Volume 3: Shotguns

"Bravo Six: Going Dark Matter" Volume 3: Shotguns cover.

Welcome to “Bravo Six: Going Dark Matter”

A complete guide to Polyatomic and Orion Camo

Volume 3: Shotguns!

This guide was authored by KRNG XVI | @xvithegreat

This guide is designed to be the most detailed, comprehensive guide to assist you on your journeys through Gold, Platinum, Polyatomic, and ultimately Orion. It has been written after extensive time testing, leveling, investigating, and compiling data about the game, and will be releasing over 9 volumes due to the sheer size of information and customization.

"Bravo Six, Going Dark (Matter)": A Complete Orion Camo Guide

Simplified Tuning Method

First time? You should definitely read Volume 0: Introduction!

The Introduction contains the following topics that are relevant to nearly every weapon class, such as:

What you have to do to earn Orion, with individual challenge recommendations; best settings to control recoil (extremely important); best Weapon XP and Longshot methods; complete Tuning guide; recommended perks & equipment, and general tips and tricks that will assist you throughout your camo grind.
This guide is divided into the following sections:

  • Section 1: Best Pellet Shotgun Attachments Analysis
  • Section 2: Best Slug Shotgun Attachments Analysis
  • Section 3: Weapon & Attachment Unlock List
  • Section 4: Tuning Insight & Best Practices
  • Section 5: Recommended Pellet Shotgun Loadouts, with Tuning
  • Section 6: Recommended Slug Shotgun Loadouts, with Tuning

Section 1: Best Pellet Shotgun Attachments Analysis

My understanding and insight on attachments is limited in the absence of advanced stats, but I base my knowledge on how attachments performed in MW19 and Vanguard (Vanguard operated on the MW19 engine). MW2 uses the MW19 engine, so it’s likely things are going to behave very similarly, if not exactly the same.

Tighter Pellet Spread or Hipfire Accuracy? Both if you can! Tighter Pellet Spread reduces the overall area your pellets will hit, while Hipfire Accuracy reduces the chance they will deviate beyond the hipfire direction. Both Pellet Spread and Hipfire Accuracy are effectively cones protruding from the barrel; make the cone smaller, and the weapon becomes more accurate and focused. While these are both effectively measures of the same type, Tighter Pellet Spread is technically the stronger statistic.

Effective construction of a traditional, pellet-based shotgun building involves an intuitive balance between mobility and range. Enough mobility to quickly close into the killzone, but enough reach to be effective well out of point-blank range.

  • Muzzle: Bryson Choke (Tighter Pellet Spread): Tightening the pellet spread means concentrating the blast in a smaller area. To visualize, if a shotgun fired in a cone, tightening the pellet spread would mean a smaller cone, thus making the shotgun more accurate. You want to focus as many pellets as possible onto center mass.

    • Bryson Improved Choke (Not Recommended... Probably): The Bryson Improved Choke offers both Damage Range and Tighter Pellet Spread, but only by offering a less-tight spread at the cost of increased range. At least that's what the stat bars say, and I genuinely hate to give such an unscientific answer. If both attachments are behaving as advertised, I would recommend the regular Bryson Choke because it would be better to have a slightly tighter and more consistent spread (increasing the likelihood of a one-shot kill), rather than having a slightly-increased change of hitmarkers in exchange for a slightly longer potential OSOK [One Shot One Kill]. We use barrels for a reason.

  • Barrel: Most Damage Range: The qualities we look for in a barrel are superior range and tighter spread; both of these stats directly amplify the effectiveness and consistency of pellet-spread shotguns.

  • Laser: Point-G3P 04: The most powerful laser for increasing hipfire accuracy.

  • Optic: Preference, but Not Recommended for hipfire shotguns. Use attachments that provide greater value, especially if most of your kills are not even with ADS.

  • Stock: "No Stock": We use a Stock attachment, but No Stock. Variable name per gun, but these are all used for their incredible boost to movement and handling times. Extremely valuable.

  • Rear Grip/Guard/Bolt: Rechamber Speed: Shotguns generally rely on one powerful blast to defeat opponents; being forced to fire again is a liability and may very well get you killed. Rechamber Speed is an excellent way to reduce the time you are effectively 'stunned' and have to wait to fire a second blast. Remember that sprinting will not interrupt a rechamber for the Bryson Brothers!

  • Magazine: Never: There are no magazines that provide substantial enough changes to warrant use with the traditional shotguns. Quite simply, there are more powerful mobility attachments and more value-added spread attachments that take priority.

  • Ammunition: Not for Hipfire: While the classic Dragon's Breath is an option, I found that the Dragon's Breath reduced range and consistency by dangerous amounts. The inherent conundrum with using Dragon's Breath is that it has the potential to reduce an OSOK to a hitmarker, then kill via Incendiary damage... but the victim still has the chance to kill you while suffering over time. Remember, Dragon's Breath is damage over time, not a straight damage buff. It is better to have a longer-range and more consistent OSOK then to risk a DB hitmarker that would have otherwise been an instant kill. Dragon's Breath, in my testing with all four shotguns, felt like an attachment that reduced overall effectiveness by a staggering amount.

