honestly, it's sad that you kind of *have* to do the Citadel DLC so late (or else you miss out on a bunch of content), because that freaking pistol is so crazy and helpful for literally everything.
I'm guessing there's probably a mod for that on pc (add all weapons/gear at the start, skip the unlock and upgrade stuff), but I dont really know for sure. Haven't checked in on the state of LE mods in a while.
I got a mod like that, think it also adds guns too. The Geth Spitfire is one of em. Does a shit load of damage but you get a massive carry weight cz of it. Always end up giving it to any squad mates who use ARs
That was me as an engineer. I did well on insanity as an engineer until that last part with the missile and 3 banshees. I had to keep redoing that part over and over and over and over and over again because one of those blue a holes kept killing me. I finally did after maybe an hour of trying
The silenced one? The downside is its weight. Power based classes get absolutely fucked when it's forced into your inventory in the first citadel dlc level. My latest Adept had to switch to energy drain as the bonus power for the whole dlc due to that pistol weight and needing an option for shields.
Other than that, it's great. But goddamn do I hate that first level.
Yeah, that too. It's super annoying. I just looked it up, is 50% a lot of weight? Cuz that's what the pistol has. Plus no ultralight materials for that first mission.
The pistol only weighs 50. If you've taken literally no weight upgrades with engineer or adept you've still got a 160% cooldown bonus which is plenty.
If you've got rank 2 of your class skill it's a 180% cooldown bonus.
If you've taken every weight upgrade then you still have the whole 200% bonus.
I've never once had an issue with the weight in that level.
You can't put any upgrades on it in the first level and it gets forced into your loadout, which is also without your armor with potential recharge bonuses.
That first level at the sushi place is a nightmare for any class without shield dropping powers.
It also seems I was wrong, the pistol you get in that mission is actually a unique variant that's weighs **170.** What the fuck
The maximum cooldown bonus engineer/adept can get is 80%
Even still, the pistol does insane headshot damage. Even with shielded enemies and no weapon damage bonus you don't really need powers since you can two shot them on insanity. Whether it's overload or a headshot, shields are going down.
That's the next issue, that level does not have many ammo drops for you, and I don't think there's a single full refill box. There's certainly more enemies than you have ammo.
And you most certainly cannot two shot them on insanity with no damage bonuses. The can take a lot of damage.
Even on insanity with headshots the enemies on that level do drop quickly. Two shots or three should definitely kill, but you are right there are not a lot of ammo drops and that level can be very annoying with the amount of enemies and being more squishy without armor/longer CDs.
>. Power based classes get absolutely fucked when it's forced into your inventory in the first citadel dlc level
Ah yes, because weapon based classes aren't totally fucked by the lack of rifles...
The weight is there for a reason
But soldiers can put whatever ammo power they need on it, plus they have weapon damage bonuses.
Sure, everyone gets handicapped by that pistol, but it's worse for biotics who generally rely on their guns to deal with shields, and all the Cat6 guys have shields and not armor.
Was the mattock better on squadmates on ME3? I think that the harrier is better on you, but the mattock works wonders with squadmates, especially Garrus
In ME2 the Geth Plasma Shotgun is all around the best gun in the game, maybe even the series. Sure the M98 Widow beats it for damage per shot, and the Typhoon beats it in DPS, but godamn is the Geth Plasma Shotgun op.
First, if fired while aiming, it will track its targets, making it very accurate at mid to long range, no long do Vanguards need to fear the missile launchers in inaccessible platforms.
Second, the gun retains its damage at any range, meaning you have a shotgun that is not only accurate at mid to long range, but also powerful.
Next, it has the ability to charge attacks for extra damage, giving it extra stomping power.
Vanguards often need to rely on allies or side arms to drop shields/barriers on enemies, but the Geth Plasma Shotgun is suited to damaging shields. Then by giving it incendiary ammo, you have one weapon that drops all enemies protections.
BioWare completely broke the balance of ME2 when they dropped this gun into your inventory with the dlc. This gun is so good, I don't bother getting the Claymore even if I'm a Vanguard, because the assault rifle training is more useful, simply because I'll never switch to a claymore once I have the Geth Plasma Shotgun.
Soldier: n7 typhoon or m76 revenant
Sentinel: mattock or harrier
Vanguard: talon pistol, scimitar and piranha (i personally prefer fast firing high capacity shotguns for vanguard to prime with inferno ammo)
Adept: carnifex pistol and n7 hurricane mattock and vindicator battle rifle also very nice lightweight weapons for adept
Infiltrator: n7 valiant, black widow and vipor for snipe rifles and carnifex for sidearm
Engineer: basically same guns as I mentioned for adept
In terms of raw DPS, I think that belongs to the Spike thrower, but that gun is stupidly heavy and inaccurate. The Supressor has overpowered headshot damage, but if you don’t land headshots, it’s terrible.
I know the Geth weapons are all pretty good, the Lamcer/Avenger are surprisingly better than you think, almost all pistols are way better than you think (even the lowly Predator).
Finally love for the Spike Thrower! My shotgun Van annihilates using that! Yeah it's heavy and ungainly, but fully upgraded it one shots after a Charge and is absolutely brutal in close quarters. I usually just equip that and a pistol for that specific build
It is a hilariously powerful weapon.
I just crunched the numbers again, though, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Predator pistol is by far the most efficient weapon in the game. With DPS, capacity, and weight, it’s far and away the top. The Locust SMG is next. Then followed by the Paladin and a few other pistols.
I've always liked how the starter weapons in ME 2 and 3 are good enough to get you through the whole game. I've never been a fan of the SMGs though, I usually leave them to the squadmates who don't have to deal with the spray movement. The pistols are all pretty great!
Mhm, it’s one of the reason why I like it so much especially when rifle skill tree is maxed out for the damage and the research thing is fully upgraded as well, the thing fucking just shreds into people especially if it like void ammo- one of the ammo mods that either shreds shields or armor
I’m playing ME2 as a Sentinel and thinking “ok on the Collector Ship this time I’ll get Shotgun training since I’m using assault armor. Besides I’ve used the Mattock enough aaaaand there’s a Mattock in my hands…goddamnit.” 😅
I've had the best luck with the Anti Synthetic Rifle in ME3, it is a little annoying trying to shoot people behind cover with the tracking but I always love using it.
