THE SUPPORT. This guy is known for shotguns, weapons that can quickly chain stun Scrakes and Fleshpounds and easily cut down swarms of Zeds coming your way. High penetrating power and damage output make this one of the deadliest classes against Zeds, plus the ability to supply your teammates with ammunition can sometimes save your team from getting slaughtered!
But it’s also important to know what weapons are the best for this class. They have different types of shotguns, sometimes even melee weapons and we’re gonna analyze them, explain what special effects they have, and why they’re kick ass. So, now that we know what we’re going to do, let’s start with the first shotty!
10. SG 500 Pump-Action
We all gotta start somewhere…
This is the default weapon that you get when starting the round as a Support. It’s not great but it’s not crap either, the ammunition is relatively cheap and it’s gonna get the job done in the early waves. You can actually use this weapon till you have enough money for AA-12, although you need to make sure you’re always on top of the scoreboard.
Still, this weapon is not very accurate and it might take 2-3 shots to the head to kill a Bloat, a Siren, Husk, and other prick Zeds. I think it’s pretty obvious that this weapon won’t fare well against Fleshpounds/Scrakes either.
Why this weapon is great:
- Can penetrate through Zeds pretty well for a low-tier shotgun
- Deals a high amount of damage for a 200 DOSH weapon
- The ammunition is pretty cheap for this gun in the store
9. HRG Buckshot
Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can…
That’s what happens to Crawlers if they get too close to your HRG Buckshot, which is a revolver-shotgun hybrid. Deals slightly more damage than the SG-500 and it can also be dual-wielded but the best part of this weapon is its fire rate - you can easily annihilate a mob of Zeds and even destroy a Scrake if you’re accurate enough!
But some people might not like the fact that this weapon can only fire 5 shots before being reloaded. The reload speed is kinda sluggish, especially when you don’t have the Tactical Reload perk enabled. Keep in mind that the accuracy of these revolvers is weaker compared to that of the SG-500!
What these “revolvers” do well:
- High rate of fire, can easily annihilate columns of Zeds
- The damage is there, can kill everything up to a Scrake
- 550 DOSH per revolver, pretty cheap if you ask me!
8. Double-barreled Boomstick
Good night!
The good old Boomstick. It can only fire two buckshots before a reload but you can expect some serious damage from this bad boy. Headshotting a Scrake from close-range will not only stagger the creature but also completely disfigure the face of that monster. I’m confident that this shotty will get the job done after 2 more headshots like that!
Of course, this weapon has terrible accuracy and a nonexistent magazine clip. It’s easy to get killed while using this weapon if you’re not well aware of your surroundings. Still, what other weapon can send a Siren straight into the stratosphere?!
What the double-barrel does well:
- Can get the job done against the larger Zeds if you know what you’re doing
- A very high amount of damage per shot
- You can fire both barrels at once, dealing even more ridiculous amounts of damage
7. HRG Ballistic Bouncer
The red ball of death.
This is by far the most ridiculous weapon on this list. Holding the LMB charges up a ball that can be fired upon Zeds. Aiming with this thing requires practice, plus there’s a possibility that your target is gonna get knocked down - this is especially useful against larger Zeds, which allows your other teammates to finish the job.
To summarize, it is a stupid but fun weapon. It bears no resemblance to a shotgun and has no pellet spread, although the balls can bounce off of surfaces and hit extra Zeds.
What this “shotgun” does best:
- Knocks down Zeds, which leaves them very vulnerable for a short period of time
- The balls can ricochet off of walls, as well as Zeds
- For a gun that deploys cute, little balls, it deals a fair amount of damage!
6. HZ12 Multi-Action
Paint the map red!
A gun meant for annihilating swarms of Zeds, thanks to the unusually big magazine size, which is around 16 rounds, without any perks. It has a decent rate of fire and this weapon should get the job done against the larger Zeds, although the accuracy is as bad as with the previous weapons.
The damage is at around 200 points, assuming that all 10 of your pellets hit the target. Also, buying ammunition for this thing can be an expensive nightmare…
Why this weapon is pretty good:
- High magazine capacity(16 rounds per magazine, which can be improved with the High Capacity Magazines perk)
- A decent rate of fire, this shotty can fire two rounds simultaneously
- Costs only 750 DOSH(it can be purchased on the second wave)
5. M4 Combat Shotgun
Where’s yo head at?
