 Remastered  Original | |
| Shotgun | |
| Production information | |
| Technical specifications | |
| Damage Per Hit |
12 pellets per shot
|
| Maximum Ammunition |
100 rounds |
| Fire Mode |
Pump-action |
| Ammunition Type | |
| Rate of Fire |
50 shots per minute |
| Usage | |
| Era(s) | |
| [Source] | |
| “ | This uses shells for ammunition. The spread of the shotgun blast makes close combat more damaging, but long range attacks easier. Perfect for the less than proficient marksman. The shotgun is effective against Strogg Guards and Flyers. | ” |
—The Quake II Manual | ||
The Shotgun is a weapon in Quake II that is often the first new weapon found in single-player campaigns, and represents a much-needed step up from the Blaster. It fires 12 pellets with each shot, each dealing 4 damage, and therefore deals more damage if the player is able to score a clean hit on their target at close to mid range, allowing most or all of the pellets to connect. At longer ranges, fewer of the pellets are likely to hit and therefore less damage will be dealt. In the main Quake II campaign, you can find it on the first level; in the two expansions The Reckoning and Ground Zero, you can find it immediately, near your drop pod.
Strategies[]
Single Player[]
- The Shotgun can kill any of the three original Guards in one shot (although two are required to kill the Ripper Guard, Hyperblaster Guard or Laser Guard), is fairly efficient at taking down Flyers, can handle Barracuda Sharks in the water without too much trouble, and can deal good damage to an Enforcer (but it'll take three shots to kill one, so be ready to strafe or take cover to avoid its return fire). However, while the Shotgun is a step up from the Blaster, it is still a basic weapon and its overall damage output is unimpressive compared to most other guns in Quake II; once you start to encounter more dangerous enemies such as Berserkers and Gunners, stronger weapons should be used instead. However, Guards and Flyers will continue to appear throughout the campaign, and shotgun shells are quite plentiful, so the Shotgun can continue to have a use.
- Given the Shotgun's rather slow rate of fire (just over one second per shot), it is fairly well suited to "peekaboo" tactics; a player can take cover behind a wall or obstacle, peek out of cover just enough to fire a shot, and duck back during the weapon's reload. This can allow a player to avoid some or all of the enemies' return fire.
- In the 2023 remaster, most weapons - including the Shotgun - now have the ability to inflict double damage if their target is idle (in the original game, only a few weapons had this ability, most notably the Railgun). The Shotgun can benefit quite well from this change, making it considerably more likely to kill any type of Guard in a single hit if you manage to approach them unawares, and allowing the Ripper Guard, Hyperblaster Guard and Laser Guard to be killed in one hit. Enforcers make better targets when caught unawares, allowing the Shotgun to dispose of them in two hits rather than three.
Multiplayer[]
- In MP, the Shotgun can take off almost half of a completely healthy and unarmored target's health (if all of the pellets hit them). This gives you a fighting chance against enemies with better weapons, but that doesn't mean that you should rush an enemy as soon as you get it. Instead, try to find some enemies that're fighting each other, and finish the one that has the weapon you want or the one closest to you for maximizing damage. When he's dead, grab it, finish off the other guy, and go on your way.
- If you do have to use it against somebody in a fight, try to get close and remember to constantly jump and circle strafe your target!
Trivia[]
The design is reminiscent of the Pancor Jackhammer.
The firing sound is the same as the Quake 1 Nailgun, but shorter. The pumping sound is also from Quake 1, but for the Super Shotgun.
Gallery[]
Quake II:[]
Quake: Champions:[]
