What Are Shotguns?

Shotguns are powerful short-range weapons that shoot pellets in a spray-like blast every time you pull the trigger. They’re best suited for causing heaps of damage over nailing crit shots. If you’re a Vault Hunter who struggles with melee control, a shotgun is your gateway to wreaking close-range havoc. 

Are some shotguns better than others?

Stretching damage impact is your best friend, especially with co-ops making enemies harder to kill. Borderlands 2 changed the game with this round, so looting is more specific but the outcome is worth it. Here is a ranked list of Borderlands 2 top five shotguns worth hustling for.

5. Landscaper

Great for mowing down the opposition.

This shotgun shoots four mines in a square pattern that implodes upon enemy impact or sticks onto inert surfaces, detonating after six seconds. You can lob up to three shots, spreading twelve mines throughout the area, which is great for slow moving enemies that like to pack a punch.

What we love about Landscaper

Any splash damage made can be converted into rocket launcher ammo if you’ve got an Absorb Shield on deck. 

What Landscaper Excels In

• Setting the scene. Since Landscaper has a timer, you could dance around the area seeding the ground, walls, ceiling, etc with mines to maximize damage.
• This guy has one of the top ratings for accuracy in the BL2 shotgun family, which makes ammo deployment even sweeter.
• Salvador has several class mods that could boost magazine size, fire rate, bullet regen, and reload speed, to name a few. You’ll wanna see about picking up the Devastator, Monk, or Hoarder mod depending on your goals.

How to get it

You’ll be doing an optional mission: “Clan War: Zafords vs. Hodunks”. As a favor to Ellie to help shut things down, you’ll need to choose a side and take out the other clan. Once you’ve wrapped things up, make sure you return your completed mission to Jimbo in exchange for your shiny new toy.

Landscaper Stats

• Rarity: Unique (Blue)
• Manufacturer: Torgue
• Element: Explosive
• Damage: x4 of listed damage
• Burst: 4 or 6
• Accuracy: 85.3 - 88.8
• Fire Rate: 0.8 - 1.0
• Magazine Capacity: 4 - 6
• Reload Speed: 3.9 - 5.1
• Chance of Explosive Damage: 100%

4. SWORDSPLOSION!!!

"Mal. Guy killed me, Mal. He killed me with a sword. How weird is that?" -- Mr. Universe

Crouching Tiger Hidden Sword Gun would make for an amazing movie, I’m just saying. Good thing you’re first on the call sheet for this boom tube. A single sword-shaped projectile is fired, explodes upon impact, and then spawns three smaller swords that also explode on impact. 

What we love about SWORDSPLOSION!!!

The grenade damage is listed as 70%. If you’re equipped with any grenade bonuses, that can boost your overall impact, which will clear the area quite nicely. 

What SWORDSPLOSION!!! Excels In

• Close range or not it’s gonna explode somewhere, allowing you to cut through the riff-raff with combustible ease.
• Consistent burst shots. It will always start with one and then explode to three. And then explode again on impact.
• The impressive accuracy means you can use scopes up to 4.4x weapon zoom. Help a bandit out by shooting the mud stains off their faces.

How to get it

You’ll do Roland a favor in an optional mission called “The Sword in the Stoner” at Flamerock Refuge after you finish the “Denial, Anger, Initiative” story mission. You fight an immortal golem, grab a sword sticking out of it for Roland, and then you get a gun sword! Totally easy, I swear.

SWORDSPLOSION!!! Stats

• Rarity: E-tech, Unique (purple)
• Manufacturer: Torgue
• Element: Explosive
• Damage: as is, or x3 of listed damage
• Burst: 4
• Accuracy: 71.3 - 84.4
• Fire Rate: 0.9 - 1.1
• Magazine Capacity: 8 - 10
• Reload Speed: 3.4 - 4.4
• Chance of Explosive Damage: 100%

2. Slow Hand

Don't worry, the light will come to you.

It’s time to try defying gravity. A Wicked upgrade to the shotgun family, this little buddy fires a slow-moving projectile with a powerful elemental punch. As a little treat, you get +3.5% of your health while holding this precious angel in your hands.

What we love about Slow Hand

Healing isn’t tied to the direct damage you make with the weapon. This is useful when you’re trying to hide and recover cause some robot blew out your shield.

