Venom Shotgun

The Venom Shotgun is a shotgun in Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Mass Effect 3

Venom Shotgun
Type	Shotgun
Location	Groundside Resistance Pack
Fire Mode	Charged Semi-Automatic
Weight	75%
Capacity	15%
Fire Rate	10%
Damage	75%
Accuracy	50%
Ammunition
Clip Size	4
Reserve	12
Type	Shotgun
Location	Multiplayer Store with Reckoning Pack
Fire Mode	Charged Semi-Automatic
Weight	75%
Capacity	15%
Fire Rate	10%
Damage	75%
Accuracy	50%
Ammunition
Clip Size	4
Reserve	12

Description

The Venom shotgun was developed by the salarian Special Tasks Group to meet the unpredictable needs of those stationed in hostile areas. The double barrel fires ammunition that detonates on impact, while a third barrel below can be charged to fire a round of microgrenades. Given the covert nature of most STG assignments, the Venom was designed to force an exit strategy and was issued to teams whose primary objective was to extract compromised undercover operatives. The shotgun is now issued to frontline soldiers in the war against the Reapers.

Acquisition

Singleplayer

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

Multiplayer

Weapons are randomly rewarded through purchases of item packs. The Venom Shotgun is categorized as ultra-rare and requires Mass Effect 3: Reckoning to be installed.

Player Notes

• Singleplayer
• Multiplayer

Singleplayer

• Treat the Venom like a grenade launcher. It has two firing modes:
  • Uncharged - fires one explosive round on a shallow trajectory that detonates on impact.
  • Charged - fires a high damage explosive round on a shallow trajectory that separates into five bomblets on impact, which in turn detonate after a very short delay. Squadmates will only fire uncharged shots when armed with this weapon, making it a poor choice for them overall.
• Charging a shot or holding a charged shot can be interrupted by walking or climbing over uneven terrain. Going over any drop or even going downhill slightly can cause a charged or charging shot to be fired. Climbing up or over an obstacle won't release a shot but will reset the charge, as will taking cover.
• The Venom's charged shots deal viciously high damage even on Insanity difficulty with the proper loadout, and the explosive multi-projectile nature of the munitions circumvents enemy shield gates. At level X, with the Shotgun High Caliber Barrel mod equipped and the right ammo power active, a single charged shot from the Venom that hits its mark can instantly kill tough enemies like Brutes and Phantoms, and three to four charged shots can easily take down Atlases, Geth Primes, Adjutants, Harvesters and Banshees. The area damage of charged shots is also devastating to tightly packed groups of weaker enemies.
• The Venom's main disadvantage is its weight. Even after upgrading the Venom to level X, it remains heavier than many other shotguns such as the M-11 Wraith. You may not want to have other weapons equipped to enjoy the bonus to power recharge speed.
• With a weight capacity of fifty combined with a level 5 Shotgun Ultralight Materials mod, a level X Venom can be carried with no penalty to cooldown times. A second weapon can usually still be carried with little or no penalty as long as it is a light pistol or SMG also with ultralight mods. Power heavy classes can thus use the Venom as a primary weapon if they are able to rely more on their powers and squadmates for dealing with common enemies and use charged Venom shots to take out more difficult foes.
• The Venom's other major disadvantage is a lack of accuracy at range. While some shots will fly almost perfectly towards the crosshair, others will deviate quite a bit. Large, slow targets such as Atlases and Brutes can still be easily hit at long range, but for moving targets or those with small or narrow profiles such as Banshees and Phantoms, it's better to be close to the target and also to aim at the feet to avoid wasting ammunition.
• Charged shots can be used to bombard groups of targets at range, or attempt trick shots exploiting walls and ceilings to rain bomblets against enemies that took cover. You can also flush targets out of cover by firing it to the side of where they're hiding, and letting the spread do the work.
• Because the Venom Shotgun fires explosive-based rounds, ammo powers and weapon mods that enhance penetration serve no purpose. The Venom Shotgun is not capable of penetrating armor or armor plating, even with an armor penetrating mod, such as the Shotgun Shredder Mod, Shotgun High-Velocity Barrel, or Armor-Piercing Ammo. However the sheer explosive force of the charged shots is nonetheless capable of severely damaging armored targets or targets with armor plating or physical shields such as Guardians.
• Charged shots can blow enemy bodies into scraps to prevent Cannibals from consuming them and restoring their armor. This effect even works on Kai Leng, though his body will still be intact for his final cutscene.
• The Venom Shotgun does not benefit from bonus headshot damage. Due to the explosive nature of the projectiles, headshots are not possible with this weapon. There is no benefit gained from or for using powers with this shotgun that increase headshot damage.

