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
buck shot, 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. Notable for slow reload and
firing speeds.
Note that damage inflicted by 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; 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 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 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 extremly 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, ther 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 112th 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.
There is no need for high accuracy or reloading as it is useless - shotguns work well
without high accuracy or reloading .

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.

Most shotguns have high ammo capacity, putting shotgun users at a advantage
over pistol/rifle users.

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, and 12
gauge is 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 extra damage )

Disadvantages

They have the second smallest ammo box (400 per box).

If a enemy is too far away, shotguns will do very little damage.

Rifles have a advantage due to their higher accuracy over shotguns and the
highest damage per shot.

Shotguns can cause heavy aggro, even more than heavy machine guns and
miniguns.

Note : Increasing accuracy will tighten the spread of the pellets ... meaning you
can hit targets that are further away . ( With high accuracy , the pellets will be
close together when you fire the shotgun )

The Scrap values in brackets indicate the scrap price with Master Crafted (MC) items.