Heavy pistols are a class of semi-automatic weapons, which have a fairly low rate of fire and limited ammunition, but do relatively high damage per shot. They are an invaluable backup weapon, effective against armor and highly accurate at mid-long ranges. All player classes start the game able to use heavy pistols. The following squadmates in Mass Effect 2 utilize heavy pistols: Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Mordin, Tali, Kasumi, Liara and Wilson.