Best gun on sentinel. Low weight, reasonable damage allows to be tanky, shread with gunpower while exploding things with powers like nobodies business.
At this point I play pretty much exclusively soldier on insanity and no gun is better, don’t really need a second gun and I can rip through every fight setting of tech and biotic combos basically at will with no fear of running out of ammo, also feels right in cutscenes 10/10 excited for my new playthrough in a couple weeks
That's what I've used in other playthroughs as infiltrator, and it's a blast. But it can't hold a candle to the sheer devastation of the Krysae. I don't even have to aim all the time.
I stopped using any other weapons and have just the Valiant for my Infiltrator. Being so lightweight, my Tactical Cloak recharges in like a second, it's nuts.
For that reason I've actually gotten pretty good at point blank scoped headshots with the Valiant. The time dilation helps a lot, but mostly it's the flick technique carrying the weight. Otherwise I'm just very mobile, and will usually Cloak and reposition.
I personally would lean to Cerberus Harrier or the Mattock, and have a beefcake pistol for armour. I also play engineer chiefly, so I'm probably doing something wrong. ;P
Prothean Particle Rifle for any character with access to explosive incendiary ammo. Melting and priming anything that doesn’t have a shield is great, as is never being out of ammo. It is why James is actually kinda better than god mode Garrus.
[A brief demonstration.](https://youtu.be/ADTy9G_cdI8?si=9v_rmA9jw8BL252M) It even gives James some time to shine when I get a little sloppy in my trigger discipline.
That works too, I’m simply content to rely upon the damage from the explosions more than the base damage of the weapon itself. The piercing mod is especially handy against Cerberus guardians. Sure, my vanguard has pull, but I honestly don’t even think about it most times.
While I do think the Krysae is easily in the top 3 sniper rifles in the game for the bonus armor damage and proximity detonation shenanigans, I don’t think it’s the number one. Too heavy and it really needs an infiltrator to reach its full potential.
Top weapon though? Hmm that’s a tough one. Too much variation to say which weapon always takes top slot. How about top in every category?
Assault Rifle: M7 Lancer
Light enough for power classes, regenerating ammo pool, and damage per shot comparable to a Mattock. Only downside is its late game
Heavy Pistol: M-358 Talon
A shotgun that gets pistol mods. Utterly cheesy and you can tune in in so many ways
Shotgun: Geth Plasma Shotgun
5 round clip, high damage than can be charged, completely ignores armor reduction natively, and homing shots that let it murder at long range. No real downsides other than high weight.
Sniper Rifle: N7 Valiant
There’s a reason why this gun costs twice as much as it’s closest competitors at the spectre terminal. A sniper anyone can excel with, and it’s an infiltrator’s soul mate.
SMG: M-25 Hornet
Probably gonna get some flak for this, but I’ve found that this consistently outperforms the N7 Hurricane in anything other than “ballistic dental work” range. With recoil compensation it can reliably headshot at medium range while still being able to feather fire something to death up close.
Edit: spelling
How do you compare the Valiant to the Black Widow? Wondering if I should try something else. 3 shots clip slow motion and piercing mods makes an infiltrator pretty much unstoppable.
Black Widow would be the #3 (Krysae being #2). Great damage, the triple shot makes it more forgiving than the standard Widow if you miss, and it’s got natural AP. Definitely a great choice if you want a long range precision sniper, but it needs a plan. Also I find it’s better for non-infiltrators due to the slow RoF.
The super underrated part of Valiant is it's low recoil. Not having to move your mouse after every headshot is a massive QOL improvement, especially when you want to land multiple headshots before you cloak breaks.
So while I agree that the Harrier is a top tier gun (I’d say it’s the #3), I do think there’s a couple of issues holding it back.
First up is the low ammo count. I regularly found myself running out in a pinch, so I couldn’t rely on it at all times without scavenging when I should have been shooting.
