Fortnite Shotguns Tips Guide (Season 10) – Damage, Stats, & FAQ

The shotgun in Fortnite Battle Royale is one of the most important guns to get good with if you want to get better in the game. However, some people might find it to be inconsistent or are initially puzzled by how it works. Our shotgun tips guide will help you become better with this powerful weapon.

Shotguns have been a pretty controversial subject over the lifespan of Fortnite. Some have found them to be overpowered, while more recently they have been looked at as a bit underpowered. You'll get varying opinions on them throughout the community, but the fact of the matter is that you better know how to use one or you'll struggle in the game.

Fortnite Shotgun Damage Stats

• Pump Shotgun (Uncommon, Green): 95 damage, 190 max headshot damage.
• Pump Shotgun (Rare, Blue): 100 damage, 200 max headshot damage.
• Tactical Shotgun (Common, Gray): 71 damage, 160 max headshot damage.
• Tactical Shotgun (Uncommon, Green): 75 damage, 169 max headshot damage.
• Tactical Shotgun (Rare, Blue): 79 damage, 178 max headshot damage.
• Tactical Shotgun (Epic, Purple): 83 damage, 186.75 max headshot damage.
• Tactical Shotgun (Legendary, Gold): 87 damage, 195.75 max headshot damage.

Available in Tilted Town

• Double Barrel Shotgun (Epic, Purple): 114 damage, 142.5 max headshot damage.
• Double Barrel Shotgun (Legendary, Gold): 120 damage, 150 max headshot damage.

Vaulted Shotguns

• Combat Shotgun (Rare, Blue): 73 damage, 109.5 max headshot damage.
• Combat Shotgun (Epic, Purple): 77 damage, 115.5 max headshot damage.
• Combat Shotgun (Legendary, Gold): 81 damage, 121.5 max headshot damage.
• Drum Shotgun (Common, Gray): 45 damage.
• Drum Shotgun (Uncommon, Green): 47 damage.
• Drum Shotgun (Rare, Blue): 50 damage.
• Pump Shotgun (Epic, Purple): 105 damage, 210 max headshot damage.
• Pump Shotgun (Legendary, Gold): 110 damage, 220 max headshot damage.
• Heavy Shotgun (Epic, Purple): 74 damage, 185 max headshot damage.
• Heavy Shotgun (Legendary, Gold): 77 damage, 192.5 max headshot damage.

Fortnite Shotgun Tips

Land Your Shots (Kid) on the DOT!

Probably the hardest thing to get used to or shake when you start playing is getting used to the crosshair. You have a dot in the middle which has four little parentheses at each corner. This area is generally where your buckshot will go when you fire, but ultimately you want to be targeting where the dot is or you'll be disappointed with the results. The spread on shotguns can be pretty random (particularly the tactical), but for the most part it is concentrated on the dot.

Aim for the Head

Pretty obvious but shotguns are meant to end a battle quickly so you don't take any damage. You can do huge damage with a quick hit from a shotgun, and this gives you the possibility to win just about any fight.

Use Third Person View to Your Advantage

If you hear someone coming towards you in a building or area with cover, try to utilize the third person view which can allow you to sidestep out behind cover and headshot them. Be sure to have the shot lined up before you pop out so you can instantly fire!

Build Better and Smarter

The biggest key to dominating with the shotgun is utilizing your building skills. If you are close to someone then being above them and shooting downwards gives you a much better angle for getting a headshot and protecting yourself from them. It's tempting to just jump off the high ground and go for a finishing shot like Ninja, but it's better for the average player to hold the high ground and quickly peak and sneak a shot off rather than expose yourself to unnecessary damage.

If you get more advanced you can try putting up a wall between you and your opponent, and then edit a quick window in it so you can throw a shot at them when they don't expect it! You can also throw a pump shot at your enemy and quickly put up a wall to block their shot.

Fortnite Shotgun FAQ

Why does my shotgun sometimes do very low damage?

With a previous patch, there's no longer RNG to worry about when it comes to buckshot spread. You also get hit markers in-between your crosshairs, so if you notice you only hit a partial shot, that means you likely didn't do much damage. When you deal low damage like the common 9-damage meme, it usually means you only partially hit your shot. It could also be that you are too far away from your target, but that is more obvious.

Should you use ADS (Aim Down Sights) with the shotgun?

In most situations you shouldn't use this. It slows you down and is unnecessary in most close range fights. Often you are jumping around or quickly peaking out to take a shot. However, if you are in kind of a close to mid-range battle and have the time to lineup the shot then yes it does improve your accuracy and tightens the spread of the buckshot. Combat Shotgun will find you doing this more often because it still deals pretty decent damage at range.

Which shotgun is the best?

Now that the Combat Shotgun has been put in the vault, it's pretty much without a doubt the Pump Shotgun. You can 1-shot with it, and it's just overall better than the Tactical Shotgun.