Shotgun

Lore & Background

In the Wasteland universe, firearms are scavenged from pre-war stockpiles, military outposts, and the remnants of a civilisation that collapsed under nuclear war. Shotguns, with their simple pump-action or double-barrel designs, survive the decades of dust and decay better than more complex weapons. A well-oiled shotgun needs no rare microchips or precision optics—just a handful of shells and a steady hand. That durability makes it a go-to for Deliberators patrolling irradiated ruins, abandoned highways, and the cramped interiors of water-transport vehicles. The shotgun's role in the series mirrors the tone of the games themselves: blunt, effective, and unforgiving. In Wasteland 2's sun-bleached Nevada desert and in Wasteland 3's snow-choked Denver, the weapon is a symbol of the pragmatic violence that keeps a small squad alive when the world outside has forgotten the rules of civilised conflict. Characters who specialise in close-range combat find the shotgun a natural extension of their fighting style, while ranged specialists may favour it as a backup when an ambush closes the gap. Across the franchise, the shotgun has seen minor reworks—different damage values, slightly altered reload animations, and in later entries, the option to modify or upgrade the weapon with scavenged parts. Yet its core identity remains: a loud, heavy, close-range answer to a problem that no amount of cover can solve.

In Their Own Story

The corridor stank of rust and old blood. Kowalski's finger hovered over the trigger guard, the shotgun's stock pressed hard against his shoulder. Somewhere past the collapsed doorway, something was dragging itself across concrete. He counted to three. The barrel rose, the receiver clacked as the pump slid back, and the next shell chambered with a metallic snap. He didn't need to see what was coming. In the Wasteland, you don't aim at what you see. You aim at the space where it's about to be, and you make sure the sound is the last thing it ever hears.

Reader's Guide

Function & Stats The Shotgun is a close-range firearm dealing high damage within a short effective range, with damage falling off quickly beyond that. It consumes Shells per shot. In Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3, the base Shotgun is a mid-tier weapon; upgraded or double-barrel variants offer higher damage or faster handling. Exact numbers vary by title and patch, so check the in-game item description for the version you are playing. Obtaining In Wasteland 2, shotguns can be found in early-game locations, purchased from certain vendors, or looted from enemy camps. In Wasteland 3, they appear in Denver's various districts, can be bought from armoured vendors, or recovered from pre-war caches. The original 1988 Wasteland also included a shotgun as one of the available firearms. Best suited to Characters with a close-combat or melee-leaning build benefit most, as the shotgun rewards aggressive positioning. In squad-based combat (W2, W3), assigning a shotgun to a front-line member who can engage at short range while others cover from distance is a common tactic. Version notes The shotgun's stats, name variants (e.g., base Shotgun vs. Double-Barrel Shotgun), and modification options differ between Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3. The 1988 original presents it with the simpler stat block of that era. Always verify the specific item name and numbers in the game you are playing.

Did You Know?

• The original Wasteland (1988) was designed by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky and laid the groundwork for the post-apocalyptic RPG genre that later influenced titles like Fallout.
• In Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3, the shotgun's close-range damage spike makes it especially lethal inside vehicles and narrow building interiors, a common tactical scenario in both games.
• The Wasteland franchise's setting—a nuclear-war ravaged America—means shotguns in the games are typically pre-war surplus or scavenged civilian models, not newly manufactured weapons.
• inXile Entertainment, the studio behind Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3, is the same team that created the original Wasteland, giving the series a through-line of design philosophy spanning over three decades.