This is an attempt to bring several assault rifles and most submachine guns in-line with the Cerberus Harrier, on Insanity Difficulty. It is not an attempt at re-balancing or balancing these weapons. It is not an attempt to change the play style of any of these weapons or introduce new play styles with these weapons. Most importantly, I implemented this mod as a learning experience.
Ruminations and Rambling
This mod uses the Cerberus Harrier and Insanity difficulty as baseline.
Note that the stat bar value for the Harrier's rate-of-fire is bugged. It shows a very low rate-of-fire because no value is provided for the property used for this UI element. This mod corrects this bug.
A significant advantage for the Cerberus Harrier is that it does not require a stability mod or a scope to accurately hit targets at mid range or even long range. When aiming the Harrier is extremely accurate. Thus it can be equipped with both penetration and damage mods without sacrificing damage because of poor accuracy or recoil.
Insanity and Hard Core difficulty levels are the focus of this mod. Most weapons are viable for Insanity difficulty, meaning a player can complete the game using them. However, some weapons are more effective than others … some by a country mile. Of the weapons this mod touches only the Locust is what I would consider not viable for Insanity difficulty. (See below for details.)
Players will experience the improvements most keenly on non-armored targets. The updated weapons will chew through shields and health just as well as the Harrier and depending on the situation they may 'feel' slightly ahead of the Harrier. That said, even on Insanity difficulty, most shielded enemies aren't particularly challenging. Several SMG's, though improved with this mod, are still weak compared to most assault rifles, especially the Harrier, against armored enemies. Mostly due to their relatively small base damage, shorter ideal range and the fact that SMG's cannot equip both damage and penetration mods. Generally speaking, the higher the fire rate a weapon has, the weaker it will be against armored targets. See Wiki notes below on how armor impacts damage.
Stating the obvious, the weapons benefit significantly from armor sets with a lot of weapon damage modification against armored enemies. This keeps the weapons relatively weaker in the hands of power classes, (that favor power damage and power regen bonuses), when attacking armored enemies.
This mod does not change the 'weight' of any weapons. If players want to more easily access weapons without worrying about power regen penalties I suggest taking a look at mods that address weight penalties including one I've made available: WiredTexan's Weapon Weight Penalty Remover (LE3)
I would prefer to add these weapons as additional weapons to the game rather than over-writing the existing weapons. Unfortunately the process is not as straight-forward as adding copies of armor to the game and it requires significantly more work. Still, it's something on my bucket list, just real low on the list.
Effects of Armor on Damage to Enemies
Taken from the Wiki on ME3 Combat Mechanics:
Moreover, armor reduces weapon damage. Although it cannot negate such damage completely, armor generally reduces any incoming weapon damage by an absolute amount:
- Narrative/Casual/Normal/Bronze: -15 damage
- Hardcore/Silver: -30 damage
- Insanity/Gold and Platinum: -50 damage
Keep in mind that the level I base damage numbers for SMG's range from an extreme low of 16 on the Geth Plasma SMG to a high of 63 on the Bloodpack Punisher, this is before the Insanity damage reduction is applied. This is why SMG's feel like they are doing no damage against armored targets. For comparison, the Cerberus Harrier's base damage at level I is 106. The best weapons to go after armored targets with are, in order: sniper rifles, heavy pistols and then shotguns.
This mod's most effective SMG's against armored targets are, in order, the: Punisher, Locust, Hurricane and Hornet. If the player can take advantage of the Punisher's AP round, it's the best SMG against armored targets. The Locust is almost identical to the Cerberus Harrier against armored targets.
Testing
Testing was done using level 5 weapons with level 2 and level 5 mods. Default N7 and Hahne-Kedar armor was worn to juxtapose no weapon damage mods vs +40% weapon mods.
Initial testing, learning and sanity checking occurred in the Spectre firing range. In the firing range difficulty level does not appear to have an effect on a weapon's base damage. Narrative and Casual difficulty levels do appear to eliminate accuracy and recoil modifiers, except for targets outside of a weapon's 'ideal range'.
Game play testing was performed in the Priority: Horizon mission on Insanity difficulty.
Terminology
Accuracy - Accuracy as players perceive it is not a single number, in fact it would take a significant document on the topic to explain it moderately well. Accuracy is a combination of modifiers: recoil, 'aim error', 'rate of fire', 'ideal range', difficulty level, and other factors some of which we don't have easy access to. Most importantly we need to keep in mind that accuracy does effect dps.
