Left 4 Dead Game Guide Weapons: Shotguns

L4D Hints, Tips, Strategies, Info, and Stats on Pump-Action and Auto

Mar 29, 2009

Ideal for close-quarters combat and fending off hordes, the two shotguns are perfectly suited for cramped maps and small corridors, but are tough to use in open areas.

Left 4 Dead features two types of shotguns: the Pump-Action and the Auto. The Pump-Action Shotgun is available from the beginning, while the Auto Shotgun is only found hidden in a map or at the beginning of later maps.

General Strategies for L4D Shotguns

Generally speaking, both shotguns excel at close-quarters combat and fighting off large hordes, while suffering considerably from long-distance firing.

Shotguns use shells packed full of pellets, which spread out when fired. The spread creates a wide range of attack that can hit multiple targets with one blast, or massive damage to one target at point-blank range.

The shotguns' reload style differs greatly from other weapons in Left 4 Dead. Shells can be inserted at any time, and reloading can be interrupted to continue firing. When frequently reloading, a survivor can always have shells ready to fire. But when fired too frequently, the reload time is long, which can leave the survivor vulnerable. Always remember to reload every 1-3 shots, even when shooting at the Tank and other special infected.

Cr0wned Guide for L4D Shotguns

A witch can incapacitate a survivor with one hit if angered, and will kill that survivor faster than any other infected in the game. A witch's poison, however, is a well-placed shotgun blast.

Sneak up to a witch without angering her. When she starts to stand up, aim at about neck-level, and pull the trigger for a one-shot kill. If aimed too high, some of the pellets will fly over her head, if aimed too low, the pellets will mostly hit her body for less damage.

If the one-shot failed, the blast should have significantly reduced her health anyway, and one or two more shots should take her out. However, since this technique is never 100% reliable (and because Infected teams in Versus love to antagonize the witch), it's always advisable to have a few teammates ready just in case.

The pump-action shotgun has tremendous damage potential from point-blank range, and immense, multi-target killing potential from short range.

Guarding a single hallway or other cramped corridor is rather simple, potentially killing 10+ infected with each blast. Always aim for chest-level, as headshots are difficult and ineffective, and when guarding a teammate from the horde, make sure to take into account the shotgun's spread, otherwise friendly fire damage will occur.

Avoid getting surrounded in open areas. If this happens, melee several times and get your back against a wall or corner before firing again.

Auto Shotgun Strategies and Info

The most significant upgrade from the Pump-Action is the firing speed, which is as fast as you can click. The amount of damage dealt is so massive that Valve had to give the Tank a 25% reduction in damage from this weapon in Versus mode.

The Auto Shotgun is even deadlier against crowds and close-quarters special infected, but still suffers from open areas and long distances.

With a little practice, either shotgun is an effective anti-crowd tool in a survivor team's arsenal, and any self-respecting team should have at least one shotgun wielder on every map. But if the shotguns don't fit your place style, try the machine guns or hunting rifle.

The copyright of the article Left 4 Dead Game Guide Weapons: Shotguns in Online Games is owned by Bradley Kairis. Permission to republish Left 4 Dead Game Guide Weapons: Shotguns in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.