Mass Effect Legendary Edition – How to Switch Weapons

With a game (or set of games) as complicated as Mass Effect Legendary Edition sometimes it’s the simple stuff that’s the most confusing, like switching weapons. And with three games merged into the same package, things can change on you between each experience, causing even more confusion. To help break it down we’ve explained how to switch weapons in Mass Effect Legendary Edition.

How to Switch Weapons in Mass Effect Legendary Edition

The answer to this question differs depending on which game in the set you are playing. Mass Effect is the unique one, offering players some distinct ways to select and switch weapons during combat. Things change a little bit for Mass Effect 2 and then that system stays for ME3 as well. So here’s how it’s done.

How to Switch Weapons in Mass Effect 1

Any time you are in combat in ME1 you can hold down LB on Xbox One and Series X/S or L1 on PS4/PS5 to bring up the weapon wheel. Using the thumbstick you can now scroll and select whatever weapon from your arsenal you would like. This is also how you tell your teammates to switch weapons, letting you decide if they should be bringing down the damage or trying to stay back and snipe.

Along with this is a quick-switch option. Just tapping LB or L1 will cause Shepard to change from his/her current weapon to the last one that was used. So if you’ve been firing off assault rifle rounds but want to switch back to the sniper rifle you were using just previously then tap LB for Xbox or L1 on PS and you’ll quickly put the assault rifle away and switch to the sniper.

And if you want to upgrade to a new version of a specific type of weapon you need to go into the Equipment menu and choose them there.

How to Switch Weapons in Mass Effect 2 and 3

The method for switching weapons mid-mission in Mass Effect 2 and 3 is pretty similar, with only a couple of minor differences. LB and L1 still pull up the weapon wheel, letting you slowly pick what weapon you want to switch to. For quick changes though you now need to hold X on Xbox and Square on PlayStation. And instead of changing to your previously used weapon you will swap to your sidearm pistol. So if you are changing from one power weapon to another, be sure to use the weapon wheel instead.

Note however, that for Mass Effect 3 you choose specific models of each weapon as you deploy. You can change to ones you pick up during the mission, but otherwise you are stuck with that version.

And that’s how to switch weapons in Mass Effect Legendary Edition.