Currently, shotguns in Enlisted feel very inconsistent, weak, and meme-tier. Often, they fail to deal proper damage even at close range. The main issue is the overtuned artificial damage drop-off of the pellets coupled with a huge spread. Because of this, shooting at 15 meters usually results in a frustrating white hitmarker.
I would like to propose a rework that eliminates this drastic damage drop-off and finds a sweet spot between realistic stopping power and healthy game balance.
No one wants shotguns to become toxic sniper rifles that one-shot across the map. Instead, they should have clear and predictable zones of effectiveness based on distance:
0 – 18 meters (Close Range): Guaranteed One-Shot Kill. Shotguns must be the kings of rooms, bunkers, and trenches. 18m is the baseline needed for them to be truly viable indoors and in trenches.
19 – 30 meters (Medium Range): Guaranteed Knockdown. The enemy drops into a downed state and is forced to use a medkit. This is fair to other players, as the enemy squad still has a chance to cover their teammate or eliminate you while you reload.
30 – 40 meters (Long Range): Significant Damage. The shot won’t instantly down the enemy, but it will strip away most of their health, leaving them vulnerable and forcing them to seek cover.
Beyond 40 meters: Minor superficial damage only.
With a small magazine capacity and long reload times, the penalty for missing a shot remains massive. Removing the extreme damage drop-off and implementing these predictable distances will finally make shotguns a reliable and useful choice.
Well, first of all, moderators will probably say that you need a poll. Second, I don’t know how popular shot guns are in the game. I love using them for the Allies and Japanese because I can fire five or six rounds before I have to reload. Other then then the amount of ammo they can carry and the horizontal and vertical recoil, the damage appears to be all the same throughout all shotguns.
I personally wouldn’t change anything damage and distance related. Currently, they are essentially one hit kill up to 40 meters, and I am perfectly fine with that. From your proposal, I assume you want to significantly lower damage at 40 meters, which I would not be in favor of.
So, if you insert a poll as to making changes, you would have to specify the exact changes, and since I am fine with them the way they are, I would vote no.
Hey there new guy, please be advised that new accounts aren’t allowed to post polls in Suggestions without raising your trust rating, you can raise this by interacting in the forum, reading, liking, commenting on posts or simply logging in
Nonetheless, your post is under Suggestions , which means you would need a poll, based on this new policy
Please add a poll, else this topic will be closed in 3 days
If you need the poll shortcode, you can edit your post and paste the shortcode below or alternatively use the poll builder
But I think you might be misremembering how shotguns currently work in the game. Right now, shotguns absolutely do NOT one-shot at 40 meters. At 15-20 meters, you already get nothing but white hitmarkers because of the brutal artificial damage drop-off.
My proposal is actually a major BUFF for shotguns. I want to make them reliable up to 18 meters (guaranteed kill) and useful up to 30-40 meters (knockdown/heavy damage). Currently, they are completely useless at these distances.
So don’t worry, this concept is meant to make shotguns much stronger and more predictable than they are now, not weaker!
Thank you for the help! I am a new user on this forum, so the system strictly blocks me with the error “You are not allowed to create polls”. I also don’t have the “Edit” button to change my original post.
Could you or a moderator please add the poll to my post for me? I would be very grateful!
Thanks for the screenshot! However, that 25.7 hit power at 40 meters is the total theoretical damage of the entire shell. In an actual match, due to the massive shotgun spread (Shots deviation: 77), only 1 or 2 small pellets will ever hit a moving soldier at 40 meters. This deals almost no damage and results in a white hitmarker, definitely not a one-shot kill. Live gameplay proves that shotguns are already inconsistent at just 15-20 meters.
Regarding the poll: as I mentioned, the system completely blocks me from creating or editing polls because my account is brand new (“You are not allowed to create polls”). I don’t even have the Edit button for my post.
If any moderator or helper reads this, please feel free to add the poll code for me. I would appreciate it!
Since I am completely new here and want to follow the rules, could you please help me and create the poll in your next reply? I would be incredibly grateful if you could do that to save this topic from being closed.
Thank you again for being so helpful and welcoming to a new player!