What Slow Hand Excels In

• The elemental deployment comes with high splash damage, creating more bang for your buck. Avoid getting within range of the blast, as this gun can also damage the user if you’re too close.
• Any damage inflicted from melee or grenade attacks while holding Slow Hand also generates health points. What a gem.
• If you happen to get a “Practicable” prefix to your Slow Hand (see image), you get two more projectiles added to your arsenal. Elementary, my dear Watson.

How to get it

You’ll need to complete the “Long Way To The Top” story mission and beat The Badassasaurus. Knocking out its fuel barrels is your best bet, so make use of the concrete fence by the entrance if solo or use flanking tactics if in a co-op.

Slow Hand Stats 

• Rarity: Unique (Blue)
• Manufacturer: Hyperion
• Element: Incendiary, Shock, Corrosive, or Slag
• Damage: x3 of listed damage
• Accuracy: 79.0 - 87.9
• Fire Rate: 1.6 - 2.1
• Magazine Capacity: 7 - 11
• Reload Speed: 2.9 - 5.1
• Chance of Elemental Damage: Incendiary/Corrosive/Shock: 48.0%, Slag: 72.1%

2. Deliverance

Better than overnight shipping.

Gun necromancy. This build takes reload-throwing guns to a whole new level by continuing to fire at enemies after you throw it, homing in on its nearest target before detonating. It ricochets off surfaces during its countdown, creating tons of chaos if you’re brawling indoors.

What we love about Deliverance

Amp Shields help with bonus damage every time you fire. While it does cost a certain amount of shield damage, those stats work in your favor when you get higher rarity marked Amp Shields like The Bee.

What Deliverance Excels In

• Zer0’s Fast Hands skill and Professional class mod help with reload speed and launching multiple instances of Deliverance targeting an enemy. Multiple zombie shotguns doing your bidding. Incredible.
• Fantastic against Rakks and Surveyors. Those things are hard enough to hit, so you may as well have a helping hand.
• Any shots fired by Deliverance won’t knock Zer0 out of Decepti0n, which is crucial if you’re trying to get the jump on your enemies.

How to get it

While this weapon can be found in Base Game World Drop, there are places with a higher chance of Deliverance spawning. You could find it by killing a barf skag named Tumbaa in the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve or fighting the Gold Golem boss in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. 

Deliverance Stats

• Manufacturer: Tediore
• Rarity: Legendary (Orange)
• Element: Incendiary, Shock, Corrosive, Slag, none
• Damage: x6 - x8 of listed damage
• Burst: unknown
• Accuracy: 53.1 - 76.5
• Fire Rate: 1.4 - 2.5
• Magazine capacity: 6 - 9
• Reload Speed: 2.0 - 3.0
• Chance of Elemental Damage: Incendiary/Corrosive/Shock: 8.0%, Slag: 12.0%

1. Omen

Good for you, bad for them.

It’s like hurling a Pokéball made of bullets. Nine projectiles, with eight of them forming a circle and one in the center. The pattern expands and contracts as it hurtles toward enemies, causing additional 100% splash damage.

What we love about Omen

In Maya’s hands, this beauty helps everyone have a good time. Maya can use Phaselock with Converge to hold enemies in one place and hit several of them all at once. 

What Omen Excels In

• If Maya’s Restoration skill is maxed, damaging enemies heals your allies during combat. What a steal!
• One of the more flexible shotguns, you can compensate for its average fire rate with boosted Skills and/or gear to increase damage output.
• Even though it does explode like a grenade when reloaded, with the right shield and health boosters you’re primed to cause a ruckus if swarmed by enemies.

How to get it

There’s big trouble with Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, since you’ll have to pull a Harry Potter and fight the Ancient Dragons of Destruction to get it. Thankfully, all four dragons’ special abilities don’t work while they’re flying. Perhaps a special Deliverance is in order?

Omen Stats

• Manufacturer: Tediore
• Rarity: Seraph (Pink) E-Tech
• Element: Shock, Incendiary, Corrosive, Slack, none
• Damage: x9 of listed damage
• Burst: 9
• Accuracy: 62.8 - 74.5
• Fire Rate: 1.4 - 1.7
• Magazine Capacity: 6 - 9
• Reload Speed: 1.6 - 3.0
• Chance of Elemental Damage: Incendiary/Corrosive/Shock: 8.0%, Slag: 12.0%

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