Fallout 4 has two shotguns while this game has so many. And the holdout mechanic which they never brought back. God I hope the next fallout cares as much as this one did with weapon variety.
faith went out the window like their original team, cuse now alot are either Retired, or by the moment it's time for a new bethesda, people'll forget what a fallout game is like again.
Fallout 4 sacrificed weapon variety more for customization. I personally like the customization and how I can use almost any weapon in any way. Some of the gun designs may suck and I do like the variety of Vegas. However the customization of 4’s weapons are decent for its game
They’d have to name it “wasteland reaper” or something like that. I made a melee/unarmed/ shotgun build and using the riot shotgun is just too nasty with all the supporting perks lol
Yea but 20 gauge is so bad though, especially when its so easy to get huntin shotguns lol, and then if you know how to cheese the dinner bell lmfao, but i do like the lever action for varmints, like mantis, rats, dogs things of that nature, but against humans its pretty bad ESPECIALLY if theyre wearing armor of any kind
Lever action would be my #1 shotty if the rounds reload didn't have problems across all guns and if fire rate felt consistent for individual firearms (idk if I explained my problems well enough, also always been on console so no mods to fix for me sadly)
@@themanwithnoname1839 I think all shells suck in this game but 20 gauge is dirt cheap and with just 25 Repair you can convert them all to slugs, which are stupidly OP for the cost and availability (especially with Shotgun Surgeon).
to be fair; they are pretty much there to get you started; if they gave them bonuses, they'd beat alot of what made the originals so good/neat to begin with
I would have put the Riot Shotgun even higher. It's kinda broken with Shotgun Surgeon, And Stay Back! and magnum slugs. You can clear out death claw nests without taking a hit!
Ironically Dinnerbell has the best "crit" with 11 instead of 10 like most so a sneak kill with dinnerbell probably will be the most devastating with coin shot.
Once i get the perk, that unlocks hand load versions of each ammo i just switch to those and never look back...4/0 Buck Magnum hand load rounds are the best ammo for any Shotgun...
@@Summon256 talking about crit damage. Each "pellet" crits separately so a sneak crit which if you get them will all crit automatically. so while the 4/0 buck magnum is better for open combat since less of the shotgun damage is spread out, it will only get 88 sneak crit damage. Coin shot has 8 projectiles which will be 176 sneak crit damage that It would be difference between a kill or not for a larger health character. Shotgun has probably the most variety of ammo and you can definitely get a lot more out of it if you play around a bit.
@@BaeBunni They key here - is that with 4/0 Buck Magnum Hand Load Rounds you will be self sufficient and well rounded in ANy combat situation and that's what you want! You won't always be sneaking with a freaking shotgun (And it's not the best stealth attack tactics anyway...much better to use melee weapons with Ninja perk and alikes if you are sneaky type...)
@@Summon256 lol why argue that on my post about sneak criticals if you wanted to talk about 4/0 buck. While less spread out damage usually is better, tbh on average 4/0 less effective unless you only have 1 luck and actively avoiding crits but. There aren't many enemies that have to much do to stop normal magnum shotgun shells except power armor and robots but pulse slugs are better for that unless you have practically 0 criticals then it's useful. Also normal magnum shotgun shells don't need hand loader to craft.
@@BaeBunni I wasn't talking about "normal" magnum rounds, i was talking specifically about 4/0 hand load ones as i thought i made myself quite clear?...those cannot be crafted without perk! And just like i said 4/0 Buck mganum hand load rounds are the best for all kind of situations and universally effective against all kind of targets! With those rounds it eliminates the need to constantly switch between ammo back and forth, since it fits almost any combat situation...i'm not a fan of constantly having to switch between hollow point and armor piercing all the time, i just wait until i get access to hand load rounds and don't everbother to switch again...
I actually think the fully modded hunting shotgun is generally better than Dinner Bell. It's got tighter spread, higher capacity (important because of the relatively slow reload), and even a bit more durability for what that's worth, while only missing out on a pretty marginal amount of damage.
