Episode 92: Shotgun Range, Perks, and Lethal Kill Distances
Let’s talk all about the shotguns of Destiny 2! Specifically, we’re covering Shotgun Lethal Ranges, Pellet Spread, and Perks (including Full Choke) in-depth.
MASSIVE BREAKDOWN OF SHOTGUN RANGE, PERKS, AND LETHAL KILL DISTANCES
I know it's been done before, but I wanted to test for myself and see if I could break down the distances in an easy to understand format.
Notes
- Lethal range is the maximum range at which it can kill with one blast consistently (defined as killing on at least 50% of the attempts, with a 10 attempt minimum).
- I found that putting the top of the sights on the targets hips, with the barrel on their thighs resulted in the most consistent hits at 7+ meters. When testing the Badlander at lower ranges than 6m, aiming for the chest was the most consistent.
- Distance was tested using Darci, and the subject guardian was at 4 resilience. Please note that we did NOT use a Heavy Ammo brick for the test distances. Using a heavy ammo brick provided distances that were approximately 1-meter GREATER than those we measured with Darci (~9m when measured with a heavy ammo brick would be ~8m when measured with Darci).
- All pellet spread images were taken at 7m.
- Something to pay attention to in future tests: Even if the target Guardian is directly facing the shooter, if their hips are turned, with legs were stacked one behind the other as opposed to side by side, it can decrease the lethal range by over a meter due to causing an extra pellet to miss.
- Thanks to Van Holden and CG es Paco for helping to test this!
Baseline Perks Table
| Perk Type | Perk | Range Bonus | Effect | Estimated Lethality Distance Increase | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Full Choke | 0 | Tighter Pellet Grouping | .5m | |
| Barrel | Rifled Barrel | 9 | .33m | ||
| Barrel | Smallbore | 7 | .25m | ||
| Barrel | Corkscrew Rifling | 5 | .15m | ||
| Barrel | Smoothbore | 14 | Larger Pellet Grouping | -.25m | |
| Magazine | Accurized Rounds | 9 | .33m | ||
| Magazine | Light Mag | 5 | .15m | ||
| Magazine | Assault Mag | 0 | Faster RoF | 0 | |
| Trait | Full Auto | 0 | Double RoF, Larger Pellet Grouping | -.25m | |
| Trait | Opening Shot | 0 | Max Range on Initial Shot | .33m? | |
| Masterwork | Full | 9 | .33m |
Testing Table
Lethality distances rounded to nearest .5m, appear to cap at 9m for standard non-slug shotguns
| Shotgun | Ranged Barrel? | Ranged Magazine? | Opening Shot or Full Auto? | Tested Approx. Lethal Range | Pellet Spread Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badlander | Smallbore | 5.5m | https://imgur.com/aQsp8nx | |||
| Badlander | Smallbore | Light Mag | 6m | |||
| Badlander* | Full Choke | 6m | https://imgur.com/iGFvDoJ | |||
| Badlander* | Full Choke | Light Mag | 6m | |||
| Parcel of Stardust** | Smallbore | Opening Shot | 7m | https://imgur.com/aQsp8nx | ||
| Parcel of Stardust** | Smallbore | Light Mag | Opening Shot | 7.5m | ||
| Parcel of Stardust** | Full Choke | Opening Shot | 7.5m | https://imgur.com/aQsp8nx | ||
| Parcel of Stardust** | Full Choke | Light Mag | Opening Shot | 8m | ||
| Toil and Trouble | Full Auto | 7.5m | https://imgur.com/9RH70aw | |||
| Toil and Trouble | Rifled Barrel | Full Auto | 8m | |||
| Toil and Trouble | Smallbore | 8m | ||||
| Toil and Trouble | Smallbore | Light Mag | 8m | |||
| Toil and Trouble | Rifled Barrel | 8m | https://imgur.com/sLomGP3 | |||
| Toil and Trouble | Rifled Barrel | Light Mag | 8m | |||
| Botheration | Smallbore | 8m | ||||
| Botheration | Hammer-Forged Rifling | 8.5m | ||||
| Mindbenders | 8m | |||||
| Mindbenders | Smallbore | 8m | ||||
| Mindbenders | Light Mag | 8m | ||||
| Mindbenders | Smallbore | Light Mag | 8m | |||
| Mindbenders | Full Choke | 8.5m | ||||
