counter reaches zero (overheats), at which point a lengthy heat-venting animation occurs before the weapon's ammo pool begins to refill. The venting will be aborted if the player takes just about any action, such as using powers, switching weapons, or entering/exiting cover.

  • If the overheat/cooldown animation is interrupted in any way, the player must complete the entire animation from scratch. The following are some techniques to mitigate this:
    • Using shorter bursts and never fully depleting your ammo pool.
    • Increase the capacity of the weapon's magazine (clip size) such as by using appropriate mods.
    • Once the weapon's ammo counter actually starts counting up, the player may take other actions like switching weapons without halting the reload.
      • Note that the amount of time it takes for the ammo counter to recharge to maximum remains constant for all weapons with this mechanic, regardless of how much the magazine capacity is increased. Some weapons recharge faster compared to others though; for example, the Collector SMG has a relatively slower recharge.
    • Using Adrenaline Rush or Marksman (multiplayer only). This will not reset the ammo counter to full, but it will bypass the cooldown period, causing the weapon to start recharging immediately.
    • Using a Thermal Clip Pack in multiplayer will cause the weapon to start recharging immediately, as well as applying a 50% damage boost for 10 seconds.
  • In single-player, NPC squadmates never overheat self-cooling weapons as they only fire them in short bursts.

Mass Effect: Andromeda[]

See also: Combat (Mass Effect: Andromeda), Weapons (Mass Effect: Andromeda)

Weapon Types[]

Weapons in Mass Effect: Andromeda are in the following categories:

Weapon Customization[]

Weapons can be customized by two different methods in Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Weapon Modifications[]

Main article: Mods

Mods are customizations that are exclusive to weapons only in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Mods use round-shaped sockets on a weapon and can only be changed at a Loadout terminal.

Weapon Augmentations[]

Main article: Augmentations

Augmentations are semi-permanent customizations to crafted weapons or armor in Mass Effect: Andromeda. When a weapon is created during Development (crafting), hexagonal-shaped sockets are available to add Augmentations to the weapon. These augmentations cannot be changed like weapon Mods and stay part of that weapon until it is deconstructed.

See Also[]

Trivia[]

  • According to the Mass Effect concept art books, all guns were designed with two barrels primarily for appearance rather than functionality. They were there to create a look that's unique to the franchise. They were originally chrome, then later changed to make them more practical for military use.

References[]

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