Shotguns are some of the most enjoyable weapons to use in any video game. They can take down enemies at close ranges with uncompromising firepower. When you start looking at loot-based games, things get even more interesting.
Destiny 2 has a wide range of Shotguns for players to try, ranging from slug weapons to fully automatic Shotguns. Perks can also give these weapons even more interesting properties that allow the gun to reload on grenade throws or increase the damage of your next melee attack. Whether you're facing Champions or raid bosses, here are the best Shotguns for PvE you can use in Destiny 2.
Updated September 7th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Wastelander M5 got a perk refresh this season, and Trials of Osiris added a slug Shotgun that you won't want to miss. We've updated this guide to reflect the Dares of Eternity perk refresh this season, and we've added The Inquisitor to this list, a powerful Shotgun that has some absurdly good damage perks.
10/10 Dead Weight
How to obtain: Gambit matches and Engrams.
Rapid-Fire Frames are by no means meta in today's PvE sandbox, but that doesn't mean they're not fun to use. Dead Weight is a great addition to the Rapid-Fire archetype, featuring some great perk combinations and a solid stat package.
Grave Robber and One-Two Punch can roll on this weapon, a perk combination that's seldom seen on today's newer Shotguns. If you want to slay with this weapon, Subsistence and Golden Tricorn is a devastating combination if you have enough ammo. Typical damage perks like Swashbuckler and Adrenaline Junkie can also roll on this weapon, giving you tons of options.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Grave Robber, Subsistence, Dual Loader (with Frenzy)
- Column Two: Any damage perk (notably Golden Tricorn), Frenzy, One-Two Punch
9/10 The Fourth Horseman
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Duslight Shards, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
If you need a boss dead immediately, look no further than The Fourth Horseman. This weapon unloads four rounds—five when Masterworked—in less than a second, each round gaining a damage boost as you land successive shots.
Barrel-stuffing enemies in tough PvE environments is typically ill-advised, but The Fourth Horseman is one of the few exceptions to this rule. This gun's DPS is so great that you can melt stunned Champions in one or two magazines. Hunters take this gun to a whole new level, using certain Exotics, Fragments, or Marksman's Dodge to unload dozens of Shotgun shells in a few seconds. Very few enemies with survive the barrage of shotgun shells you'll be firing their way. Just note that this weapon's ammo economy is abysmal, using up its entire ammo reserve in less than a minute of continuous firing and reloading.
8/10 Tractor Cannon
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams.
Tractor Cannon has seen a small resurgence after the release of Solar 3.0. Sunbreaker Titans can use this weapon to debuff a boss before throwing hammer after hammer at the target, dealing immense damage. For builds that can have a reusable ability or weapon to deals DPS, you won't find a better utility option than Tractor Cannon.
This Heavy Shotgun releases Void pulses that push targets back, inflicting a 30% Weaken debuff to anyone caught in the blast. Tractor Cannon deals enough damage to kill red bars in a wide area, and the debuff makes this weapon invaluable for lengthy DPS phases in dungeons or raids.
7/10 Blasphemer
How to obtain: Altars of Sorrow and the Pit of Heresy dungeon.
Between this and First In, Last Out, Blasphemer has a slightly better perk pool but is much harder to obtain. This Kinetic Precision Shotgun deals a fantastic amount of damage with each shot, capable of one-tapping most orange bars.
Fourth Times the Charm and Swashbuckler is the best roll for this gun, giving it an absurd amount of damage output in most scenarios. Throw out a melee ability, then enjoy a massive 33% damage increase for a few seconds. Landing consecutive rounds on a target's weakpoint will also give you additional ammo in the current magazine, further improving Blasphemer's total damage output. You sadly can't get Vorpal Weapon on this gun, although its other perks more than suffice for most PvE content. Those that love using an Energy Primary should consider farming this weapon from Altars of Sorrow or the Pit of Heresy dungeon.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Fourth Times the Charm, Threat Detector
- Column Two: Swashbuckler, Thresh
6/10 Found Verdict
How to obtain: Vault of Glass (Conflux, Oracle, and Gatekeeper encounters)
Found Verdict is typically associated with PvP, residing in the same Aggressive Frame archetype as the beloved Felwinter's Lie and other popular Shotguns. What makes Found Verdict notable is its ability to serve as a high-damage PvE Special weapon as well.
