To some extent, in Hunt Showdown, it doesn’t matter what kind of build you are running as long as you are smart with it. The wrong gun for a given situation can still create chaos behind enemy lines. Hunt Showdown offers players a variety of firearms, tools, and consumables so hunters can prevail no matter their playstyle. There is something for everyone in this game’s armory.
Short-range builds will increase your chances of survival drastically. Moreover, they will make your enemy’s knees shake. They will only hear your shotgun blast followed by the sound of their fellow hunter hitting the floor before it’s their turn.
The right short-range build in Hunt Showdown will constantly win you fights if used right. Yet, don’t get too cocky, or you’ll be back in the lobby recruiting a free hunter before you realize it. Here we will recommend our top picks for the best short-range loadouts and how to excel with them.
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Best Guns for Your Short-Range Build in Hunt Showdown
Currently, the meta in Hunt Showdown revolves mainly around shotguns and dual-wielding. This is due to how powerful they can be during fights at close distances or inside buildings. A well-placed shot with a shotgun with slug ammunition will one tap players at 25 meters using a Romero 77.
Another great option is dual-wielding pistols. Depending on which you pick, you can shoot many bullets at your enemies with great accuracy. Moreover, with some patience, you will gain recoil control from the shooter.
Short-Range Builds are high risk, high rewards as you can quickly wipe hunters in a short distance if your aim and movement are on point, but as soon as you make a wrong move or miss a critical shot, you will have your enemies in your nose making you pay for your mistake. We recommend using most of these loadouts in distances not more than 30 meters and maybe 100 if you are dual-wielding.
Shotgun-Focused Builds in Hunt: Showdown
Do not be fooled thinking you are the Doom Slayer running and jumping around, killing demons back and forth. Even when a shotgun, Hunt Showdown requires you to be innovative and plan your moves with it. You won’t be rushing a three-person squad with a Romero 77; it only carries one shell. Furthermore, you shouldn’t try to snipe someone with a scoped Mosin Nagant M1891 Sniper with dual pistols.
Here we will list our favorite shotguns along with the best side arms, tools, and consumables to run with them.
Romero 77 Shotgun
The Romero 77 is a fan favorite as this shotgun has the best range and damage of all of its group. It is easily one of the best guns in Hunt Showdown. It does 200 per hit at a distance of 15 meters with a meager price of 34 hunt dollars. Moreover, you can add lots of different types of special ammo to it.
If you add Slugs, it will replace the buckshot with a single solid projectile that will add a range of 25m and penetration but with reduced damage of 178 hit points which is more than enough to kill a hunter in one shot at this distance. A hunter carries 150 hit points.
The only downside of the Romero 77 is that it only carries one shell in the chamber, so make sure you are quick enough to react to pull up your secondary in case you miss. If not, you’ll start getting pushed by another enemy hunter.
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Specter 1882 Shotgun
The Specter 1882 is a pump-action shotgun that carries up to 5 bullets letting the hunter use it in rapid succession. The Specter offers lower damage of 185 per hit compared to the Romero 77 and a lower effective range of 12 meters for 188 Hunt dollars. All of this is compensated as you have five shells loaded inside of it, letting you put more shots into your enemies. As a result, there is a little bit more room for mistakes.
The Specter 1882 mixed with slugs is the pack-a-punched version of this gun as it will level it up to match the Romero 77, adding a range of 25 meters and only lowering the damage to 7 hit points less. Another good way to run the Specter is with Flechette shells which have a significant downgrade and a big upgrade.
The bad side is that at a distance of 9 meters, you will be dealing 135 hit points of damage, which is not enough for a one-tap player. The good side is that it fires more projectiles, allowing you to saturate an area with dart-like projectiles and cause bleeding damage to any hunter in your way.
Winfield 1893 Slate Shotgun
This shotgun does almost the same as the Specter 1882 but is better at a higher price of 250 Hunt Dollars. The Winfield 1893 Slate does slightly less damage but at a higher rate of fire and can also carry six shells.
Like most of the shotguns in this list, if you add slugs to it, it will slightly reduce its damage but at an effective range of 25 meters.
Caldwell Rival 78
Okay, if you really want to be the closest thing to Doom Slayer, this is the best gun to use in your Hunt Showdown build. The Caldwell Rival 78 is a double-barrel shotgun that will destroy anything at close range. It costs 100 Hunt dollars, and it will do 175 damage at an effective range of 12 meters, nothing special. Its charm comes with the fire rate as you can shoot at a speed of 90 rounds per minute.
As Hunt Showdown players, the best way to run this shotgun in a close-range build is with slugs; it will add three damage hit points and an effective range of 25 meters.
Crown & King Auto-5
This semi-automatic shotgun can shoot 100 rounds per minute at an effective range of 12 meters and damage 185 hit points. This shotgun is very similar to the Caldwell Rival 78, but it has a significant advantage over it.