Aim - Shooting using right-click aiming, with or without a scope.
Burst - Several weapons in the game are 'burst' weapons. This refers to a mechanic where more than one round is fired, in sequence, with a single press of the trigger. An example would be the M-4 Shuriken with it's 6 round burst.
Damage - Is a number that generically refers to the damage of each round. (For some weapons this may be modified in code, in ways we only understand through observation). The damage value consists of two numbers: one for level I and one for level X. The game engine extrapolates damage values for levels II to IX. Keep in mind that increasing base damage is not necessarily a 1-for-1 increase in dps. Rarely it can be more than 1-for-1.
DPS - Damage per second is what most players think of when evaluating a weapon's damage. It is effected by a variety of factors including base damage, accuracy, rate of fire, 'ideal range', difficulty level, armor and weapon mods, player skill and others.
Ideal Range - consists of two numbers: a minimum and a maximum. It's one of many modifiers that affects accuracy and damage. Generally speaking there are three groups: short, mid and long range with several exceptions.
- Shotguns and SMG's: 300-2500
- Assault Rifles and Pistols: 300-4000
- Sniper Rifles: 2000-5000
Shoot-from-the-hip - Shooting without using right-click aiming, with or without a scope.
Assault Rifles
Usually mid-range weapons.
M-96 Mattock (The Harrier's ancestor)
Comparison: The Mattock's base damage is 40% lower than the Harrier's at level I and 36% lower at level X. Interestingly the Mattock's accuracy while aiming is significantly lower than the Harrier's. Rate-of-fire is, aside from being one round per trigger pull, also lower.
Modification: Made base damage identical to the Harrier's.
N7 Valkyrie
Comparison: Base damage is 33% lower than the Harrier at level I and 30% lower at level X. The Valkyrie is also significantly less accurate than the Harrier when shooting from-the-hip and when aiming.
Unique Feature: The Valkyrie uses a 2 round burst.
Modification: Increased base damage by 30%.
M7 Lancer
Comparison: The Lancer's base damage is 30% lower than the Harrier at level I and 40% less level X. This means the Lancer gets farther behind the Harrier as the weapons level. The Lancer is also significantly less accurate when shooting-from-the-hip and when aiming. The Lancer is a great weapon it's just a bit weaker in dps than the Harrier.
Unique Feature: The Lancer doesn't use ammo, but a hybrid heatsink mechanic. As long as the player doesn't hit the heat limit they won't need to 'change clips'.
Modification: Increased base damage by 25%. Increased 'magazine' size by 25%.
M-8 Avenger
Comparison: The Avenger's base damage is 175% lower than the Harrier's at level I and 169% lower at level X. The Lancer does not use ammo and has a base damage ~110% greater than the Avenger, otherwise the two weapons are nearly identical. The Lancer effectively nullifies the Avenger. Players who love the Avenger's aesthetics should be happy with this update.
Modification: Increased the Avenger's base damage to match the modified Lancer's base damage.
M-76 Revenant
Comparison: The Revenant's base damage is ~123% lower than the Harrier's at level I and ~118% lower at level X. Surprisingly, the Revenant's rate-of-fire is insignificantly faster than the Harrier's. It is also significantly less accurate than the Harrier when shooting-from-the-hip or aiming.
Modification: Increased base damage by 50% and increased it's rate-of-fire emphasizing the Revenant's reputation as a "spray and pray" weapon. Slightly improved accuracy when aiming.
M-15 Vindicator
Comparison: The Vindicator's base damage is ~54% lower than the Harrier's. Accuracy is significantly worse than the Harrier when shooting-from-the-hip, however it matches the Harrier's extreme accuracy when aiming. A great weapon that is just a bit behind the Harrier in dps.
Unique Feature: The Vindicator uses a 3 round burst.
Modification: Increased base damage by 40%, improved aim slightly when shooting-from-the-hip.
Submachine Guns
Usually short-range weapons, they have the same ideal range as shotguns. This mod increases the 'ideal range' for all SMG's to the Locust's 'ideal range', from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
Another disadvantage SMG's have to AR's is that they cannot equip both penetration and damage mods. They take up the same slot on SMG's.
