Here’s the best method to take advantage of Fallout 76‘s a powerful but inaccurate gun. Even in battle, there are several options in Fallout 76. As you travel through the Wasteland, you’ll have access to a wide variety of weaponry and armor sets. Shotguns, one of the game’s best close-combat weapons, are one of the several weapon categories available in Fallout 76. In Fallout 76, shotguns are a little-used weapon type that is still worth equipping if you know how to use them. Everything you need to know about the finest shotguns, the greatest perks, and the best way to divide your SPECIAL stats will be covered in this comprehensive guide. The number of shotguns available is small, but there is still enough variety to allow you to choose the weapon that best suits your needs. We recommend learning about the three shotguns (Gauss, Quad Double Barrel, and Combat Shotgun) so that you can build the strongest shotgun.
The Best Stats For A Shotgun Build
A fresh build should pay attention to your SPECIAL numbers, as well as Perk Cards, Legendary Perks, and mutation. Regardless of your personal tastes, there are a few SPECIAL stats and Perk Cards that are helpful for shotgun builds regardless of your preferences. A shotgun build has a wide range of stats and perks to consider.
The Best SPECIAL Stat Allocation For A Shotgun Build
The most critical component for optimizing your construct is the utilization of SPECIAL stats. Starting at level 1, you get one point in each stat, and you get one extra SPECIAL point every time you level up until you reach level 50, which gives you a total of 56 points. In addition to boosting your SPECIAL stats, Legendary Perks can also enhance your total SPECIAL points.
As you’ll see in the following section, there are a few SPECIAL stats that shotgun builds should prioritize. Some of your points can be re-assigned based on the Perk Cards you choose to equip. If you’re going to employ VATS, you’ll also want to tweak your Perception stat.
| SPECIAL Stat | Number Of Points |
| Strength | 14 |
| Perception | 12 |
| Endurance | 6 |
| Charisma | 3 |
| Intelligence | 8 |
| Agility | 8 |
| Luck | 5 |
The Best Perk Cards For A Shotgun Build
Using a Perk Card will make your character more powerful. As you go through the game, you gain access to more Perk Cards, each of which demands a specific number of bonus SPECIAL stat points. You can use a Perk Card that requires three Perception points if you have three free Perception points, for example.
If you plan to use shotguns in Fallout 76, you should equip the following eight Perk Cards as a starting point. Due to the close-range nature of shotguns, a few Perk Cards can be equipped to increase your HP and the healing provided by stimpacks for your character.
| Perk Card | Base Effect | SPECIAL Stat Requirement | Level Requirement |
| Enforcer | Shotguns Gain A 5% Chance To Stagger Opponents And A 10% Chance To Break A Limb | 1 Agility | Level 30 |
| Shotgunner (+Expert Shotgunner & Master Shotgunner) | Shotguns Deal 10% More Damage | 1 Strength | Level 10 |
| Concentrated Fire | You Can Target Individual Limbs In VATS | 1 Perception | Level 2 |
| Skeet Shooter | Shotguns Have Better Spread And Accuracy | 1 Perception | Level 10 |
| Bloody Mess | All Weapons Deal 5% More Damage | 1 Luck | Level 42 |
| First Aid | Stimpacks Restore 15% More HP | 1 Intelligence | Level 2 |
| Scattershot | Shotguns Reload 10% Faster And Weigh 30%, Less | 1 Strength | Level 18 |
| Life-Giver | +15 HP | 2 Endurance | Level 50 |
You can only get Legendary Perks if you’ve reached levels 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, and 300 which is the same as Perk Cards. Each time you hit a new level, you’ll be rewarded with a new Legendary Perk slot.
If you’re planning on using a shotgun in a group environment, these six Legendary Perks will come in handy. Other Legendary Perks may be relevant for your build depending on the type of armor or secondary weapons you use.
| Legendary Perk | Base Effect |
| Taking One For The Team | While Part Of A Team, You Deal 20% More Damage To Enemies After They Attack You |
| Far-Flung Fireworks | Enemies Have A 10% Chance To Explode When You Defeat Them Using A Ranged Weapon |
| Ammo Factory | You Get 50% More Ammo When You Craft Ammunition |
| Legendary Strength | Gain 1 Strength And Strength Point |
| Legendary Perception | Gain 1 Perception And Perception Point |
| Legendary Endurance | Gain 1 Endurance And Endurance Point |