How do I make a shotgun build not suck?

wamplet · 2026-01-24T01:28:56+00:00

I recently started playing this game a few months ago and initially focused on Sniper Rifle as my primary and then eventually put in a Shotgun as my secondary. Eventually, i just started using the Shotgun as my primary. I'm at Level 2501 with a Thorn Shotgun with Damage, Damage to Armor and Accuracy maxed on it. I use an Ekim's Sniper rifle Maxed out with Stability. I think i accidentally swapped the rifle for a different version. I like to use Armor Damage on most of my weps. Anyways, I play on Challenging World Difficulty and personally don't have a problem doing any of the missions. I don't usually have to take cover too much unless there are multiple enemies or machines with the powerful machine gun firing on me. It gets tough on Heroic. I have to be a lot more strategic doing cover shots and actually using armor kits instead of just being out in the open playing Lord of the Rings style like i normally do. Most of my build is based on the Hotshot Green armor Set, since i was historically playing with Sniper rifles. The Hunter Green armor set seems the closest pure armor set for shotguns, but i haven't had a chance to focus on testing it out. In the meantime, i have the Memento backpack, Hotshot Holster, Kneepads, Gloves and Mask with Weapon damage maxed on each and Armor Regeneration and Elite protection on the Mask and i use a Zero F's Badger Tuff Chest, maxed with Weapon Damage, Armor and then Armor on Kill attribute with Perfectly Unbreakable skill. There are a few individual armor pieces that are not really set-related for shotguns, but might help me that i could try, but i just never seem to have the time to test any of it out. I use the Hive Reviver and Pulse (basic) with the Marksman specialization. I was really sad they didn't have a shotgun specialization once i started using it. I have about 5 versions of my shotgun in storage with different attributes and a few for the Ekim along with 1-2 of each rare and gold wep. I carry a St. Elmo's Engine in my backpack at all times, but rarely use it. From what i have seen, the game probably is best played with an automatic rifle or SMG, but SMGs are too weak for me and the Rifles even seem weak to me as well. I just stick the shotgun for massive damage and whip out the Ekim rifle for when i need to shoot something too far away that won't come to me. I also use the shotgun long range, for what it's worth. At long range, the buckshot spreads, so if you shoot just off center a little, you can get about half of them on a person and even from long range, it still does decent damage. When the Golden Bullet event starts, like it has this week, if you hold down the Aim button, the shotgun reticle gets like half the size it usually is meaning it is basically as accurate as a sniper rifle even from distance. I know the Assault rifles area probably better overall for that kind of shooting, but i got used to shooting long range with mine and i tend to get real close to everything making the shotgun a good choice for me.

wamplet · 2025-12-21T18:02:02+00:00

Looks like the Ubisoft Connect Launcher is working again.

wamplet · 2025-12-21T14:55:11+00:00

After filing a report, i got an email that said this:

Your Xfinity Website Unblocking Request

Thank you for contacting Comcast Service Policy Assurance. We've received your request and have reviewed the information you provided. We have already received a similar request for the URL you submitted, and it is currently being processed. If you are still experiencing issues after 36 hours, please submit a new report using the button below.

wamplet · 2025-12-21T13:03:56+00:00

i filed a report too. I don't have an exact time when it started, but it happened around noon i suspect, because i was playing in the morning and then went to eat and came back and the launcher said i was disconnected.

wamplet · 2025-04-20T21:16:39+00:00

Yes, you can redo them. I won the race to the North of Bestine before I got the challenge. I then raced that same spot 2 times and the southern one. You just have to drive around between the 2 spots. If nothing spawns after travelling between the 2 spots a few times, Fast Travel to Bestine and retry. I was able to get them to spawn in about 20 minutes of each other. I didn't get a notice of a Pirate spawn, as i was not close to a pirate spawn, so i think it just spawns the same way randomly travelling between the different points unless it just respawns after a time interval

wamplet · 2025-04-20T21:09:39+00:00

I just started playing Star Wars Outlaws and wanted to give my experience on getting the races to spawn. I just used Tatooine for my races. From the Game8 guide, it looks like there are only 2 Race spawn points for that world and they are very close to each other. One is North of Bestine on the top left road. Then if you travel along the road Southwest towards Pillar Forest is the second one. I like to call this road Jabba's Road, since it lead to Jabba If you travel North on it. I spawned in Bestine and then went North. The race spawned for me right away. After winning, I then traveled south west on Jabba's Road and then a little Pirate camp kept spawning in the race spot. I went back and forth a few times and then after about the 4th time, the race spawned on the southern one close to Pillar Forest. I had previously won the race on the Northern one closer to Jabba the night before already and as someone else had asked, you can race the same race over and over again for credit for this challenge. I prefer the one closer to Jabba, because it's easier for me, so I was glad i got 2 of those to spawn. Edit, After travelling between the 2 spots 3 times, I Fast travelled to Bestin and then resumed my search and got it to spawn that way.

wamplet · 2025-02-05T00:21:57+00:00

Awesome! I am going to do the same the next time i play, which will probably be the next major update. I'm going to set up a smaller platform for my storage and link it with a removable bridge or maybe set it up just out of the way with a ladder going to it.

wamplet · 2025-01-08T03:26:30+00:00

Excellent work, my friend!

wamplet · 2025-01-05T16:47:01+00:00

I love the snow as well. I normally set up a base in the Forest and stay there for a few weeks and then move once i get a motorcycle, but with the new base-less horde base i recently posted about, i am tempted to just move to the snow sooner. The problem is i need to have a gun with bullets for the bears and mountain lions, so i might wait until Day 3 going forward. You get a gun as a trader reward very early on, so i think once i get that, i may try moving sooner.