Most SMG's are surprisingly weak, far worse than most players imagine, so be prepared to see some amazingly bad numbers. Keep in mind Hardcore and Insanity difficulties reduce player damage significantly. The way armor damage reduction works practically nullifies the damage of high rate-of-fire SMG's.
M-12 Locust
Comparison: The Locust's base damage is 305% lower than the base damage of the Harrier at level I and 295% lower at level X. The Locust is a bit more accurate than the Harrier when shooting-from-hip but significantly less accurate when aiming. Rate-of-fire is the same as the Harrier's. Unlike most weapons in the game there is nothing in the game that attempts to compensate for the Locust's extremely low damage. Consider the Geth Plasma SMG which has a base damage that is ~560% lower than the Harrier's but obviously produces much more damage then the base damage numbers would indicate. This leads me to believe, or hope, that the Locust was somehow over-looked.
Unique Feature: The Locust has an increased 'ideal range': 300-3000. Not as far as the default range for AR's but significantly better than all other SMG's .
Modification: Increased base damage by 290%.
M-4 Shuriken
Comparison: The Shuriken's base damage is 262% lower the Harrier's at level I and 254% lower at level X. The Shuriken's accuracy is a tiny bit better than the Harrier's when shooting-from-the-hip and significantly less accurate, though still good, when aiming.
Unique Feature: The Shuriken uses a 6 round burst. Because of it's good accuracy and low recoil the burst does appear to make up quite a bit of the difference. It does take time for all 6 rounds to fire, so care needs to be taken to keep on target until the burst finishes.
Modification: Increased base damage by ~135%. 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
The M-9 Tempest
Comparison: The Tempest's base damage is 197% lower than the Harrier at level I and 190% lower at level X. The Tempest's rate-of-fire is insignificantly faster than the Harrier's.
Modification: Increased base damage by 70%. Doubled the Tempest's rate-of-fire. In ME2 the Tempest has a much higher rate-of-fire and I personally prefer the Tempest from ME2 and that is the reason the rate-of-fire is doubled. 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
The Decent Submachine Guns
M-25 Hornet
Comparison: The Hornet's base damage is ~89% lower than the Harrier's at level I and ~85% lower at level X. The Hornet's accuracy is significantly better than the Harrier's when shooting-from-the-hip, and significantly worse when aiming. A decent SMG but quite a bit behind the Harrier in dps and it's short 'ideal range' make it an even weaker option.
Unique Feature: The Hornet uses a 3 round burst.
Modification: Increased base damage by 65%. 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
N7 Hurricane
Comparison: Hurricane's base damage is ~76% lower than the Harrier's at level I and ~72% lower at level X.
Unique Feature: The Hurricane has a two ammo-per-shot mechanic. This doubles the effective rate-of-fire but it also effectively halves the Hurricane's magazine size. The mechanic appears to not only effect damage, but also accuracy and recoil making them a bit worse then the numbers would indicate.
Modification: Increased base damage by 60%. 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
Bloodpack Punisher
Comparison: The Punisher's base damage is 67% lower than the Harrier at level I and 63% lower at level X. The Punisher has terrible accuracy when shooting-from-the-hip and it's worse when aiming, not comparable to the Harrier at all, and this is ignoring the Punisher's AP round mechanic. It's a fun weapon to use that over-relies on a gimmicky mechanic.
Unique Feature: The Punisher uses an 'AP round' every 8th round that does 5x damage to armor. This round also increases recoil 5x whether shooting from the hip or aiming. I'm not sure if the bonus damage has any effect on shields, barriers or health. NB the trigger has to be held for 8 continuous rounds for the AP round to fire, it's possible to never get the benefit of the round, especially given the Punisher's terrible accuracy.
Modification: Increased base damage by 60%. The Punisher can be superior to the Harrier in CQC, especially if the player is able to take advantage of the AP round. 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000.
Geth Plasma SMG
Comparison: The Geth Plasma's base damage is ~560% lower than the Cerberus Harrier. Something is modifying this weapon's damage because the Geth Plasma produces significantly more damage against non-armored targets then the damage and rate-of-fire numbers would indicate. Below Insanity difficulty this SMG is a solid weapon, especially when used with ammo powers.
