Shotguns And You: Which To Use And Why

[Laces115]

I made this guide because too many people seem to stick to Assault Rifles and SMGs, because it's their "comfort zone", when they are missing out on some of the most fun and point farm-y guns in the game.

 

Let me preface this by stating that there is no "bad" choice for which shotgun to get (aside from the Blaster Shotgun of course). However, some shotguns work better in different situations, as we will now investigate.

 

Worth Menu

 

Blaster: 55 Worth Points. An absolute GARBAGE gun. You will do about 30 damage point-blank range. You might as well be throwing your ammo away, it would be the same result. The only reason you should ever get this is for the free shotgun shells that come with it, and wait to wave 1 intermission to get the Ender. That's... all I have to say about this one.

 

Recommended Use: Just an ammo save, nothing more.

 

 

Tier 2

 

Ender: 80 points. A surprisingly well-rounded gun for being so low-tier and cheap. You will do about 50-80 damage on bodyshot, or about 100-120 on headshot or very close range. With 8 rounds in a magazine (which are thus all reloaded at once), you can keep firing and get a consistent, but not outrageous, damage output. Has a decent range on it as well, just don't expect any cross-map kills with it.

 

Recommended Use: Just about anything really. Think of this one as the "jack of all trades": you can use it for anything, but don't expect it to triumph over other shotguns in their respective roles, such as Boomstick's Knockback and Evil Double Barrel's raw damage and range. I'd personally buy a new shotgun at tier 4 or 5 if you are using this, as you can build up enough points by that time to invest in something stronger.

 

 

Tier 3

 

Doom Super Shotgun: 150 points. A solid choice for instant damage and point return per shot. Despite being a Double Barrel, one shot actually fires BOTH barrels at the same time, thus, 2 shotgun shells for one attack. While this means more ammo use, it also means exceptionally high damage profiles: you can get 100-300 damage in one shot, with a decent range. The range is a bit less than an Ender I'd say, considering the damage drop-off, but for a shotgun it's still better than average. These two factors combined make it an easy return in profit (more damage = more points).

 

Recommended Use: Mass point farm from an early point in the match. Seriously, although you'll go through more ammo than some other options on the list, you will do insane amounts of damage, for being low tier and low cost. The reload every shot means you shouldn't rely on it to save your life in a pinch, however.

 

 

Tier 4

 

Sweeper: 200 points. The underrated, overlooked weapon in this list. 100-250 damage a shot, with a bit less range than the Doom shotgun. How does the extra cost improve the Sweeper over the Doom? You fire only ONE shell each shot instead of 2, and have 6 shots before needing to reload. This means you can do much more damage in a short amount of time, with a longer reload to compensate (you reload each shell individually). The main reason this shotgun is overlooked is that it is in the same tier as Boomstick, which people tend to gravitate to. However, the Sweeper is more about point-building and damage over time, vs. the Boomstick's knockback utility and burst damage.

 

Recommended Use: A balance between damage and point-farming, a hybrid of Doom and Ender basically. If you buy this, I'd recommend keeping it for the rest of the game, as a mere one wave of use is a waste of potential and points.

 

 

Boomstick: 250 points. This is where things get... interesting. The weapon starts unloaded, and you hold R to load shells, up to 4 at one time. You then fire them whenever you want. More shells = more damage and knockback on yourself AND zombies. This weapon is the preferred choice of people who run around outside barricades, for its ability to super jump: load up 4 shells, look down, and fire while jumping. This makes escape from zombies very easy and quite reliable. This weapon also has the benefit of outrageous damage output: 100 to potentially 350-400. This, combined with knockback, makes it a great weapon for dealing with zombies too close for comfort, on your own. Just be warned that the range and spread of this gun is dreadful, so only use this at point blank.

 

Recommended Use: While not terrible for points thanks to the high damage, I'd argue it's not as efficient as any other choice, due to the reload between each shot, and the fact that knockback can blow you AWAY from your shooting position inside a cade. This is not to say it's a bad weapon: if you are trying to kill bosses for bonus crates, one-tap zombies, fly around the map quickly, or don't care much for amassing points, this is still an extremely fun weapon to use.

 

 

Tier 5

 

"Wicked" Boomstick: 325 points. With how fun the Boomstick is, you'd think this would be a marketable boost. You'd be mistaken. You get about 25-50 more damage per shell. That's it. That's what the extra tier and point cost is for. If you like what the Boomstick does, you probably will buy the tier 4 Boomstick instead of waiting to Wave 5 just to use it. So what's the point of this gun? The Boomstick is not for pointfarming, so you probably will not find use in this gun in that regard, and the knockback of the Boomstick means you can protect yourself from zombies, while generally one-shotting them. You don't need the Wicked for that.

 

Recommended Use: You could buy this if you're bored and want a somewhat stronger Boomstick. But it has no real purpose beyond that really. It's just a waste of points when you can get the regular Boomstick earlier and cheaper.

 

 

"Evil " Long Barrel: 325 points. Crazy damage and range: an easy 150-300 per shot, even at rather long ranges (long ranges for a shotgun, anyways). This makes it one of THE BEST at point-for-shot return, and is excellent for Objective maps, as you can kill zombies faster than other point farmers will be able to with say, the Grim Reaper. The only true downside is that, as a double barrel, it only has 2 shots before needing to reload. The reload isn't terribly long though,, mercifully.

 

Recommended Use: Basically the Doom shotgun but for even more damage, thus, this is mostly a choice for Objective maps, if tier 5 is unlocked early, or if you haven't bought much of anything over the course of the match. Also, two shots before reloading vs Doom's 1. If you have the choice, buy this.

 

 

"Destructor" Auto Shotgun: 350 points. As the most expensive shotgun, this is a high risk vs high reward deal. About 50-150 damage a shot, but this is made up for with its fully auto nature: 10 rounds in a magazine, with a quick reload that fills up the entire gun. No shell-by-shell loading. Truth be told, this is primarily a weapon for fighting stacks/swarms of zombies, not as individuals, because the fast rate of fire means you can output a lot of damage quickly. Has more range than say, the Boomstick, but less than the Long Barrel.

 

Recommended Use: Objective Maps or when Tier 5 is unlocked early. Or if there's a large number of zombies by wave 5. These situations are when the Destructor is ideal due to the crowd control capability of this weapon. That's the only time you can get a guaranteed profit for how expensive the gun and the ammo consumption is.

 

 

Thanks for reading this entire thing, I do hope you learn how to be a shotgun point-whore now. If I missed anything or you have anything to add, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe.

[FoxHound]

great read, this actually helps a lot

[pikachu 2013]

Good guide, we need more guides like this

[TheDarkDevilRo3]

blaster isnt so garbage its a good weapon close range if you use pistols also when you are running outside it maximum dmg is 147 but good guide!

[Kapu]

The Blaster isnt bad... its just inconsistent as fuck. Sometimes it does 85 damage. Most of the time it does 5.

 

also the boomstick is the only shotgun in the game are you high

[NotJohn]

Good guide, I realized wicked boomstick is ass unless the zombies are amass firsthand