  • Underbarrel: Bruen Warrior Grip: The strongest hipfire accuracy attachment available from this category.

Section 2: Best Slug Shotgun Attachments Analysis

Slug shotguns should be constructed to be accurate enough at range, but mobile enough to duck back into cover in case you miss, since there are no safety nets with slugs. Unlike recent times (especially with Vanguard), Slug shotguns in MW2 are a pleasantly effective and capable option and provide a very satisfying alternative to the traditional "in your face" playstyle of the traditional pellet-spread shotgun.

  • Muzzle: Bryson Choke: Since slugs benefit from having "tighter pellet spread" attachments, despite being a singular projectile and no pellets, the muzzle is a simple accuracy boost. Specifically, I tested 400 shots at 40 meters and the Bryson Choke provided a 33% boost to accuracy. Amazing!

  • Barrel: Not Recommended: While several barrels do benefit the Slug playstyle and can be used to moderately increase range and accuracy, the handling drawbacks are far too extreme to realistically consider the inclusion of a barrel.

  • Laser: VLK LZR 7MW: The laser that gets us on target the fastest with a welcome 10% decrease to ADS speed.

  • Optic: Variable: I personally judge the Lockwood and Bryson Brothers' irons to be sufficiently clear, but the Expedite quickly becomes a blocky, unclear mess after the first shot, so I recommend a sight on the Expedite 12.

  • Stock: Variable: Only two Stocks are used, and both are flexed to meet the needs of the weapon.

  • Rear Grip/Guard/Bolt: Rechamber Speed: While I don't use these since I find other attachments more important, if you did use one of these, Rechamber Speed from a Guard or Bolt is a great way to increase the speed of a follow-up shot.

  • Magazine: Generally Not: There are no magazines that provide substantial enough changes to warrant use, except for the 5-Shell Mag with the Bryson 890. In most cases, there are more powerful mobility and utility attachments.

  • Ammunition: 12 Gauge Slug: For every shotgun except the Bryson 890, 12-Gauge Explosive Slugs are the more consistent option, but only when they do hit. Explosive Slugs are less accurate and countered by the frequently-used Bomb Squad; thus, regular 12-Gauge Slugs are the safest and most consistent option.

  • Underbarrel: Extreme Stability: The FTAC Ripper 56 and Phase-3 Grip both lend an extraordinary amount of much-needed Stability to the Slug builds. Recoil Stabilization and Hipfire Accuracy are totally unneeded, but since these Underbarrels provide more Stability than the FSS Sharkin 90, they are used. The most important benefit of this Stability gain is keeping the sights stable when making horizontal aim adjustments.

Section 3: Weapon & Attachment Unlock List

Not all Shotguns are unlocked just by leveling up; some must be unlocked by leveling up other guns first. In addition, there are a few attachments I will recommend you use on most shotguns of a certain build type, and one of them is not natively unlocked by the Shotgun class.

Weapon Unlock List
  • Lockwood 300: Unlocked at Player Level 36.
  • Expedite 12: Unlocked at Player Level 7.
  • Bryson 800: Unlocked at Player Level 1.
  • Bryson 890: Unlocked by leveling the Bryson 800 to Weapon Level 16.

Attachment Unlock List

Shotguns have a lot of specialized attachments that are unique per-gun and are not universally available, but here are some of the shared ones:

  • Point-G3P 04 Laser: Unlocked by leveling the Expedite 12 to Weapon Level 11.

  • Bryson Improved Choke: Unlocked by leveling the Bryson 800 to Weapon Level 4.

  • Bryson Choke: Unlocked by leveling the Bryson 890 to Weapon Level 15.

  • Bruen Warrior Grip: Unlocked by leveling the Sakin MG38 (LMG) to Weapon Level 12.

    • Sakin MG38 Light Machine Gun: Unlocked at Player Level 1.

  • VLK LZR 7MW Laser (Slugs): Unlocked by leveling the STB 556 (AR) to Weapon Level 5.

    • STB 556 Assault Rifle: Unlocked at Player Level 41.

  • 12 Gauge Slugs: Unlocked individually per gun, usually among the last unlocks.

Section 4: Tuning Insight & Best Practices

I published a very detailed guide that explains the process, but for anyone not interested in learning how it works and just want the technique, I did also include a 60-second TL;DR video that teaches you everything you need to know.

Section 5: Recommended Pellet Shotgun Loadouts, with Tuning

In this section and the next, I’ll provide my highly-tested and confirmed-effective loadouts that are a result of many hours of testing in live matches, bot matches, and messing with tuning. You may not be able to build these weapons early or until the weapon is fully leveled; remember, Tuning is not unlocked until the weapon is maximum level. Be sure to refer to my earlier Attachment Unlock List to scavenge for missing attachments.

These builds are optimized for tight pellet spreads in even tighter hipfire cones for maximum damage. Ideally, you want to aim for center mass and trust the gun to do the rest of the work in one solid, 100+ blast. The Lockwood is built for ADS to play to its strength as a traditionally ADS shotgun, and the rest of the builds are customized to be hipfired while on the move.

