In Mass Effect, an assault rifle is often your best friend… besides all of the alien crewmates you spend all your free time hanging out with on the Normandy. I got some bad news for you though. That M-8 Avenger you spent your entire first playthrough upgrading and going back to again and again isn’t that good. If you want to get the upper-hand against the reapers, and feel like a badass while you tear them apart, then I recommend you pull out one of these three assault rifles that absolutely shred the competition.
3. M-76 Revenant (Kicks like a mule but hits like a truck)
This gun takes 'spraying n' praying' to a whole new level!
The M-76 Revenant is a strange gun for a Mass Effect game. While many of the “best” assault rifles in the game are accurate sniper-hybrids, the M-76 Revenant is more like a light machine gun.
For players looking for a gun that will shred everything in their way and allow them to hold their own if enemies get too close, the Revenant is a solid choice. I often found myself shredding high-health enemies faster than with any other gun in the game, and I was able to do it from the safety of cover too.
The Revenant boasts one of the highest ammo capacities in the game, which it needs because of how inaccurate it can be compared to its peers. This assault rifle is best for laying down suppressing fire or spraying down any enemies unfortunate enough to peak at you. Let me be the first to warn you that this gun will feel very weird at first, since it slows your movement speed to what feels like a crawl, and isn’t the most accurate gun, but the Revenant holds the crown for highest DPS (damage per second) of any assault rifle, making it well worth a try, warts and all.
What the M-76 Revenant excels in:
- Mowing down enemies In a hurry!
- Providing suppressing fire
- Spraying and praying
How to get the Revenant:
- The Revenant can be found on the mission Priority: Citadel II, inside the C-Sec locker room
- If you miss it on that mission you can buy it from Kassa Fabrication
M-76 Revenant details:
- A revenant is thought to be a spirit come back to life to fulfill a certain duty or task
2. Particle Rifle (All-around good rifle that never requires a reload)
The closest you'll get to using a fossil as a weapon.
I feel bad putting a DLC weapon on this list because, well frankly, it’s a kind of lame tactic publishers use, but the Particle Rifle is so good that I couldn’t in good conscience leave it off. The Particle Rifle is one of the best weapons in Mass Effect 3, and features one of the most unique designs of any gun in the series.
The rifle uses an overheat feature instead of ammunition, like how the original Mass Effect handled weapons. Because of this, the Particle Rifle fires a beam that never really requires a reload if you use it correctly and don’t overheat it. What I like best about the gun, however, is that it is perfectly accurate, meaning it will always fire exactly where you are aiming. Just note that it does have a finite range, and anything beyond it will have no effect on your target, making you feel like a guy pointing a laser pointer at someone and not a space commando with ancient alien tech.
The Particle rifle is best when you are able to hold down the trigger and let that baby heat up a bit. You see, the rifle deals drastically more damage about 3 seconds after firing, and so if you are able to train it on an enemy for long enough, it can melt even the strongest of enemy types. On top of this, the gun is exceptional for clearing out a room of low health enemies with little fuss.
What the Particle Rifle excels in:
- Clearing the room of low-health threats
- Focusing fire on an imposing enemy
- Highly accurate shooting without the need for reloading
How to get the Particle Rifle:
- The Particle Rifle is pretty straight-forward to unlock, you simply need to complete the mission Priority: Eden Prime as part of the “From Ashes” DLC and the gun will be yours
Particle Rifle details:
- The gun is a Prothean relic and considered highly advanced in the Mass Effect universe
- The Particle Rifle shares similarities with the Collector’s particle beam weapon, both mechanically and technologically
1.Saber (High-damage single shot Rifle)
If you see a Saber pointing at you... Run!
The M-99 Saber is inarguably the hardest hitting rifle per shot in Mass Effect 3, but what makes it the best? That would be its sniper-like accuracy, allowing for players to pull off multiple headshots with ease. The Saber allows you to control the battlefield from range, and there aren’t many enemies in the game that will be able to challenge you from that distance.
On lower difficulties the Saber is able to take down targets with only one or two well-placed shots, and on higher difficulties headhunting players will still be rewarded with plenty of one shot kills if you have the accuracy to pull it off.
The M-99 Saber’s only weakness is its low rate of fire, which admittedly limits the gun’s effectiveness from close-range. Since this assault rifle is at its best when you are a good distance away and able to take your time, I would carry a shotgun or SMG in case things end up getting up close and personal.
What the M-99 Saber excels in:
- Long-range battles
- Taking down enemies with a lot of health
- Landing critical damage on enemies with a weak spot
How to get the Saber:
- The Saber can be found during the mission “Priority: Horizon”. The assault rifle is often missed by players not looking for it so keep your eyes peeled for it!To find it, look for a room after the tram which is locked. Near the door is a hologram that reads “Pod - manual override” and if you return to the door the gun will be inside.
M-99 Saber details:
- The name Saber derives from the word “sabre”, which was a curved sword used by cavalry throughout the 17th and part of the 18th century
