Heavy Weapons are a class of weapon designed to deal destruction greater than conventional means. These weapons typically damage through all types of protection but suffer from high power consumption, making their usage situational but devastating given the right conditions.
Heavy weapons are available to all player classes in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect 2[]
Rather than the universal thermal clips utilized by smaller weapons, heavy weapons consume power cells that can be found on missions. Finding these power cells is the only way to regain heavy weapon ammunition after expending it, unlike the ammunition for the other standard weapons types which is refilled automatically between missions. As they do not utilize clips, heavy weapons can be fired continuously and require no reloading.
Heavy weapons have higher damage potential relative to the other weapon classes especially as most of them are capable of dealing damage in an area or hitting multiple enemies per shot. The area damage properties of several of the heavy weapons enables them to indirectly hit targets obscured by cover or terrain. Two of the heavy weapons, the M-920 Cain and the M-490 Blackstorm, are capable of damaging enemies directly through intervening cover or terrain.
Heavy weapons receive no upgrades or research to increase their damage like the other weapon classes do, only upgrades that improve power cell capacity, increasing the number of shots that can be fired. Heavy weapons also receive no benefit to their damage from other sources such as powers (e.g. Adrenaline Rush), ammo powers (e.g. Incendiary Ammo), or armor pieces.
Some of the heavy weapons will cause damage to Shepard or the squad regardless of difficulty setting especially if fired at point blank range. The three heavy weapons that can cause "friendly fire" damage are the M-100 Grenade Launcher, the ML-77 Missile Launcher, and the M-920 Cain. Squadmates may complain that Shepard is hitting them with friendly fire if they are in the field of fire or close proximity when Shepard is firing with any weapon, though they will do this regardless of whether they're actually taking damage or not.
All of the heavy weapons in Mass Effect 2 have a longer switching animation than other standard weapon types. This extra time applies both to unlimbering the weapon and for putting it away or "holstering" it. Shepard's movement speed is also slowed considerably during the switching animations.
The ML-77 Missile Launcher, M-622 Avalanche, and M-920 Cain are researched within the Normandy SR-2's tech lab upon acquisition of enough Heavy Weapon ammunition upgrades; the others can be found during missions or are obtained from DLC. In Mass Effect Legendary Edition all DLC is included in the base game; the Arc Projector is now available by default, and the M-490 Blackstorm is purchasable from Harrot's Emporium on Omega.
Heavy Weapon Models[]
Below is a list of heavy weapon models and their base stats:
- Manufacturer: Armax Arsenal
- Base Damage: 350
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.25 / x1.25 / x1.25
- Power Cells: 15
- Acquisition: Research Project
- Manufacturer: Elanus Risk Control Services
- Base Damage: 500
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.25 / x1.25 / x1.25
- Power Cells: 10
- Acquisition: Prologue: Awakening
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base Damage: 15
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.35 / x1.15 / x1.15
- Power Cells: 500
- Acquisition: Zaeed: The Price of Revenge
- Manufacturer: Wegner Arms
- Base Damage: 500
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x3.00 / x3.00 / x3.00
- Power Cells: 5
- Acquisition: Terminus Weapon and Armor DLC, Legendary Edition: Harrot's Emporium
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base Damage: 50
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x8.00 / x8.00 / x8.00
- Power Cells: 20
- Acquisition: Research Project
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base Damage: 10,000
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.00 / x1.00 / x1.00
- Power Cells: 100%
- Acquisition: Research Project
- Manufacturer: Cerberus
- Base Damage: 400
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x2.00 / x2.00 / x3.00
- Power Cells: 10
- Acquisition: Cerberus Network, Legendary Edition: Default starting weapon
- Manufacturer: Collectors
- Base Damage: 20
- Damage Multipliers (Armor / Barriers / Shields): x1.00 / x1.5 / x1.5
- Power Cells: 500
- Acquisition: Horizon (mission)
Upgrades[]
- Heavy Weapon Ammo 1 - 7 (Microfusion Array)
- +15% heavy weapon ammo capacity
Mass Effect 3[]
In Mass Effect 3, heavy weapons are no longer available to be equipped at the armory. Instead, they are picked up on the battlefield and thrown away after their limited ammo has been depleted. Despite the scarcity of heavy weapons, however, they remain exceedingly powerful, with some capable of destroying the toughest enemies instantly or eliminating whole enemy squads at once.
In the single-player campaign, switching weapons will cause the heavy weapon to be dropped. It can be picked up at a later time (provided it still has ammunition). Saving should be done while holding the heavy weapon, as it will be lost on load if the save is performed after tossing the heavy weapon to the ground.
In multiplayer, the weapon will be replaced on the player's back.
Heavy Weapon Models[]
Below is a list of the types of heavy weapons in Mass Effect 3. Note that WCFDA stands for weight, capacity, fire rate, damage, and accuracy. The relevant values for those statistics are presented in that order.
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 50 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single shot
- Default ammo: 1 / 2
- Acquisition: Multiplayer
- Manufacturer: Geth
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 200 / 0
- Acquisition: Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons
- Manufacturer: Geth Armory
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 65 / 35
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 200 / 0
- Acquisition: Rannoch: Admiral Koris, Priority: Rannoch1
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 100 / 100 / 50 / 25
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 250 / 0
- Acquisition: Attican Traverse: Krogan Team
- Manufacturer: Systems Alliance
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Tuchanka: Bomb, Priority: Thessia, Priority: Earth, Despoina: Leviathan, Omega: Aria T'Loak (Mass Effect 3)
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation, Tuchanka: Bomb, Kallini: Ardat-Yakshi Monastery, Priority: Geth Dreadnought, Priority: Cerberus Headquarters, Priority: Earth
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single Shot
- Default ammo: 100% / 0
- Acquisition: Priority: Earth
- Manufacturer: Reapers
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 1 / 1 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Single Shot
- Default ammo: 1 / 0
- Acquisition: Priority: Palaven, Tuchanka: Turian Platoon, Mahavid: Leviathan
- Manufacturer: Quarians
- Base WCFDA: 0 / 0 / 10 / 100 / 100
- Fire Mode: Target Lock
- Default ammo: NA / NA
- Acquisition: Priority: Rannoch
1 Categorized as a heavy weapon in single-player; is an assault rifle in multiplayer
Mass Effect: Infiltrator[]
Heavy Weapon Models[]
Below the exclusive heavy weapon available in the mobile game Mass Effect: Infiltrator. This heavy weapon can be acquired and upgraded via the in-game store in exchange for credits.
The M-333 Particle Beam is an experimental focused radiation weapon of Cerberus manufacture, based on Collector technology reverse-engineered in covert offworld labs. Precise and lethal, the M-333 is effective against shields and barriers but less effective against armor.
- Manufacturer: Cerberus
- Base damage : NA/NA
- Fire Mode: Automatic
- Ammunition: Heat mechanism
- Acquisition: Store (Mass Effect: Infiltrator)
Trivia[]
- In Mass Effect Galaxy, the protagonist Jacob Taylor is able to use a heavy weapon attack which is a rocket launcher that can be upgraded at the end of a mission.