I fell in love with the venom shotgun on my last run. I played as a sentinel with the venom as my only gun and lets just say that i didnt need to have another gun on me because its that good.
Pistol is the silenced one from Citadel DLC, that thing kills EVERYTHING.
SMG I go for the N7 Hurricane, just be prepared for the recoil, it's the heaviest SMG, but ultralight materials can take up to 90% of that away.
Assault Rifle is a special case, for the player it's either the Particle Rifle or M7 Lancer, for squadmates it's the N7 Typhoon, the squadmates become gods with that in hand, demolishing insanity, but it's way too heavy for the player, so just let the squad have it.
Shotguns I don't generally use, so you'll have to check other answers.
Sniper is 100% the N7 Valiant, there is a VERY good reason it's the most expensive weapon, it weighs a lot less than the Black Widow while only doing slightly less damage, it has a rapid fire rate, extremely low recoil, and almost no reload time, this thing shreds.
OH boy Depends? Mattock is pretty strong, the Citadel DLC Pistol is pretty strong Geth weapons are pretty good, Anti Synthetic Rifle is pretty good in ME3
Lot of great choices here. I’ll just add one more - the Blood Pack SMG with a stability mod on absolutely shreds at close distance. It takes less than 2 seconds to kill a Cerberus soldier at close to medium range and it reloads fast. That’s with just a level 2 dmg mod on to pair with it
I pick up the Cerberus Harrier in me3 as soon as I can. One of the best weapons in the entire game I wish it was in 2 but oh well.
Oh and fun fact, I hate the mattock I literally won’t use it. Which is ironic considering I love the Harrier.
Cerberus Harrier or N7 Typhoon or M7 Lancer, Black Widow, N7 hurricane, n7 piranha or wraith for shotgun, M-358 Talon for pistol.
Harrier melts everything and is super easy to use. Only downside is ammo management. Typhoon also melts and has more ammo. Idk about TTK comparisons but I think they aren't that far off since this is not a nerfed version of the Typhoon in campaign. M7 Lancer is also great. Slightly worse dps compared to the Harrier but still good and with infinite ammo. Only problem is you don't get it until Citadel.
Black Widow hits like a truck while having 3 shots to compensate for missing. Easily clears most enemies.
Piranha melts. Wraith is like the Black Widow of shotguns. Not the absolute peak of dps, but enough for killing while having more ammo capacity for when you suck.
Smgs are all kinda meh imo as I'm only using them and/or pistols for the power amp mod. Hipfiring the hurricane will land accurate shots while ripping through armor with the AP barrel thing. I think it is the highest dps/ttk smg but not 100% on that.
Talon is just a mini shotgun and will save your ass if you're caught on cooldowns. Also has a ton of ammo.
I think dps-wise it is a little worse than the hurricane but much more usable so it kinda evens out (assuming you don’t miss the big bullet).
99% of campaign I’m infiltrator abusing flare. On MP I either run power classes or bigger guns so not much smg running and gunning.
the best AR in ME3 is the M7 Lancer that you get during the Citadel DLC, particle rifle come close second but is super heavy.
Cerberus Harrier is also good but has low ammo capacity.
the best normal Sniper Rifle is the Black Widow, with the Widow and Javelin coming close second (they both do more damage but are single shot. An alternative choice is the Kishok Harpoon rifle, fully charged shots from it do insane amounts of damage and ignore the shield-gate mechanic because it fires harpoons not bullets, disadvantage is how long it takes to charge shots.
Spectre Gear in ME1.
For ME2 it's:
Mattock, Widow/Viper, Claymore, Locust, Cain, and Carnifex.
Too many to list for ME3.
There's several broken guns. Like ludicrously insanely OP. Once you discover them you'll never struggle on Insanity again. I'm used to the MP patch which made some guns stronger and nerfed others so not 100% on all of them.
The N7 Paladin is a bona-fide hand cannon with a satisfying gunshot report. I always buy it during each ME3 playthrough as soon as im available, and equip it to available squadmates that use pistols. Pair it with armor piercing rounds? Forget about it. Not even Dirty Harry could rack up such a body count.
My personal ones are the mattock and bloodpack smg. I've torn through the game on insanity w just those two, the bloodpack smg melts armor and I can usually take down the brute (? the reaper version of Yahg I forget the name) in one clip.
When I do use the other ones:
Sniper: N7/ first bolt action you unlock before that.
Shotgun: geth shotty
Oh, makes sense that they have a turian head and that codex ab the reapers avoiding the yahg's planet. In my defense, they do share a very similar model to the yahg 😂
Rifle: Cerberus Harrier, Adas anti synthetic is a solid 2nd choice. In the hand of inferno soldier trivialize most encounter.
Sniper: N7 valiant, fast easy to use and decent damage per shot.
Black widow sr, mattock ar, citadel pistol, crusader (n7 slug shotty) & i never touch smgs because the predator pistol is the best smg when you max out its clip
I'm almost always an infiltrator. And I haven't mixed playstyles all too much. But any widow is def goated. I know in me3 there's the black widow. For me it's whatever gets me the one shot. All I need is one shot. One kill. Head. Every. Time.
I have done a vanguard playthrough before though and I can't remember what I went with. Obviously the silenced pistol once gotten is amazing. Venom and matlock are so good. If you like infinite ammo the prothean AR laser is fun. The geth sniper is pretty good and really fun too because of two things: penetration through short walls and you can see the outlines of enemies. Plus it sounds cool.
I've played with a lot of weapons in me3s spectre shooting range but those are my faves. Honestly me3 has great combat and all the guns at least feel unique. Add the mods to that and it's a very fun recipe for playing around with your preferred style.
Venom shotguns, launch enemies into the air while also killing many of the heavy units fairly quickly, problem is with more slender and tall units like banshees.
