All shotguns seem to only play a supportive role in marine loadouts.
Is there a more oficial reason why, or a logical standpoint/argument for their development as such or is it just me?
I would really like to know what everyone thinks about them, specially considering how difficult it is to bring them with limited space for multiple weapons. Sometimes when I ask about them, some players default to saying “You should be using MK2”.
To me, shotguns feel clunky to feed and utilize effectively with the constant swapping, and they need some tweaking in order to play more substantial roles.
As someone who played them for a considerable bit and is actually trying to learn the code for the game to propose changes, I feel like having a substantial amount of opinions about them is potentially benefitial.
Well the problem with shotguns is that you are sacrificing you positioning (standing 1-2 tiles from xenos and infront of marinens who will gladly FF you) to inflict heavy damage. Thus you can’t use them in the frontline… the next best option is holding flanks in which shotguns are more suitable by using slugs or buchsot defending from lurkers, runners and woyers.
Shotguns might have high DPM but you will get capped or delimbed eventually… MK2 allows for some room for error in that regard.
Only real marines that are good use shotty plus mk2, but I find that the underbarrel shotgun works better in most cases.
I can understand where you are coming from. Buckshot is really hit-or-miss, hence why the M-OU53 is blocked from using it (due it’s very low scatter about 90% of the buckshot hit the target, thus doing RELIABLE and HIGH damage). Xenos play onto the hit-and-run, so using a shotgun to fight is very much a last resort that is oftentimes not rewarding enough when compared to a M39.
Shotgun is definetely a category of guns that lose most of its purpose due how the game is rigged. FF is constant and you can be snatched without option to resist away until it’s too late, since xenos can manipulate your movement (move you forcibly).
I have a colossal skill issue with shotguns and I think they are pretty weak (both the M37 and the MK221) and seems that they are only useful for the stuns on T1/T2 in specific scenarios, like a burrower in FOB or a runner/lurker who fumbled their pounce. Id rather use anything else and/or a pistol than using a shotgun, tho the MOU is pretty nice with flechette
Being one of the few ways to stun xenos (which is massive in securing kills with a team), shotguns will always occupy a specific niche. They’re not the best at killing, but they’re very good at what they do (until RNGesus decides that no, you will miss 7 shots in a row because fuck you).
it’s cool against anything below warrior as a marine especially base runner and extremely annoying if you are any of the previous. I once saw a man stunlock a sentinel with a MOU with slugs before flaming and killing it.
Shotguns feel at their best in the hands of some fairly robust/low-ping player who can effortless swap from a shotgun to a rifle in the same second. A well connected PB-buckshot will deal insane damage to most xenomorphs, the issue therein is that the shotguns damage fall off is fairly harsh and reliant on RNG, actually dealing decent damage to a target at 1 to 3 tiles when you are not hitting a sprite-click point-blank shot is fairly medicore to terrible, unless you get a very lucky long-range buckshot.
PvE affords making the Shotgun a fairly powerful weapon that shreds xenomorphs and humans apart. However that is counterbalanced by the fact the xenomorphs are AI, but also that the shotgun is made into a rare and uncommon weapon, and not a standard issue weapon.
Personally, I’d like to see Slugs slightly improved, somehow. You could increase their armour-penetration so that they at least deal full damage to any target they strike since as it stands they suffer harshly from armoured xenos.
Yup, m37 is, as it stands, a sidearm. You can use your main weapon (mk2) while saving the shotgun for the times it’s useful (and when it’s useful, it’s often very useful).
The more skilled you get with it (especially if your low ping) the more you’ll get out of it. It has a lot of utility that a good m37 player can use. (especially w/ buckshot imo)
All to say Use mk2 for most situations, shotgun when you can hit pb.
Don’t do this mindlessly (like charging at a t3 in the middle of 5 warriors), but don’t forget to find ways to utilize it. It’s a good gun if you learn how to use it.
MOU is not really comparable to m37 or other shotguns, since they do not play the same at all and serve entirely different purposes.
Buckshot is mainly for one shotting bald XX runners so you can make your epic kill compilation youtube video. It should not be your primary weapon, just something you pull out when the opportunity arises.
Slugs are kind of niche but can actually be pretty good when you stunlock a burrower to death or rescue a marine from a warrior pull. Is useless against T3s though, and generally requires your team to follow up on whatever you stun.
Haven’t used flechette much so not sure on that one.
Slugs have a great power undermined by lackluster applicability. The thing with the RNG is specially true, and I wonder if shotguns were pumped to do reliable damage at specific ranges would make them much more substantial as a primary weapon. To me, shotguns should be an option opening a different, more intricate playstyle, though I still need to mature some ideas on the topic.
Haha, I hoped someone would post that scene. It always comes to my mind when I think about the shotguns, and honestly it kinda disheartens me the idea of it being used solely as an argument to keep shotguns unchanged. Though that does not discredit your opinion, of course!
shotguns could easily have room for buffs if quick-swapping and/or one-hand pbs were removed. but as it stands any buffs to shotguns or specific ammo would exponentially increase the power of decently robust marines.
additionally shotguns will never be properly balanced so as long devs are juggling balance between m37, mou, and mk221
“but as it stands any buffs to shotguns or specific ammo would exponentially increase the power of decently robust marines”
the same argument was used when people wanted shotgun ammos to be buffed and we still had double shotguns lol
increasing the accuracy on slugs and buckshot would actually make them usable for most people
