| Shotgun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Franchise | Team Fortress |
| Debut | Team Fortress Classic |
| Type | Gun |
The Shotgun is the default primary weapon for the Engineer and the default secondary weapon for the Soldier, Pyro, and Heavy. It is a pump action-style sawed-off shotgun.
The weapon fires 10 pellets at a time every 0.6 seconds and can deliver high damage at close range, but has a high damage falloff over distance. Usage and strategies will vary between classes.
As the Engineer's most powerful weapon, players will use it primarily for defending buildings from nearby attackers, checking suspicious players, or for helping a low-level Sentry Gun finish off an enemy. Pyros may use their Shotgun to engage targets outside the range of their Flamethrower or when underwater. Soldiers will often rely on the Shotgun if they are out of rockets, cannot take the time to reload, and for closed spaces where explosions would cause self-damage. On the other hand, Heavies will employ the Shotgun where there is no time to use the Minigun effectively, or when mobility while firing is most crucial.
Like the Scattergun, Shortstop, and the Force-A-Nature, the Shotgun's first shell will fire at least one pellet straight down the crosshair before "bullet spread" takes effect. When random spread is disabled, the pellets will land forming a three by three grid pattern.
Trivia[]
- Interestingly, when equipping the Shotgun, the Pyro pulls back once on the pump as if ejecting a spent shell, while the Engineer, Soldier, and Heavy do not. This may result from the fact that the game files indicate that there are separate Shotguns for each class that equips one.
- The Shotgun appears to be a Ithaca M37 Shotgun with a sawn-off barrel and an altered stock. An American-made firearm, this shotgun was used during World War II and the Vietnam War.