Ins and Outs of Shotguns
In Dead Frontier, Shotguns are the weaker, yet more efficient version of machine guns. Shotguns are generally designed for close quarters combat due to their spread shots, but they can also be useful at longer ranges due to the high chance to hit the enemy with at least a single pellet and the rather tight shot spread.
Every well-aimed shotgun pellet adds up to the total damage per shot, but then again you could also do very little damage if too few pellets hit the target. It is noted that all shotguns have average accuracy. Shotgun damage is noted as (Damage per Pellet) x (Pellets per Shot) = Damage, so for example, the Washington 870 with 3.3 x 8 damage can do up to 26.4 damage per shot. Due to the small pellets of the buckshot, versus the larger bullets of other firearms, shotguns cannot score a critical hit.
Accuracy affects shotguns uniquely as accuracy does not decrease the spread of their buckshot, but instead simply centers the placement of the shot.
Shotguns are a subset of weapons that are often used in high-aggro combat due to their substantial knock-back and spread out pellet dispersion also being notable for their slow reload and sometimes slower firing speeds.
Note that damage inflicted by some shotguns have to do with the gauge of the shell, not the weapon it is fired from.
Types of Shotguns
There are many different types of shotguns - ranging from break-action to pump-action to semi-automatic to lever-action etc, but in Dead Frontier, the shotguns are simply categorized by their Shots Per Second or SPS. The four types of shotguns are:
- Single Shot: The weakest shotguns; such as the Highlander. The Mancini M1 is here also, despite being a semi-auto. Only one shot per second. These are a poor choice for crowd control, even in experienced hands.
- Pump-action: Starting at Washington 870; a majority of the shotguns, including Corpse Blaster. Scores 1.5 shots per second. These are a good choice for crowd control in only experienced hands.
- Semi-automatic: Includes, but is not limited to the Sega-20, Sweeper and Biforce C7. Scores two shot per second; makes for an average crowd control in semi-experienced hands.
- Fully-automatic: Includes, but is not limited to USAN-12, AA-12 and Dusk Striker. These shotguns offer the best crowd control in their category.
Only two of the shotguns that score 1.5 shots per second are extremely powerful.
- Corpse Blaster deals 67.2 dmg per when all pellets strike a target
- Painshot 10 deals 74.1 dmg per hit when all pellets strike a target
Shotguns can also be classed by the ammunition used:
- 20 gauge
- 16 gauge
- 12 gauge
- 10 gauge
The lower the number, the higher the damage of the shotgun. This is caused by the diameter of the shotgun's barrel - the lower the gauge number, the larger the barrel. Quoted from Wikipedia: Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound (e.g., a 1⁄12th pound ball fits a 12-gauge bore. Obviously - a larger barrel allows for larger pellets and more gunpowder to be fired at once, this is why larger barreled shotguns do more damage.
Requirements
Shotguns are one of the few weapons that have a high strength requirement. The first shotgun available, the Mancini M1, requires 10 shotgun proficiency points to use. The Police Officer class also starts out with a Mancini M1 Shotgun, along with 25 shells. From the third shotgun onwards, there is a strength requirement, usually close to the proficiency requirement.
Reloading is helpful after agility and stats for other weapons are satisfactory, constant fire with 100+ reloading will keep zombies at bay and save your life on many occasions. Accuracy is the last stat to raise when you are at a high level and will give the shotgun more damage to immediate zombies.
Combat Outside - Loot/Scout Run
Generating a significant amount of aggro with each blast, shotguns are a poor choice if you are trying to avoid large numbers of zombies. To maximize their effectiveness, you will want to utilize the following tips:
- Wait until the zombie is at point-blank range. This ensures that every pellet will strike.
- If you are trying to get somewhere and a zombie blocks your path, a point-blank blast can push him out of the way.
- Be ammo conscious. With a slow reload time and often only a handful of rounds per magazine, learning to reload whenever you get a quiet moment is important. One trick is to hit "R" just before you transition to another screen, as this results in instantaneous reload once you reach the next block.