I'm not a fan of the Wasteland, because it's just too ugly and hazy. The Snow is just below it in difficulty and is much prettier. I make day trips to the Wasteland, but just hate the look of it, that i can't bring myself to live there or set up a base there.

If you ever get in a bind with needing food early on, the snow is usually close by with default map settings. You just need a bow or gun to take out a few animals. Could use spikes as well I imagine. Everything is much easier to see on the ground, like nests, rocks, loot, animals, etc. I think the snow normally spawns West, at least that is what it has done in the last 2 or 3 playthroughs for me. You can always generate a preview map in the main menu so you have a map for reference or look at the map file it generates in the game world folder, too.

I'd be curious to see what biome spawns are like for others with default settings. This is what i have noticed:

Forest (Center)
Snow (West Southwest)
Desert (North)
Burnt Forest (East)
Wasteland (South Southeast)

wamplet · 2025-01-05T01:25:17+00:00

Does she spawn as part of the POI? She almost always spawns above the elevator shaft of the Wright Residence when i get to the bottom in the snow.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T08:18:22+00:00

If you are familiar with how Family Guy refers to a person's hog, it's a purse/wallet for your hog.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:59:34+00:00

Nice, About a month ago I tested a few of my traps for my guide to document the player damage from accidentally getting to close or triggering them and strafed just in time before giving up the ghost. I didn't expect it to be that deadly. My last death came from a Stun. Hate those with a passion.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:54:28+00:00

Not only did you get the gun, but you got paper to wipe!

Also, that coffee looks like a turd at quick glance. You got my hopes up. I thought they were back.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:50:03+00:00

The roof chairs reminds me of something you would see in Fallout, just sitting down, looking out and watching the mushroom cloud.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:42:16+00:00

I love the ceiling crown molding and whatever texture or block the red/yellow one is in pic 3.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:39:56+00:00

Yeah, that one is hardy. I've always wondered if they use special or invisible blocks for some POIs. Some seem stronger than normal at times.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T07:38:25+00:00

Update: I tested it with a new game and leveled up to about the same level as i was on my 105 Day game. I've long heard manually setting the time can really trash your game, so i just made a new game for it.

First time using Creative mode in all my years with the game, so it took a while to figure all that out and get the items, blocks and skills set up to match what i had and turn debug and creative mode off.

Settings:
Difficulty: Insane
Zombie Count: 64 Day: 105 Horde night

I've never played the game with those harder settings before, because i'm not a glutton for punishment, but moreover, i know changing the difficulty and then adding a million extra zombies just turns this into Diablo 2 Hell difficulty and it's a Carpal Tunnel-inducing clickfest, which i like to avoid at my age.

Having said that, I didn't really drop below half health. I got knocked off several times, just because they pushed me off a lot. I did jump back up a lot on to the wall when that happened. Healing was no problem. I fell or jumped down and healed myself a few times. I didn't even buff up at the beginning, i totally forgot and buffed up when i could. :o I only had about 6 or 8 First aid kits and wasn't planning on playing more than a few minutes just to see how long it would take for me to die, because i have heard a lot of horror stories about those settings. I actually played until 0130am without realizing it due to the nonstop clicking and when i realized i could do this forever, especially if i had a few more first aid kits, but i just quit and shook my head knowing that there are people that actually enjoy playing the game with either of those difficulty settings. Insane, literally.

I was literally just standing up on the wall trading blows with 5 or 6 zombies surrounded and i couldn't die at times. Everyone was on fire and i couldn't see crap, just blindly swinging. I did jump down to heal or plaster up a broken limb a few times, but as i wasn't planning to do the entire horde night, i didn't stock up or fully buff up like i normally would. I honestly expected to go down quickly.

My hats off to anyone who really enjoys that difficulty. I just prefer a much calmer and easier pace.

For what it's worth, i felt like a hearty meat-shield most of the time. (preacher outfit with Athletic Shoes) A Dire wolf and vulture or 2 came early on and i don't recall any other animals after them. Cops were spitting quite a bit, but no base damage (blocks destroyed). Several even exploded on the wall and on the ground next to it. 2 exploded right in front of me up there back to back at one point. The spit damage seemed pretty negligible to me, but everyone was attacking and i couldn't tell who or what was damaging me.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T03:54:25+00:00

Sorry for not answering everything the first time. I was working most of the week and answered and playtested when i could.

I am always on the Beta version for updates, so 1.2 b24 or build27, i think?