I honestly kind of hate dinnerbell tbh, it just feels like it’s not as good as the fully modded hunting shotgun, if the dinnerbell had the choke even it would be fantastic but it doesn’t and you just can’t get the same range with it which I find extremely disappointing, with perks you can get some serious range out of the hunting shotgun, that and I think the single shot is underrated on this list
Yeah as a hunting shotgun addict I always use it over dinner bell it only having 5 bullets makes it very poor in fights with bullet sponges. For instance a death claw can be easily dealt with a hunting shotgun that has 8 bullets if you knock it down while with dinner bell you spend precious time reloading when those 3 extra bullets would’ve killed
I really don't like how shotguns work in 3 and 4. Half the fun of using them is the pump! Just so much more satisfying to use in New Vegas. Obsidian really handed Bethesda their own ass with this game.
You liked normal shotguns and not the auto assault that doesn't require a pump...sure thats fun but would you really sacrifice practicality over personal preference? The rate of fire is much slower on a self pump.
@Harkon Takala It is semi-auto yet Charon has the animations of a lever action rifle when using it (Noticed it in Nerbit's videos). Not only does the gun itself absolutely make no sense design wise (How exactly do the shells get from the drum at the front back to the chamber at the rear?), the animation set is genuinely just plain broken.
@Harkon Takala It makes absolutely no sense for the US to base a shotgun (And a rifle that has absolutely no reason to even exist in universe) on a communist smg. At least it isn't the absolute vomit-inducing abomination of a gun that is the "assault rifle" in FO4. I'm pretty sure I modded out every single base FO4 weapon, save I think the plain laser rifle and the double barrel. Pretty sure those are the only two I haven't found mods to replace/fix.
The Riot Shotgun with the "And stay back" perk is pretty much my go to weapon for when a deathclaw is charging me. They literally have no chance against it.
@@ReapeeRon I cleared Dead Wind Cavern on hardest difficulty with Riot Shotgun & Stay Back Perk in 22 Seconds flat. Making it by far best in game. 12.7 mm SMG in like 30 seconds. Sprayed Deathclaws legs then face. Gobi Scout Rifle was 3rd best. All American sucked I got mauled, same with Anti material rifle low damage & Dps. My character was maxed with Boon & Rex I should add. Medicine Stick 4th place or This Machine can't remember. Ranger Sequoia did good as well so yes it can handle toughest fight in game.
I have to say the lever action shotgun to me is A tier, I get so hype when I get it because it looks so cool and is so powerful, no to mention a straight upgrade from the sturdy caravan shotgun and lever action so affected by cowboy, you can really stack the buffs and have some good ammo options as well, always A tier in my heart
My personal favorite is the hunting shotgun. I know that the riot shotgun is superior statistically, but the hunting shotgun is a pump action and comes with that satisfying clatch-clatch sound after every shot.
I’ve done the seirra Madre cloths exploit so much it makes the single shot gun, sawed off shot gun and big boomer even stronger then the riot shotgun because of the reload speed
i'll have to look that up; cuse i finally can say i don't hate Seirra Madre DLC as much as I used to; just need to start with a melee build until i begin the DLC; then hope for the best.
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 Pro tip- Do Lonesome Road first, grab the claw of Rawr but hold onto it until Dead Money, Being a Quest Item it isn't take from you so you just need to find a workbench and you will have a deathclaw guantlet which comes with increased limb damage.
When I first played New Vegas I used the lever action for the first two thirds of the game, way past when it stops being good. I felt pretty underpowered. Then I discovered Gunrunners and bought a riot shotgun. I fell in love immediately hahaha Since I was already working overtime to make the lever action work, the game became an absolute breeze when I got the upgrade. To this day, riot shotgun is my favorite gun in gaming.
Yea lever action is early to mid game but you can push it to end game with the better shells base shells fall of hard mid game. The riot shotgun is so over tuned that even regular shells feel good late game.
I realy love the Dinner Bell. Its the shotgun with the highest dmg per shot and the best accuracy, so you get most for your money. The only bad thing is the quest to get it is pretty long and tedious. If ammo isn't a concern tho in the lategame the riot shotgun destroyes everything.
