Ever since the very first season of Fortnite, shotguns have made a name for themselves within the meta. Whether it’s the OG Pump Shotgun or the newer Gatekeeper Shotgun, you will always find yourself looking for this close-range weapon to add to your arsenal.
However, even though we all may be familiar with the weapon class as a whole, it is important to fully understand and implement the weapon to maximize its potential! Here we are going to go over reticle shape and pellet spread, how to utilize shotguns properly within a loadout, and finally how to counter them.
Reticles and Pellet Spread
One of the most important things to understand about shotguns in Fortnite specifically is how the reticles and pellets work for the weapon. Pellets are the actual bullets that you shoot out of your gun when firing a shotgun in Fortnite. For your shotgun to do the maximum amount of damage it can output, you need all your pellets to hit the enemy when you fire your gun. The amount of damage each pellet does is calculated by dividing the maximum amount each shotgun can deal with by the number of pellets the gun fires.
For example, if a hypothetical Legendary shotgun did a maximum amount of 121 damage and had a pellet count of 9, each pellet would therefore deal 13.4 damage (not including falling off due to range). Understanding this math and how the pellets work will help you decide on which shotgun you like best within your playstyle.
Next is where each shotgun’s reticle comes into play. You may have noticed that shotguns, in particular, have a distinctly different reticle than all the other guns in the game, almost like a box or a square (apart from a few guns, i.e., the Gatekeeper Shotgun).
This box represents the possible spread or range of where the pellets can land, and you’ll notice this gets smaller or more accurate when aiming and larger or less accurate when hip firing, running, or shooting in rapid succession.
How To Properly Implement Shotguns
Now that we understand the math and the science behind how shotguns deal damage in Fortnite, it’s time for the fun part: using them in your loadout! The close range of the weapon can make it both the easiest and hardest class of gun to use, since, on the one hand, there is a very wide spread for you to be able to hit the gun, making it easy on paper to use, but on the other hand, the nature of close range fights can be difficult for some people to handle. So here are three main points to incorporate when you use shotguns.
They Are Not the Only Weapon In Your Loadout
While it might seem counterintuitive to talk about not using shotguns in an article about using shotguns, it’s important to understand that they are only one slot in a loadout of five items. The best way to use shotguns is in unison with your other weapons, whether you follow up with an SMG after hitting a shot or use it to finish off a weak enemy after picking them off with a rifle from afar. Make sure you are incorporating them with your other weapons.
Use Them with Utility
Like the last point, using them in unison with your utility will help you tremendously when trying to close gaps or change your movement. Using Shockwave Grenades to close in on low-health enemies to finish them off or EMP grenades to chunk enemies that might have low HP but full shield in the middle of a fight. Using any utility in your inventory to enhance your shotgun’s potential damage is something to always keep in mind.
Keep an Eye on Your Ammo
Shotguns have some of the smallest magazine sizes in the game, making it incredibly easy to lose track of how much ammo you have left in a fight. It’s a common problem to swap weapons before a reload animation is complete or spam chip shots at enemies before closing in just to realize you forgot to reload, giving them the advantage. If you are in a spot to reload that won't put you in danger or give away your position, do it. A shotgun is useless to you if there is no ammo to use with it.
How to Play Against Shotguns
While this might seem like an obvious last tip in this article, it is a foolproof method for making sure you win against shotguns: keep your distance. Shotguns have horrible long-range fighting capabilities, so keeping your opponent at a comfortable distance and using a mid- or long-range weapon to counter them is the best way to defeat them. Now if you are already in a close-range fight, that’s a different story. If this is the case, using utilities like Shockwave Grenades or other mobility items like grapples and jet packs, depending on the pool of items available, can help you reposition and distance yourself.
However, if this is not an option for you, going indoors, using the environment around you, and constant movement are all good ways of countering shotguns due to their slow fire rate and short range!
Conclusion
Shotguns are an important part of any successful loadout in Fortnite. While they might seem simple to implement in your gameplay, there are some things that you can do to give yourself an edge against the competition. Now that you have read this article, you have the tools to master the art of shotguns in Fortnite!