| Mindbenders | Full Choke | Light Mag | 8.5m | |||
| Mindbenders* | Rifled Barrel | Opening Shot | 9m | |||
| Hand in Hand | 8m | |||||
| Hand in Hand | Rifled Barrel | 8m | ||||
| Dust Rock Blues | Rifled Barrel | 8.5m | ||||
| Dust Rock Blues | Full Choke | 8.5m | ||||
| Dust Rock Blues | Rifled Barrel | Accurized Rounds | 8.5m | |||
| Dust Rock Blues | Full Choke | Accurized Rounds | 9m | |||
| Retold Tale | 8m | |||||
| Retold Tale | Smoothbore | Full Auto | 7.5m | https://imgur.com/aQsp8nx | ||
| Retold Tale | Smoothbore | Accurized Rounds | Full Auto | 8m | ||
| Retold Tale | Smallbore | Full Auto | 8m | https://imgur.com/aQsp8nx | ||
| Retold Tale | Smallbore | Accurized Rounds | Full Auto | 8.5m | ||
| Retold Tale | Smoothbore | 8m | ||||
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | 8.5m | ||||
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Full Auto | 8.5m | |||
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Light Mag | Full Auto | 9m | ||
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Accurized Rounds | Full Auto | 9m | ||
| Legend of Acrius | 9m | |||||
| Gunnora's Axe | Rifled Barrel | Accurized Rounds | 10m | |||
| Gunnora's Axe | Rifled Barrel | Accurized Rounds | Opening Shot | 11m | ||
| Chaperone** | 13m |
* Badlanders with Full Choke can 2-tap out to 10 meters
** Had Tier-2 Range MW
*** Full Range MW
** Chaperone with Roadborne can kill at 15-16 meters, depending on enemy resilience
Additional Botheration Notes
Botheration with Smallbore (distance - lethality percentage):
- 8m - 70%
- 8.5m - 40%
- 9m - 25%
Botheration with Hammer-Forged Rifling:
- 8m - 90%
- 8.5m - 50%
- 9m - 25%
Pellet Spread Comparisons
Albums
- Part 1 - https://imgur.com/a/NawXRSo
- Botheration - https://imgur.com/a/wGQG7yD
| Shotguns Compared | Marked Image | Plain Image |
|---|---|---|
| Toil and Trouble Standard vs Badlander Standard | https://imgur.com/v4IOGln | https://imgur.com/6xyom3C |
| Parcel of Stardust Standard vs Badlander Standard | https://imgur.com/wiD6J9C | https://imgur.com/Vr3kUaY |
| Toil and Trouble Standard vs Retold Tale Full Auto | https://imgur.com/ii6UiPL | https://imgur.com/Kx8sVp9 |
| Parcel of Stardust Standard vs Retold Tale Full Auto | https://imgur.com/Zbt8Rzz | https://imgur.com/cgByebV |
| Parcel of Stardust Standard vs Full Choke | https://imgur.com/jAgPQNe | https://imgur.com/kPIKfl4 |
| Retold Tale Full Auto vs Full Auto and Smoothbore | https://imgur.com/W00Qjxv | https://imgur.com/mb2KlTF |
| Badlander Standard vs Full Choke | https://imgur.com/Lq51nzU | https://imgur.com/gkSEhD8 |
| Botheration vs Badlander Standard vs Mindbender Standard | https://imgur.com/Hgj4U9c | https://imgur.com/h51H5Hy |
| Botheration vs Mindbender Standard | https://imgur.com/nXR6GvI | https://imgur.com/B5GQJ5c |
| Botheration vs Mindbender Full Choke | https://imgur.com/Tjlnxsl | https://imgur.com/J9pPT1y |
| Botheration vs Badlander Full Choke | https://imgur.com/LWaVdsV | https://imgur.com/WW8PHyn |
| Botheration vs Dust Rock Blues Full Choke | https://imgur.com/SpZmCSQ | https://imgur.com/eiaNwBv |
Fire Rate Comparison
- Full Auto Retold Tale vs Standard Retold Tale - https://imgur.com/fh7GsfE.gifv
TL;DR
- Precision and Lightweight Shotguns both have a naturally tight pellet spread, while Aggressive and Rapid-Fire Shotguns have a naturally wide pellet spread.
- A Retold Tale/Dust Rock Blues with Full Choke and Full Auto is capable of hitting the max range of 9m, in addition to having a doubled RoF. I think Precision Shotguns are the best overall. I would look for Full Choke, Assault Mag, and Full Auto. Slideshot is also nice to have. If you don’t get Full Choke, you’ll want Rifled Barrel and Accurized Rounds and a Full Range MW, plus Shideshot, since Full Auto will probably drop you back to 8.5m in that case.