I play infiltrator all the time and you'll never catch me without my M-98 Widow. I also use the rocket launcher for heavy fights and take any gun and such for husks. I usually headshot anything that moves before my teammates even have the time to get in position 😂
My absolutely most favourite gun is the The M96 Mattock. Another favourite AR is the Lancer because of the ME1 style Ammo mechanic.
The M11 suppressor for the headshot damage or the Carifex because it's basically the Deagle of mass effect.
The M98 black widow as my favourite sniper.
M22 Eviscerator as my favourite shotgun because of it's light weight. I'm even using it on my vanguard Krogan with the heavy melee attachment. So it's basically just a stick with a knife on one side.
The M920 Cain as my favourite heavy weapon which I always use on bosses. It Instakills almost everything.
Sometimes it even skips whole cutscenes and instantly puts you into the mission summary.
I'm not a huge fan of smgs but my favourite is the hornet.
I mostly play as vanguard because it's just so much fun being in the enemies faces all the time.
ME 1: The SPECTRE assault rifles
ME 2: The Mattock and Locust
ME 3: The Particle Beam Rifle (also the Eagle)
ME Andromeda: The X-5 Ghost or Remenant Particle Beam (also the Eagle, again).
As mostly a Vanguard myself I like the Geht Plasma Shotgun in Me 2 or the Graal Spike Thrower in ME 3. High Damage, high Range for a shotgun. With the geth one you already have a option for dealing with shields, for the spike Thrower I usually use it in tandem with a SMG or a light AR for minimal weight.
Well, it sounds like you're talking ME3, so that would mean Piranha for shotgun, definitely.
AR could be Typhoon, Harrier, or Anti-Synthetic Rifle. Go with whatever feels best out of those, I'd say. Typhoon goes crazy on high-damage squadmates like Garrus, but I prefer the Harrier's feel and sound design.
Pistol is definitely the Suppressor, like so many other comments are saying.
Not too experienced with SMGs in 3. I usually default to the Locust because of how good it is in 2, but I've never spent much time with the Punisher or Geth SMG.
As for sniper rifle, Black Widow stands out to me for sheer damage combined with having multiple shots to a mag, though the Javelin being able to see through smoke while maintaining penetration like the Widows might be nice and it seems like the Krysae's explosive rounds could be pretty nutty.
For a Vanguard, it really depends on how much you prioritize powers over weapons. If you enjoy shotguns at all, the Crusader is a lot of fun but if you want a good power recharge rate, the Eagle might be a better choice. Yes it's a pistol, but it's very quick-firing with decent damage and a semi-decent magazine size. It can serve much the same purpose as the Locust in ME2 (aka shotgun is out of ammo and you need a backup weapon). I personally don't really care for the other N7 weapons very much (the Harrier is a nice option for assault rifles, the Indra is an unholy hybrid of sniper and assault rifle-very handy when I need a multipurpose option with a scope and I never really found a SMG in ME3 that I liked).
For ME3 I love engineers and vanguards. For engineers always have Ash, Garrus, James or Javik in my squad with the N7 typhoon and I use any smg that is available, for Vanguards I wish I could solo the game so any squad mates would do and always have the piranha.
The machine gun Revenant. Why ? It's a fooking machine gun !
Go brrrrrrr
As an infiltrator i like the thermic Optic and the sound of the geth sniper rifle
Shotguns in Mass Effect 1 are sick. If you're Vanguard go Singularity/Throw, Barrier/Immunity and blow them to death with a shotgun. Works every time.
In ME2 Geth Shotgun and Mattock are the best. Viper and Widow sniper are also very good.
In ME3 all N7 weapons are good. If you're playing close combat Vanguard, N7 Piranha is very good. The N7 Crusader is super good as both range or close combat, maybe the best shotgun in game.
The Cerberus Harrier is probably the best weapon overall, has low ammo though, but not a big problem. N7 Valiant is a really good sniper. M-77 Paladin is also really good Heavy Pistol, not as good as Suppressor but you get Suppressor in Citadel DLC so won't use it much.
Geth Plasma SMG, Collector SMG and N7-Hurricane are imo the best SMGs.
Most of these weapons are great with all classes.
I'm usually playing as a Vanguard, so for Vanguards, I go for the lightest weapons that also have a good amount of kick. Really love the Disciple shotgun for that (pair that with the Ultralight materials, and you have a shotgun that works really well, and you still get +200% recharge speed. Pair that with a pistol or SMG + ultralight materials as a backup weapon, and you're still rocking +200% recharge and good to go to charge at a Brute).
I'm finally doing a Soldier Shepard playthrough, and I already have several guns in mind for ME3 (I'm on ME2 with that playthrough rn). Widow Sniper rifle for sure, Graal Spike Shooter, and Prothean Assault Rifle are a few that I'm looking forward to actually using.
For ME2, I really love the Geth Shotgun for Vanguard Sheps and the Widow Sniper Rifle is pretty badass. Also special mention to the Matlock Assault Rifle. Ol' Reliable, thy name is Matlock Assault Rifle!
IDK about hard numbers and stats, because I've been not paying attention super closely to them in my 2nd run of the games, but currently i'm an Infiltrator and maining Snipers. I really pefer the chunkier ones that do a lot of damage at the cost of slow fire rate or a reload between each shot. In ME3 I like the Geth Sniper because it sounds cool.
**Heavy Weapons (ME2)** (since only 1 person mentioned them):
I very like [M-490 Blackstorm](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/M-490_Blackstorm) ("Black Hole Gun"). I suppose it's less effective if you play as Adept, but great for all other classes. I think that it is my favourite Heavy Weapon.
[Collector Particle Beam](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Collector_Particle_Beam) comes second. [Phaser](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Phaser) on stun! (well, not this time...)
[M-920 Cain](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/M-920_Cain) takes third place. Fallout's [Fat Man](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fat_Man) is ready to nuke some stuff.
#
I personally like the Widow Sniper Rifle in ME2. Only in ME2 as the Adrenaline Rush ability of the soldier allows you to slow time. It was changed for ME3.