Aggro Combat (Multiplayer)
Shotguns are a class of weapon designed for high-aggro combat. Their knockback and ability to hit multiple targets at once and the fact that if they kill a zombie , the pellet pass through it to the next zombie . Some tips for effective use :
- Aim for clusters of zombies to hit all of them equally.
- Never stop moving. Keep on circling the zombies to prevent getting hit by them .
- Again, when you get a chance, reload. Getting rushed by a sudden swarm when you're down to three rounds is not fun.
- Also it is recommended to switch to a side weapon in tight situations where reloading could result in being wounded.
- Try to hit multiple damaged zombies behind each other - if you kill the first zombie, then the next zombie will be hit by the pellets .
- Spread shots against zombies hordes are very useful - once you manage to land a death blow the scattered shots fell multiple zombies, meaning the crowd could be killed quickly .
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Due to their spread shot, you can hit multiple enemies.
- Shotguns require no critical hit due to them not having a crit chance, meaning stats are saved.
- Most shotgun ammo is cheap; 20 gauge and 16 gauge are the cheapest, 10 and 12 gauge are the most expensive.
- If a zombie is killed , the pellets will pass through the zombie and hit the zombie behind it , making shotguns extremely useful in crowd-control situations (that is if you do the extra damage).
Disadvantages
- They have the second smallest ammo box (400 per box).
- If an enemy is too far away, shotguns will do very little damage.
- Shotguns do not fair well in PvP unless in experienced hands.
- Shotguns can cause heavy aggro, even more than heavy machine guns and miniguns.
Note : Accuracy effects shotguns uniquely as it does not decrease the spread of the pellets, but instead simply centers the placement of the shot.
List of Shotguns
The scrap values in brackets indicate the scrap price with Master Crafted (MC) items.
| Mancini M1 | |
|---|---|
20 Gauge Ammo
3 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Very Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 10 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 15.87 Avg. Damage per Second: 17.2 Enhance Price: $6,000 |
Real Name: Benelli M1 Super 90 The Mancini M1 is a semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi S.P.A. It is available in several versions for civilian, law enforcement and military use. It features the proprietary Benelli recoil system, known for its reliability and easy maintenance. Unfortunately for the good people of Fairview, their police departments used a three-shell-capacity twenty-gauge version, trading away stopping power and ammo capacity for ease of handling. Weapon Type: Single Shot
The Police Officer class starts with an untradeable "Mancini Shotgun", as their backup shotgun, which has a scrap value of $ 50. |
| Highlander | |
16 Gauge Ammo
2 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Very Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 20 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 23.46 Avg. Damage per Second: 26.4 Scrap Value: $850 ($ 1,700) Enhance Price: $11,000 |
Real Name: Stoeger Uplander The Highlander is a double barreled shotgun manufactured by Stoeger Industries. It is based on a traditional English shotgun design and is a civilian shotgun primarily used for hunting wildfowl and for skeet shooting - needless to say, against zombie craniums, it's a tad lacking. Tally-ho! Weapon Type: Single Shot
|
| Washington 870 | |
16 Gauge Ammo
4 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 30 Strength Required 30 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 36.2 Avg. Damage per Second: 39.6 Enhance Price: $16,000 |
Real Name: Remington 870 The Washington Model 870 is a U.S. made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for target shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by U.S. law enforcement agencies as well as military groups such as Special Operations Command units of the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. Unsurprisingly, Fairview PD had a fair amount of these shotguns in their arsenal. Weapon Type: Pump Action
|
| Sega-20 | |
20 Gauge Ammo
8 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Average Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 30 Strength Required 45 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 40.47 Avg. Damage per Second: 43 Scrap Value: $4,100 ($ 8,200) Enhance Price: $16,000 |
Real Name: Saiga 20K No relation to the video game company, a firearms manufacturer pumped out a fully American version of the rather popular Russian Saiga-20k. Due to the relation of the more powerful fully automatic shotguns, the Sega-20 is often considered a "babied" version of the more powerful AA-12 and USAN-12. While not being as powerful as the other shotguns at its level, it is still widely used, due to its ability to hold enemies back with an unending barrage of shells, as well as the fact that its ammo is not only very common but very cheap. It's as good as the real deal. Weapon Type: Semi-Automatic