- A well rolled Mindbender’s Ambition or Toil and Trouble will be better than Botheration. Aggressive Shotguns are, I believe, second best. There are multiple ways to get near to the max 9m kill range. The curated rolls for the Mindbenders can do it, and the curated roll for the Toil and Trouble should be close as well (and it has Full Auto). If you get a random roll, go for Full Choke first, or Rifled Barrel second. If you go with Rifled Barrel, you’ll need Accurized Rounds and a full Range MW to help you get there. If you get Full Choke, you’ll be close on its own, and Accurized Rounds can get you there, or Light Mag can get you even closer. Assault mag won’t help with range but can speed up the RoF. On Toil and Trouble, Full Auto plays nice with maxed range rolls, as does Rampage. On Mindbenders you’ll probably want Slideways and Rampage.
- Rapid-Fires are obviously the most forgiving of a miss and adept at engaging multiple targets within standard shotgun ranges. I would look for Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, and Slideshot/Moving Target with Rampage.
- Unfortunately I think Lightweights are the weakest. Even with a god-roll it struggles at range due to a lack of damage, and the RoF isn’t fast enough to keep up with Rapid-Fires up close.
- Rampage is useful in extending the range when it pushes the weapons damage per pellet up enough to require 1 less pellet to kill, such as on Aggressives and Rapid-Fires.
UPDATE REGARDING FULL CHOKE
Notes
THIS IS ONLY A PRELIMINARY POST, AND THESE FINDINGS ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN AS 100% CONCRETE! MORE TESTING IS REQUIRED AND WILL BE DONE TODAY!
Fallout and I are in communication and have been sharing our findings, so expect a more in-depth video from him soon. Please do not tag him.
- Lethal range is the maximum range at which it can kill with one blast consistently (defined as killing on at least 50% of the attempts, with a 10 attempt minimum).
- I found that putting the top of the sights on the targets hips, with the barrel on their thighs resulted in the most consistent hits at 7+ meters. When testing the Badlander at lower ranges than 6m, aiming for the chest was the most consistent.
- Distance was tested using Darci, and the subject guardian was at 4 resilience. Please note that we did NOT use a Heavy Ammo brick for the test distances. Using a heavy ammo brick provided distances that were approximately 1-meter GREATER than those we measured with Darci (~9m when measured with a heavy ammo brick would be ~8m when measured with Darci).
- All pellet spread images were taken at 7m.
- Something to pay attention to in future tests: Even if the target Guardian is directly facing the shooter, if their hips are turned, with legs were stacked one behind the other as opposed to side by side, it can decrease the lethal range by over a meter due to causing an extra pellet to miss.
- Thanks to Van Holden and CG es Paco for helping to test this!
- I have updated the tables in the previous full Shotgun Post here!
Baseline Perks Table
| Perk Type | Perk | Range Bonus | Effect | Estimated Lethality Distance Increase | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Full Choke | 0 | Tighter Pellet Grouping, No Precision Damage | .50m | |
| Barrel | Rifled Barrel | 9 | .33m | ||
| Barrel | Smallbore | 7 | .25m | ||
| Barrel | Corkscrew Rifling | 5 | .15m | ||
| Barrel | Smoothbore | 14 | Larger Pellet Grouping | -.25m | |
| Magazine | Accurized Rounds | 9 | .33m | ||
| Magazine | Light Mag | 5 | .15m | ||
| Magazine | Assault Mag | 0 | Faster RoF | 0 | |
| Trait | Full Auto | 0 | Double RoF, Larger Pellet Grouping | -.25m | |
| Trait | Opening Shot | 0 | Max Range on Initial Shot | .33? | |
| Masterwork | Full | 9 | .33m |
#Testing Table
Lethality distances rounded to nearest .50m
| Shotgun | Ranged Barrel? | Ranged Magazine? | Opening Shot or Full Auto? | Tested Approx. Lethal Range | Previous Approx. Lethal ange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badlander | Full Choke | 6m | 6.5m | ||
| Badlander | Full Choke | Light Mag | 6m | 7m | |
| Parcel of Stardust* | Full Choke | Opening Shot | 7.5m | 8m | |
| Parcel of Stardust* | Full Choke | Light Mag | Opening Shot | 8m | 8m |
| Mindbenders | Full Choke | 8.5m | 9m | ||
| Mindbenders | Full Choke | Light Mag | 8.5m | 9m | |
| Dust Rock Blues | Full Choke | Accurized Rounds | 9m | 9m | |
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | 8.5m | 9m | ||
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Full Auto | 8.5m | 9m | |
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Light Mag | Full Auto | 9m | 9m |
| Retold Tale | Full Choke | Accurized Rounds | Full Auto | 9m | 9m |
* Had Tier-2 Range MW
Findings
- It looks like Full Choke received a nerf of about 50% in terms of effectiveness, reducing the increased kill distance by approximately .5m in most cases.
