20 Best Weapons in Mass Effect: Andromeda (And How To Get Them)

Your main objective in BioWare’s 2017 action-RPG is to explore and settle the Heleus Cluster as a Pathfinder for the Andromeda Initiative. But there’s a lot of enemies separating you from these lofty goals.

To effectively deal with these pests, you’ll need the best weapons at your disposal.

That said, weapon choice is greatly affected by playstyle and other subjective factors. Especially considering there are no longer class-specific weapons like in previous Mass Effect games.

Well to help you find the right weapon for your Ryder let’s dive in and check out my ranking below. I’ll also show you exactly how to get each weapon along the way.

20. Sidewinder

How to get: The Sidewinder requires 125 Milky Way Research Data (MWRD) along with an Omni-Gel Canister, Berillium, Nickel, and Vanadium to be developed. Alternatively you can buy one from the Arms Dealer or Relia Ythos on the Market in Kadara.

Newly developed in the Nexus, this semi-automatic gun is favored by the intrepid Asari Peebee as her weapon of choice.

It’s classic yet refined aesthetic is the definition of a futuristic revolver, and it works as you’d expect.

Versatile, reliable, and available from very early on in the game, the Sidewinder is the safe choice for up and coming Pathfinders.

19. Carnifex

How to get: The Carnifex doesn’t need to be researched, as it’s available from the moment you unlock the Research Center. To develop it, you’ll just need the materials – Omni-Gel Canister, Iron, Lithium, and Element Zero. It’s also being sold by the Merchant at Prodromos, on Eos.

Previously known as the M6-Carnifex, this semi-automatic pistol is precise, fast-firing, and easy to handle.

Its name comes from the Latin word for “Butcher”, and you’ll realize how it got the name pretty fast as you mow down your enemies.

18. Vanquisher

How to get: Invest 125 MWRD at the Research Center for the blueprints, then develop it by spending an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Nickel, and Vanadium. Alternatively, buy it from the Arms Dealer or Relia Ythos on Kadara, or the Quartermaster at the Resistance HQ.

If you’re still on the fence about whether you like sniper rifles in this game, the Vanquisher is a great option that you’ll get fairly soon in your adventure.

Not only is this semi-automatic gun precise, but it’s versatile and hits pretty hard.

Plus it has massive ammo reserves in comparison to other sniper rifles, so you don’t have to worry much about wasting bullets while honing your skills.

17. N7 Piranha

How to get: Getting the blueprints for the N7 Piranha will cost you 125 MWRD. Developing it adds an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Lithium, and Vanadium on top of that. It’s also sold at the Buy/Sell Kiosk on the Tempest.

If you’re the kind of player that doesn’t mind getting up close and personal with enemies, consider the N7 Piranha.

It’s a fully automatic shotgun that’ll burn through enemy HP if they’re foolish enough to get in its effective range.

16. Reegar Carbine

How to get: Developing the Reegar Carbine will cost you 125 MWRD along with an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Fluorite, and Element Zero. Alternatively, buy it from Supply by Cal at Port Meridian.

Despite being called a “carbine”, this short-range weapon of Quarian design is actually a sort of shotgun which weaponizes electricity by ionizing the air in front of the barrel.

Like with the N7 Piranha, you’ll have to get close to the action for it to be any good, but it’s incredibly powerful against shields – and it’s also fully automatic.

15. Revenant

How to get: The Revenant costs 125 MWRD, along with an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Cadmium, and Element Zero to develop.

As a general rule, the faster you can put bullets in something, the faster it dies – and the Revenant has one of the highest fire rates in the game, let alone assault rifles.

And it has a massive clip size to keep the spray going for a while.

It’s the choice of a bloodthirsty warlord rather than a soldier, and sometimes that’s what you need on the battlefield.

If you can handle a bit of recoil, this weapon will shred in your adept hands.

14. N7 Valiant

How to get: The N7 Valiant has a total R&D cost of 150 MWRD, an Omni-Gel Canister, Graphite, Nickel, and Vanadium.

This semi-automatic sniper rifle is among the rarest weapons in the game, and it’s one of the in-game bonuses included in the N7 Collector’s Edition Pack of Mass Effect: Andromeda.

While the Valiant is as powerful as any sniper rifle needs to be, what it really excels at is accuracy and stability.

It can even be fired from the hip effectively if you’re close enough, which can get you out of sticky situations coupled with its high rate of fire.

13. Talon

How to get: Like most others on the list, the Talon requires 125 MWRD to be researched. You’ll also need an Omni-Gel Canister, Graphite, Nickel, and Element Zero to develop it.

Originally the M358 Talon, this slow-firing pistol is actually more of a shotgun, considering it has a short-range and scatters multiple projectiles.

It’s ideal for Vanguard-focused builds that can get close to enemies, as this weapon will reliably stagger any foe that gets hit with the entire spread.

This even includes heavy fighters like Eirochs, which can become stagger-locked and go down without so much as touching you.

12. Naladen

How to get: The Naladen is researched by spending 150 Heleus Research Data (HRD) at the Research Center, then developed by spending Kett Alloy, Scale Fibers, Nickel, and Vanadium.

This semi-automatic sniper rifle is unique in that every bullet it fires carries a small payload that’ll blow up on impact for massive AoE damage.

This makes it ideal both for far-away groups and enemies huddled together behind cover.

Precision targeting coupled with this much stopping power isn’t something you see every day.

11. Equalizer

How to get: As a Remnant weapon, the blueprints for the Equalizer cost 125 Remnant Research Data (RRD). Once you have that, it’ll cost you Remnant Polymer, Magnesium, Nickel, and Vanadium to develop.