Multiplayer

• This weapon has 2 firing modes:
  • Uncharged - fire one explosive round on a shallow trajectory to target that detonates on impact.
  • Charged - fire one round on a shallow trajectory to target that separates into three bomblets on impact, which in turn detonate.
• Charged shots can be used to flush targets out of cover by firing it to the side of where they're hiding.
• A charged shot's powerful explosive nature can blow enemy bodies into scraps. This can be used to prevent Cannibals from having a corpse to consume for their armour plating.
• Treat the Venom as a grenade launcher. Using charged shots you can bombard groups of targets at range, or attempt trick shots exploiting walls and ceilings to rain bomblets against enemies that took cover.
• Because the Venom Shotgun fires explosive-based rounds, ammo consumables and weapon mods that enhance penetration serve no purpose. The Venom Shotgun is not capable of penetrating armor, even with an armor penetrating mod or ammo consumable, such as the Shotgun Shredder Mod, Shotgun High-Velocity Barrel, Armor-Piercing Rounds, or Drill Rounds.
• The Venom Shotgun does not benefit from bonus headshot damage. Due to the explosive nature of the projectiles, headshots are not possible with this weapon. There is no benefit gained from or for using powers, gear, or consumable equipment with this shotgun that increase headshot damage.
• The Shotgun Spare Thermal Clip is recommended to enhance the Venom's capacity and the Shotgun High Caliber Barrel to increase the damage of the shotgun.
• The Venom's main disadvantage is its weight: even after upgrading the Venom to level X, it remains considerably heavier than other shotguns such as the M-11 Wraith. Players reliant on tech and/or biotic powers should note this weight penalty.
• The Venom is a very effective solution to enemy Phantoms. A well-placed shot can stagger the Phantom, leaving her wide open to any of your other attacks. When placed in the hands of a class with Overload or Energy Drain, skillful use of the Venom can swiftly shut down this normally wily enemy.
• Be aware of the stagger effect on your teammates - it can significantly disrupt the work of snipers and other accuracy-dependent classes, reducing overall team effectiveness.

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Venom
General Info
Category	Shotguns
Rarity	Rare
Tech Type
Mod Slots	2
Base Stats
Damage	233-369
Rate of Fire	80
Max Clip Size	5
Max Ammo	25-31
Accuracy	25-31
Weight	45-23
Base Stats
Damage	352-422
Rate of Fire	80
Max Clip Size	5
Max Ammo	25-31
Accuracy	25-31
Weight	45-23
Bulwark
Damage Resistance (1 Ally): 15-25 Damage Resistance (2 Allies): 22-37 Damage Resistance (3 Allies): 30-50
Siphon
% Damage Returned as Health: 3-3.75 % Heal Bonus per kill: 4.5 Kill Streak Duration (s): 7 Max. Kill Bonus: 3

Description

This powerful semi-automatic shotgun fires explosive rounds and-after a short charging period-unleashes clusters of microgrenades that rebound off obstacles. The salarian Special Tasks Group designed the Venom for missions into hostile territory and extraction operations.

Features

The Venom is unable to use a Shotgun Receiver Mod.

Like all grenade-launching weapons, the Venom does not have a Concussive variant.

Strategies

There are only four Mods for shotguns. The Venom can't use a Shotgun Receiver Mod, so there is no point in adding a Double Mod Extension augmentation to the Venom to add 2 extra mod slots.

Stats

• Singleplayer
• Multiplayer

Singleplayer

Rank	Damage	Rate of Fire	Max Clip Size	Max Ammo	Accuracy	Weight
I	233	80	5	25	25	45
II	248	80	5	26	27	43
III	263	80	5	26	28	40
IV	278	80	5	27	29	38
V	293	80	5	28	29	35
VI	309	80	5	28	30	33
VII	324	80	5	29	30	30
VIII	339	80	5	30	31	28
IX	354	80	5	30	31	25
X	369	80	5	31	31	23

Multiplayer

Rank	Damage	Rate of Fire	Max Clip Size	Max Ammo	Accuracy	Weight
I	352	80	5	25	25	45
II	360	80	5	26	27	43
III	368	80	5	26	28	40
IV	375	80	5	27	29	38
V	383	80	5	28	29	35
VI	391	80	5	28	30	33
VII	399	80	5	29	30	30
VIII	407	80	5	30	31	28
IX	415	80	5	30	31	25
X	422	80	5	31	31	23

Development

Rank	Research Cost	Omni-Gel Canister	Beryllium	Cadmium	Vanadium	Augmentation Slots
I	125	20	100	50	10	0
II	140	30	110	50	10	3
III	155	30	130	60	20	3
IV	170	30	140	70	20	3
V	185	40	160	80	20	3
VI	200	40	170	80	20	3
VII	215	40	180	80	20	3
VIII	230	40	190	90	20	3
IX	245	50	190	90	20	3
X	260	50	200	100	20	3
Total	1925	370	1570	750	180	N/A