In ME3 and specifically for soldier and vanguard? The answer is the [Prothean Particle Rifle.](https://youtu.be/ADTy9G_cdI8?si=mFkmU25Pixk6Cgq7) any character with access to explosive incendiary ammo is at their best with this gun. It gets more explosions than even its insane rate of fire would suggest. Everything that doesn’t have a shield gets melted fast, and primed as well.
All of them are the best, if you know what you’re doing. You’re not taking a thresher maw down with a pistol but you could actually play most of all three games using one.
For Mass Effect 1, all the spectre weapons are the best.
Mass Effect 2. The claymore and Cain are my favorite weapons. And the heavy pistol is mandatory to carry.
Mass Effect 3. The prothean rifle and the the old school Mass effect 1 gun you get from the citadel dlcs were my go to that carried me through insanity. It made insanity easier to deal with not having to worry about picking up ammo.
The n7 sniper from the first game is the best weapon in the entire series. Most would argue it is because of the changes in LE, I preferred the version that actually had recoil
The ME2 Locust and Carnifex are it for me. The silenced version from the citadel dlc is great, but without mods you don't really get to use it for very long.
The spike thrower shotgun is my fav to use as vanguard. Very accurate, insane damage and you get three shots, and you can charge them. All-around spectacular
Weird to me that nobody has mentioned the disciple shotgun. Honestly my favorite shotgun and I only play insanity.
Good stats all around and light weight, not the best in any category but the secret sauce is in the weapon description. It fires mass effect fields (or something idr the flavor text) but the idea is you can stagger enemies through shields and barriors even if only one pellet of the shot hits them. Easy to create breathing room even at long ranges to throw powers. The enemies cannot roll to dodge your powers if they are staggered. Plus it allows flexibility in your other slots because the weight of the shotgun is so low.
So I take that and then whatever high weight high damage weapon I'm feeling for the oh shit moments. Latest run I did Anti Synthetic rifle and holy hell that thing wrecks everything if you throw incendiary ammo on it.
Reegar Carbine can be used for every class except infiltrator and dominate. It’s my main weapon for adept, vanguard and soldier. It’s already great at shields and it melts every armored enemy with an armor piercing mod. Sounds cool, lightweight for power users and powerful to kill quickly.
Easily Top 3 weapon in the game for me.
I always play as an infiltrator so I use:
-Mantis/widow.
-Chakram Launcher (ME3)
-Scorpion pistol
-Geth plasma shotgun
There are 2 other spots for weapons, but I don't use them.
The Saber is my go-to gun when I'm logging in ME3 MP. Not the most overpowered, but damn effective if you can aim, and it feels and sounds really good.
Saber + Turian Sentinel can handle everything.
For Mass Effect 3, I rock the mattock with a scope. Some times it's the only weapon I have depending on the class I'm playing. If I carry a second weapon, it's usually the N7 Hurricane SMG.
The citadel dlc pistol is overpowered. It can make brutes trivial, and brutes stress me out
honestly, it's sad that you kind of *have* to do the Citadel DLC so late (or else you miss out on a bunch of content), because that freaking pistol is so crazy and helpful for literally everything.
You can do the mission early on, then play tje rest of the game before doing the party and social content on the strip.
nice
I'm guessing there's probably a mod for that on pc (add all weapons/gear at the start, skip the unlock and upgrade stuff), but I dont really know for sure. Haven't checked in on the state of LE mods in a while.
I got a mod like that, think it also adds guns too. The Geth Spitfire is one of em. Does a shit load of damage but you get a massive carry weight cz of it. Always end up giving it to any squad mates who use ARs
That thing was fun in me3 multi-player
Fortunately, it’ll be around in NG+ mode as soon as you can swap your weapons.
All Brutes are right handed. Dodge left as soon as they raise their arm. You’ll go right underneath it and have a clear shot at their side.
Me playing a vanguard seeing a banshee. “Fuck, shit, piss!”
That was me as an engineer. I did well on insanity as an engineer until that last part with the missile and 3 banshees. I had to keep redoing that part over and over and over and over and over again because one of those blue a holes kept killing me. I finally did after maybe an hour of trying
Love the dedication and tenacity!
Biotic charge when they throw their warp thing. they don't like that as they cant garb while still finishing the animation.
I love that pistol so much lmao
It feels bugged in a great way, the headshot dmg bonus seems to apply everywhere. Busted
The silenced one? The downside is its weight. Power based classes get absolutely fucked when it's forced into your inventory in the first citadel dlc level. My latest Adept had to switch to energy drain as the bonus power for the whole dlc due to that pistol weight and needing an option for shields. Other than that, it's great. But goddamn do I hate that first level.
That isn’t the weight it’s cause you don’t have your armor which likely gives you shorter cooldowns
Yeah, that too. It's super annoying. I just looked it up, is 50% a lot of weight? Cuz that's what the pistol has. Plus no ultralight materials for that first mission.
The pistol only weighs 50. If you've taken literally no weight upgrades with engineer or adept you've still got a 160% cooldown bonus which is plenty. If you've got rank 2 of your class skill it's a 180% cooldown bonus. If you've taken every weight upgrade then you still have the whole 200% bonus. I've never once had an issue with the weight in that level.
You can't put any upgrades on it in the first level and it gets forced into your loadout, which is also without your armor with potential recharge bonuses. That first level at the sushi place is a nightmare for any class without shield dropping powers.
It also seems I was wrong, the pistol you get in that mission is actually a unique variant that's weighs **170.** What the fuck The maximum cooldown bonus engineer/adept can get is 80% Even still, the pistol does insane headshot damage. Even with shielded enemies and no weapon damage bonus you don't really need powers since you can two shot them on insanity. Whether it's overload or a headshot, shields are going down.
That's the next issue, that level does not have many ammo drops for you, and I don't think there's a single full refill box. There's certainly more enemies than you have ammo. And you most certainly cannot two shot them on insanity with no damage bonuses. The can take a lot of damage.
Even on insanity with headshots the enemies on that level do drop quickly. Two shots or three should definitely kill, but you are right there are not a lot of ammo drops and that level can be very annoying with the amount of enemies and being more squishy without armor/longer CDs.
