Mass Effect: Andromeda brings you an adventure that spans the Andromeda Galaxy, bringing humanity to a new home amongst the stars. However, things aren't going to be easy for Ryder and crew, and being armed to the teeth can certainly help you out when dealing with Kett attacks. With as many weapons floating through the game as there are, we decided to spotlight the top three weapons in each category. These weapons are the best for a variety of reasons, and each one can put a serious hurting on any alien ne'er-do-well.
Pistols
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Pistols are your small sidearms, generally only getting serious use when you run out of ammo for the rest of the guns. Still, a good pistol can make the difference between dying to the influx of Kett or limping away. Each of these pistols does substantial damage, and each has plenty of room for augmentations.
- Ushior Angaran Heavy Pistol: This is the nastiest pistol in the game. It's a single-shot plasma discharge, and contains four augmentation slots.
- Talon MWS Handgun: This semi-automatic pistol uses shotgun shot with multiple pellets and has three augmentation slots.
- Scorpion MWS Handgun: This semi-automatic pistol fires sticky grenades. It has a four-shot clip and three augmentation slots.
Assault rifles
Assault rifles are the easy go-to when dealing with large groups of enemies. You get a larger clip, they do significant damage, and they are set up for a firefight. Since there isn't an SMG class of weapons in Mass Effect: Andromeda, it's a solid bet that your assault rifle is going to be one of your most-used weapons.
- Zalkin Kett Rifle: A three-shot, semi-automatic rifle that fires plasma rounds. This is the nastiest assault rifle in the game with a serious punch, 24 rounds in a clip, and the ability to switch between one and three rounds at a time.
- Sweeper Remnant Assault Rifle: This rifle fires a three-shot burst with particle burst ammo. It's got a 22-round clip, three slots for aumentation, and a heat-based reload system.
- Sandstorm MWS Rifle: The Sandstorm is a semi-automatic rifle armed with standard rounds and access to a scope. It has 12 rounds to a clip and three slots for augmentation.
Shotguns
When you need a single weapon to knock an enemy out of the running, a good shotgun is often your best bet. While they do have a harder hitting slug, you're not going to have as large of a clip to unload into your nemeses.
- Ruzad MWS Shotgun: A semi-automatic shotgun that fires hitscan rounds. It has a three-round clip with two augmentation slots.
- N7 Piranha MWS Assault Shotgun: An automatic shotgun that also has a semi-automatic feature. It has an eight-round clip and three slots for augmentation.
- Scattershot Remnant Shotgun: A semi-automatic shotgun that fires tracking particle blast ammunition. It has a clip of 10, four slots for augmentation, and a heat-based reload system.
Sniper rifles
If you're a fan of picking off your foes from a distance while the rest of your team runs in, having a dead accurate sniper rifle is going to be the go-to.
- Viper MWS Sniper Rifle: This Sniper has a three-round clip, with a single-action fire. It has two slots for augmentation.
- Widow MWS Sniper Rifle: The Widow has a single-shot clip, with a single-action fire. It is the most powerful sniper rifle in the game, and it has two augmentation slots.
- Vanquisher MWS Sniper Rifle: The Vanquisher has a four-shot clip, with single-action fire. It has standard damage rounds, with three slots for augmentation.
Melee weapons
No matter what weapons you decide to bring with you on your missions across the Andromeda Galaxy, you'll always have a melee weapon on you. There are four different types of melee weapons, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some weapons are faster, while others will do more damage in a single strike.
- Asari Sword: This MWS sword does both enormous damage and imbues the user with certain biotic powers when it is used. You'll blink forward before striking, though the sword takes a moment to warm up before the attack will trigger. This sword also has four augmentation slots.
- Kett Vakarsh: This Kett sword does nasty damage, including burn damage that continues over time. This also gets your target primed for a fire combo. As a sword, it will take a moment to warm up before striking. You get four augmentation slots with this sword.
- Krogan Hammer: This MWS hammer is slow when attacking, but it does serious damage. This includes heavy impact damage, which knocks your enemies away from you. It has three slots for augmentation.
What is your Andromeda loadout?
While there are plenty of different weapons in Mass Effect: Andromeda, you can't take all of them with you. Being able to trust the weapons that you equip will get the job done is key, especially when you're in dangerous territory. Do you agree with our choices for best weapons? What does your loadout look like?