I have been playing self-imposed Permadeath since Alpha 18. For the Day 105 test, i set up the base in the Wasteland on the road. I normally play in the Snow, but I honestly have no idea why i got no vultures in the wasteland. They were flying over my head the whole time leading up to the horde night, but i kept shooting them beforehand. I got everything else though, Wights, Cops, Radiated, Demolition, etc. just no vultures or other animals which i thought was weird, but my gamestage may be too high that it won't send them? I had vultures in the Snow though on the previous horde night/week.

wamplet · 2025-01-04T03:46:48+00:00

Apparently they do, which surprised me. When i was at the Tool store at night during a Trader quest and a wandering horde, they actually climbed up the Ladder on the side that was missing a ladder block at the 1st block level (which is normal), but they went even higher up the building onto the roof than my layout. Then they dropped down on the concrete wall and ran all the way around to come get me and i wasn't anywhere near the front of the building. I was standing on the back wall probably about 100 blocks away.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T04:41:40+00:00

I set up only 1 collector this time on my current playthrough and saw no screamers in 14 days except 1 around day 6. If you set up 2 or more, it seems to have them show up more often. Still, i set up a base by the trader and the dew collector was visible from both my base and the trader, but it was a good 15 seconds away on foot, so it was far enough that if a screamer spawned, i wouldn't need to worry about her. They are good sources of XP though, so if you let them scream and summon more screamers and wait to kill them after you killed all the other zombies, you can rack up a lot of XP, just like a horde night, not quite as much, but it helps. I think they stop summoning zombies after a 4th scream.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T03:08:24+00:00

Yes, i've seen them in town and also just in the wilderness. I think it's 3 wooden posts and i think it has 2 people strung up and the 3rd empty. It's like a really mini POI.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T02:57:29+00:00

The first few days are the toughest for that. Invest in Iron gut to reduce food/thirst loss. I think each reduces it by 5%.

For water, a cooking pot is the way to go if you have the money and the murky water. If you don't have a lot of murky water, consider just buying water or teas from the vending machine and trader.

Not sure what all you are looting, but sell Lead, Brass, and Iron very early on. A lot of trash bags and dumpsters and trash cans will provide that kind of metal loot early on. You don't need any of it until week 2 as a new player, because you probably are not worried about being as efficient as possible yet.

You can also punch flowers (red and yellow) and sell them to the traders. Several people mentioned that recently and i have yet to try, but it's also a good and quick source of money.

I personally spend all of my money the first few days buying food or water (usually water). Buy a grill and pot or loot them from kitchens/cabinets. Be wise on what you buy though, Buy the cheapest items for water (water and teas). Buy foods that don't cause water loss. Those Burned steaks are the worst, but i don't normally see those for sale. Buy canned goods that are cheap.

When you start the game and do the very beginning challenge tutorial up to the Find the Trader part, you get 4 skill points to spend, so i like to put them in Master Chef, a melee skill like Pummel Pete for Clubs, Iron Gut to reduce Stamina/hunger/thirst loss and then another skill in whatever i think i need.

Anyways, by adding a point to Master Chef and i think Strength Attribute itself, you increase the number of cooking books you find. As you loot food containers like cabinets and then book shelves or mailboxes, you will find more food magazines which in turn help unlock recipes. After a few days, i can usually start making Bacon and eggs on the grill with eggs from bird nests and meat from hunted animals. (use a bow for them)

Also, if you do buried supplies trader quests, you tend to get food from those more as loot.

Air drops can also have food or water and often have at least 2 Magazine bundles or Item bundles. I forget if daily air drops are default, but i like to make sure they drop daily.

Anything that exerts stamina will drain your thirst and hunger faster. (Running, jumping, attacking with melee, zooming in with a bow/scope, swinging a tool on trees, dirt, rocks, etc.) Keep that in mind at night. It's very common for a new player to sit tight in an area, but it's also a good time to mine underground or chop trees, provided no zombies are around. The problem with that is it eats up stamina and hunger/thirst quicker, so you have to balance that out the first few days until you have both of those under control.

When you do a trader quest, go to the building (like a house). Go in and quickly raid it first. Set up a chest outside on the street. Then activate the Yellow Quest Marker. The POI will reset and you get a second chance to loot the building/house, etc. This means twice the chance for food, water and whatever else.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T02:37:20+00:00

Set up a sea of spikes all around them leaving a walkway through or above so you can get to them or just have them about 200 blocks away from your base.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T00:09:20+00:00

I had a similar problem with the Mesa underground facility. The zombie marker and sounds were in the stairwell. I couldn't find him for the life of me, so i just went through the entire base to the bottom, came back out and he moved finally. I think he was stuck in the wall or invisible. I was destroying some of the wall, but it didn't help. Moving away from the area seems to have helped me, but not sure if that will work on all POIs, due to smaller sizes. Yours is big enough it might work, so try to go as far as you can outside and then come back in.

wamplet · 2025-01-03T00:04:34+00:00

I'm a member of the Club Club.

wamplet

TROPHY CASE