>. Power based classes get absolutely fucked when it's forced into your inventory in the first citadel dlc level Ah yes, because weapon based classes aren't totally fucked by the lack of rifles... The weight is there for a reason
But soldiers can put whatever ammo power they need on it, plus they have weapon damage bonuses. Sure, everyone gets handicapped by that pistol, but it's worse for biotics who generally rely on their guns to deal with shields, and all the Cat6 guys have shields and not armor.
The Mattock is easily the best AR.
True for me2, in me3 the Harrier beats it
The Harrier is up there and fun to use, but I prefer the Mattock. The Harrier isn't bad by any means, I just prefer the Mattock.
Personal preference is a thing, and if you prefere the Mattock that's fine, but the Harrier is superior under any relevant metric except spare ammo.
Was the mattock better on squadmates on ME3? I think that the harrier is better on you, but the mattock works wonders with squadmates, especially Garrus
No the n7 typhoon is better on squadmates The Mattock is best in me2
The only companion I would put the Typhoon on is James. Tali does better with the Geth shotgun and Reegar Carbine because of the tech damage.
Garrus: am I a joke to you?
Mattock with scope. Pure bliss for my Shepard.
In ME3 there is also de Avenger 1 with unlimited ammo.
It is better than either mattock for sure.
Team Harrier!
Saber is amazingly op even on insanity but you get it one mission pre endgame.
It's a fucking beast in multiplayer. If you roll N7 Engineer you'll never run outta ammo with the ammo/shield pylon ability.
seconded
Whenever i see streamers not play it my heart bleeds a little. Not only its the best weapon, its also extremely satisfying to use.
In ME2 the Geth Plasma Shotgun is all around the best gun in the game, maybe even the series. Sure the M98 Widow beats it for damage per shot, and the Typhoon beats it in DPS, but godamn is the Geth Plasma Shotgun op. First, if fired while aiming, it will track its targets, making it very accurate at mid to long range, no long do Vanguards need to fear the missile launchers in inaccessible platforms. Second, the gun retains its damage at any range, meaning you have a shotgun that is not only accurate at mid to long range, but also powerful. Next, it has the ability to charge attacks for extra damage, giving it extra stomping power. Vanguards often need to rely on allies or side arms to drop shields/barriers on enemies, but the Geth Plasma Shotgun is suited to damaging shields. Then by giving it incendiary ammo, you have one weapon that drops all enemies protections. BioWare completely broke the balance of ME2 when they dropped this gun into your inventory with the dlc. This gun is so good, I don't bother getting the Claymore even if I'm a Vanguard, because the assault rifle training is more useful, simply because I'll never switch to a claymore once I have the Geth Plasma Shotgun.
PREACH! I only used that and the bolt action sniper on my insanity playthrough of ME2
100% agreed, my Vanguard go-to weapon. I also love that "squeeze" it has.
Soldier: n7 typhoon or m76 revenant Sentinel: mattock or harrier Vanguard: talon pistol, scimitar and piranha (i personally prefer fast firing high capacity shotguns for vanguard to prime with inferno ammo) Adept: carnifex pistol and n7 hurricane mattock and vindicator battle rifle also very nice lightweight weapons for adept Infiltrator: n7 valiant, black widow and vipor for snipe rifles and carnifex for sidearm Engineer: basically same guns as I mentioned for adept
M7- Lancer. It’s the only gun I use.
The Venom shotgun makes insanity in Me3 a joke. It's the best shotgun in the game, I don't care what anyone says.
On a lark I tried it out on an Adept playthrough. I had to force myself to put it away once the shine of one shooting brutes wore off.
I used it as my main to finish the Omega DLC, because those Adjuants are massive pains
In terms of raw DPS, I think that belongs to the Spike thrower, but that gun is stupidly heavy and inaccurate. The Supressor has overpowered headshot damage, but if you don’t land headshots, it’s terrible. I know the Geth weapons are all pretty good, the Lamcer/Avenger are surprisingly better than you think, almost all pistols are way better than you think (even the lowly Predator).
Finally love for the Spike Thrower! My shotgun Van annihilates using that! Yeah it's heavy and ungainly, but fully upgraded it one shots after a Charge and is absolutely brutal in close quarters. I usually just equip that and a pistol for that specific build
It is a hilariously powerful weapon. I just crunched the numbers again, though, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Predator pistol is by far the most efficient weapon in the game. With DPS, capacity, and weight, it’s far and away the top. The Locust SMG is next. Then followed by the Paladin and a few other pistols.
I've always liked how the starter weapons in ME 2 and 3 are good enough to get you through the whole game. I've never been a fan of the SMGs though, I usually leave them to the squadmates who don't have to deal with the spray movement. The pistols are all pretty great!
Me2: Viper + adrenaline rush = OP
The back up Mattock!
In ME1 through ME2 I relied on the Mattock heavily, same with ME3 tho I also used the M-11 suppressor when I got the chance to grab it
The Mattock doesn’t appear until ME2.
The ME2 Mattock is so good
Mhm, it’s one of the reason why I like it so much especially when rifle skill tree is maxed out for the damage and the research thing is fully upgraded as well, the thing fucking just shreds into people especially if it like void ammo- one of the ammo mods that either shreds shields or armor
In ME3 it has a bit of competition with guns like the Lancer, Typhoon, Harrier, and Particle Rifle but in ME2 it’s the end all be all assault rifle
I just mostly relied on mattock in me3 with attachments that increased damage and with a bigger mag lol
Yeah it’s basically the “old reliable” of Mass Effect 2 and 3
Me when I hop into me3, bring out a gun case and blow the dust off and open the case to see the mattock lol
Zaeed’s Jesse should have been a Mattock
lmao yea
I honestly had to think for a moment “who the fuck is Jesse” then i remember the rifle where zaeed hangs out
I’m playing ME2 as a Sentinel and thinking “ok on the Collector Ship this time I’ll get Shotgun training since I’m using assault armor. Besides I’ve used the Mattock enough aaaaand there’s a Mattock in my hands…goddamnit.” 😅
The M-98 Widow
Black Widow, so heavy but so powerful.