I tested these builds very thoroughly, and the OSOK Effective Range is not the actual range of the weapon, rather the tested range of the weapon with my attachments when fired from the hip. In other words, it is approximately the maximum distance you should expect to reliably score a one-shot kill from the hip (Lockwood is measured for ADS). It will be possible to score a hipfire OSOK beyond my maximum reported range, just not consistently. Hipfire OSOKs were measured against upper center mass while firing from the hip without moving.

Wait, what is an OSOK? One Shot, One Kill. 100+ damage dealt from one blast fired.

Lockwood 300 recommended build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Lockwood 300

    • Difficulty: Hard

    • The Lockwood 300, also formally known as the 725, is a traditionally ADS and non-hipfire longer-range shotgun. As such, the OSOK potential was measured from ADS rather than hipfire. Two shots, so round those corners carefully and adjust your playstyle to compensate for the capacity limitations.

    • ADS OSOK Effective Range: 15 meters

      • Level 10: 40 Suppressor Kills

      • Level 19: 25 One Shot Kills

      • Level 27: 20 Mounted Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 36.

Expedite 12 recommended build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Expedite 12

    • Difficulty: Easy

    • Hipfire OSOK Effective Range: 9 meters

    • The Expedite 12 is the signature spam shotgun, capable of semi-auto'ing enemies away with little concern of inviting a fair fight. Fire rate is maximized on the recommended build. No barrel included because no barrel increases the range or tightens the spread.

      • Level 11: 15 Hipfire Kills

      • Level 20: 25 Prone Kills

      • Level 29: 30 ADS Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 7.

Bryson 800 recommended build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Bryson 800

    • Difficulty: Easy

    • The Bryson 800 is the first of what I dub the 'Bryson Brothers' and packs absolutely absurd levels of range and damage, able to consistently score a one-shot kill from the hip at up to 17 meters, which is - I state again - absolutely absurd.

    • Hipfire OSOK Effective Range: 17 meters

      • Level 08: 15 Hipfire Kills

      • Level 14: 10 Double Kills

      • Level 20: 20 One Shot Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 1.

Bryson 890 recommended build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Bryson 890

    • Difficulty: Easy

    • The Bryson 890 is the weaker of the Bryson Brothers, but still a perfectly capable weapon. A very traditional and familiar pump-action shotgun.

    • Hipfire OSOK Effective Range: 12 Meters

      • Level 08: 15 Point Blank Kills

      • Level 14: 10 Double Kills

      • Level 21: 25 Crouched Kills

    • Unlocked by: Leveling the Bryson 800 to Weapon Level 16.

Section 6: Recommended Slug Shotgun Loadouts, with Tuning

My recommended high-mobility slug builds focus on landing properly-centered, snappy one-shots and are not designed for repeat fire; they are designed for intentional and precise strikes with strongly-accelerated mobility to keep the user agile enough to reposition rapidly in the event of a miss.

Expect heavy kick from all four offerings, so focus on hitting the one shot you need while being able to rely on superior agility to get you out of harm's way in case you miss. Hipfiring the one solid projectile will not often save you.

Lockwood 300 recommended Slug build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Lockwood 300

    • Difficulty: Hard

    • In line with the non-Slug counterpart, play carefully to ensure you don't over-position yourself into a place where you'll need more than two shots. Keep the capacity limitation in mind at all times.

      • Level 10: 40 Suppressor Kills

      • Level 19: 25 One Shot Kills

      • Level 27: 20 Mounted Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 36.

Expedite 12 recommended Slug build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.

  • Expedite 12

    • Difficulty: Medium

    • The Expedite 12 can be very pleasing to use as long as you manage your ranges well. Sight is added to replace the bulky ironsights since proper sight-centering is paramount to using the Slug variant.

      • Level 11: 15 Hipfire Kills

      • Level 20: 25 Prone Kills

      • Level 29: 30 ADS Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 7.

Bryson 800 recommended Slug build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Bryson 800

    • Difficulty: Easy

    • Use this variant only if you specifically enjoy using Slugs for better or worse. By and far, the traditional build is superior in raw slaying power. Clear ironsights make slug centering very easy. Exceptional handling and mobility.

      • Level 08: 15 Hipfire Kills

      • Level 14: 10 Double Kills

      • Level 20: 20 One Shot Kills

    • Unlocked at: Player Level 1.

Bryson 890 recommended Slug build with Simplified Tuning and challenges.
  • Bryson 890

    • Difficulty: Easy

    • The Bryson 890 also harbors clear ironsights for easy slug centering with equally envious levels of mobility and handling.

      • Level 08: 15 Point Blank Kills

      • Level 14: 10 Double Kills

      • Level 21: 25 Crouched Kills

    • Unlocked by: Leveling the Bryson 800 to Weapon Level 16.

"Bravo Six, Going Dark (Matter)": A Complete Orion Camo Guide

Simplified Tuning Method

This guide was authored by KRNG XVI | @xvithegreat