Cylinder Bore: Standard U.S. combat and riot shotguns—such as the Winchester Model 1897 and Winchester Model 12—had short, straight 20-inch barrels with no constriction or tapering at the muzzle. [1, 2, 3]
No Choke Needed: Military combat loads relied on close-range efficacy using 00 buckshot. A cylinder bore allowed the shot to spread quickly for tight, destructive patterns in close-quarters fighting, like clearing caves or jungle vegetation in the Pacific Theater. [1, 2, 3]
Configuration
Effective Range
Pattern Density
Best For
With Choke (e.g., Full)
40 – 50+ yards
High (Pellets stay tightly packed over long distances)
Low (Pellets spread out quickly into a wide cloud)
Close-range targets, home defense, skeet shooting, thick brush hunting
The effective combat range of a U.S. World War II shotgun loaded with standard 12-gauge buckshot was about 20 to 30 yards (roughly 18 to 27 meters).
us shotguns are relativley short barreled with no choker on them. they are not hunting guns and were often shot by people with limited experince with guns much less a shotgun. i can see even for some more effective range and for others far less. a bullet on the other hand it a bullet is a bullet it hits what you are shooting at or it does not.
Thank you everyone for the feedback! Let’s take a closer look at the actual shotgun damage in Enlisted to clear up any misconceptions about close-range and 18-meter engagements.
To be completely honest, right now in Enlisted, getting a one-shot kill from a shotgun even at just 10 meters is a pure 50/50 lottery. Half the time the game might down the enemy, but the other 50% of the time you just get a frustrating white hitmarker due to random pellet spread, leaving the enemy standing. This mechanical flaw is exactly why I created this topic.
A standard soldier in Enlisted has 10 HP (or 13.5 HP with the popular vitality perk). Most shotguns fire 15 pellets per shot. The game code handles shotgun ballistics using two main factors: Hit Power (damage drop-off) and Shots Deviation (spread pattern).
We need to understand the difference between theoretical paper stats and live gameplay practice. In a real match, enemies don’t stand still like target dummies. They sprint, jump, go prone, and turn sideways, which instantly cuts their vulnerable body silhouette in half.
Here is the exact technical breakdown at 18 meters for all main shotguns and what actually happens to the target in a real chaotic battle:
Browning Auto-5 (USA/Japan): Base pellet damage drops from 3.43 down to ~2.4 at 18m. However, its massive Shots Deviation of 77–80 creates a spread wider than a soldier’s silhouette. On average, only 2 to 4 pellets hit a moving target, dealing 5–9 total damage.
→ In Reality: Since the enemy is actively moving or sprinting sideways, most pellets miss completely. The enemy stays on their feet, fully active. You get a frustrating white hitmarker. A one-shot kill is mathematically impossible.
Winchester Model 1912 & Remington 870 (USA): At 18m, pellet damage drops to ~2.2. With a deviation around 70, only 3-5 pellets hit the target, dealing ~7-11 total damage.
→ In Reality: Complete gamble. While paper stats say 11 damage could down a static 10 HP soldier, in a live match the target is moving fast. Usually, only 1-2 pellets connect because the enemy exposes less of their body. You get a useless white hitmarker. The enemy survives standing and shoots you back.
Winchester Model 1897 (USA): The classic trench gun. Pellet drop-off at 18m reduces individual damage to ~2.2. Combined with a deviation of ~65, it behaves slightly better, delivering ~8-11 total damage.
→ In Reality: Even if it occasionally drops a non-vitality enemy on paper, in practice, the chaotic movement of the enemy forces you to shoot 2 or 3 times just to get a knockdown. No guaranteed one-shot kill whatsoever.
Luftwaffendrilling M30 (Germany) & TOZ-B (USSR): These have the tightest chokes/deviations (~40–50). In a perfect theoretical world where the enemy stands completely still and straight, 5–6 pellets could hit, dealing 10–12 total damage (which looks like a knockdown on paper).
→ In Reality: In a real battle against moving players who sprint and turn sideways, half the pellets fly wide into empty air. You only land 2-3 pellets, dealing around 5-6 damage. The target does NOT fall down. They absorb it easily, stay on their feet, and you get nothing but a white hitmarker.
Sawn-off TOZ (USSR, pistol slot): With a massive deviation of 90+, you are lucky if a single pellet hits at 18m, dealing a useless ~1.5 damage.
→ In Reality: The enemy doesn’t even notice it. Pure white hitmarker.
Right now, live gameplay completely matches this harsh reality. At 18 meters, shotguns are an absolute gamble. Due to artificial pellet damage decay combined with the wide spread cone and active enemy movement, you are guaranteed to get white hitmarkers instead of clean kills or knockdowns. With small magazines and long reloads, this makes shotguns completely unviable compared to any SMG.
My proposed rework solves this exact mechanical flaw by making the damage output predictable based on tactical distance, rather than random pixel scattering.