- In addition, after more closely studying pellet spread patterns, it appears that increasing the range stat does decrease the diameter of the pellet spread, although it seems to be less dramatic than it was in D1. What follows are two comparisons of two Aggressive shotguns, one with 44 Range, the other with 27 (approximately the difference between a standard shotgun and one with Rifled Barrel AND Accurized Rounds), showing this effect:
- Full Choke still appears to narrow the spread slightly more than Rifled Barrel does alone, but now Rifled Barrel and Accurized Rounds combine to narrow the spread more than Full Choke can, while prior to the patch that was not the case.
- As such, prior to damage fall off beginning, I find that Full Choke is still probably the superior option to Rifled Barrel.
- That being said, after additional tests at longer ranges (9m+) we discovered that once damage drop off begins, while neither Full Choke nor Rifled Barrel can kill consistently, Rifled Barrel will have a higher chance of killing than Full Choke, while Full Choke will leave players absolute. This is because, although Full Choke is still hitting enough pellets to kill without damage fall off, due to the lack of range to push that out and the lack of precision damage to make up for it, Full Choke shotguns will often do around 8-10 less damage, which will keep the target alive. Rifled Barrel shotguns, on the other hand, struggle to hit the required number of pellets to kill, but when they do are almost guaranteed to finish the target off, due to the additional damage from precision hits and the fact that no damage has dropped off yet.
- I believe the "cap" I observed in my previous test was due to not having enough ranged perks available on the shotguns that could kill at 9m to push past the combined damage drop off and pellet spread that happens at 9.5m. However, I do believe that with a triple combination or Rifled Barrel or Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, and a Full Range MW, it may be possible to consistently get kills at 9.5m, maybe even 10m. I was provided with video of a shotgun killing at 10m with the above perks, however I was not able to test this for myself last night.
Preliminary Conclusion
- I believe that Full Choke, inside 9m, still provides more of a benefit than Rifled Barrel does, due to the slightly tighter pellet spread. However:
- Aggressives need to hit 8 pellets at maximum damage, with 2 of those being crits to kill, or 9 pellets if all hit the body (or with Full Choke).
- Inside 9m, hitting 9 pellets with Full Choke is easier and more consistent than hitting 8 (with 2 crits) without it. Past 9m, you're unlikely to hit 9 pellets even with Full Choke (~20% in our tests), and you can consistently hit 8 with it (~50-60%), but that won't get the kill.
- With Rifled Barrel, we were able to kill ~30% of the time, but every other time hit 7 pellets or less.
- So the question becomes, at 9.5m, are you more likely to hit 9 pellets with Full Choke, or 8 pellets (w/ 2 crits) with Rifled Barrel?
- Inside 9m, hitting 9 pellets with Full Choke is easier and more consistent than hitting 8 (with 2 crits) without it. Past 9m, you're unlikely to hit 9 pellets even with Full Choke (~20% in our tests), and you can consistently hit 8 with it (~50-60%), but that won't get the kill.
- Precisions need to hit 9 pellets at maximum damage, no crits necessary, to kill.
- Inside 9m, before damage fall off, this is easy to do with Full Choke.
- However, once damage falls off, 10 pellets must hit to kill. Outside of 9m this is hard to do even with Full Choke, which can still consistently hit 9, but that no longer kills the target. Rifled Barrel, on the other hand, still does max damage just a little further out.
- So the question becomes, at 9.5m, are you more likely to hit 10 pellets with Full Choke, or 9 with Rifled Barrel?
- Aggressives need to hit 8 pellets at maximum damage, with 2 of those being crits to kill, or 9 pellets if all hit the body (or with Full Choke).
- If you want to try to push past where the pellet spread is very wide and damage fall off begins (~9.5m+) while still trying to be one-shot-lethal, I think it's more of a wash. A lot more testing is needed, but you may want Rifled Barrel due to it being so much closer to Full Choke now than it was before. I have not personally been able to test consistencies at these ranges with anything that I have, but with the right roll it may be possible.
- After the nerf, I think Accurized Rounds and a Range MW are now basically necessary for maximum consistency at 9m and up, regardless of Full Choke or Rifled Barrel.