Big fan of the caravan shotgun myself, idk something about it is just so nice to use, and I keep it for the weaker enemies you stumble across later in the game
I always loved how the shotgun line in partucular is roughly placed from weakest to strongest from goodsprings to Gun Runners shop. Also one one benefit of not having couriers stash (or using Jsawyer mod) is not having instant access to the Sturdy Caravam. It just feels so organic to gather ammo for that single and use it in a pinch, then eventually upgrade to a caravan. Then once you get the riot your laying waste to cazadore like they are bloat flies
The perks really help make the shotguns stand out. Shotgun Surgeon especially. The enemy armor in NV can REALLY frustrate players at times, and seems BS as you appear to be dealing no damage. That perk mitigates that, and IIRC, it's still per pellet.
Huh, I didn't know the Sturdy Caravan Shotgun had so much spread. I honestly thought it was bugged with how much it was missing seemingly unmissable shots.
I've been playing every mainline Fallout game and recently got back to New Vegas, shotguns are part of my character so this video came out at like the perfect time lol. I'm quite partial towards the lever-action shotgun personally even if it's not technically the "best" one, might just be because I like using lever-actions in general (also why I plan on using the Medicine Stick once I can afford it)
I agree with just about everything in your review! I’m in a playthrough now and 20 gauge pulse slugs are available at gun runners and most other vendors its a blast to use the lever action shotgun with pulse rounds in any of the robot infested areas.
I really like the lever action with the shotgun surgeon and cowboy perk; I'll load it with slugs and use it a ton even pretty late game. Cheap to feed, plentiful to repair, it's great
I really wish there was a unique lever action shotgun so you could stack cowboy and shotgun surgeon. It could even get away with being weaker than the Hunting Shotgun by default, but since it would benefit from both perks it would probably end up better, plus use the cheaper 20 gauge ammo.
There is a mod for a unique Lever-Action Shotgun called the Ranger Denali, which I believe is found in Camp Golf. It's basically the same as the Lever-Action but it uses 12 Gauge instead of 20 Gauge. It's not official but it is really fun, and pairs well themeatically with the Ranger Sequoia
1:18 RAAHHH I see this all the time but do not use multiple of the same heal over time items at once. You only get one status effect for an individual healing item no matter how many you consume. That's why it's better to keep a diversified buffet on you instead of a mono mukbang
i think dinner bell should be A tier and lower than the hunting shotgun (with mods). the measly 5 damage increase is no match for the 3 extra shells and even tighter spread of the hunting shotgun. i would also bump the lever action to A tier, especially if using it with the cowboy perk
Stay Back is hilarious on my crazy ass vats build with the Big Boomer. Yeah I know I could just use the riot one but it seems like cheating and it isn't cowgirly enough. What am I, a police officer or something? Nah. One blast per reload, all day every day - always my preferred way to play (any gun, any game). It's even more hilarious to SNIPE with... via that perk which increases accuracy with each hit in vats. So many pellets and only one has to hit something for it to proc, making the next bunch instantly twice as likely lol. Pump myself full of action points and get a 95% across a mountain with what normally might as well be a melee weapon, lol. Terrible waste of shells but so funny. That and some dynamite and tin grenades for whenever I might be stuck behind cover, and you have my favourite courier's complete battle strategy right there. Oh hallo deathclaw running at me! Lemme just aim at your legs slow you down to a crawl there... need to wait until a heart-pumpingly close range though, with my never more than 1 Endurance glass cannon. It's just that ideal sweet spot of excitement. :)
The Sturdy Caravan Shotgun will carry you through at least the first 7 or 9 levels. The Lever--action shotgun has to be my favorite in the game though. I wish it had a unique counterpart or even a 12 gauge version. It also has really good iron sights by NEw Vegas standards.
I'm not fond of the sturdy caravan, personally. It's spread is sky high and it doesn't benefit from any shotgun perks. I tend to just sell it. The lever action is awesome, though. My favorite has to be the fully modded hunting shotgun, though I do enjoy the single as well even if it's a little under powered.
