Strategy:Shotgun

This article is about strategy for the shotgun itself as a weapon, not the category of weapons colloquially known as "shotguns". For specific strategies for the individual weapons, please see the associated entries under their names. For "shotguns" in general, please see Strategy:Shotgun Types.

Overview

Brief Summary

The shotgun is one of the first weapons that you can find in DoomRL, and it will help you survive the first few levels. Even without the appropriate build, it is still incredibly versatile for the beginning of the game; with the appropriate build, even further.

Aside from greatly out-damaging a pistol in close to mid-range, shotgun shells will definitely be plentiful for a while. Probably the most widely employed shotgun strategy is "corner-shooting", which is literally aiming the shotgun around a corner that you're standing at, and hitting enemies on the other side. For a more in-depth explanation, please see Strategy:Corner-shooting (TBA).

The shotgun is also the first weapon you can get that is immediately capable of causing knock-back. When enough damage is dealt to an enemy in one shot (anyone who is aware of the exact number required, please edit this entry accordingly), and it survives, it will be pushed back a square. This can be used to give yourself breathing room, or even to kill an enemy by pushing them into acid or lava.

Examination

Advantages to using the shotgun

• Easy to find
• Tons of ammo early on
• Strong corner-shooting game
• Knock back capable
• Ammo used amongst nearly all shotguns; can move on to a different shotgun and keep your ammo
• Shottyman, Shottyhead and Army of the Dead trait selections

Disadvantages to using the shotgun

• Drops off in effectiveness mid to late game
• Only holds one shell at a time; must be reloaded prior to firing each time
• Slow reload speed
• Poor base choice for an Assembly (other types of shotgun serve this role better)
• Ineffective at extreme distances

Remember that shotgun shells fired from a regular, unmodified shotgun are considered Shrapnel for the purposes of damage type and resistances.