Shotgun

**Shotgun**

Pump-action shotgun.

Single handed-lay 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 load-out. 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:**

-Devastating 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 ammunition 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 prevalent 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.

**Spas-12**

The Spas-12 is the second shotgun option for the medic class, generally looked down upon by the NVZ community for it's heavy inaccuracy, (especially for a shotgun) and relatively low damage, even at point blank not able to kill in a single blast, the Spas-12's main saving grace is ability to be fired semi automatic, which allows the user to put down more lead at range faster then the typical pump actions shotgun.

The Spas-12 itself, is especially prevalent in movies and video games alike, which is peculiar since there was around 20,000 models produced, nevertheless this weapon is very often used by police and para-military organisations alike, as well as a brief introduction into the army before being swapped out for the newer, SPAS 15.

**PROS:**

-Much more friendly to newer players, more forgiving due to the lack of a pumping mechanism in the shotgun.

-Relatively high ammo count/reserve ammo count.

**CONS:**

-Pathetic damage, to the point where your pistol does more damage.

-Terrible accuracy, in all honesty, you're better off using the sword at range then this weapon.

-Effectively a watered down striker shotgun.