Sniper Rifles are the expert’s weapon of choice inMassEffect: Andromeda. On tougher settings, it’s much easier to use a shotgun, pistol, or assault rifle because the game will pour on hordes of smaller targets that excel at getting in close. Considering that platinum difficulty is the goal, this might scare amateur players away from practicing with a weapon that requires focus, time, and precision.
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But that is a mistake. While the other players might be getting more kills, the job of getting the important kills is entirely left up to the sniper. Bosses and elite enemies will devastate the group and whittling them down will not work due to shield and energy barriers. They require bursts of heavy damage, preferably headshots, in order to save the group from being torn apart. So stay clear of some tempting but underwhelming sniper rifles and grab one of the best to become the hero every squad needs.
All statistics mentioned are with maximum level weapons without any augmentations or abilities. This helps put each rifle on an even playing field.
15Widow
The nextMass Effectgame will have to respond to plenty of questions, but perhaps they should start with, “Why is the Widow still in the game?” There’s a direct upgrade, the Black Widow, and there are multiple other guns that do better than 810 damage per shot. By the way: That single shot is the only one in the magazine.
14Lanat
Andromedashould, in many ways, be recognized by the next game in the series, yet if the team chose to leave out the Lanat, there won’t be any complaints. With only two bullets in the chamber, hitting with both still only totals a paltry 825 damage.
13Isharay
It’s common knowledge that, in many respects,Andromedahas not aged well. Look no further than the mistakes on this thermal gun that overheats after every shot. The 974 damage is nothing to brag about, either, but it’s the long cooldown after firing that makes this one of the hardest weapons to defend in the game.
12Raptor
It’s hard to tell if this weapon will be one of thethings about the game that will live on to the next installment. It’s a solid sniper rifle all around without any strengths or weaknesses, though even fans of the gun would likely demand a boost from the 1,200 damage per clip stat for future versions.
11Viper
This gun likely won’t be spoken of inthe debate over whether the next game should beMass Effect 4orAndromeda 2since the Viper exists in each of them as a reliable, if unexciting, choice.
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With 1,269 damage per clip, the sniper rifle works much how it did in the original trilogy which will thrill veterans who have trained with the gun, but leave most statisticians wanting to see beefier numbers.
10Pathfinder Observer
While every other sniper rifle can be upgraded ten times, this particular weapon can only be upgraded five times, which leaves its maximum damage per clip at 1,464. It’s not an atrocity, but sincethe team will be improving uponAndromedaalready, they might as well give a little bit more juice to this weapon while they’re at it.
9Vanquisher
The Vanquisher is widely regarded as the best introductory sniper rifle in the game because it’s so well-rounded. It has four shots per magazine, an extremely high accuracy, and a lot of forgiveness in the form of extra rounds. The 1,760 damage per clip is just about right for finishing off most targets as well.
8Naladen
The 1,772 damage per clip number might not jump off of the page to any onlookers, but it should be noted that rounds fired from the Vanquisher are explosive. So expect some stagger effects and a small area of effect damage on impact.The series might very well abandon the galaxies gamers have knownentirely, but explosive rounds hopefully survive the trip to wherever they journey to next.
7M-90 Indra
Fully automatic, meet sniper precision. Gamers that want that combination will have to start and end with the Indra, as it’s the only sniper rifle capable of automatic fire in the entire game. Experts who can hit consistently through the recoil will be rewarded with 1,900 damage per clip.
6Incisor
The Incisor fires in three-round bursts and that’s fine because of the magazine size of 15 with a 2,010 damage per clip total. It’s become a go-to gun for multiplayer action as the game often sends enemies in waves and the burst fire is great at breaking through shields, armor, and energy barriers to get to enemy health.
