The Sod Off Shotgun

[Zeptorem]

The hunting or sawed-off shotgun: is it worth it in-game?

Pros:

Excellent per-pellet power and penetration

Cons:

Shells crafted out of the finest gold and mithril by master dwarven blacksmiths, and thus very expensive
Excessive spread, making it useless beyond knifing range.
Reloads are as ***** as continental drift.
Cannot reload single shots.
High weight and cost.

To me, the cons highly outweigh the pros, and that's not just because I wrote them out as biased as possible. It's only really worthwhile for taking out big specimens at extreme close range, which, thanks to the reload, you'd better accomplish in one shot or otherwise be adequately prepared for the scRAPE (or "flesh-pounding", if you will) you're about to experience.

In my opinion, it could be solved with a reduction in spread, enough to put all pellets on a big target at 10m or so, and/or a reduction in cost/weight/ammo cost, so it's not such a financial/literal burden.

 

[Bej-Bej]

I'd hate to lower the spread on the hunting shotgun. I grew up (lies) with the hunting shotgun of kfmod where firing that baby would be a guaranteed hit on whatever annoyance was in your face and then a few on the sides as well. It was effective crowd control as well as an effective law replacement at point blank range. Can't let those fond memories of the hunting shotgun's ridiculous spread be just that.

I would like to see it changed to become similar to the role of the flamethrower (note: there is a good chance that I don't in fact know the role of the flamethrower) where using the gun on single enemies does not use the gun to its full potential and is just wasteful of ammo. Where the gun would shine would be its ability to take out large chunks of a dense crowd with just a single shot as well as the highest single shot damage dealer against skrakes and fleshpounds at ranges too close for the law (which should be a more effective weapon).

Also, this might be of interest if it hasn't been discussed yet. As I was nostalgiaing I took a few screenshots. The first picture is a shot from a single barrel from the hunting shotgun. There are 6 pellets. The second picture is when both barrels are shot at the same time. There are 20 pellets. Not taking into account the damage values, does this mean that the hunting shotgun is more effective when only secondary fire is used.

 

[Slappy Cromwell]

Excessive spread, making it useless beyond knifing range.

No, you see, the hunting shotgun is not a sniper rifle. Trying to snipe with the hunting shotgun is absolutely preposterous. The thing already has an absurd damage output; why do you want to turn it into a railgun? It needs to have some sort of drawback. A reasonable spread is hardly a crippling factor.

It's only really worthwhile for taking out big specimens at extreme close range

Which is a perfectly valid use. Not many other weapons have such an insane damage output except maybe for a direct hit with the LAW, and I personally prefer not blast rockets at charging specimens two feet from my face. If you want to to take down a tough specimen quickly (Which it seems most players would prefer to do), the hunting shotgun will prove to be one of your best friends.

which, thanks to the reload, you'd better accomplish in one shot or otherwise be adequately prepared for the scRAPE (or "flesh-pounding", if you will) you're about to experience.

Well you see, now you've made another crucial mistake: You're trying to take on a Scrake/Fleshpound by yourself using only your hunting shotgun. Believe it or not, this is a co-op game which can provide you with as many as five teammates to assist you! You don't have to kill Scrakes and Fleshpounds all by your lonesome. One of your buddies can also chime in with a little help in the form of a flamethrower, a crossbow, a chainsaw, a bullpup, another hunting shotgun, many other fine weapons, some combination of any of these items, or even a syringe gun if it seems a zombie is currently in the process of beating your ***. (Excuse my language, I meant to say "bottom.") Why, no mean ole zombie can match the power of teamwork! You should consider it sometime. Coordinate well and you could even kill a Scrake or Fleshpound without either inflicting a single point of damage to your team members!

 

[Zeptorem]

No, you see, the hunting shotgun is not a sniper rifle. Trying to snipe with the hunting shotgun is absolutely preposterous. The thing already has an absurd damage output; why do you want to turn it into a railgun?

