The Venom Shotgun and N7 Typhoon are held back from the S-Tier because of their weights, though players can avoid some of their drawbacks by giving them to their Mass Effect 3 companions. Mass Effect 3's A-Tier weapons are the N7 Typhoon assault rifle, the Blood Pack Punisher SMG, the chargeable Venom Shotgun, the Black Widow sniper rifle, and the M-358 Talon heavy pistol. The M-920 Cain is an A-Tier ME2 heavy weapon, nicknamed the 'Nuke Launcher,' living up to that name with a ridiculously large area of effect and devastating damage. Each one is almost as powerful as Mass Effect 2's S-Tier weapons, and the M-9 Tempest and M-15 Vindicator can be found during Tali and Garrus Vakarian's recruitment missions respectively, making them great early picks. Mass Effect 2's A-Tier includes the M-15 Vindicator assault rifle, the M-9 Tempest SMG, the M27 Scimitar shotgun, and the M-92 Mantis sniper rifle. Mass Effect 1 players who can't afford the Spectre - Master Gear need to find X-ranked weapons for each category. Players looking to pack an A-Tier punch can use the Volkov X as their sniper rifle, the Armageddon Shotgun X for their shotgun, the Kovalyov X for their assault rifle, and the Karpov X for their pistol.

Each one is a powerful ME3 DLC gun that is now integrated into the Legendary Edition's retail release. In Mass Effect 3 players should pick up the Cerberus Harrier for their assault rifle, N7 Hurricane for their submachine gun, M-11 Suppressor for their heavy pistol, Reegar Carbine for their shotgun, and M-90 Indra for their sniper rifle. The Geth Plasma Shotgun's charging feature also puts it in the S-Tier, with the M-96 Mattock and M-12 Locust nabbing the top spot for assault rifles and submachine guns respectively. The M-98 Widow is among the best sniper rifles in the game, though it's only available to certain classes with the Advanced Weapon Training for sniper rifles. The Collector Particle Beam is one of Mass Effect's best heavy weapons, with a great mix of precision and power. In Mass Effect 2 there are also some clear top choices for each weapon type. Though unlocked at the VII level, unlocking the X-level gear requires the player to hit level 50, which usually requires New Game Plus. These weapons can only be bought from the Normandy or C-Sec requisitions officers, and require the player to gain a million credits before they're even unlocked. The best gear in Mass Effect 1 across the board is the level X Spectre - Master Gear.

Mass Effect 1 may have a more complicated and traditional RPG weapon system than the sequels, but that also makes its S-Tier weapons clear.

Mass effect 2 assault rifle upgrades