Added October 11th, 2008. |
| Chester 1300 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
4 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 30 Strength Required 35 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 48.82 Avg. Damage per Second: 53.4 Enhance Price: $18,500 |
Real Name: Winchester 1300 Camp Defender A now obsolete pump-action shotgun manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. Doesn't stop wannabe cowboys from using it against the undead. Weapon Type: Pump Action
Added October 11th, 2008. |
| Washington 1100 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
5 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 40 Strength Required 40 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 49.67 Avg. Damage per Second: 53.4 Enhance Price: $21,000 |
Real Name: Remington 1100 The Washington 1100 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun, popular among waterfowlers and clay target shooters. It's a step up from the previous skeet-shooters but is nothing compared to the military shotguns below. Weapon Type: Pump Action
|
| WALL 500 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
6 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 40 Strength Required 45 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 50.25 Avg. Damage per Second: 53.4 Enhance Price: $23,500 |
Real Name: FORT-500 The WALL-500 shotgun is a conventional pump-action shotgun developed by Scientific and Production Organization Fort. It has a steel receiver and plastic or wooden furniture with all versions having barrels with removable choke tubes. The same choke interface on police guns allows for installation of cup-type launchers intended to fire tear gas grenades. Weapon Type: Pump Action
Added October 11th, 2008. |
| SPSA 12 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
9 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 40 Strength Required 50 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 51.64 Avg. Damage per Second: 53.4 Scrap Value: $5,050 ($ 10,100) Enhance Price: $26,000 |
Real Name: Franchi SPAS-12 The SPSA-12 was designed in the late 1970s by the Italian company Luigi Franchi Spa as a special purpose, military and police close combat weapon. It can be switched between gas operated self-loading mode and manually operated pump mode. While being obsolete, the SPAS is still liked by many survivors, both for its look, and its numerous appearances in video games and movies. Despite no longer being produced and having some odd design choices, the Fairview Police Department had a large number of them before production stopped. Weapon Type: Pump Action
Added October 11th, 2008. |
| Mannberg 500 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
12 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 50 Strength Required 60 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 58.25 Avg. Damage per Second: 60.08 Scrap Value: $10,850 ($ 21,700) Enhance Price: $31,000 |
Real Name: Mossberg 500 Persuader The Mannberg 500 is a shotgun manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. Rather than a single model, the 500 is really a series of widely varying hammerless, pump action repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, barrel length, choke options, as well as stock and forearm materials. Intended for use in harsh and dirty conditions, the Model 500 series is designed to be easy to clean and maintain. Perfect for the rugged zombie hunter. Weapon Type: Pump Action
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| Sweeper | |
12 Gauge Ammo
12 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Average Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 80 Strength Required 80 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 76.89 Avg. Damage per Second: 80.1 Scrap Value: $19,250 ($ 38,500) Enhance Price: $41,000 |
Real Name: Protecta (Also known as Armsel Striker) The Sweeper is a redesign of the Armsel Striker/Protecta, being a 12-shot revolver-type shotgun first made in Rhodesia and designed specifically for riot control and military combat. It normally had problems with the odd revolving magazine and its slow fire, but it's now lighter and faster firing. Classified as a destructive device in the USA and thus an uncommon weapon, its use was generally limited to various criminal organizations in Fairview and the odd police station. With the resulting zombie outbreak, however, this weapon has shown up more often in the hands of experienced zombie hunters. Weapon Type: Semi-Automatic
The name of this weapon was changed from 'Street Sweeper' on January 24th, in 2010. |
| Corpse Blaster (Unique)This item is unique and as such it can only be obtained in special ways and/or is non-transferable. | |
12 Gauge Ammo