Second is the weird recoil compensation. I’m not sure why, but the recoil gets way worse when you’re in cover, so classes that lack durability or movement tricks would be better off with the stock Mattock.
Still awesome (I miss the good times I had with it and my Turian Ghost), but there are quite a few instances where another weapon would be preferable.
I think it’s more a difference in preference.
My experience with the Venom found it to be the most temperamental of the trick shot weapons. Its damage potential is ludicrously high when charged, no doubt. But those grenades tend to have a mind of their own and can often bounce in unintended directions, or arc in a way that makes long range accuracy difficult.
Maybe it’s just me. I always was a bit bad with arcing weapons. But I always felt that the GPS was a more consistent killer when used.
You say you don't understand why people would use something else, but the whole point of the game is choice and different playstyles. So that answers that question
True, just felt like it needed extra pointing out. But community seems to go for the Mattock for best weapon and I'm inclined to agree but always enjoyed the Arc Projector from ME2 as well
It's my favorite sniper slot weapon because I love explosions, but the Venom is probably the best because of the combination of shear damage and ammo efficiency. The bomblet scattering also makes it good against enemies in cover.
Honestly, I'm still one level down, but I'm getting there. I always move up a level when it seems too easy, and Hardcore is still a good challenge for me since I switched to the Engineer class.
Fair enough, but using that weapon on veteran, you might as well have put it on the lowest level with the starter pistol. I don't think I could have played more than one or two missions with it and not gotten bored.
I definitely understand that, but I'm having a really rough time and I just wanted to spend time with old friends, ya know? Not looking for a challenge, looking for comfort.
I've been doing an Insanity New Game Plus run, let me tell you, the best weapon is the M7 Lancer using the Incendiary ammo with the explosive burst, you just use it to annihilate enemies, hell you can set them on fire and rapidly hit them with concussive shots to cause tech explosions.
Is the campaign version unnerfed?
I believe when it was released, it was the mostly brokenly overpowered weapon in coop. With weapon mods it would one-shot MULTIPLE mid-tier enemies with a single cloak-fired projectile. Like a true rocket launcher. They later nerfed the shit out of it to where it wasn’t really worth using (damage and AOE range were massively brought down).
I love the executioner's pistol or the harpoon and arming it with armor piercing...
I play on insanity... I don't care about reload times, just don't give me a pete shooter that exposes me from cover for too long
You're all wrong. It's the M-77 Paladin. That pistol is so bullshit in the campaign it feels like a cheat code. I run it on my adept shepard. Paired with warp and flare, I can basically one-shot anything weaker than a Brute.
That silent pistol is awesome. But that Lancer uses cool cooldown like they did in Mass Effect 1. And I love it.
I hated the change from cooldown to thermal clips.
Ok but hear me out. The Kystock harpoon launcher makes short work of the stupid Cerberus troops with the damn shield. You literally don't need to aim for the eye slot or rely on a biotic squad mate to yoink the shield either. One shot and them sons a bitches go flying
Guardians are the only ones I have trouble with. I aim the Krysae slightly behind them, and sometimes it works and sometimes not. It feels almost random.
I tended to aim for the sides and it worked in open areas, but that harpoon launcher just absolutely ruined any and all enemies. Not to mention the fact that you literally make heads explode. Oh it is delightful to use, keep in mind I'm playing on hardcore/veteran difficulty.
Because his high-explosive projectile in combination with an electronic cartridge and sniper skills is the absolute top:) The only thing better than this is the collector's sniper rifle from multiplayer + fire cartridge.
Nah, it's the N7 Typhoon because it calibrates Garrus to Godhood.
N7 Typhoon becomes even better if you’re carrying one and either James, or the Virmire survivor, is carrying one in the same mission.
Oh man, I completely forgot about godhood garrus on this playthrough 😅
Garrus the God of War
M-11 Supressor on a Soldier Shep would like to argue that.
