User:Silverstrike/Sandbox/Weapon Mods

Weapon Mods are applied to weapons to augment them in Mass Effect 3. Available mods include high-caliber barrels, scopes, and bayonet attachments, among others. Only two mods can be applied to a weapon at a time, and the same mod cannot be applied twice to a single weapon.

Once a weapon mod is found, it may be applied to any and all of the weapons of the applicable type at a weapon bench. Finding another instance of a mod the player already possesses will upgrade that mod to the next level. Likewise, shops will always carry mods one level above those the player currently has.

Stability Damper

 * Applies to: Assault Rifle
 * Description: Distributes recoil with sliding system of counterweights compatible with kinetic coil generators. Reduces weapon kickback.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's handle and stock depending on level of mod.

If the stability rating goes over 100% (with Turian Veteran ranks), the recoil of the assault rifle will go downwards.

Melee Stunner / Blade Attachment

 * Applies To: Heavy Pistol, Shotgun
 * Description:
 * Pistol Melee Stunner: Small attachment to muzzle, causing massive damage to meleed targets.
 * Shotgun Blade Attachment: Tungsten-carbide bayonet with recessed edge for increased melee damage.


 * Visibility:
 * Pistol: Adds a visible stunner beneath the barrel. Also changes the color of the weapon's handle depending on level of mod.
 * Shotgun: Places a visible bayonet underneath the barrel.

Magazine Upgrade

 * Applies to: Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol, Submachine Gun
 * Description: Increases magazine capacity, allowing more shots before reload.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's body depending on weapon and level of mod.

Spare Thermal Clip

 * Applies to: Shotgun, Sniper Rifle
 * Description: Adds sockets to raise thermal clip capacity, increasing number of spare shots.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's handle and stock depending on level of mod.

Piercing Mod / Shredder Mod

 * Applies to: Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol
 * Description: Capacitor boosts kinetic coil generators, increasing shot penetration.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's lights depending on level of mod.

Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod

 * Applies to: Sniper Rifle
 * Description: Capacitor boosts kinetic coil generators, increasing shot penetration.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's body depending on weapon and level of mod.

Extended Barrel / High Caliber Barrel

 * Applies to: Assault Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Submachine Gun
 * Description:
 * Assault Rifle Extended Barrel / Sniper Rifle Extended Barrel: Lengthens barrel, creating greater bullet velocity and impact.
 * Pistol High Caliber Barrel / Shotgun High Caliber Barrel / SMG High Caliber Barrel: Allows wider projectiles, causing more trauma on impact. Ballistically optimized to maintain penetrative power.


 * Visibility: Places a visible barrel extension on the weapon.

Precision Scope / Enhanced Scope

 * Applies to: Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol, Sniper Rifle, Submachine Gun
 * Description:
 * Assault Rifle Precision Scope: Simple 4x optical scope to enhance stability while zoomed. Increases accuracy while moving and taking damage.
 * Pistol Scope / SMG Scope: Simple 2x optical scope enhances stability while zoomed. Increases accuracy while moving and taking damage.
 * Sniper Rifle Enhanced Scope: Stability-enhancing scope increases accuracy while moving and taking damage. Highlights targets through smoke.


 * Visibility:
 * Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol, SMG: Places a visible scope atop the weapon.
 * Sniper Rifle: Adds visible extension to scope.

Smart Choke

 * Applies to: Shotgun
 * Description: Servo motors hooked up to adjustable system tighten or loosen pellet spread for maximum accuracy.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's body depending on weapon and level of mod.

Concentration Mod

 * Applies to: Sniper Rifle
 * Description: Biometric sensors and auto-targeting software adjust to the user's pulse and breath rate, assisting aim.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's lights depending on level of mod.


 * Single-player Only
 * Stacks with Adrenaline Rush and Operational Mastery.

Ultralight Materials

 * Applies to: Submachine Gun
 * Description: Superior lightweight alloys replace weapon parts, making weapon less obtrusive and easier to handle.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's body depending on weapon and level of mod.

The ultralight materials mod currently has no effect on multiplayer weapons except for the Geth Plasma SMG.

Heat Sink

 * Applies to: Submachine Gun
 * Description: Increases heat conductivity of thermal clip receiver. Negates heat generated by some shots.
 * Visibility: Changes the color of the weapon's lights depending on level of mod.

Player Notes

 * The damage bonus provided by certain mods (most notably High Caliber Barrel) stacks additively with that provided by skills such as class or racial passives and Tactical Cloak. For example, an Infiltrator Shepard who took every weapon damage upgrade for Operational Mastery and Tactical Cloak and put a High Caliber V mod on his weapon will deal 100% + 10% + 90% + 25% = 225% of base damage.
 * The Piercing and Shredder mods increase damage versus armored targets by ignoring part of damage reduction that every bullet striking an armored target suffers. A good approximation is to treat the result as a fixed (independent of weapon damage) damage bonus on every bullet (and every shotgun pellet) striking an armored target. As a result, rapid-fire weapons receive a much greater benefit from these mods than slow-firing ones.
 * Magazine Upgrade mods do not change the amount of spare ammo a weapon holds, however, the increased capacity is not deduced from the spare ammo pool either - if a weapon normally holds 100 rounds and 500 in reserve, applying a Magazine Upgrade V will change that to 180 rounds and 500 in reserve, for a total of 680.
 * Mods that increase a character's melee damage apply that bonus even if the character's melee attack does not actually strike with the weapon, for example drell and krogan light melee, or geth and asari heavy melee.