Shotgun

Shotguns are powerful close-range weapons that shoot a spray of pellets.

Overview
Shotguns tend to have low accuracy and low magazine sizes compared to most other weapons in the game, sport medium rates of fire, and have a high degree of firepower per blast. At point-blank range, shotguns can cause even more damage than rocket launchers or sniper rifles. Reload times vary with the average being about 1.25 seconds or faster, while some models can go up to 3 seconds. This class of weapon comes in two subtle but distinct varieties.

Combat Shotguns are easily identified by their revolver-style magazines and comparatively lower rates of fire, inaccuracy, and increased firepower. Though any of these qualities may dramatically swing in the opposite direction for particularly high-quality models. Magazine sizes vary greatly, with some models carrying 2 or 12+ shells with the most common combat shotguns holding 6. Pellet count per blast starts at 9 for the most basic weapons, but can go higher or lower at 7,11,or 12 depending on model-type.

Assault Shotguns are visually different by the inclusion of a magazine-style loading mechanism, increased rate of fire, comparatively better accuracy, and a increased instance of useful elemental tech abilities. Magazine size for assault shotguns is more regular than the combat variety, basing out at 5 and only going up from there. Pellet count is also much more regular as all models release 7 projectiles in a blast. Contrary to the general rule, Maliwan elemental shotguns are quite useful depending on player class.

General Strategy
Though shotgun pellets can travel an effectively unlimited range like all guns in Borderlands, the spread-effect of the weapon means that distant targets won't be hit most times, and when they are, it isn't with the entire spray. Therefore, shotguns should normally be used at close ranges. Aim when possible, but do not sight, to make each shot count and go for weak spots to maximize clustered critical hits. Again, do not bother sighting shotguns, run and gun, and run for cover when reloading.

For the same reasons real hunting shotguns are used for birds, shotguns are also very effective against Rakk and their large in-game target profile even at a distance. Shotguns are also a good weapon to use against Skags - especially the quick-reloading Tediores, or the hard-hitting Jakobs. Likewise, against Psychos of all varieties, particularly Mutant Midget Psychos, shotguns are more than useful.

When choosing a shotgun that will serve the best, Damage is the most valued attribute. Accuracy isn't as important at the close ranges at which one will be using the weapon. In fact, a narrower blast cone might actually be worse during frantic dodge-and-weave with skags and the larger forms of Scythid. Against fragile rakk, a shotgun blast should hit as much of an approaching flock as possible, as hard as possible, with every pull of the trigger as opposed to methodically taking one rakk down at a time.

One exception to this rule is any shotgun with an accuracy of zero, such as Sledge's Shotgun, as the spread is too large for any reasonable damage output beyond point-blank range.

Another exception is encountered in the Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains missions in the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. The extra-accurate Death model Assault Shotgun allows for a tightly packed critical punch to any zombie's face at a decent range without the need to sight. Of similar note is the "Hunter's" type Combat Shotgun, with one exception; centering a zombie's head in the reticle allows for a nearly-guaranteed chance of a decapitating headshot at medium range. This is reduced for those with the heads craned back.

Shotguns, with their generally low rates of fire, make for poor elemental weapons. The exceptions are shotguns with Incendiary effects and the Maliwan Crux. While the likelihood that shotguns will actually cause a useful elemental trigger are low, incendiary weapons still have a default damage multiplier against enemies without working shields, especially skags. The Maliwan Crux, on the other hand, has a relatively high chance for Corrosive effects, and if used up close, the multiple melting shots stack on top of each other, allowing for brutal follow-up blasts. Shotguns with a Carnage mod inflict their elemental effect with every mini-rocket they fire, thus negating this weakness.

