Grenades

Grenades are hand-tossed explosive charges that appear in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3, in different forms.

Mass Effect
In Mass Effect the Systems Alliance uses the Mark 14 grenade, designed with retractable stabilizing fins. If the fins are extended, the grenade can be tossed like a discus, and glides long distances. With the fins retracted, the grenade can be lobbed over walls and other obstacles.

Most grenades can adhere to flat surfaces and have a 10-second fuse, allowing them to be used as makeshift shaped-charge mines or booby-traps. They can be triggered to detonate before their fuse runs out by a signal from any military hardsuit’s built-in communications gear.

The Mark 14 grenade can be modified in the field for special purposes. Common upgrades include high explosive, flashbang, and thermite paste incendiary charges. More exotic varieties include charged particle proton charges, Bose-Einstein "cryo" condensates, and cobalt-salted micro-nukes.

Gameplay
On the Xbox 360 gamepad, press BACK to throw a grenade, and then press BACK again to detonate. On the PC the R key functions the same way. A grenade will automatically explode after 10 seconds. Only the player, as Commander Shepard, can use grenades during gameplay; Saren and Tali appear to throw tech proximity mines in cutscenes.

Mass Effect 3
Grenades return in Mass Effect 3. Unlike in Mass Effect, grenades in Mass Effect 3 are lobbed like traditional grenades. Grenades are collected in the environment, and they are used and consumed in the form of grenade powers. Unlike regular powers, however, grenade powers do not have a recharge time, and can be thrown at any time, provided the player has grenades available.

Grenade powers include:
 * Arc Grenade - Stun and electrocute your enemies with an EMP-packed grenade (multiplayer only).
 * Cluster Grenade - Lob this biotic grenade cluster at your enemies and watch them fly.
 * Frag Grenade - Rip your enemies apart with this shrapnel-packed grenade.
 * Homing Grenade - Launch this seeking grenade to track down a target, causing a massive explosion on impact (multiplayer only).
 * Inferno Grenade - Cluster-bomb a small area with incendiary munitions.
 * Lift Grenade - Throw this grenade into a group of enemies to send them flying.
 * Multi-Frag Grenade - Launch multiple frag grenades by upgrading the T5-V Battlesuit's right gauntlet (multiplayer only).
 * Sticky Grenade - Stick this grenade to your opponent, and the explosion will tear apart the target and shrapnel will damage other enemies caught in the blast.