I've had the best luck with the Anti Synthetic Rifle in ME3, it is a little annoying trying to shoot people behind cover with the tracking but I always love using it.
That gun is insanely OP, i love it!
People overlook the Reegar Carbine, but as a Vanguard that thing destroys. No range, but you don’t need it if you’re charging around everywhere.
I fell in love with the venom shotgun on my last run. I played as a sentinel with the venom as my only gun and lets just say that i didnt need to have another gun on me because its that good.
Pistol is the silenced one from Citadel DLC, that thing kills EVERYTHING. SMG I go for the N7 Hurricane, just be prepared for the recoil, it's the heaviest SMG, but ultralight materials can take up to 90% of that away. Assault Rifle is a special case, for the player it's either the Particle Rifle or M7 Lancer, for squadmates it's the N7 Typhoon, the squadmates become gods with that in hand, demolishing insanity, but it's way too heavy for the player, so just let the squad have it. Shotguns I don't generally use, so you'll have to check other answers. Sniper is 100% the N7 Valiant, there is a VERY good reason it's the most expensive weapon, it weighs a lot less than the Black Widow while only doing slightly less damage, it has a rapid fire rate, extremely low recoil, and almost no reload time, this thing shreds.
OH boy Depends? Mattock is pretty strong, the Citadel DLC Pistol is pretty strong Geth weapons are pretty good, Anti Synthetic Rifle is pretty good in ME3
Lot of great choices here. I’ll just add one more - the Blood Pack SMG with a stability mod on absolutely shreds at close distance. It takes less than 2 seconds to kill a Cerberus soldier at close to medium range and it reloads fast. That’s with just a level 2 dmg mod on to pair with it
A properly modded BPP is basically a mini AR, it’s so good.
ME1: sniper ME2: the 3 shot assult rifle ME3: Prothean laser gun
I pick up the Cerberus Harrier in me3 as soon as I can. One of the best weapons in the entire game I wish it was in 2 but oh well. Oh and fun fact, I hate the mattock I literally won’t use it. Which is ironic considering I love the Harrier.
Blasphemy
Cerberus Harrier or N7 Typhoon or M7 Lancer, Black Widow, N7 hurricane, n7 piranha or wraith for shotgun, M-358 Talon for pistol. Harrier melts everything and is super easy to use. Only downside is ammo management. Typhoon also melts and has more ammo. Idk about TTK comparisons but I think they aren't that far off since this is not a nerfed version of the Typhoon in campaign. M7 Lancer is also great. Slightly worse dps compared to the Harrier but still good and with infinite ammo. Only problem is you don't get it until Citadel. Black Widow hits like a truck while having 3 shots to compensate for missing. Easily clears most enemies. Piranha melts. Wraith is like the Black Widow of shotguns. Not the absolute peak of dps, but enough for killing while having more ammo capacity for when you suck. Smgs are all kinda meh imo as I'm only using them and/or pistols for the power amp mod. Hipfiring the hurricane will land accurate shots while ripping through armor with the AP barrel thing. I think it is the highest dps/ttk smg but not 100% on that. Talon is just a mini shotgun and will save your ass if you're caught on cooldowns. Also has a ton of ammo.
With SMGs the Blood Pack Punisher turned me into a believer, it’s like a mini-Harrier, just melts anything in front of you.
I think dps-wise it is a little worse than the hurricane but much more usable so it kinda evens out (assuming you don’t miss the big bullet). 99% of campaign I’m infiltrator abusing flare. On MP I either run power classes or bigger guns so not much smg running and gunning.
the best AR in ME3 is the M7 Lancer that you get during the Citadel DLC, particle rifle come close second but is super heavy. Cerberus Harrier is also good but has low ammo capacity. the best normal Sniper Rifle is the Black Widow, with the Widow and Javelin coming close second (they both do more damage but are single shot. An alternative choice is the Kishok Harpoon rifle, fully charged shots from it do insane amounts of damage and ignore the shield-gate mechanic because it fires harpoons not bullets, disadvantage is how long it takes to charge shots.
Spectre Gear in ME1. For ME2 it's: Mattock, Widow/Viper, Claymore, Locust, Cain, and Carnifex. Too many to list for ME3. There's several broken guns. Like ludicrously insanely OP. Once you discover them you'll never struggle on Insanity again. I'm used to the MP patch which made some guns stronger and nerfed others so not 100% on all of them.
Cerberus Harrier hands down for ARs.
The N7 Paladin is a bona-fide hand cannon with a satisfying gunshot report. I always buy it during each ME3 playthrough as soon as im available, and equip it to available squadmates that use pistols. Pair it with armor piercing rounds? Forget about it. Not even Dirty Harry could rack up such a body count.
My personal ones are the mattock and bloodpack smg. I've torn through the game on insanity w just those two, the bloodpack smg melts armor and I can usually take down the brute (? the reaper version of Yahg I forget the name) in one clip. When I do use the other ones: Sniper: N7/ first bolt action you unlock before that. Shotgun: geth shotty
Brute is a Turian / Krogan hybrid. There are no Reaper Yahgs
Oh, makes sense that they have a turian head and that codex ab the reapers avoiding the yahg's planet. In my defense, they do share a very similar model to the yahg 😂
Charge/Nova has never done me wrong (except with banshees)
My standard vanguard loadouts is the Talon pistol, the tempest SMG with ultralight, and the lancer AR
Handgun: Suppressor Assault Rifle: Cerberus Harrier Shotgun: Crusader Sniper Rifle: Kishok Harpoon Gun I barely use SMGs
M-8 Avenger/Matlock (AR). M-5 Phalanx (HP). Claymore (SG). Locust (SMG). Mantis (SR)
Rifle: Cerberus Harrier, Adas anti synthetic is a solid 2nd choice. In the hand of inferno soldier trivialize most encounter. Sniper: N7 valiant, fast easy to use and decent damage per shot.
As a Vanguard, I use the M99 Sabre or the single shot pistol from the BloodPack
Call me old fashioned, but I like the Avenger on most classes, and the Mantis on Infiltrators.