This semi-automatic shotty is capable of dealing with Scrakes and maybe Fleshpounds, although you might want to carry an extra weapon, just in case you miss too many shots. The M4 deals 240 damage in total, by enabling the High Capacity Magazines you can improve your magazine capacity to 14 rounds and make this beauty even more deadly. The final positive of this weapon is the fact that it’s relatively accurate!
Loading this weapon can be seriously annoying, as it just takes way too much time. This can become pretty deadly in situations where you are surrounded or forced into a dead-end.
Why this weapon is awesome:
- Semi-automatic, can unload your whole mag into a Scrake’s head in little time!
- Concussion Rounds perk can chain-stun Scrakes/Fleshpounds
- 8 pellets per shot(30x8=240 damage)
- One of the most accurate shotguns in the game!
4. Frost Fang
Died of natural causes!
The Frost Fang is a shotgun, as well as a melee weapon. You can freeze Zeds with your pellets, which is extremely useful while fighting Scrakes and Fleshpounds. This weapon can also save your life in situations where you are surrounded by Zeds and don’t have time to reload and cut a way through.
Although this weapon is as accurate as the M4, it deals slightly less damage(210 in total). The fire rate is also average but the melee option+Fortitude perk allows you to tank for your other squishy teammates!
What Frost Fang does great:
- Freezes Zeds, can also freeze Scrakes/Fleshpounds
- When ammo is scarce, you can always result to melee attacks
- Deals 210 damage in total
- Melee attacks deal more damage to frozen targets
3. HRG Blast Brawlers
Sci-Fi gloves that shoot buckshot rounds?!
You heard it right. This weapon makes no sense but it works, it can be used both as a ranged weapon, as well as a melee weapon. It deals 195 damage per 5 pellets/200 damage when used as a melee weapon. It’s highly effective against single targets, as well as hordes and the large Zeds, such as Quarter Pounds, Scrakes, and Fleshpounds.
Although this weapon looks fun and unique, the magazine capacity is absolutely dreadful. It made me wonder whether spending 1600 DOSH on this thing was really worth it, as I began to struggle with constantly reloading these goofy gloves. In the end, I “Mike Tysoned” my way onto the next round!
What these gloves are good at:
- Powerful melee attacks, 200 damage per hit
- As with the Frost Fang, if you run out of ammo you can always punch your way through
- 195 damage per 5 pellets(keep in mind that you shoot with both gloves, so that’s around 390 damage in total)
2. Doomstick
Removes everything within a meter's range.
The Siren in that image, on the other hand, was launched into the sky. Seriously, it bounced off the shop and I could never find the body. That’s what happens when you fire 4 barrels at once, which is around 960 damage in total. This weapon also has the highest penetration value, although due to its magazine capacity, it should be used for removing Scrakes+Fleshpounds first and foremost.
But what sucks about this weapon is the fact that you can get easily killed, as it takes a while to reload this thing and you can only fire 4 rounds per reload. Additionally, the Doomstick is only effective at close ranges; attempting to shoot it at longer distances will leave you disappointed.
What the Doomstick does great:
- Will 1-shot Scrakes if all pellets connect to the head
- The highest penetration value from all shotguns
- 960 damage in total when using the alternative fire mode
- The Salvo perk improves your damage by 30% - that’s 1248 more damage while using the alternative fire mode!
1. AA-12 Auto Shotgun
Spiderman, we gotta stop meeting like this…
The one and only, AA-12. It has an outstanding magazine clip of 20 rounds, which makes it very easy to kill Scrakes and Fleshpounds, as well as absolutely obliterate columns of weaker Zeds. The damage is around 140 per round, although this can be improved by the Salvo perk(+42 more damage). Thanks to the Concussion Rounds perk, it’s also possible to chain-stun large Zeds and eventually kill them - it should take 1 magazine to kill a Scrake, although it depends on the difficulty.
My favorite weapon, although it’s easy to run out of ammo with the AA-12. The ammunition cost in the shop is also ridiculously high, so make sure you are not too trigger-happy and you’re regularly lurking around for ammo boxes. Some players might even disagree with me for placing this gun in the first spot, as it only deals 140 damage per round - valid criticism but please keep in mind that if you’re a level 20-25 support, you can overcome most issues with this gun and become literally unstoppable!
Why the AA-12 is the best:
- 20-round magazine capacity
- The AA-12 synergizes very well with the Concussion Rounds perk
- 2 different fire modes, auto+sem-auto
- Obliterates columns of Zeds, Armor Piercing Shot perk improves your penetration even more
- Surprisingly, decent accuracy - performs well at close, as well as medium distances
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