LOL hyperbole.

It needs to have some sort of drawback. A reasonable spread is hardly a crippling factor.

Hrm... maybe something like a low capacity, or long reload, or high weight, or high cost? Just an idea.

Which is a perfectly valid use. Not many other weapons have such an insane damage output except maybe for a direct hit with the LAW, and I personally prefer not blast rockets at charging specimens two feet from my face. If you want to to take down a tough specimen quickly (Which it seems most players would prefer to do), the hunting shotgun will prove to be one of your best friends.

Well you see, now you've made another crucial mistake: You're trying to take on a Scrake/Fleshpound by yourself using only your hunting shotgun. Believe it or not, this is a co-op game which can provide you with as many as five teammates to assist you!

Being a sarcastic *** on the internet: easy and fun for the whole family!

You don't have to kill Scrakes and Fleshpounds all by your lonesome.

No, but you *do* have to do it at chainsaw-to-the-genitals range, if you're using the hunting shotgun.

 

[Slappy Cromwell]

LOL hyperbole.

LOL the hunting shotgun has a shorter range than the knife.

low capacity

What, you need enough ammo to personally eliminate ever individual Clot too?

long reload

You keep speaking of these long reload times as if they're the worst in the game. Yet, have you actually ever been cornered with the hunting shotgun while reloading? It's probably one of the better weapons to be caught with in that case. Why? While other weapons may have faster reload times, they also have inflict damage relatively slowly. Do you think that Scrake is going to give you enough time to unload all 100 of that flamethrower ammo on him when he's in mid swing? All 50 bullpup bullets? All 8 shotgun shells? Of course not. However, the double barrel blast from the hunting shotgun is not only monstrous, it's instantaneous. Are specimens all right up in your face? All the better for Mr. Hunting Shotgun to take care of. Combined with the penetration and open spread, it will likely get you out of a sticky situation. Far more likely than frantically loading single shells into an empty shotgun, anyway.

high weight, or high cost?

Let me ask you this: What perk do you prefer to use the hunting shotgun with? I typically choose the support class if I feel like buying the hunting shotgun. For the same reason why a commando wouldn't purchase a flamethrower or a berserker a crossbow, weight and cost of the hunting shotgun aren't of much concern for a support.

If you're not a support, then sooprise sooprise, the hunting shotgun may not be the most ideal selection for you and you may have to deal with some of those disadvantages.

Being a sarcastic *** on the internet: easy and fun for the whole family!

LOL the hunting shotgun has a shorter range than the knife!

But are you confirming the idea that you're trying to solo Scrakes and Fleshpounds with your hunting shotgun?

No, but you *do* have to do it at chainsaw-to-the-genitals range, if you're using the hunting shotgun.

Sooprise sooprise. Anything at that range is also guaranteed to be dead with a good hunting shotgun blast, assuming again that you're attemping this feat with a little help from your team. If not, then you deserve many bashes to the face.

 

[Nenjin]

The price on reloading a totally empty hunting shotgun is pretty steep. That's my only complaint about it. Otherwise it's an all around great weapon. The reload time, compared to the shotgun, is quick and the gun can turn a full corridor into a ****ing ground beef.

Cost can be prohibitive but it gives me something to deal with on the last waves if I did a poor job.

 

[Chicken]

You keep speaking of these long reload times as if they're the worst in the game. Yet, have you actually ever been cornered with the hunting shotgun while reloading? It's probably one of the better weapons to be caught with in that case. Why? While other weapons may have faster reload times, they also have inflict damage relatively slowly. Do you think that Scrake is going to give you enough time to unload all 100 of that flamethrower ammo on him when he's in mid swing? All 50 bullpup bullets? All 8 shotgun shells? Of course not. However, the double barrel blast from the hunting shotgun is not only monstrous, it's instantaneous. Are specimens all right up in your face? All the better for Mr. Hunting Shotgun to take care of. Combined with the penetration and open spread, it will likely get you out of a sticky situation. Far more likely than frantically loading single shells into an empty shotgun, anyway.