30 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 50 Strength Required 100 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 99.55 Avg. Damage per Second: 100.8 Scrap Value: $40,050 ($ 80,100) Enhance Price: $51,000 |
A mysterious shotgun, crafted from the remains of the undead themselves. This weapon possesses great power, rumored to come from the souls of slain infected.One of its more gruesome details is in the infected human skull affixed to the base of the receiver-- the lower jaw is connected to the gun's bolt-interlock safety catch, requiring a survivor to actually open the skull's mouth in order to open or close the bolt, and to access the uniquely placed loading port. Its extra long barrel appears to be reinforced by the skull and spinal column of a "hellhound"-- one of the monstrous infected dogs that once prowled Fairview's streets in the initial outbreak. Some survivors claim that the gun's shots even sounds somewhat like the snarling bark of a hellhound. Weapon Type: Pump Action
This weapon could only be bought from the Credit Shop for 1,000 credits (800 for Gold Members). It was on sale from October 15th, 2010 until November 15th, 2010. |
| USAN-12 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
20 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Fast Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 100 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 102.93 Avg. Damage per Second: 106.8 Scrap Value: $40,050 ($ 80,100) Enhance Price: $51,000 |
Real Name: Daewoo USAS-12 Originally made and designed by Daewoo Precision Industries, the USAN-12 is a fully automatic combat shotgun made to provide sustained fire in close-combat situations.The USAS-12 is a gas-operated, selective-fire weapon which is designed to provide sustained firepower in close-combat scenarios. It accepts detachable 10-round box magazines or 20-round drum magazines, and is equally effective at killing powerful zombies and hostile, well-equipped humans. Weapon Type: Fully Automatic
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| Painshot 10 | |
10 Gauge Ammo
18 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 120 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 119.02 Avg. Damage per Second: 121.5 Scrap Value: $57,650 ($ 115,300) Enhance Price: $61,000 |
The Painshot 10 came about due to the desire of several gunsmiths to find some way to make use of damaged or worn-out shotguns they found in each Outpost's Yard. Eventually, they found a way to modify the intact parts they extracted from these shotguns so that they could be fitted interchangeably with each other. After some experimentation, the Painshot 10 was developed, becoming the first 10-gauge shotgun to be used by survivors. While it does have more than a few weaknesses, it'll still keep the infected at bay while in the Inner City. Weapon Type: Pump Action
Added February 18th, 2013. |
| AA-12 | |
12 Gauge Ammo
32 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Fast Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 110 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 123.99 Avg. Damage per Second: 126.95 Scrap Value: $48,450 ($ 96,900) Enhance Price: $56,000 |
Real Name: Auto Assault-12 The Auto Assault-12 (AA-12), originally designed and known as the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, is a shotgun developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson. The current 2005 version has been developed over 18 years since the patent was sold to Military Police Systems, Inc. The original design was the basis of several later weapons, including the USAS-12 combat shotgun. It is fed from either a 32-shell drum magazine or an 8-shell box magazine.Uncommon in other automatic shotguns, the AA-12 fires from an open bolt, a feature more commonly found in sub machine guns and heavy and squad level machine guns. Weapon Type: Fully Automatic
Added May 15th, 2011. |
| Biforce C7 (LE)This item could only be purchased for a limited amount of time from the Credit Shop. | |
10 Gauge Ammo
22 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Average Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 120 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 136.81 Avg. Damage per Second: 139.92 Scrap Value: $57,650 ($ 115,300) Enhance Price: $61,000 |
Even for a shotgun, the Biforce C7 is an inordinately brutal weapon. Designed as a manual-action, double-barreled shotgun by Fairview's gunsmiths, it was found that the sustained firing of 10-gauge ammunition heated the barrels enough to potentially injure the shooter. To protect the operator's hands, the designers installed cannibalized barrel shrouds from scrapped M60s along the sides and top of the barrels in order to shield the users' hands, enabling safe, sustained fire of the massive 10-gauge shells. The end result: A shotgun whose bite literally matches its bark-- not only does it cripple almost any infected with just two shells, but the sound of a Biforce C7 letting go of two 10-gauge shells at once can be heard clearly from several blocks away. Obviously, this will make the Biforce C7 a magnet for aggro-- then again, that might just be what you're hoping for. Weapon Type: Semi-Automatic