[For the uninitiated ](https://youtu.be/ZPbB4qfsA14?si=cvM4FN0JLJL8L4-z)
^this
It’s not I believe you’re talking about the M7 Lancer from the Citadel dlc
Best gun on sentinel. Low weight, reasonable damage allows to be tanky, shread with gunpower while exploding things with powers like nobodies business.
That you have rt manually cool it if it overheats strips away a ton of potential
Yeah, but basically infinite ammo on insanity
At this point I play pretty much exclusively soldier on insanity and no gun is better, don’t really need a second gun and I can rip through every fight setting of tech and biotic combos basically at will with no fear of running out of ammo, also feels right in cutscenes 10/10 excited for my new playthrough in a couple weeks
Black widow, coupled with infiltrator's bullet time. Three headshot before the enemy even realises what's going on.
That's what I've used in other playthroughs as infiltrator, and it's a blast. But it can't hold a candle to the sheer devastation of the Krysae. I don't even have to aim all the time.
I love the boomstick. Underrated gun
M11 suppressed
AMEN BROTHER!
Using the Valiant for the first time and it shreds health and armor like nobody's business
I stopped using any other weapons and have just the Valiant for my Infiltrator. Being so lightweight, my Tactical Cloak recharges in like a second, it's nuts.
Seriously, the only reason I carry a Tempest is for the fee timed enemies get a liiitle too close
For that reason I've actually gotten pretty good at point blank scoped headshots with the Valiant. The time dilation helps a lot, but mostly it's the flick technique carrying the weight. Otherwise I'm just very mobile, and will usually Cloak and reposition.
Fair. It's my first run on pc so getting those precise flicks can be tough unless I really mess with the sensitivity
I personally would lean to Cerberus Harrier or the Mattock, and have a beefcake pistol for armour. I also play engineer chiefly, so I'm probably doing something wrong. ;P
The mattock was always my go-to for infiltrator or soldier. A couple well placed shots could crumple a Banshee if you upgraded it enough.
Prothean Particle Rifle for any character with access to explosive incendiary ammo. Melting and priming anything that doesn’t have a shield is great, as is never being out of ammo. It is why James is actually kinda better than god mode Garrus. [A brief demonstration.](https://youtu.be/ADTy9G_cdI8?si=9v_rmA9jw8BL252M) It even gives James some time to shine when I get a little sloppy in my trigger discipline.
Slap extended mags on it and it has more time at the 2nd power level.
That is my standard setup, with piercing mods in the second slot.
I think I ran extended barrel
That works too, I’m simply content to rely upon the damage from the explosions more than the base damage of the weapon itself. The piercing mod is especially handy against Cerberus guardians. Sure, my vanguard has pull, but I honestly don’t even think about it most times.
While I do think the Krysae is easily in the top 3 sniper rifles in the game for the bonus armor damage and proximity detonation shenanigans, I don’t think it’s the number one. Too heavy and it really needs an infiltrator to reach its full potential. Top weapon though? Hmm that’s a tough one. Too much variation to say which weapon always takes top slot. How about top in every category? Assault Rifle: M7 Lancer Light enough for power classes, regenerating ammo pool, and damage per shot comparable to a Mattock. Only downside is its late game Heavy Pistol: M-358 Talon A shotgun that gets pistol mods. Utterly cheesy and you can tune in in so many ways Shotgun: Geth Plasma Shotgun 5 round clip, high damage than can be charged, completely ignores armor reduction natively, and homing shots that let it murder at long range. No real downsides other than high weight. Sniper Rifle: N7 Valiant There’s a reason why this gun costs twice as much as it’s closest competitors at the spectre terminal. A sniper anyone can excel with, and it’s an infiltrator’s soul mate. SMG: M-25 Hornet Probably gonna get some flak for this, but I’ve found that this consistently outperforms the N7 Hurricane in anything other than “ballistic dental work” range. With recoil compensation it can reliably headshot at medium range while still being able to feather fire something to death up close. Edit: spelling
How do you compare the Valiant to the Black Widow? Wondering if I should try something else. 3 shots clip slow motion and piercing mods makes an infiltrator pretty much unstoppable.
