Mass Effect 3's weapons DLC (UPDATED!)

So there's the first DLC you have to pay for (aside from From Ashes). Here's what I think of it. (Now with updates, since I've had the chance to play more of the game with these weapons.)

The Blood Pack Punisher is the new weapon that I'm getting the most out of at the moment (mostly because "at the moment" happens to be "just starting the game with an Adept, or finishing Act 1 with an Infiltrator"). If your other weapon is a sniper rifle or a pistol - a super-accurate gun with a low firing rate - you'll probably want this SMG. It has a fairly large spread, but it also has a nice damage output. The drawback is the weight, but slap an Ultralight Materials mod on there to mostly negate it.

(Holy crap this gun is overpowered. Seriously, I'm running around with it as my Soldier's primary weapon right now. Adrenaline Rush + maxed out Incendiary Ammo = dead Brute, really, really quickly.)

The Geth SMG functions like a cross between the Geth Spitfire heavy weapon and the Prothean Particle Rifle? It's an interesting concept, and its accuracy is welcome for an SMG.

And on a side note, when are they gonna give us a geth pistol? Or are pistols tactical weaknesses?

But this gun has a major drawback: it's not very powerful. And while 600 shots may seem like a lot, it took me about 60 to bring down a Cerberus trooper on normal difficulty. (Now granted, this was with an Adept on Mars, who thus had no weapon damage bonuses from either class stats or armor. I believe I had Vega's Squad Incendiary Ammo going, but honestly that penalized bonus is tiny.) It does become noticeably more powerful after the first 50 shots, but any class that needs the weight benefit of this gun versus the Prothean Particle Rifle doesn't have the durability to stay out of cover for that long. My advice: stick a scope on it, and have your Vanguard use it as a weak long-range weapon.

This brings us to the M-90 Indra, an automatic sniper rifle. Or as I call it, an assault/sniper hybrid. Honestly, if you took the scope off this thing and put it on the Mattock, those two weapons would switch classifications. Because its individual shot damage is so low, I can't recommend it for Infiltrators who like using Tactical Cloak for the weapon damage bonus. However, if, say, your soldier pairs it up with the Falcon (grenade launcher), it basically covers the drawbacks of that weapon. (Or, your Soldier could pair the Blood Pack Punisher with the Falcon. Because that gun is crazy. And lighter.)

The Krysae Sniper Rifle is the second-best sniper rifle in the game. (The Javelin is first and will continue to be first until they make a sniper rifle that can not only see and shoot through walls but also shoot, I don't know, dragons that then incinerate your enemies for you.) Your Infiltrator will love this gun (unless you have a very, very unorthodix Infiltrator playstyle). It has low clip capacity and a long reload time, but those are the ony weaknesses.

(Er, actually it also has this weird gimmick where the shot takes a moment to hit the target, and also it can't punch through walls. I'm using it as the other half of my Soldier's loadout until better weapons unlock later in the game. We'll see.)

The Reegar Carbine is a flamethrower that shoots electricity instead of fire. It gobbles up ammo like nobody's business and it has a very short range. It's not a dispersion issue; it just won't damage anything beyond about ten feet. Your Vanguard will probably love it (and it goes in the shotgun slot, so if you evolved your Vanguard for more shotgun damage, you'll get an extra boost). The rest of the classes need to leave this one on the rack.

(My Vanguard loves this, although the Shredder mod mechanics seem a bit... off.  The reload time is a bit of a snag, too, since I'm used to the Eviscerator and this one reloads like the Disciple or the Spike Thrower.)

None of my Shepards happen to be anywhere near Act Two right now, so alas I didn't get to test the Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle on its prey of choice (and it's too heavy for my Infiltrator to use my preferred strategy). Still, it's pretty good against turrets.

(Did the Geth Dreadnought mission with this thing. I only died once during the Main Battery section, which has got to be a record. Whether that's because I'm getting better at the most frustrating level in the game or because of this gun, I can't say.)

As for the Cerberus Harrier, I understand it's a multiplayer favorite, but it's not really my cup of tea. This is mostly because when it comes to assault rifles, I've already got the Falcon, the Prothean Particle Rifle, or the M-76 Revenant, and those three pretty much cover all my needs.

(Yeah, I touched this once and decided it wasn't worth it.)

Is it worth your money? It's a weapons pack. This means that, unlike new missions, you can use them anytime during your playthrough. Unless you're a pistols-only guy, in which case there's nothing for you, chances are you'll find something useful here. For example, even though I personally like neither of the assault rifles, I'm doing a few missions with a Soldier who has a Falcon Blood Pack Punisher and an Indra. (The Falcon's not new, but it eats up your assault rifle slot, and the Indra can fill both the assault rifle and sniper rifle roles.)

I expect Infiltrators and Vanguards will probably get the most out of this pack, Infiltrators with the Krysae and Vanguards with the Reegar. And every class that uses SMGs will like the Punisher. But that's just my opinion.