Best Shotgun loadouts in Black Ops 6 Season 1

Shotguns may be controversial, but there’s no doubt that they play a crucical role in the Black Ops 6 meta, offering unmatched lethality if you want to dominate up close.

It’s no secret that most Call of Duty players favor using the best SMGs when they want to win close-range gunfights. However, that’s not your only option, with shotguns being equally strong if you use them correctly.

Using the wrong attachments or a weaker weapon will leave you outgunned more often than not. To avoid that, you’ll want to use our recommended builds that get the most out of BO6’s shotguns. Here are the best shotgun loadouts, as well as where they all rank from best to worst.

Best Shotgun loadouts in BO6

1. Marine SP

Dexerto

• Muzzle: Modified Choke
• Barrel: Long Barrel
• Stock: Combat Stock
• Laser: Tactical Laser
• Fire Mods: Rapid Fire

The Marine SP is easily the best shotgun in Black Ops 6, with this pump action offering impressive range, especially if you use an Tac-Stance build like ours. If you want to outgun SMGs and one-tap enemies from up to 11 meters away, this is the weapon you should be using. It’s especially strong in Face Off, where the mode’s smaller maps let you dominate using this gun.

To get the most out of the Marine SP, you need to use the Modified Choke to tighten its spread. This makes the shotgun more consistent and allows you to stretch out its range and compete from further away. However, our loadout also utilizes the Tactical Laser, which is needed to activate Tac Stance – improving the shotgun’s mobility and handling.

2. ASG-89

Dexerto

• Muzzle: Modified Choke
• Barrel: Long Barrel
• Rear Grip: Assault Grip
• Laser: Tactical Laser
• Fire Mods: Fire Mods

The only other shotgun in Black Ops 6 is the ASG-89, a semi-auto weapon that is ideal for players who prefer spraying over precision. Its fast rate of fire and accurate hip-fire make it the perfect choice if you enjoy playing fast and getting up close and personal. However, this gun has very little range, limiting its potential outside of the game’s smallest maps.

It’s best to use the Tactical Laser, as this attachment allows you to use Tac-Stance. This is very strong on this shotgun, as it tightens spread while still letting you move around fast. It offers a great balance of accuracy and mobility, which lend themselves well to the ASG-89’s obvious strengths as a dominant, close-range weapon.

All Black Ops 6 Shotguns ranked

There are only two shotguns at launch: the Marine-SP pump action and the ASG-89 semi-auto. Both of these serve different purposes and have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, which we’ve already outlined above.

Here’s how they rank, as well as their max damage range assuming you are using the best loadout possible:

RANK	GUN	MAX DAMAGE RANGE
1	Marine-SP	11m
2	ASG-89	3m

Meta analysis

Dexerto

Of the two shotguns available, the Marine-SP is the better all-around option. It has far superior range, allowing it to land one shot kills out to 11 meters, which is fairly impressive given Black Ops 6’s slower time to kill. It’s certainly a step up from the shotguns in MW3, which weren’t nearly as consistent as this.

Your only other option is the ASG-89, which suffers from having so little range. Realistically, it’s only viable on a handful of the game’s smallest maps, like Stakeout, Sandhouse, and Nuketown. On larger maps, it is very difficult to use and will get outranged by quite literally every other weapon. It can still be good fun to use, but you shouldn’t expect to be overly competitive with this gun.

Fancy using something other than a shotgun? We’ve also broken down the best assault rifles and best sniper rifles to use in multiplayer. Don’t forget our complete gun tier list that breaks down all of Black Ops 6’s weapons too, so that you can get a full picture of how the meta looks right now.