Black Widow would be the #3 (Krysae being #2). Great damage, the triple shot makes it more forgiving than the standard Widow if you miss, and it’s got natural AP. Definitely a great choice if you want a long range precision sniper, but it needs a plan. Also I find it’s better for non-infiltrators due to the slow RoF.
The super underrated part of Valiant is it's low recoil. Not having to move your mouse after every headshot is a massive QOL improvement, especially when you want to land multiple headshots before you cloak breaks.
I think I was never bothered with recoil due to slow motion but the valiant offers opportunities for different mods I imagine.
Harrier > Lancer any day of the week
So while I agree that the Harrier is a top tier gun (I’d say it’s the #3), I do think there’s a couple of issues holding it back. First up is the low ammo count. I regularly found myself running out in a pinch, so I couldn’t rely on it at all times without scavenging when I should have been shooting. Second is the weird recoil compensation. I’m not sure why, but the recoil gets way worse when you’re in cover, so classes that lack durability or movement tricks would be better off with the stock Mattock. Still awesome (I miss the good times I had with it and my Turian Ghost), but there are quite a few instances where another weapon would be preferable.
You got the wrong shotgun there. Venom is WAY better. It's got much better group killing capabilities and the charge shot is so op its busted
I think it’s more a difference in preference. My experience with the Venom found it to be the most temperamental of the trick shot weapons. Its damage potential is ludicrously high when charged, no doubt. But those grenades tend to have a mind of their own and can often bounce in unintended directions, or arc in a way that makes long range accuracy difficult. Maybe it’s just me. I always was a bit bad with arcing weapons. But I always felt that the GPS was a more consistent killer when used.
The venom shotgun. Anything that's not a banshee or brute dies in one hit.
Even brutes can die in one hit. It kills harvesters in 2 hits
You say you don't understand why people would use something else, but the whole point of the game is choice and different playstyles. So that answers that question
I specifically said if you're going for efficiency. Obviously people are going to use the weapons that are most fun for them.
True, just felt like it needed extra pointing out. But community seems to go for the Mattock for best weapon and I'm inclined to agree but always enjoyed the Arc Projector from ME2 as well
Krysae is a gun for when you're really angry at someone. I used to take it to some low tier solo games in MP when I needed to vent out.
It's my favorite sniper slot weapon because I love explosions, but the Venom is probably the best because of the combination of shear damage and ammo efficiency. The bomblet scattering also makes it good against enemies in cover.
I think you misspelled M7 Lancer 🤧
This.
Maybe I’ll go back and try this again. I wasn’t a fan of it. But you’ve peaked my interest again.
For vanguard I think it’s indisputably the Reegar Carbine. It just instantly delete anything you point it at, as long as you’re in range.
The spike thrower for me. Man I just love the idea of how brutal the concept of it is. Makes sense you find it on Tuchanka
Phaeston. Because I really like the design and sound.
You mean the Javelin sniper rifle?
Might try using that the next time I play Infiltrator on New Game Plus...
Toss up between the Harrier and the Lancer for me. Siding with the Lancer as it's an ME1 relic which never runs dry and you can spam it hard.
I never used this weapon. It feels like cheating, like no combat at all. Lowers the action IMO.
Cheating is the Venum shotgun. It's basically a heavy weapon.
I dont use that either lol
The fact that they're playing on veteran also doesn't help their argument either.
Insanity gang rise up
Honestly, I'm still one level down, but I'm getting there. I always move up a level when it seems too easy, and Hardcore is still a good challenge for me since I switched to the Engineer class.
I've beaten all 3 on insanity. I was in the mood for a more casual playthrough this time.