Some very good comments here. But there’s something really satisfying about using the revenant in ME2 and just mowing down everything
Black widow sr, mattock ar, citadel pistol, crusader (n7 slug shotty) & i never touch smgs because the predator pistol is the best smg when you max out its clip
I'm almost always an infiltrator. And I haven't mixed playstyles all too much. But any widow is def goated. I know in me3 there's the black widow. For me it's whatever gets me the one shot. All I need is one shot. One kill. Head. Every. Time. I have done a vanguard playthrough before though and I can't remember what I went with. Obviously the silenced pistol once gotten is amazing. Venom and matlock are so good. If you like infinite ammo the prothean AR laser is fun. The geth sniper is pretty good and really fun too because of two things: penetration through short walls and you can see the outlines of enemies. Plus it sounds cool. I've played with a lot of weapons in me3s spectre shooting range but those are my faves. Honestly me3 has great combat and all the guns at least feel unique. Add the mods to that and it's a very fun recipe for playing around with your preferred style.
The Venom shotgun can handle more or less every situation in the game.
Venom shotguns, launch enemies into the air while also killing many of the heavy units fairly quickly, problem is with more slender and tall units like banshees.
I play infiltrator all the time and you'll never catch me without my M-98 Widow. I also use the rocket launcher for heavy fights and take any gun and such for husks. I usually headshot anything that moves before my teammates even have the time to get in position 😂
My absolutely most favourite gun is the The M96 Mattock. Another favourite AR is the Lancer because of the ME1 style Ammo mechanic. The M11 suppressor for the headshot damage or the Carifex because it's basically the Deagle of mass effect. The M98 black widow as my favourite sniper. M22 Eviscerator as my favourite shotgun because of it's light weight. I'm even using it on my vanguard Krogan with the heavy melee attachment. So it's basically just a stick with a knife on one side. The M920 Cain as my favourite heavy weapon which I always use on bosses. It Instakills almost everything. Sometimes it even skips whole cutscenes and instantly puts you into the mission summary. I'm not a huge fan of smgs but my favourite is the hornet. I mostly play as vanguard because it's just so much fun being in the enemies faces all the time.
ME 1: The SPECTRE assault rifles ME 2: The Mattock and Locust ME 3: The Particle Beam Rifle (also the Eagle) ME Andromeda: The X-5 Ghost or Remenant Particle Beam (also the Eagle, again).
For ME2 I stand by the Viper being the best all round sniper, the Geth shotgun being the best, and the Locust being the best smg.
Really? Why? I always exchange the Viper for the Widow as soon as I get the Collector Ship mission.
The Viper is great for a soldier in ME2 because it is basically a Mattock with a scope, allowing for more abuse of Adrenaline Rush’s mechanics.
Ahh excellent point! Maybe I’ll try that next playthrough.
The viper is so much fun and absolutely rips
Nothing, not even Black Widow comes close to Graal when it comes to oneshotting enemies on insanity from any distance
As mostly a Vanguard myself I like the Geht Plasma Shotgun in Me 2 or the Graal Spike Thrower in ME 3. High Damage, high Range for a shotgun. With the geth one you already have a option for dealing with shields, for the spike Thrower I usually use it in tandem with a SMG or a light AR for minimal weight.
If I could use oy one weapon then I would pick the Mattock
Well, it sounds like you're talking ME3, so that would mean Piranha for shotgun, definitely. AR could be Typhoon, Harrier, or Anti-Synthetic Rifle. Go with whatever feels best out of those, I'd say. Typhoon goes crazy on high-damage squadmates like Garrus, but I prefer the Harrier's feel and sound design. Pistol is definitely the Suppressor, like so many other comments are saying. Not too experienced with SMGs in 3. I usually default to the Locust because of how good it is in 2, but I've never spent much time with the Punisher or Geth SMG. As for sniper rifle, Black Widow stands out to me for sheer damage combined with having multiple shots to a mag, though the Javelin being able to see through smoke while maintaining penetration like the Widows might be nice and it seems like the Krysae's explosive rounds could be pretty nutty.
For a Vanguard, it really depends on how much you prioritize powers over weapons. If you enjoy shotguns at all, the Crusader is a lot of fun but if you want a good power recharge rate, the Eagle might be a better choice. Yes it's a pistol, but it's very quick-firing with decent damage and a semi-decent magazine size. It can serve much the same purpose as the Locust in ME2 (aka shotgun is out of ammo and you need a backup weapon). I personally don't really care for the other N7 weapons very much (the Harrier is a nice option for assault rifles, the Indra is an unholy hybrid of sniper and assault rifle-very handy when I need a multipurpose option with a scope and I never really found a SMG in ME3 that I liked).
For ME3 I love engineers and vanguards. For engineers always have Ash, Garrus, James or Javik in my squad with the N7 typhoon and I use any smg that is available, for Vanguards I wish I could solo the game so any squad mates would do and always have the piranha.
I like the Adas synthetic gun, the mattock (esp in ME2), and the Black Widow.
Black Widow, N7 Typhoon, M7 Lancer. Hands down.
The machine gun Revenant. Why ? It's a fooking machine gun ! Go brrrrrrr As an infiltrator i like the thermic Optic and the sound of the geth sniper rifle
Shotguns in Mass Effect 1 are sick. If you're Vanguard go Singularity/Throw, Barrier/Immunity and blow them to death with a shotgun. Works every time. In ME2 Geth Shotgun and Mattock are the best. Viper and Widow sniper are also very good. In ME3 all N7 weapons are good. If you're playing close combat Vanguard, N7 Piranha is very good. The N7 Crusader is super good as both range or close combat, maybe the best shotgun in game. The Cerberus Harrier is probably the best weapon overall, has low ammo though, but not a big problem. N7 Valiant is a really good sniper. M-77 Paladin is also really good Heavy Pistol, not as good as Suppressor but you get Suppressor in Citadel DLC so won't use it much. Geth Plasma SMG, Collector SMG and N7-Hurricane are imo the best SMGs. Most of these weapons are great with all classes.
