You’re right, I should have put that option in there, my bad. But a comment here saying you don’t think any will have to do.
So for a Braced Autoguns and Shredder Autopistol, I feel like they just need more ammo.
Heavy Stubber just needs to draw faster, I think.
I don’t even know what to do with Vigilant Autoguns, frankly, but they are pretty much garbage. I’ve been experimenting with them, but even using an auto-clicker (to save my mouse, I will not apologize) they are so far behind just the long Infantry Autogun even at the longest ranges you typically see in DT.
Kickback - I mean, do you see the size of this thing? It shoots shells the size of our heads, and yet it doesn’t really hit that hard. We gotta have balance, but I feel it’s been power-crept into being below-par. I still use it a lot, prefer it, I feel like it needs more oomph in the damage department. In general, shotguns in DT seem to lack a clear role, but I’ll talk more about that in a moment.
I’ve barely ever used Rippers; no idea what to suggest.
Shotpistol and Rio Shield just should be able to reload while blocking. Perhaps at a slower speed, but I really don’t think it’s gonna break balance to lean into its gimmick.
Finally, shotguns; I really don’t know why one would ever choose to bring one over the other weapons other than “I want to bring a shotgun”. Realistic, frankly, but not really the fantasy, is it?
I feel like shotguns should seek to fulfill specific roles; close-range defense against threatening soft targets, one-shots at close range with a long reload as a cost, cutting down multiple weak enemies at close range, and as a close-range storming weapon.
Right now, I think cutting down multiple weak enemies is the only thing that any do right; the duckbilled Arbites shotgun is good, as are bleed/crit builds. The DBLS is ostensibly meant to be the one-shot close-range powerhouse, but it is very disappointing in this role.
I would personally trade a large chunk of its oddly-enormous ammo pool for more power. It can one-shot mutants - this is pretty cool. But it’s a very narrow margin. If I can’t center a mutant in my crosshair, that’s on me, but if it’s running by me and I don’t get the one-shot because it’s got a narrower profile/maybe the arms have different damage multipliers, that’s just kinda sad. Honestly, I would be happy if this weapon could kill a Crusher in 2-3 point-blank headshots, though I’m sure many wouldn’t want that much power in it. I’m a classic Doom fan and when I see these I think “this thing better be a world-beater”.
Frankly, I’d say cut the magazine sizes on the Combat Shotguns and increase the power of each shot. Increase the max-damage range slightly.
I can’t even remember all the special shots on the Combat Shotguns off-hand, and I ignore them (aside from the slug, which is good). I wish we had some more interesting, sci-fi weapons, like maybe a firecracker shot that you can launch at groups to ranged enemies to suppress them, allowing you to get into close range. IE, as a storming weapon.
Finally - I’d give shotguns uniquely more damage against unarmored Ragers, Mutants, and Pox Hounds. These should be the ideal targets! In practice, Ragers still keep running and when large packs of them approach a Combat Shotgun has a very narrow range in which to pick them apart. It is far from the weapon you wish you had when 8 of them come charging at you.
Just my thoughts. All of that might be too much, but I’d really like to have to consider “do I want to bring a shotgun this game?”
)