@@joolsmacgrools1288 Whoa, it doesn't benefit from perks? Not even Cowboy? I didn't know that. Maybe I should check the Wiki. The single actually has good range and spread, but it's obviously limited.
@@gunslinginleftist only the lever action is affected by Cowboy. It should affect the pump action but that could make it too powerful and render the riot shotgun completely obsolete.
There is something aesthetically pleasing about wearing elite riot gear (lonesome road) and having this long barreled menacing hunting shotgun just hanging on the back of your duster.
Shotguns in Fallout are the equivalent of elder scrolls stealth archer meme for me, I just can’t help but use them on every character. And NV absolutely does the best job with variety of any Fallout game. The hunting shotgun is my personal favorite
i did a playthrough trying out the big boomer and it was perfectly fine with the rapid reload i was surprised quite a bit. even later on it put down pretty much everything.
I personally love modded hunting shotgun, higher capacity than Dinnerbell and other shotties, second only to riot, but is also just fun to use. With Dead Money's Agility glitch the reload becomes obselete as its almodt instant
"Shotguns probably feel the most balanced in New Vegas out of any of the Fallout games". Huh. That's an interesting take. I feel like shotguns were quite well balanced in Fallout 1 and 2? For early game, we get the Winchester Widowmaker at the same time as the Desert Eagle, which it is well balanced with. Shotgun gets better damage for less range and ammo capacity, which makes sense. 12 Gauge ammo base stats have a accuracy bonus, which helps but isn't overpowered like .223 FMJ is. And then in the mid game, we find the City-Killer Combat Shotgun, which is a very solid weapon and strong choice to arm companions with. And Fallout 2 added the Pancor Jackhammer as a late game option. Until I have enough Gauss rifles and pistols to hand out to the whole team, I will not complain about arming my companions with Jackhammers. Anyway, good video, I just wondered why you'd find the shotgun balance in the classic games lacking.
I think the shotguns in the older game are fine too, I was meaning to refer to the later games like 3 and 4, where in 3 they were way to strong and in 4 then were not that great unless you got good legendary effects on them.
I've always been in love with the lever action shotgun in this game, it is my favorite weapon. It just feels so great to use. I wish there were a unique version and a 12 gauge version in vanilla (I know there are mods for these)
personally I love the big boomer. I recently did a 'kill everyone run' and once i got it from lady gibson i fell in love. it is by far the best gun if you want to blow someones head right off. If youre built around it you can even one shot targets with high DT/DR. The real limiting factor I had was the relative lack of 12 gauge ammo, but that was mostly due to me killing every vendor except the gun runners.
The cave you were thinking of at the Hunting shotgun part is Bloodborne Cave. And yeah theres not only a hunting shotgun, but a bunch of other high value weapons and a steamer trunk with 7K caps in it.
Bro, the riot shotgun is so busted it needed it’s own category lol also there is a guaranteed one in the radiation vault, right? Nice video though. Loving the tier list!
@@ravinraven6913 Not quite. While Big Boom is LEGIT, the constant reloads are what drops it to A tier, NOW if it were also a hold out weapon it would 100% be S tier. Lol. The Dinner Bell is the weapon you use when "You've come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and a you're all outta bubblegum" where it's counterpart The Riot Shotgun is the EPITOME of "Well anyways I started blastin" Lol. ☺
To confirm your statement on its location, yes there is a hunting shotgun in near perfect condition behind a hard locked door in Charleston Cave, right outside of Jacobstown. Riot shotgun is OP as fuck, but the hunting shotgun definitely feels more satisfying to use
For me i always end up with a fully modded hunting shotgun as an endgame weapon. Especially since you can sneak up north to one of the farm steads outside north vegas to find a free hunting shotgun really early game.
This game needed Long Barrel Coach Gun badly and for some odd reason never got one, but only got sawed-off versions! It's funny, cuz the Fallout game where it fit less had one, while New Vegas where it would feel right at hime lore-wise it is missing! Kinda weird if you'd ask me...