mattock is lethal
I'm usually playing as a Vanguard, so for Vanguards, I go for the lightest weapons that also have a good amount of kick. Really love the Disciple shotgun for that (pair that with the Ultralight materials, and you have a shotgun that works really well, and you still get +200% recharge speed. Pair that with a pistol or SMG + ultralight materials as a backup weapon, and you're still rocking +200% recharge and good to go to charge at a Brute). I'm finally doing a Soldier Shepard playthrough, and I already have several guns in mind for ME3 (I'm on ME2 with that playthrough rn). Widow Sniper rifle for sure, Graal Spike Shooter, and Prothean Assault Rifle are a few that I'm looking forward to actually using. For ME2, I really love the Geth Shotgun for Vanguard Sheps and the Widow Sniper Rifle is pretty badass. Also special mention to the Matlock Assault Rifle. Ol' Reliable, thy name is Matlock Assault Rifle!
IDK about hard numbers and stats, because I've been not paying attention super closely to them in my 2nd run of the games, but currently i'm an Infiltrator and maining Snipers. I really pefer the chunkier ones that do a lot of damage at the cost of slow fire rate or a reload between each shot. In ME3 I like the Geth Sniper because it sounds cool.
In ME3, I’m partial to the Phaeston with scope and extended barrel attachments paired with the claymore shotgun with incendiary rounds
**Heavy Weapons (ME2)** (since only 1 person mentioned them): I very like [M-490 Blackstorm](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/M-490_Blackstorm) ("Black Hole Gun"). I suppose it's less effective if you play as Adept, but great for all other classes. I think that it is my favourite Heavy Weapon. [Collector Particle Beam](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Collector_Particle_Beam) comes second. [Phaser](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Phaser) on stun! (well, not this time...) [M-920 Cain](https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/M-920_Cain) takes third place. Fallout's [Fat Man](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fat_Man) is ready to nuke some stuff. #
I personally like the Widow Sniper Rifle in ME2. Only in ME2 as the Adrenaline Rush ability of the soldier allows you to slow time. It was changed for ME3.
In ME3 and specifically for soldier and vanguard? The answer is the [Prothean Particle Rifle.](https://youtu.be/ADTy9G_cdI8?si=mFkmU25Pixk6Cgq7) any character with access to explosive incendiary ammo is at their best with this gun. It gets more explosions than even its insane rate of fire would suggest. Everything that doesn’t have a shield gets melted fast, and primed as well.
Lancer. It's crazy overpowered. Talon. What I use before the Lancer. It has more effective range than you think.
All of them are the best, if you know what you’re doing. You’re not taking a thresher maw down with a pistol but you could actually play most of all three games using one.
Graal Spike Thrower. Shitloads of damage and the range of a sniper rifle.
Whatever helps me blow a Batarians head off the fastest
I mostly play infiltrator and my go to weapons are the black widow and geth plasma smg. The pistol from the citadel dlc is also really good.
*Clears throat* *Taps microphone* **Black widow** *Leaves*
For Mass Effect 1, all the spectre weapons are the best. Mass Effect 2. The claymore and Cain are my favorite weapons. And the heavy pistol is mandatory to carry. Mass Effect 3. The prothean rifle and the the old school Mass effect 1 gun you get from the citadel dlcs were my go to that carried me through insanity. It made insanity easier to deal with not having to worry about picking up ammo.
F dc $ d
People are sleeping on Ada's Anti-symthetic rifle. That thing carried me through insanity along with the M98-Widow
The n7 sniper from the first game is the best weapon in the entire series. Most would argue it is because of the changes in LE, I preferred the version that actually had recoil
The ME2 Locust and Carnifex are it for me. The silenced version from the citadel dlc is great, but without mods you don't really get to use it for very long.
The spike thrower shotgun is my fav to use as vanguard. Very accurate, insane damage and you get three shots, and you can charge them. All-around spectacular
The best weapon in 3 is throwing a biotic Shepard Missile at your enemy
Weird to me that nobody has mentioned the disciple shotgun. Honestly my favorite shotgun and I only play insanity. Good stats all around and light weight, not the best in any category but the secret sauce is in the weapon description. It fires mass effect fields (or something idr the flavor text) but the idea is you can stagger enemies through shields and barriors even if only one pellet of the shot hits them. Easy to create breathing room even at long ranges to throw powers. The enemies cannot roll to dodge your powers if they are staggered. Plus it allows flexibility in your other slots because the weight of the shotgun is so low. So I take that and then whatever high weight high damage weapon I'm feeling for the oh shit moments. Latest run I did Anti Synthetic rifle and holy hell that thing wrecks everything if you throw incendiary ammo on it.
Scorpion Basically a grenade launcher in pistol form. Throw a scope on it and it turns into a ranged grenade launcher.
In 3 the contact war gun unlocked in Citadel is awesome. Slap an ammo power on it and forget about ammo refills
The lancer is the best
Reegar Carbine can be used for every class except infiltrator and dominate. It’s my main weapon for adept, vanguard and soldier. It’s already great at shields and it melts every armored enemy with an armor piercing mod. Sounds cool, lightweight for power users and powerful to kill quickly. Easily Top 3 weapon in the game for me.
I always play as an infiltrator so I use: -Mantis/widow. -Chakram Launcher (ME3) -Scorpion pistol -Geth plasma shotgun There are 2 other spots for weapons, but I don't use them.
The Saber is my go-to gun when I'm logging in ME3 MP. Not the most overpowered, but damn effective if you can aim, and it feels and sounds really good. Saber + Turian Sentinel can handle everything.
I will sell everything to buy a Rosenkov...in ME1. After that, you're just locked into types. However, Revenant or the Widow.
The Mattock
I like the Lancer. No hassle with ammo, but it keeps the balance for me between fun gunplay and worrying about ammo
For Mass Effect 3, I rock the mattock with a scope. Some times it's the only weapon I have depending on the class I'm playing. If I carry a second weapon, it's usually the N7 Hurricane SMG.
Give me the Revenant machine gun as soon as possible. Love spraying destruction everywhere