Shotgun

 Shotgun 

Pump-action shotgun.

Single handedlay one of the most effective close range weapons in the noobs and zombies arsenal, and quite likely one of the most iconic, the pump action shotgun is the first weapon on the medics loadout. Specialising in close range slaying, the shotgun fires a wide cone of pellets, with rapid damage drop off. The damage of the shotgun is so powerful, it can kill anyone at close range with a single body shot, currently the only mass wielded weapon to do so. At close range the shotgun is exceptional, devastating any victim in a single shot, (assuming all pellets make their mark, that is.) Damage fall off is rapid, with targets at anything other then close range sustaining minor wounds, and at distances longer then that, nothing at all. The shotgun itself was first used in combat in WW1, designed to be a ‘trench sweeper’ of sorts, killing targets in a single, well placed blast. It was so powerful, the AXIS tried to get it banned, to no avail. The weapon itself revolves around it’s pump, each pump cycling another shell into the chamber until it is empty. Reloading is simple, and involves the user cycling the pump forward, and inserting shells directly into the chamber, cycle the pump to loaded position and then you’re ready to fire.

 PROS: 

-Devasating damage, making short work of targets at point blank.

-Ease of use, the shotgun is not a weapon requiring fine tuned skill to use, no recoil to contend with, no complex parts, quite simply point and click. No wonder it’s such an used weapon!

-The by shell reload mechanic allows a user to maintain pressure far longer then any other weapon class. Having a shot for each enemy that enters your vision is a necessity, and it should be your top priority to maintain your ammuntion as best as you can.

 CONS: 

-Steep damage drop off, resulting in an almost uncomfortable reliance on your secondary weapons, and semi automatic against fully automatic rifles never ends well.

-Low fire-rate, a slow fire rate makes it difficult to contend with enemies, especially at close range where the pellet spread cannot envelope all the targets you may be facing.

-Minor inconsistency, sometimes even if you land every single pellet it may not kill, this is most likely a result of the hit detection system, this is especially prevelant at close range, where the large mass of newly generated pellets may hit and dissipate too quickly for the system to register, resulting in ‘ghost’ shots. As such, lowering the maximum damage output some what.