In terms of top shotguns, I say the best 20 is the lever action and the riot as a best 12. But with so many shotguns non make a return, however I would classified the sawed off as bottom tier due to their rarity.
The guns in fallout NV are so much better than the ones in fallout 3 and 4. The normal guns at least are goofy as hell in 3 and 4 they look like they told a 9 year old draw a picture of a gun and I'll put it in a video game. The NV ones are all practical looking and fun to use and don't look silly like 3 and 4s guns.
So, just to see it all its glory after I got an ultrawide monitor, I'm playing NV with a few mods and AWOP+ MMM. Anyway, one of the mods gave Contreras The Terrible Shotgun from FO3 to sell. Same specs, so it's almost twice the damage of the Riot shotgun, with the same fast-shot and 12 rounds. With the shotgun perks it is so fun seeing deathclaws getting blown off their feet.
Lever Action Shotgun is a great secondary weapon when you have Cowboy, Shotgun Surgeon, and And Stay Back. Load some 3/0 Buck(GRA) into that bad boah and it'll keep the creeps off of you for if Medicine Stick either didn't do the job or if 45-70 is too expensive to shoot smaller enemies with
I would put caravan in A tier because of how available and forgiving they are, and the fact that they can be the muscle that gets you through the game until you reach that higher tier of shotguns. Sawed off arent immediatly available and the spread makes it unreliable at "medium" range, and the single shotgun punishes you a bit more for missing (sawed off is also punishing in that way, but if they get close to "punish" they are in the kill zone and stop being a problem shortly after). The DLC caravan stays in C because even if you get it for free and is broken to have it so early, you dont upgrade it and it doesnt benefit from perks. Im saying this because this tierlist is basically "the later they spawn the higher on the list they go" and it doesnt take into account how they are in the game outside fights, who drops them, are the special ones worth the trouble to get them (the boomer is turbo strong for this reason and how easy to get it is, and the "dinner bell" is strong but super underwhelming as a reward), how easy and available the rounds are, at what time you probably start seeing them and when they become obsolete...
Theres a perk that effects the single shot 20ga. shotgun but it only works if you use slugs. It takes it from a shotgun and turns it into a pretty accurate medium-long range 1-2 hit weapon. I've used it to take heads off raiders and powdergangers at essentially scoped weapon ranges using vats and just iron sights.
I loved the weapon variety in new vegas but I wish there were a few different shotguns because shotguns irl are just as diverse as rifles. NV got the rifle diversity down with all the weapon tho having scaling and progression in mind still having a purpose. And with the insane ammo variety it would've been interesting to see a bolt action shotgun designed for using slugs or buckshot with an insanly tight spread but make it super slow to use to force players into only using it for trying to take down shit like Cazadors or other insects/gekos from a bit farther range. It would've been cool to see a SPAS12 show up as an alternative to the Riot Shotgun. The Riot Shotgun is semi-automatic and is drum fed but maybe make it have more spread and more recoil where the spas would be tube feed semi auto with a tighter spread but less ammo. Also a proper over under (possible 12 gauge) that doesn't have those atrocious iron sights the caravan shotgun has would also be nice.
Just a note, 20 gauge does have pulse slugs, I can't remember if they are base game or GRA add-ons, but yeah, you can find 20 gauge pulse slugs fairly readily and I want to say they are a GRA add-on.
Idk if you've figured this out, but F:NV has a silly quirk when it comes to switching weapons where it auto reloads them when you switch weapons, so if you want to get the fastest reload possible, take the weapon swap perk instead of the reload perks.
best way to get hunting shotgun early is doing the silver rush questline, it ending with you ambushing a bunch of hunting shotgun wielding legionnaires.
I love the Riot and Hunting Shotguns for the damage/power trip that comes with the high-level perks. That said, my favourite (at least in terms of appearance) is the lever-action. Sure, the Riot Shotgun sends things flying, but you can't flip-cock a Riot Shotgun and flip-cocking it what makes for a true cowboy.
Fallout 4 has two shotguns while this game has so many. And the holdout mechanic which they never brought back. God I hope the next fallout cares as much as this one did with weapon variety.