Insanity difficulty modifiers hurt this SMG particularly hard. Because of it's extremely low base damage: 16.1 at level I and 21.1 at level X this SMG hits for the absolute minimum against armored targets. Mods and ammo powers hardly improve the situation, with damage or penetration mods, +40% weapon damage from armor and AP and Cryo ammo powers this SMG still hits for minimal damage against armored targets. Incendiary ammo with the rank 6 Explosive Burst evolution is probably the best ammo for this SMG against armored targets. Unfortunately its not a bonus power and if the player is obtaining it as a squad benefit, the Explosive Burst's effectiveness is halved. Warp Ammo is more effective against enemies with both a barrier and armor, such as the Banshee, and for power classes generally. Applying Warp and Cryo to an armored target helps, but all weapons benefit from the debuffs these powers provide, (Incinerate's armor damage is instant), keeping this SMG a bit behind.
Modification: 'Ideal range' increased from 300-2500 to 300-3000. Increased base damage by 75%.
Optional Weapons
These weapons include modifications intended to make the weapons more 'fun' to use.
Assault Rifles
Striker Assault Rifle
The Striker is powerful and fun to use once you learn its strengths. However, I feel it chews through ammo far too quickly and that it's rate-of-fire could use a bump.
Unique Feature: The Striker uses explosive rounds, (doesn't benefit from penetration modifications). When you hold the trigger down the Striker's rate-of-fire ramps up. The Striker really comes into it's own when used in semi-automatic mode against multiple targets in close proximity and the gibs fly. The Striker feels disappointingly 'meh' when firing single rounds.
Modification: Increased magazine size from 12 to 24 rounds and increased spare ammo capacity. Also increased the Striker's rate-of-fire moderately.
Shotguns
Claymore
IMHO, the high risk-reward play of the Claymore is broken in favor of risk on Insanity difficulty discouraging many players from using the weapon. I feel this modification makes the Claymore more fun to use on Insanity difficulty, it's certainly more flexible.
Modification: Added 2 rounds to the Claymore's magazine for a total of 3 rounds. Increased spare ammo capacity. Increased reload duration.
N7 Crusader
This modification emphasizes the accuracy, range and single slug nature of the Crusader hopefully making it more competitive with other shotguns on Insanity difficulty. Keep it mind it fires a single slug and as such is not as forgiving as the other shotguns in close quarter combat, CQC. However it is much more effective at mid-range. It's single slug nature is also supposed to be an advantage against armored targets in Insanity difficulty, though that is not my experience.
Modification: Increased damage by 90%. Increased spare ammo capacity. Increased rate-of-fire. Reduced recoil significantly. Increased magazine size from 4 to 8 rounds. Increased reload duration significantly.
The damage buff may sound too strong, but the Crusader is well behind the other go-to choices. Consider the Claymore's base damage at level I is 152.8 x 8 pellets for 1,222.4 damage when all pellets land. The Crusader's base damage is 353.7 at level I and takes more than 3 rounds to do the same damage. This modification reduces that to 2 rounds, but keep in mind it's single slug nature means there is no partial credit for a miss.
N7 Piranha
This modification takes the play style of this weapon up a notch, emphasizing it rapid fire nature but also making it competitive with other shotguns on Insanity difficulty.
Modification: Slightly increase rate-of-fire. Increased magazine capacity from 8 to 12 rounds. Increased base damage by ~40%. Increased reload duration.
Pistols
Bloodpack Executioner Pistol
The Executioner is a great weapon but I'm not a fan of it's single round mag or crazy recoil. I made it a bit easier and more fun to use.
Modification: Increased magazine capacity by two rounds, giving the Executioner three rounds. With the increase in magazine capacity the magazine upgrade becomes useful and a very interesting mod. A level 5 pistol magazine upgrade will add two additional rounds per clip for a total of five rounds. Reduced recoil moderately while aiming, it's remains very high, but is a bit easier to manage.
N7 Eagle
This modification treats this pistol as an SMG, that's what it is in all but name, and uses the Cerberus Harrier as the baseline for comparison. It's base damage is 150% less than the Harrier. It is less accurate when shooting from-the-hip and especially when aiming. It has a significantly lower rate-of-fire. It has a lower magazine capacity.
Modification: Increased base damage by 140%. (It's base damage is ~170% below the Carnifex after modification). Increased magazine capacity from 18 to 24 rounds.
Sniper Rifles
N7 Valiant
I made this easy and simply looked at my favorite multi-shot sniper rifle, the Black Widow, for inspiration.
Modification: Matched the Valiant's base damage with the Black Widow's base damage. This is an increase of ~62% in base damage.
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