The Bullpup has 40 shots. And despite being an insufferable douche he has a point, the hunting shotgun is made for when you have teammates behind you ready to back you up. Personally I find that it is pretty useless if its just you and the hunting shotgun during the waves before the patriarch but the fact that any class can carry both the hunting shotgun and dual handcannons makes it pretty powerful. (Although this is still expensive) Thats why it is a good choice for the patriarch. You can unload the shotgun on him and in the unfortunate event that you get cornered you can unload into him with dual handcannons and hopefully prevent much buttraep.

 

[TheGameexe]

And I thought I had a lot to say. Leave it as is. Use the shotgun for a more precise aim for the support class.

 

[Moosecat]

Just say"n I use nothing but the Hunting shotgun till the Patriarch. Just because of what it can do :3

 

[w00tm0ng3r]

The price on reloading a totally empty hunting shotgun is pretty steep. That's my only complaint about it. Otherwise it's an all around great weapon. The reload time, compared to the shotgun, is quick and the gun can turn a full corridor into a ****ing ground beef.

Cost can be prohibitive but it gives me something to deal with on the last waves if I did a poor job.

That's because you're doing it wrong. With a decent level support perk it costs far far more to buy all the ammo for the gun than it does to simply sell the gun for money and use it to buy another one which comes all stocked up with ammo. This also goes for the crossbow and maybe some others.

And Zeptorem the hunting shotgun is perfectly fine. I consider it to be among the best weapons in the game. And Cromwell does have several good points. High weight and cost are outright negated by the support class's perks. The thing costs 750 max and weighs 10 blocks, the same as a flamethrower and less than a chainsaw. Key word: max. Every level in support decreases that by 10%. At level 3 it costs 450, only slighty more than a bullpup and WELL within reach by wave 3 if not 2. Incidentally, at level 3 your weight capacity is enough to grab both the hunting shotgun and the regular shotgun for 750 total. 10 blocks is the same as a crossbow or flamethrower, slightly more than a chainsaw, and a good bit more than a bullpup. However, as a support you get to carry more than every other class. A low level (lvl 2) support perk means your hunting shotgun weighs less as a percentage of your total carry capacity than the crossbow and flamethrower, and equal to the chainsaw. A high level (lvl 5) support perk makes your hunting shotgun one of THE LIGHTEST TOP TIER WEAPONS IN THE GAME (as a percentage)! It's barely edged out (as in 3%) only by the bullpup (and lever action rifle for those interested, not actually a top tier weapon but just here for comparison).

This combination can quickly and efficiently counter just about anything in the game (keep in mind that at this point you also have 8 nades that each do 20% more damage than everyone else's). Reloading time is absolutely neccesary to counter out the OBSCENE burst damage that gun can put out, though I'm not quite sure why you can't reload until both shots are fired. I definitely would support the ability to reload with one shot.

I personally find the spread to be an advantage; it lets you turn everything in the room that's smaller than a scrake into ludicrous gibs with a single shot in the event that your many super nades of death and regular shotgun can't keep up. As for scrakes and fleshpounds, try using the hunting shotgun in combo with the rest of your arsenal: the crossbow (have to be high level for this one), shotgun, and dual handcannons all outrange the hunting shotgun by a good bit so shoot it with those first. Switch to the hunting shotgun when it gets to you and double barrel it in the face for the kill. If it's a fleshpound throw some nades before switching if you don't know how to decapitate it.

 

[thrash242]

It does ridiculous damage at close range and therefore, yes, it's worth it.

It's not intended as an all-purpose pump shotgun replacement. At level 3 support you can carry both and that's exactly what I do. I keep the double-barrel shotty around for either big groups or big zeds and use the pump shotty for pretty much everything else.

If you can't carry both, I'd only buy the hunting shotgun during the later waves.