For close-quarters combat involving firearms, Shotguns are the optimal choice. Very few enemies in Biomutant can withstand a direct blast from even the most meager members of this weapon class. The downside to these arms is that they lack the ability to be effective at medium or long-range in most cases.
The best weapon bases in Biomutant to create the strongest Shotguns from are the ones that grant the player the most potential to eradicate nearby foes. This can be gleaned from higher than average base fire rates, magazine sizes, and reload speeds. Be sure to select a Shotgun base depending on these factors, as there are some that lack these qualities and would be a waste of resources to upgrade.
7 Bangbump
Bangbump Fire Rate - 5/100
Bangbump Accuracy - 65/100
Bangbump Effective Range - 20/100
Bangbump Magazine Size - 6
Bangbump Reload Speed - 0/100
Easily the worst Shotgun base in the game for multiple reasons, the Bangbump is a gun better left on the remains of the foes instead of being looted from them. Notably poorer accuracy is a big factor that results in it being passed on by many players, however, its abysmal reload speed is the most significant reason to not bother with the Bangbump.
6 Jackhammer
Jackhammer Fire Rate - 5/100
Jackhammer Accuracy - 80/100
Jackhammer Effective Range - 20/100
Jackhammer Magazine Size - 6
Jackhammer Reload Speed - 40/100
With more usable accuracy and an average reload speed, the Jackhammer is much better to use as a Shotgun base than the Bangbump and exemplifies what hardy yet mediocre firearms of this class can do. After receiving a few add-ons, the Jackhammer can become somewhat formidable, although it will still pale in comparison to Shotguns made with most other weapon bases from this category.
5 Explonder
Explonder Fire Rate - 5/100
Explonder Accuracy - 85/100
Explonder Effective Range - 20/100
Explonder Magazine Size - 6
Explonder Reload Speed - 40/100
Very similar to the Jackhammer, the Explonder can be another low-tier yet usable Shotgun base, though one with slightly better accuracy than some. While precise accuracy is a great feature to have on any gun, on close-range ones like Shotguns, it seems like a bit of a waste of stat points, though this is the trend that the developers at Experiment 101 have decided for this weapon class.
4 Pinger
Pinger Fire Rate - 5/100
Pinger Accuracy - 90/100
Pinger Effective Range - 20/100
Pinger Magazine Size - 6
Pinger Reload Speed - 40/100
The Pinger is yet another slight variant from the standard Shotgun base build that is only really desirable for its slight advantage in accuracy when compared to the previously mentioned firearms. This lack of distinction between many weapon bases makes for versatile crafting in Biomutant, however, it also means there is a lot of junk only really worth picking up to sell.
3 Singularity & Vortex
Singularity & Vortex Fire Rate - 5/100
Singularity & Vortex Accuracy - 90/100
Singularity & Vortex Effective Range - 45/100
Singularity & Vortex Magazine Size - 6
Singularity & Vortex Reload Speed - 40/100
Speaking of a lack of distinction, here are the two medium-tier Shotgun bases in the game: the Singularity and the Vortex. These two weapon bases possess the exact same starting stats, which are the same as those of the Pinger in every way except one.
The Singularity and the Vortex both have much greater effective range than any other Shotgun base and allow players to devastate foes slightly further away, though the unique traits of the high-tier Shotgun bases in Biomutant eclipse the potential of these mid-range Shotguns.
2 Furkbolt
Furkbolt Fire Rate - 15/100
Furkbolt Accuracy - 80/100
Furkbolt Effective Range - 20/100
Furkbolt Magazine Size - 18
Furkbolt Reload Speed - 40/100
While the Furkbolt is a bit less accurate than the Singularity and the Vortex, as mentioned before, this is not a huge loss for a Shotgun as point-blank blasting is the true calling for arms of this weapon class. Where the Furkbolt stands out is in the fire rate and magazine size departments.
The slight boost in the fire rate may seem negligible while looking at the stats in the crafting menu, however, it makes a huge difference on the battlefield when in situations where enemies are swarming in at close range. While a melee weapon could be advisable in such scenarios, a solid Shotgun with a decent fire rate can clear out many more foes in a short time.
1 Skatterskrek
Skatterskrek Fire Rate - 25/100
Skatterskrek Accuracy - 75/100
Skatterskrek Effective Range - 20/100
Skatterskrek Magazine Size - 6
Skatterskrek Reload Speed - 65/100
In terms of close-range destruction, the Skatterskrek is the Shotgun base with the best stats for the job of clearing out approaching adversaries. The highest fire rate in the weapon class allows armaments formed from this base to become capable of mowing down threats quicker than any other Shotgun while only sacrificing a bit of accuracy to do so.
The other crucial factor that makes the Skatterskrek rise above its kind is that it also possesses the fastest reload speed out of the whole category. Being able to reload quicker massively offsets the minor issue posed by the small magazine size so that the player can get back to taking out enemies with less of a delay.