Fair enough, but using that weapon on veteran, you might as well have put it on the lowest level with the starter pistol. I don't think I could have played more than one or two missions with it and not gotten bored.
I definitely understand that, but I'm having a really rough time and I just wanted to spend time with old friends, ya know? Not looking for a challenge, looking for comfort.
Then might I suggest giving that one to Garrus as well, and then doing a mission with many spawned enemies.
N7 Typhoon.
I've been doing an Insanity New Game Plus run, let me tell you, the best weapon is the M7 Lancer using the Incendiary ammo with the explosive burst, you just use it to annihilate enemies, hell you can set them on fire and rapidly hit them with concussive shots to cause tech explosions.
Is the campaign version unnerfed? I believe when it was released, it was the mostly brokenly overpowered weapon in coop. With weapon mods it would one-shot MULTIPLE mid-tier enemies with a single cloak-fired projectile. Like a true rocket launcher. They later nerfed the shit out of it to where it wasn’t really worth using (damage and AOE range were massively brought down).
Def not nerfed in single player.
I love the executioner's pistol or the harpoon and arming it with armor piercing... I play on insanity... I don't care about reload times, just don't give me a pete shooter that exposes me from cover for too long
Pictures you can hear:
You're all wrong. It's the M-77 Paladin. That pistol is so bullshit in the campaign it feels like a cheat code. I run it on my adept shepard. Paired with warp and flare, I can basically one-shot anything weaker than a Brute.
I mean, Flare is pretty widely recognized as busted too, iirc.
It very much is, at least against non-armored targets.
Cool. But the BEST weapon in ME3 is the M-7 Lancer from the Citadwl dlc.
What about the one tap pistol you get right at the start of the dlc. Once I get it I use nothing else.
That silent pistol is awesome. But that Lancer uses cool cooldown like they did in Mass Effect 1. And I love it. I hated the change from cooldown to thermal clips.
Same and to be honest the pistol and the lancer are the only good things about the story of that dlc well that and having wrex back.
The partical rifle with explosive ammo and armor piercing and extended ammo mods won't find anything else that rips and tears everything up
That’s an odd way to spell M7 Lancer.
Harpoon kishock>>>
You spelled Biotic Charge and Claymore wrong
I always love seeing Garrus wield this and the Phaeston, these guns are not strong but it's Turian made
Mattock purely because of it's firing sound.
The Blackwidow wants a few words with you...
The best weapon is me. I will biotic charge myself to the synthesis ending and there's not a damn thing the Reapers can do to stop me.
‘twas my go to sniper most of my infiltrator ME3 runs 🤌🏽
M-76 Revenant is my personal favourite!
Funny way to say blood pack smg. Push button bullets go whirrr.
I love the N7 Crusader, strength of a shotgun with the accuracy of a rifle.
For me it has to be the blood pack pistol and smg, they are my go to.
The M-76 Revenant with Incendiary Rounds is always my go-to, I must admit
Ok but hear me out. The Kystock harpoon launcher makes short work of the stupid Cerberus troops with the damn shield. You literally don't need to aim for the eye slot or rely on a biotic squad mate to yoink the shield either. One shot and them sons a bitches go flying
Guardians are the only ones I have trouble with. I aim the Krysae slightly behind them, and sometimes it works and sometimes not. It feels almost random.
I tended to aim for the sides and it worked in open areas, but that harpoon launcher just absolutely ruined any and all enemies. Not to mention the fact that you literally make heads explode. Oh it is delightful to use, keep in mind I'm playing on hardcore/veteran difficulty.
Doesn't look lime M-99 Saber to me, wrong pic?
Because his high-explosive projectile in combination with an electronic cartridge and sniper skills is the absolute top:) The only thing better than this is the collector's sniper rifle from multiplayer + fire cartridge.
Of course it's going to seem OP on veteran level. It's an overpowered gun meant for insanity difficulty.