


Heavy pistols are one of the most useful weapons available to Shepherd and his squad, seeing most use as a backup weapon. However, it is vastly outperformed by the M-5 and has a high recoil and slower recovery time between each shot. With a base damage of 85.4, it has a higher damage output compared to the M-3, in exchange for a much smaller clip size of 6 rounds with 18 in reserve. The M-6 is the middle ground between the three heavy pistol options. M-6 Carnifex: Players will be given the M-6 Carnifex by Mordin Solus during the mission "Dossier: The Professor" so that you Shepard can find Mordin's assistant, Daniel. It only has a clip size of 6 with 24 rounds in reserve, but the base damage of 109.8 is enough to put a sizable dent in most enemies. The Phalanx's weaknesses come into play against enemies with shields, but its rounds punch through armor more easily.

The Phalanx has the damage to back up its accuracy, too. The M-5 Phalanx is one of the most accurate non-sniper weapons in the game due to its laser sight, which is more than just a graphical effect the laser sight on the Phalanx is 100% accurate, barring deflection or a random error. M-5 Phalanx: The M-5 Phalanx was originally part of the Firewalker DLC pack however, with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, all of the previous DLC weapons will be purchasable at science stations. The Predator also has an increased chance of triggering Ammo Powers, which is useful when trying to inflict a status such as Freeze or puncture shields with Disruptor ammo. With a base damage of 37.2, the Predator has the weakest damage of the available pistols but does have the highest rate of fire available in the Heavy Pistol class, and the 12 round clip size (with 60 rounds in reserve) is the game's largest clip size. M-3 Predator: The M-3 Predator is the first weapon you receive in the game you'll be tasked with finding it by Miranda when Shepard is under attack in "Prologue: Awakening" at the game's start. Related: Mass Effect: What You Must Know About the Elite Salarian STG Heavy Pistols have a relatively low rate of fire and ammo capacity in comparison to the other weapons, but also offer one of the higher damage outputs. There aren't many in Mass Effect 2, but die-hard players will definitely want to track them down. Heavy Pistols make for a great sidearm and can get you out of a sticky situation in a hurry. As such, getting the best weapon for the situation is in your best interest. Heavy pistols are one of the main weapon types available in Mass Effect 2, and one of the most widely used amongst your squad.
