Pistols | Mass Effect 1 Wiki

Pistols Sophistication Level

Conventional Weapons include all types of firearms that share a host of similar base performance statistics: ROF (rate of fire), damage, accuracy, and Overheat. These stats are only the starting point: They are affected by the item’s sophistication level, the upgrades currently installed, and (possibly most importantly) the item’s manufacturer. Manufacturers play a significant role in gear quality.

Change your ammo types regularly to match your opponents. For example, don’t use ammunition upgrades like Shredder Rounds that are designed for inflicting massive damage to organic targets when you know you will soon be battling against the geth.

Pistols Upgrades

Upgrades can be attached to our equipment to improve and change their effects. These upgrades can be accessed from the Equipment Menu. Each gear type has a specific  number of upgrade slots depending on its sophistication level. Available upgrade slots are shown at the bottom right sector of the screen, while the main display window lists the descriptions of any currently installed upgrades. Each slot is specific to a certain group of mods. For example, if viewing a weapon, you may have one or two open slots for weapon upgrades and always one for ammo. A weapon can only have one type of ammo at a time, while several different weapon upgrade mods can be installed to dramatically increase its performance above and beyond stock levels.