For gamers who haven't played Mass Effect Andromeda yet, now is as good a time as any. The game has settled in at under $30, but even this price disappears with EA Play subscribers who get the game as part of the package. And now given that Xbox Game Pass is doing business with EA, the game might even appear on that subscription before too long. But players that wait too long might watch the price go up again as demand increases before the release of the next big Mass Effect installment.
While the initial reviews were poor, the reviews among players have improved over time and part of this is thanks to the highly addictive cooperative multiplayer. Customizing character classes and weapons while working together to accomplish objectives is a rewarding team experience. Some might be disappointed that their favorite class should only wield a pistol, but many of these pistols hit harder than sniper rifles and fire faster than assault rifles. There's something for every kind of build, don't give up on pistols entirely after using a bad one.
Any statistics on this list are for max level weapons with no additional upgrades so that each gun has an even playing field.
15 M-3 Predator
They say that those who can't say something nice shouldn't say anything at all, but somebody has to speak up about this pathetic gun. While Mass Effect 4 has its hands full with questions to answer, it would be nice to know what happened to this gun, a former staple of the trilogy. It's now the lowest damage per clip at 870 and easily the weakest pistol in the game with nothing unique about it.
14 Sidewinder
Mass Effect 4 should do its best to integrate Mass Effect Andromeda into the story, but the community will be fine if they leave the Sidewinder behind. Aside from spare ammo and fire rate, the gun is a straight-up downgrade from the Carnifex, and, at 942 damage per clip, it's less than half of that gun's DPS. Why it's Peebee's favorite gun is anyone's guess.
13 N7 Hurricane
Those who believe that Mass Effect Andromeda looks worse as time goes on might be staying loyal to inferior weaponry. The N7 Hurricane labels itself as "Ultra Rare" and yet is outperformed across the board by common weapons. The 1,480 damage per clip is bottom tier, but it gets worse when considering this fires like an SMG and has a terrible recoil, so players will run out of ammo frequently.
12 Ushior
No entry on this list is more loved and hated at the same time than the Ushior. Many hope that the pistol, along with the alien race that made it, makes its way into the next game. Others wouldn't mind never seeing it again. Its single-shot damage is higher than any other pistol and higher than most sniper rifles. But it only has two rounds per magazine which brings its damage per clip down to 1,538.
11 Charger
Liam's "trusty" Charger leaves a lot to be desired. It's weak, inaccurate, and has a damage per clip of only 1,600, and that's assuming that every bullet finds its mark.
If the next Mass Effect game will be improving on this game in certain ways, beefing up the Charger will be a good place to start.
10 M-5 Phalanx
There is a case to be made for the next Mass Effect game to leave behind both galaxies the series has touched on, but there would be some real sentimental value lost if they didn't bring along the M-5 Phalanx. It's average at 1,692 damage, but the laser target is a nice touch and the improved accuracy gives it its own fan club.
9 Rozerad
If the games get their own TV show, it would be awesome if the Rozerad made an appearance. Its damage per magazine is a solid 1,820, but the best part is how it goes through the magazine. The gun's fire rate increases the longer the trigger is squeezed, which is a cool effect even if it does chew through more ammo than it should.
8 Talon
Don't be fooled, the Talon looks like a cute little pistol, but it functions identically to a shotgun, right down to bullet spread and firing rate. It's made for a close weapon specialist, but at 1,988 damage per clip, each shell hits hard, and not many enemies will survive for very long against it.
7 Scorpion
The Scorpion has virtually identical statistics to the Talon, but instead of being a shotgun disguised as a pistol, it's a sticky grenade launcher disguised as a pistol. The area of effect is small but just wide enough to give it an edge over the Talon because of the potential to take out multiple opponents at once.
6 M-25 Hornet
This pistol fires in three-round bursts, which gives it the nod over other pistols that try to be SMGs by keeping the recoil to a minimum.
With 2,088 damage per clip, the M-25 Hornet deserves the stinging reputation that it had when Cerberus first manufactured it.
5 N7 Eagle
Players are rightfully prone to ignoring the 2,112 damage per clip on this pistol because of the high fire rate. But they should check and see how the recoil is next to nothing. The bullet spread gradually increases, but for those who fire in steady bursts, this favorite from the original trilogy might be their favorite in Andromeda again.
4 Pathfinder Ranger 2400
It's a little less easy to control than the N7 Eagle, but the extra damage and clip size gives it an even 2,400 damage per clip. It's a handy device for multiplayer as enemies will be constantly trying to close the gap and this ruins their day when they attempt to do so.
3 Carnifex
The Carnifex is the best pistol that behaves like a pistol. The stopping power of this gun and it's massive 2,488 damage per clip makes it a threat both up close and far away. For players that like to carefully line up their shots and need to be effective at any range, this is the sidearm that most players will swear by.
2 Equalizer
It's hard to measure the Equalizer due to its infinite clip size, but those who fire it without letting it recharge will get 3,021 damage out of it before it overheats. That's an incredible number. The range of the beam is fairly short, but with this damage, it likely won't matter and the infinite ammo makes it so hunkering down behind a box for the entire game is a viable strategy.
1 Silhesh
It's an honest guess that the people who designed this weapon weren't on the same page. One person thought they were designing a pistol so they gave it big damage and virtually no recoil. The other person thought they were making an SMG, so they gave it a huge magazine capacity and lightning-fast rate of fire.
The result is a whopping 5,250 damage per clip, so far above any other pistol in the game that it's not even close. Veterans of the game can solo the platinum difficulty with this gun at their side. It's outlandishly powerful.