There is no possibility of predicting what comes next in Mass Effect: Andromeda. Gamers can try their best, but the enemy types, their spawn points, and their units are on an unseen wheel that keeps spinning. How does one go about preparing for something that can't be forecasted? It seems enigmatic, but the answer is actually quite simple: Bring an assault rifle.

RELATED: Mass Effect 5: 10 Ways It Can Improve Upon Andromeda

Assault rifles, by design, are a jack-of-all-trades kind of weapon. But they are hardly masters of none. Andromeda has an extensive armory of assault rifles at the player's disposal and they've each got their own personality. Some shoot beams, others mimic sniper rifles, and many are closer to SMGs. The right one will differ based on personality and playstyle, but there is a general idea among the community regarding which rifles are pretty great and which ones are better off collecting dust.

Statistics cited in this article are based on max-level guns without upgrades so that players can have a nice apples-to-apples comparison.

16 M-8 Avenger

Mass Effect Andromeda M 8 Assault Rifle In Game Menu

It's been a precipitous fall from grace for the Avenger, which has made the cover over more than one Mass Effect game. The next game in the series has a lot to answer for, but maybe a good starting point would be to figure out why the game's most signature weapon has a worst-in-game 1,560 damage per clip and nothing to redeem it otherwise.

15 Pathfinder Pioneer

Mass Effect Andromeda Pathfinder Pioneer Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The next installment in the series will surely pull several elements from this game, but if it keeps the Pioneer, it really needs to rethink the gun's limitations. The three-round erratic burst and 1,944 damage per clip are bad enough, but the gun is capped at five upgrades instead of the usual ten, capping its ceiling way too low for it to be viable in battle.

14 M-96 Mattock

Mass Effect Andromeda M 96 Mattock Assault Rifle In Game Menu

As players notice that Andromeda looks weaker as time goes on, it seems that formerly incredible guns from the trilogy have been sucked into that same whirlpool. Gamers used to love this gun despite its slow firing rate because of its accuracy. The precision is still there, but the damage is all the way down to 2,260 damage per clip with a magazine takes forever to get through.

13 Thokin

Mass Effect Andromeda Thokin Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The Thokin's tooltip states that the rounds are slightly magnetized to help with accuracy, but this flavorful description is not present in practice, where it's one of the most inaccurate assault rifles available. The 2,280 damage per clip is still fairly low, even if players do land every single shot (which is unlikely). Fans will be happy to see that new aliens will have an impact on the next sequel, but they can leave this creation of theirs at home.

12 L-89 Halberd

Mass Effect Andromeda L 89 Halberd Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The good news is that the L-89 was invented to improve on the Maddock's design, which it does in just about every facet. The bad news is that at 2,646 damage per clip, it's still just not enough firepower to regularly bring into fights. As developers think about whether the next game should be more Mass Effect 4 or Andromeda 2, if the latter camp wins out, they should continue to make improvements on this semi-automatic model.

11 Zalkin

Mass Effect Andromeda Zalkin Assault Rifle In Game Menu

It turns out that humans aren't the only ones in love with the three-round burst fire. The Zalkin delivers 2,808 damage per clip for a steady and reliable source of damage.

RELATED: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets You Never Knew About The Making Of Mass Effect: Andromeda

The next Mass Effect game will undoubtedly have to improve over its predecessor, and the Zalkin is an easy tweak or two away from getting its very own personality in combat.

10 Sovoa

Mass Effect Andromeda Sovoa Assault Rifle In Game Menu

There is a good chance that future games in the series will abandon both galaxy clusters players have come to know, but hopefully, they take some exciting technology with them. The 3,020 damage per clip is solid, but it's the steams of electrified bolts that make it a niche gun for players that like to fire while on the run.

9 M-37 Falcon

Mass Effect Andromeda M 37 Falcon Assault Rifle In Game Menu

Gamers looking for a grenade launcher have arrived at their destination. The 3,360 damage per clip number is middle-of-the-road, but consider that the grenades can bounce off of walls and floors, have a medium-sized area of effect, and only detonate when they come to a stop or when making contact with a target. That's a lot of perks over alternative launchers.

8 Cyclone

Mass Effect Andromeda Cyclone Assault Rifle In Game Menu

This gun is good when mastered and the 3,700 damage per clip stat is impressive enough. On a reload, the gun does take an extra second to warm up, which can throw even seasoned veterans off, but for those who like to use two weapons equally, this is a natural primary choice.

7 Sweeper

Mass Effect Andromeda Sweeper Assault Rifle In Game Menu

If ammo is a problem on other three-round burst guns, then give the Sweeper a fair shake. It works on a thermal system and can "reload" simply by not shooting, giving anyone who uses it an infinite supply of ammunition. Even when fired until it overheats, the 3,920 damage per charge is on the high end.

6 Revenant

Mass Effect Andromeda Revenant Assault Rifle In Game Menu

There aren't nearly enough fully automatic assault rifles, which is why the Revenant is such a breath of fresh air.

RELATED: Mass Effect 4: The Pros And Cons Of Meeting Shepard

It's got all the usual recoil and accuracy issues that come with being an automatic weapon, but the 4,440 damage per clip stat means that even landing most shots results in a high probability of enemy fatalities.

5 X5 Ghost

Mass Effect Andromeda X5 Ghost Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The Ghost is a real trip. The 4,725 damage per clip is great, so using it as a normal assault rifle will still yield an above-average performance. But get this, the accuracy actually increases when the trigger is squeezed for longer. So those who want an incentive to shoot lots of bullets at once have their dream gun right here.

4 Sandstorm

Mass Effect Andromeda Sandstorm Assault Rifle In Game Menu

This is where things start getting wild. The 7,000 damage per clip is over 2,000 higher than the last entry on this list and it only goes up from here. It's the only assault rifle in the game with a built-in scope, so as a semi-automatic weapon, the damage actually makes it better suited as a sniper rifle than most sniper rifles.

3 P.A.W.

Mass Effect Andromeda PAW Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The P.A.W. is a thermal weapon that needs no ammunition and only needs a few seconds to cool off between streams. It fires a beam that deals up to 7,620 against enemies that can't dodge the stream. It's accurate, almost too accurate; players will need to keep the beam on their opponents, but with the top-notch damage of the gun, even if half of the burst hits, most enemies aren't going to survive.

2 N7 Valkyrie

Mass Effect Andromeda N7 Valkyrie Assault Rifle In Game Menu

Now damage per clip has broken five digits with 10,370 on the Valkyrie. The gun does a two-round burst and doesn't fire as quickly as one would expect an assault rifle to, but it's wickedly accurate and the sweet damage totals mean that the slow fire rate is a non-issue.

1 Soned

Mass Effect Andromeda Soned Assault Rifle In Game Menu

The Soned is a two-handed minigun-style heavy assault rifle that lives for the spray-and-pray battles. The recoil is high and unwieldy, but the rate of fire is ludicrous and the clip size is massive. Its 10,375 damage per clip is the best in the game, making it so even bosses will deplete their shields, barriers, armor, and health after one good close volley from the Soned.

NEXT: Mass Effect 4 Needs To Bring Back Andromeda's Best Feature, But With A Twist