.This weapon could only be bought from the Credit Shop for 2,000 credits (1,500 for Gold Members). It was on sale from October 15th, 2013 until November 10th, 2013. |
| Dusk Striker (Unique)This item is unique and as such it can only be obtained in special ways and/or is non-transferable. | |
12 Gauge Ammo
120 Round Capacity Fast Reload Speed Fast Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 110 Shotgun Skill Required Non-Transferable Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 147.39 Avg. Damage per Second: 148.2 Enhance Price: $61,000 |
A true feat of post-apocalyptic engineering, the Dusk Striker is nearly the most powerful shotgun available. With a huge buffer tube, and a reliable automatic fire system, the Dusk Striker delivers an unending lead storm of 12-gauge to anything on the wrong side of this powerful weapon. Weapon Type: Fully Automatic
This weapon cannot be found in the city but is available in the Dusk Shop for $1,000,000. Added May 15th, 2011. |
| Ace Barrel GZ3 | |
10 Gauge Ammo
18 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Slow Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 50 Strength Required 120 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 159.57 Avg. Damage per Second: 162.9 Scrap Value: $57,650 ($ 115,300) Enhance Price: $61,000 |
The Ace Barrel is one of the most intriguing newcomers on the shotgun market in the post-outbreak world. Gunsmiths took the inspiration for this weapon from a particular type of sawed-off shotgun known as the Lupara ("for the wolf" in Italian). Luparas are notorious as being the weapon of choice historically used by members of the Cosa Nostra mafia syndicate of Italy. Their applications have ranged from settling vendettas, to self-defense, to wolf hunting for sport (hence its name). In field tests, the Ace Barrel has more than lived up to the vicious nature of its Mafioso predecessor: Every kill made with a shot from this gun is gory, messy, and brutal. Weapon Type: Pump Action
Added November 6th, 2014. |
| X-Dusk Striker (Unique)This item is unique and as such it can only be obtained in special ways and/or is non-transferable. | |
10 Gauge Ammo
120 Round Capacity Fast Reload Speed Fast Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 100 Strength Required 120 Shotgun Skill Required Non-Transferable Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 215.73 Avg. Damage per Second: 217.2 Enhance Price: $61,000 |
When people hear Fully Automatic, they definitely get excited, right? Let's combine Fully Automatic, cheap shells, and serious knock-back and you've got this deadly Shotgun. You're firing about three rounds a second with this beast and shredding anything that the ten gauge ammo comes into contact with, knocking stronger opponents back nearly a yard, with this weapon you'll not have to fear anything getting too close to you. Weapon Type: Fully Automatic
This weapon cannot be found in the city but is available in the X-Dusk Shop for $5,000,000. This weapon is skinned after the Mancini M1. Added October 8th, 2015. |
| Buckblast 99A (LE)This item could only be purchased for a limited amount of time from the Credit Shop. | |
10 Gauge Ammo
36 Round Capacity Slow Reload Speed Fast Firing Speed Average Accuracy Zero Critical Chance 50 Strength Required 120 Shotgun Skill Required Damage per second W_0.25 Reload = 238.04 Avg. Damage per Second: 243 Scrap Value: $57,650 ($ 115,300) Enhance Price: $61,000 |
The first and foremost thing that should be said of the Buckblast 99A is this: As firearms go, it is a vicious beast. The weapon is modeled after an early type of shotgun from the late 17th century known as a blunderbuss. Blunderbusses were essentially small cannons, loaded by packing buckshot and gunpowder into the barrel and fired by a flintlock mechanism. They are easily recognized by their flared, bugle-like barrel openings (intended to increase the spread of a shot), which have made them popular as non-threatening stand-ins for traditional firearms in many children's cartoons. However, the reality of this weapon is no laughing matter. Blunderbusses were such powerful weapons that even their smaller pistol variants were often nicknamed "dragons". With the added modern firearms technology of Fairview's Guild of gunsmiths, the Buckblast 99A makes the already-formidable blunderbuss look like a BB-gun. This shotgun delivers a brutal hailstorm of lead with every shot. The massive recoil from just one shot assures that you won't be "blazing away" with this monster, but then again, with its immense power, you won't really need to. Weapon Type: Fully Automatic
This weapon could only be bought from the Credit Shop for 3,000 credits (2,500 for Gold Members). It was on sale from May 15th, 2015 until June 10th, 2015. |