Not only does this shotgun do more damage, but it has a higher rate of fire and can carry five shells in the chamber. The downside? It costs 600 Hunt Dollars; if you want to add slugs to it, that’s 200 Hunt dollars more.
With slugs, it will have its damage down to 178 hit points at a distance of 25 meters, and it will maintain the rest of its attributes.
For most of the shotguns in this list, we highly recommend running slugs as it will make it a ton more reliable in combat.
How to be more successful with Shotguns
The best way to use them is to cut the distance between you and your enemies. If you are already in the heat of a fight, you can flank them without them noticing while your teammates suppress them. Another great way is using throwables to make them look away.
And the most cheesy way in Hunt Showdown (and really any other shooter in general) is sneaking up on them while they are unaware of your position. With most of the shotguns, we recommend firing for the hip as this will give you more mobility, allowing you to get more shots in quicker.
Related Article: The Best Long-Range Hunt Showdown Loadouts every Hunter Should Use
Best Sidearms for your Shotgun Build in Hunt Showdown
A Shotgun user always should carry a side arm that they can rely on in case they need to engage either in medium to close range fights or need to do follow-up shots on enemy hunters. Here we will list our top pick for side arms to carry in your Shotgun build.
Caldwell Conversion Uppercut
The Caldwell Conversion Uppercut is hands down the best sidearm you can pick to run along with your shotgun, as it will give balance to your close-range Hunt Showdown build. The uppercut will add range to your build as it has an effective range of 96 meters with a damage of 130 hit points.
This will give you range and significant damage due to the long ammo it carries. Our best tip is to treat it as a rifle more than a pistol. Pick your shots with it. This gun has very high recoil, so spamming shots is a bad idea.
Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol Fanning
This is how to make your build in Hunt: Showdown a middle finger to anyone in your way. The Chain pistol carries 18 bullets and does damage 104 at a distance of 84 meters. Add Fanning to this, and you have an SMG in your hands.
Nagant M1895 Officer
This double-action revolver will offer hunters damage of 91 hit points at an effective range of 73 meters. Its charms come with the rate of fire as you can fire 120 rounds per minute with great accuracy. Not only this but it also carries seven bullets. This revolver is one of the most, if not the most, reliable in Hunt Showdown due to the rate of fire, accuracy, and incredible iron sights.
Hand Crossbow
As we mentioned previously in this article, you will need to get close to enemies to be effective with your shotgun. Sometimes stealth is your best friend, and the best sidearm for this is the Hand Crossbow. This crossbow fires compact bolts and will deal 195 to any monster at a sighted range of 45 meters.
If you add poison bolts you will be able to kill armored grunts, and emulators and get rid of crows in one hit-making minimum noise. Keep in mind that we only encourage you to use it for PVE.
Best tools and Consumables to Run with Your Shotgun build in Hunt Showdown
Moving away from weapons to include in your close-quarters build, we’ll now focus on the best tools, consumables, and tactical gadgets in Hunt Showdown to use.
Tools
For tools is up to personal preference but we can definitely recommend you some to give you more possibilities during combat
Blank Fire Decoys
This is a decoy that you can throw and it will make the sound of a gunshot on impact. This is great to distract enemies
Choke Bombs
This tool is not only good to stop flames but is also good to stunt enemies that you are trying to get close to.
Fusees
The fusees will allow you to get rid quickly of any monsters in Hunt Showdown, such as armored grunts and hive monsters if you are in the middle of a gunfight.
Consumables
Flash Bomb
Flash bombs and shotguns are inseparable. Throwing a flash bomb inside a room to blind an enemy hunter before running in and gunning them down with your shotgun will give you great satisfaction. If you do not yet have access to flash bombs, check out our step-by-step guide to unlocking Flash Bombs in Hunt: Showdown.
Any Fire Bomb
If you are fighting a team and kill one of them, burning the downed enemy hunter will make them push you. With a shotgun loadout, you will have a higher chance if you have enemies pushing at you
Regeneration Shot
With this kind of build, you will most likely run into situations where you are very close to enemies so having something that is regenerating your health automatically is a great addition to your loadout.
Vitality Shot
A Vitality Shot will regenerate your health instantly.
Final Thoughts on our top weapons for short-range gunfights in Hunt Showdown
This is it for this article, we hope these tips can help you on the battlefield and will help you succeed as a legendary hunter. Keep in mind that this will require some practice which means you will die and die over and over again until you master it, so do not get disappointed if it doesn’t work at first.
We love to hear from our readers. What do you think of our close-range build in Hunt Showdown? Would you change or add anything? Let us know in the comment section below.
For more insights on how to dominate in-game, check out our recommended Hunt Showdown loadouts for long-range gameplay.
For now, good luck and good hunting!