Rewind Rounds and Vorpal Weapon is one of the best rolls you can get on this gun, allowing you to pump almost two magazines worth of buckshot into an enemy without needing to reload. If you don't like how Rewind Rounds behaves, you can replace it with Full Auto or Auto-Loading Holster. This is also one of the few Shotguns in Destiny 2 to have an Adept variant, allowing you to use Adept Big Ones Spec instead of Major or Boss Spec. In terms of PvE Shotguns, Found Verdict comfortably sits near the top.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Rewind Rounds, Full Auto Trigger System, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, One-Two Punch, Frenzy
5/10 Fortissimo-11
How to obtain: Vanguard playlist.
Fortissimo-11 is similar to First In, Last Out. They're both Suros Shotguns that shoot slugs, and they can both roll with Vorpal Weapon. Unlike FILO, Fortissimo has a much larger perk pool that allows it to deal more total damage, act as a workhorse weapon, and this weapon goes in the Kinetic slot.
Fourth Time's the Charm with either Vorpal Weapon or Frenzy is the best roll for PvE, allowing this weapon to pump up to ten shots in one go without reloading, each with a damage increase. If you'd rather have an auto-loading Shotgun in your Kinetic slot, you can get a roll with Subsistence instead. For PvP, there are far better options, but Fortissimo can get the job done. For PvE, this is a great weapon. Keep your eyes peeled for a good roll.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm, Subsistence, Surplus
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, Frenzy, Focused Fury
4/10 Wastelander M5
How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Trove.
Tex Mechanica has finally created a Legendary weapon in Destiny 2, and it's just as good as you'd expect. The Wastelander M5 is a Lightweight Shotgun that features the same aesthetic and animations as its Exotic counterpart, The Chaperone.
It might not have the absurd range of Chaperone, yet the Wastelander M5 more than makes up for it with an excellent selection of perks and a great stat package. This is one of the few Shotguns in Destiny 2 that can roll with Subsistence, allowing you to fire a torrent of buckshot without needing to reload. You can pair this with Vorpal Weapon to increase your damage against Champions. Some other good perks include Slideshot, Perpetual Motion, and One-Two Punch. If you love Shotguns at all, get this gun.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Subsistence, Slideshot, Perpetual Motion
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, One-Two Punch, Trench Barrel
3/10 The Inquisitor
How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.
Having to farm an endgame PvP game mode for a PvE Shotgun is a big ask, but The Inquisitor is more than worth the trouble. This Shotgun has the best stat package out of any slug Shotgun—surpassing Heritage in everything but aim assist—and has some absurdly good perks.
Fourth Time's the Charm and Golden Tricorn/Harmony is a great combo if you're fighting Champions or tough majors in endgame content, something Specials excel at. If you don't like lining up headshots to proc Fourth Time's the Charm, Demolitionist can roll in the first column, allowing you to spam grenades to your heart's content. This gun has something for everyone, especially for PvE players. It won't top First In, Last Out for boss DPS, but this weapon far surpasses its competition for dealing with Champions and other tough minibosses.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm, Demolitionist
- Column Two: Golden Tricorn, Harmony
2/10 First In, Last Out
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
Yet another Precision Frame Shotgun, First In, Last Out is the gold standard of what a Shotgun should be. This weapon outputs an absurd amount of damage with each round, has a solid selection of perks, and it's rather easy to obtain.
Any world Legendary Engram has a chance of giving you this weapon. Perks on this weapon are solid, allowing for the likes of Outlaw and Vorpal Weapon to roll simultaneously. Demolitionist or Surrounded can replace Vorpal Weapon to suit more aggressive playstyles. Vorpal Weapon is ultimately what you want, as this allows First In, Last Out to annihilate Champions, strike bosses, and even raid bosses like Taniks.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Outlaw, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, Demolitionist, Surrounded
1/10 Heritage
How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt (Atraks-1 encounter)
The Deep Stone Crypt's unique Shotgun, Heritage, is one of the game's best Shotguns for PvE. It's a Precision Frame, allowing this weapon to deal some fantastic damage if you can land precision shots.
What makes Heritage so special is its unique set of perks. Reconstruction and Recombination are two unique perks that can only be found on the Deep Stone Crypt weapons currently.
The first perk allows Heritage to double its magazine capacity by passively reloading itself over time. Recombination is a powerhouse of a perk, giving this weapon's next shot additional damage for every enemy you've killed with an Energy or Heavy weapon. At ten kills, your next shot deals twice as much damage. When you pair both of these perks together, you get a monstrous single-target weapon that can one-shot nearly every major in the game. Champions and bosses don't stand a chance either. Every Guardian that focuses on PvE content needs to get a good roll of this gun.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Reconstruction, Outlaw, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Recombination, Thresh, Killing Wind
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