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The Executioner Pistol is a heavy pistol in Mass Effect 3.

Description[]

Invented by Blood Pack weapons experts, the first Executioner was improvised using spare parts and scrap metal during an Omega territory dispute. The result was a handheld cannon able to fire high-impact, armor-piercing slugs, although only one at a time due to its limited heat sink. Many Blood Pack mercs carry an Executioner as backup in case they get pinned down, but some enthusiasts prefer it as their primary gun, sticking to the one-shot-one-kill approach.

Acquisition[]

Singleplayer

Available after downloading the Mass Effect 3: Groundside Resistance Pack.[1]

In Legendary Edition it is available from the Elkoss Combine Arsenal Supplies terminal in the Presidium Commons for a base amount of 10,000 credits.

Multiplayer

Weapons are randomly rewarded through purchases of item packs. The Executioner Pistol is categorized as rare and requires Mass Effect 3: Reckoning.[2]

Player Notes[]

General
  • The Executioner Pistol is a single-shot weapon whose single shot packs more punch than the powerful M-92 Mantis sniper rifle; this comes at only a fraction of the weight. On lower difficulties, the Executioner Pistol is capable of killing most soft targets in one shot.
    • The Pistol Magazine Upgrade provides no benefit (with one small exception in multiplayer), as the number of shots is always rounded down.
    • The Executioner is less cumbersome to use at close range, not suffering the damage and accuracy penalties that sniper rifles do when fired without scoping. However, it lacks the perfect accuracy of a sniper rifle at very long ranges, and its damage does not approach that of either the Javelin or the M-98 Widow.
    • Given the importance of landing every shot with this weapon, the Pistol Scope is a recommended mod if you intend to use the gun for even mid-range shooting, and stick to cover for even greater accuracy.
    • The Pistol Ultralight Materials mod can make the Executioner even lighter, making it a good sniping option for power-focused classes. Conversely, the Pistol Heavy Barrel will add to its weight, but it can provide up to a whopping 40% extra damage. Even with the Heavy Barrel equipped, the Executioner is still comparable to the M-92 Mantis in weight, while dealing much more damage.
    • On higher difficulties especially, powerful single-shot weapons can suffer a lot of lost damage due to enemy shield gates. Disruptor Ammo, Warp Ammo, and especially Phasic Rounds (multiplayer only) can help to mitigate this problem; see the notes section of the Disruptor Ammo page for more information.
  • The Executioner has latent shot penetration of 50 centimeters—enough to pierce Guardians' shields.[3]
    • This penetration does not grant additional damage on armored targets, except to the extent that it won't be blocked by any armor plating.
    • Shots that penetrate objects suffer no damage penalty for doing so unless Armor-Piercing Ammo (though not Armor-Piercing Rounds or Drill Rounds in multiplayer) is active on the weapon. The Pistol Piercing Mod likewise will not penalize the damage of shots that pierce through objects when equipped on this weapon, despite the mod's description.
  • The Executioner does so much damage per shot that it is less affected proportionately by the damage subtraction from shooting armored enemies; however, enemy armor should still be weakened by powers like Warp or with ammo modifications if possible for maximum effectiveness.
  • The Executioner kicks significantly when fired, greatly lifting your view especially if scoped.
  • Despite its power, the Executioner doesn't compare that favorably with the Arc Pistol. The Arc Pistol's charged shots deal almost as much damage, and it can fire up to six such shots before having to reload. The Arc Pistol also has the option of rapid-firing uncharged shots to deal with weak or weakened foes to avoid overkill. The Arc Pistol is also lighter, more accurate, and much more stable. The Executioner does have the advantage of being less cumbersome to fire while sticking to cover, as well as firing penetrating shots by default, useful for defeating Guardians or armor-plated foes.
  • Like most weapons that fire powerful shots slowly, the Executioner Pistol has a high chance-per-shot of triggering the effects of ammo powers/ammo bonuses.
  • Powers can assist with landing shots if they immobilize or stun targets, or even if they merely force enemies to dodge.
  • Powers that automatically reload the active weapon such as Adrenaline Rush are useful with any low-capacity or single-shot weapon like the Executioner.

Single-player
  • As with certain other low capacity pistols, do NOT use this weapon for killing Dr. Eva on Priority: Mars. One shot is insufficient to down her.
  • The Executioner is a great weapon for squadmates. Squadmates are not affected by its weight or recoil, and they don't require a scope to be accurate. The single shot clip is also not as much of a drawback for them as it is for Shepard, because squadmates only fire in small bursts with most weapons anyway.

Multiplayer
  • If the Level V Pistol Magazine Upgrade mod is used and you are playing the N7 Destroyer Soldier with the Devastator Mode power activated, you will gain an extra shot, making the Executioner the only single-shot weapon that can have 2 shots per clip.
  • The Executioner Pistol can be quite effective in the hands of many biotic classes who can benefit from equipping Warp Rounds for massive extra damage and armor-weakening against any target hit with biotic effects. This allows them to equip the Pistol Heavy Barrel or Pistol High-Caliber Barrel plus the Pistol Scope and use the Executioner against heavy armored targets while still being able to snipe soft targets with accurate shots. As the Executioner pierces by default, Guardians and enemy armor plating are not a concern, and it also pairs nicely with the Commando Package.
  • Armor-Piercing Rounds can turn the Executioner Pistol into a devastating anti-armor weapon; Armor-Piercing Rounds IV will ignore 90% of the damage mitigation afforded by armor, and they will extend the penetration of the Executioner's rounds to 2 meters, enabling its shots to penetrate multiple foes or a considerable thickness of terrain with no damage penalty. This also eliminates the need to equip the Pistol Piercing Mod, freeing up a slot for a scope or something else.

Trivia[]

  • After the weapon is fully deployed when unholstered, a vorcha snarl can be heard.

References[]

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