As the weapon with the second-highest DPS in the entire game, the Equalizer is devastating if you’re willing to risk close-quarters combat.

It will melt down your enemy’s shields and turn them into mush in no time flat.

Take into account that, while this energy weapon doesn’t need to reload, it can overheat during sustained shooting, so keep an eye on that.

10. Krogan Hammer

How to get: The Krogan Hammer costs 125 MWRD for research, and an Omni-Gel Canister, Iron, Lithium, and Element Zero for development. It can also be bought from Krogan merchants in New Tuchanka.

Despite looking more like a part of heavy machinery than a weapon, the Krogan Hammer is one of the most heavy-hitting weapons Ryder can get his/her hands on.

It uses mass effect fields to power-up your swings on impact, creating a blast that knocks enemies back with great force and causes massive damage.

It’s a tad slow, but if you’re a Vanguard-focused Pathfinder that can Charge for the first strike, this almost guarantees a kill.

It’s a must-have.

9. N7 Eagle

How to get: Get the N7 Eagle’s blueprints by spending 150 MWRD at the Research Center. It costs an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Lithium, and Element Zero to develop. You can also find it among the Arms Merchant’s wares in the Nexus’ Common Area.

The Desert Eagle is such a ubiquitous weapon in both cinema and gaming, it even got a futuristic version in Mass Effect: Andromeda.

With the accuracy and handling of a pistol but bullets that hit like a high-speed train, this beautiful weapon makes a great choice against armored foes.

8. Kett Carfalon

How to get: The Kett Carfalon costs 125 HRD to research, and developing it requires Kett Alloy, Copper, Cadmium, and Vanadium.

Another amazing melee weapon is the Kett Carfalon, which not only inflicts massive damage but provides shield recovery to your Pathfinder.

This giant sword’s handle injects the user with stimulants with each strike, effectively making you hit harder with each consecutive hit. It’s very powerful, and an incredibly cool concept.

7. Scorpion

How to get: Research the Scorpion by spending 125 MWRD at the Research Center, then develop at the cost of an Omni-Gel Canister, Graphite, Lithium, and Element Zero.

This semi-automatic pistol is a bit like a handheld grenade launcher, as every shot it fires is a very small sticky grenade.

Not only does it provide nice extra damage, but any enemy running back to their allies becomes a suicide bomber in service of the Initiative once hit.

6. Asari Sword

How to get: The Asari Sword is researched by spending 150 MWRD at the Research Center. It costs an Omni-Gel Canister, Beryllium, Fluorite, and Vanadium to develop.

A lot of people first overlook the Asari Sword due to its less-than-stellar damage per hit.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg with this futuristic Katana.

Thanks to its Invulnerable Biotic Blink ability, you can close the distance with your enemies in a jiffy without risk of being damaged.

Keep doing this from enemy to enemy and you’ll be like The Bride in that one scene from Kill Bill.

5. M-25 Hornet

How to get: The Hornet’s blueprints are available at the Research Center at the cost of 125 MWRD. It needs an Omni-Gel Canister, Copper, Fluorite, and Element Zero to be developed.

Considering the Hornet’s insane rate of fire, it feels a bit inappropriate calling it a pistol rather than an SMG.

This bullet-pumping speed coupled with decent damage gives it one of the highest DPS in the game.

This massive damage potential makes it a great candidate for the Beam Emitter augmentation, which takes away 80% of the damage but completely removes recoil and makes it fully automatic, effectively making it a continuous laser.

4. Remnant Cryo-Gauntlet

How to get: Research the Cryo-Gauntlet at the Research Center at the cost of 150 RRD, then develop it for an Omni-Gel Canister, Beryllium, Fluorite, and Vanadium.

While all melee weapons in Mass Effect: Andromeda are solid choices, the best one has to be this super-cooled Remnant fist, which freezes enemies on contact.

Not only does this let you abuse them with no danger to your person, but it’s also ideal for getting out of sticky situations by temporarily disabling enemies.

3. Black Widow

How to get: Get the Black Widow by spending 150 MWRD on research, and an Omni-Gel Canister, Beryllium, Lithium, and Element Zero on development. Alternatively, buy it at the Kadara Market from the Arms Dealer/Relia Ythos, or your Buy/Sell Kiosk on the Tempest.

This semi-automatic sniper rifle is a modified version of the Widow with simply stupid damage per shot, of which it can fire three before you need to reload.

If you can make them count, that generally means three kills per clip.

2. Dhan

How to get: The Dhan can be researched at the cost of 150 HRD, then developed by spending Kett Alloy, Scale Fibers, Nickel, and Vanadium.

Despite being classified as a shotgun, most people agree the Dhan is closer to an assault rifle, as it fires a single heavy slug rather than a spread of pellets.

If it lands, your enemies will feel as if they were just run over by a truck.

Regrettably it moves pretty slowly, so it can be hard for it to land.

To unlock its full potential you’d do well to get a Seeking Plasma augmentation to make its shots slightly target-seeking, effectively solving the problem.

1. N7 Valkyrie

How to get: This has a total R&D cost of 150 MWRD, an Omni-Gel Canister, Iron, Lithium, and Element Zero. It can also be bought from Supply by Cal at the Atrium on Port Meridian.

In its default version, the Valkyrie is a competent two-round burst weapon with great precision and damage.

However it only shows its true potential when outfitted with an Automatic Fire System augmentation, which turns it into a stable, heavy-hitting meat grinder of a weapon.

Its default clip size is a bit low for effective fully-automatic use, but add a Bio-Converter on top of that to trade 5% health for a full clip and you’ll never run out of bullets – as long as you can keep your health up.