Class Info

 * Roland has a suite of skills specifically tailored to enhance the power of shotguns. The Soldier's skills and class mods can offer ammo regeneration, as well as increase the rate of fire, recoil reduction, damage, and magazine size of shotguns. The skill Scattershot, the game's only shotgun-specific skill, can both increase damage as well as decrease the blast cone radius, increasing the likelihood of clustered critical hits and having more pellets hit the target at range.
 * Brick, being the close combat specialist and explosives expert, can get fair use out of shotguns. The Berserker's skills and class mods offer features increasing reload times and recoil reduction, damage increases, rate of fire increases, and finally either further damage or ammo regeneration. The Ogre class mod from the third DLC is also specialized in shotguns for Brick.
 * Lilith can make exceptionally fine use out of shotguns, popping in and out of existence close to her enemies, releasing waves of energy and then shotgun blasts in short order. The Siren offers increased rates of fire, damage, pellet velocity, critical hit damage, and accuracy (reduced blast cone). Her role as the game's elemental specialist can also make Maliwan shotguns especially potent in her hands, offering increases to specific or blanket elemental effects, elemental severity, and trigger chance.
 * Mordecai, being the sharpshooter that he is, might not seem like a good choice to wield a shotgun, however he does have traits that can make them useful to him. General weapon skills and class mods enhance damage, reload times, accuracy, critical damage, shield penetration, and rates of fire. A powerful 2-shot shotgun can replace the melee-oriented skills in the Hunter tree allowing players to instead concentrate on others.

All Shotguns
 Titles:
 * Shotgun - Balanced, fires 9 projectiles. May fire 7 if accurate enough for Hunter's prefix.

Combat Shotguns
 Titles:
 * Scattergun +2 projectiles (11).
 * Shredder - +2 projectiles (11), wider spread.
 * Matador - +3 projectiles (12), wide spread.
 * Carnage "Holy crap! It shoots rockets!" - Single small rocket instead of projectiles. (Explosive damage if not other elemental.)

 Drops and Rewards:


 * T.K.'s Wave "Ride the Wave, Dude!" - Unique mission reward from T.K.'s Life And Limb. Shoots slower wave-pattern pellets in a horizontal line. +50% Critical Hit damage.
 * Boom Stick "Beyond Groovy" - Unique drop from Baron Flynt. Fires Carnage-style rockets with 600% Burst Fire at the cost of 0.0 accuracy and a long reload.
 * Sledge's Shotgun "The Legend Lives" - Unique drop from Sledge. Shoots powerful shots with knockback, 10000% Burst Fire. 2-shot magazine and long reload.
 * The Blister "It's a painful thing" - Unique mission reward from Like A Moth To Flame. Corrosive with a large zoom.




 * Atlas Hydra "Five heads of Death" - Fires 12 projectiles in 2- to 3-shot groups, in a horizontal line. May fire 10 if accurate enough for Hunter's prefix.
 * Torgue Friendly Fire "Have a nice day!" - Incendiary rounds. Smiley-face spread pattern. May shoot rockets when generated with a Carnage barrel.
 * Dahl Bulldog "One Bad Dog!" - 20-round extended magazine.
 * Tediore Defender "I can do this all day..." - Ammo regeneration.
 * Jakobs Striker "Sniper Rifles are for Chumps." - Increased accuracy, +30% critical hit damage.




 * Dahl Jackal "This dog bites." - Fires a grenade, can have elemental effects.

Assault Shotguns
 Titles:
 * Brute - High damage.
 * Sweeper - High spread.
 * Death - High accuracy.




 * Hyperion Butcher "Ahhh.... Fresh meat!" - 5 round burst, 3 projectiles, slightly higher damage per projectile and very high fire rate.
 * S&S Crux "Cross their heart, hope they die." - Explosive, usually x2 or x3. Cross-shaped spread not based on accuracy.
 * Vladof Hammer "Drop the Hammer!" - Explosive, usually x2 or x3. High fire rate. Hammer-shaped spread not based on accuracy.
 * Maliwan Crux "Bring out your Dead" - High corrosive damage, usually x3 or x4. Developer fumble: was meant to be Maliwan Plague.

Trivia

 * When shotguns with a revolving(cassette) type magazine are reloaded, the backs of the shot shells are visible. If examined these shells bear the text "MAGCAT" and "12". Likely these denote the company (MAGCAT) and the Gauge (12) of the shell.

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