When a peaceful resolution to a problem cannot be reached, then you must resort to violence. There are many conventional weapons you can use in battles, but not every squad member can use all of the weapons.

When you chose your class, you saw that you were limited to specific weapons (although you can acquire weapons training while on a specific mission near the halfway point of the story).

Team members must follow the same rules.

There are several weapon classes available to you and your team, with at least two weapon variations in each class:

• Assault Rifles: These automatic weapons strike a good balance between stopping power and accuracy. Assault rifles are commonly used by soldiers, but you can train Shepard on this weapon if the commander selects a different class.
• Heavy Pistols: These handguns are all-purpose weapons that are effective even at long range. They are the most accurate and powerful weapons outside of sniper rifles Heavy pistol clips are small, though, and need to be reloaded often.
• Shotguns: Shotguns are brute force weapons that deal tremendous damage at close range. They may have a slow rate of fire, but if a shell is delivered point blank, you may need only one squeeze of the trigger.
• Submachine Guns: Submachine guns benefit from a fast rate of fire that can chew up a target’s armor or shields. However, submachine guns are the least accurate of all weapons.
• Sniper Rifles: Sniper rifles combine long-range killing power with lethal accuracy. The trade-off is that they have a slower rate of fire.
• Heavy Weapons: If enemy strength is the question, heavy weapons are the answer. This class of weapon delivers incredible firepower, but ammo is very limited. You must constantly seek out power cells to replenish heavy weapons.

You can take only one heavy weapon on a mission. Visit the Normandy armory to choose your loadout.

Rapid-fire guns such as submachine guns and assault rifles are less accurate than other weapons, but reliably inflict damage.

Please click to enlarge

Call up the Weapon Wheel to select the current weapons for you and your squad. Monitor the situation and adjust for the enemy.

All weapons can overheat after firing multiple times. When a weapon overheats, you must switch to another or rely on alternative attacks, such as biotic powers or...