I wouldn’t put any faith in Shitthesda.
(Though I hope they pull through)
fallout 4 is ass yet i play it sometimes and always feel disappointed
faith went out the window like their original team, cuse now alot are either Retired, or by the moment it's time for a new bethesda, people'll forget what a fallout game is like again.
Fallout 4 sacrificed weapon variety more for customization. I personally like the customization and how I can use almost any weapon in any way. Some of the gun designs may suck and I do like the variety of Vegas. However the customization of 4’s weapons are decent for its game
I know Obsidian supremacists can care less but 76 has did a good job of having much more weapon variety
It’s a damn crime that there’s no unique variant of the Riot Shotgun. Thank you for the tier list! It’s very agreeable.
This.
They’d have to name it “wasteland reaper” or something like that.
I made a melee/unarmed/ shotgun build and using the riot shotgun is just too nasty with all the supporting perks lol
@@LFonzus It's a tacky name.
Or a revolving shotgun
@@LFonzus call it "Door Kicker" "The Wall" "De-esculation" or "Meat Grinder"
I like "De-escalation" the most because its a Riot Shotgun.
The lever-action shotgun also doesn't have a jam animation, so even at super low item health, it'll never jam like other weapons.
Yea but 20 gauge is so bad though, especially when its so easy to get huntin shotguns lol, and then if you know how to cheese the dinner bell lmfao, but i do like the lever action for varmints, like mantis, rats, dogs things of that nature, but against humans its pretty bad ESPECIALLY if theyre wearing armor of any kind
@@themanwithnoname1839 skill issue
@@themanwithnoname1839 Skill issue plus dinner bell is weaker than non unique variant of same shotgun if you use all mod upgrades on it.
Lever action would be my #1 shotty if the rounds reload didn't have problems across all guns and if fire rate felt consistent for individual firearms (idk if I explained my problems well enough, also always been on console so no mods to fix for me sadly)
@@themanwithnoname1839 I think all shells suck in this game but 20 gauge is dirt cheap and with just 25 Repair you can convert them all to slugs, which are stupidly OP for the cost and availability (especially with Shotgun Surgeon).
I feel like The Lonesome Road should have had a unique Riot Shotgun with the Elite Riot Gear.
Yeah that does feel like a missed opportunity.
20 round drum and a tighter spread like the standard one doesn’t already absolutely delete anything you point it at
Aw that would have been awesome. I loved cleaning up cazadors with the riot shotgun on my first run
yeah i was a dumbass and used the elite riot gear to repair my armor, I didn't know any better
They could have a 10 gauge riot shotgun. They could wreck something fast
The lever action’s pretty good, especially when you want to roleplay as the Terminator 😎
100% agree
Funnily enough, the Cowboy Perk also makes kinda sense for that. Because he can make knives and stabbing weapons.
Biggest downside to the sturdy caravan shotgun is it isn't affected by the shotgun perks.
Yeah I noticed that when editing this video. That does suck but i usually only use it in the early game so it never really bothered me.
to be fair; they are pretty much there to get you started; if they gave them bonuses, they'd beat alot of what made the originals so good/neat to begin with
Not playing with YUP in 2023 is baffling.
@@DominatorLegend Based. I still get confused when I watch a video online and have to remember people actually start with the DLC packs.
@@DominatorLegend is that a mod?
In the endgame I typically ran a modded hunting shotgun because of how satisfying they are to use. Especially with slugs.
Might sound silly, but I always loved the sound effects from this weapon. It sounds like the pump action from Left 4 Dead 😅
I hate Red Lucy's quest so much but the dinner bell is too damn sexy to not pick up
It’s my favorite shotgun for sure. The reload animation is so satisfying with the sound.
I love the fact that pulse slugs can kill power armor users in two shots
@@DillonDeluxeEdition Dinnerbell, the Sequoia, and Brush Gun were my quintessential Veteran Ranger theme build weapons lol
I would have put the Riot Shotgun even higher. It's kinda broken with Shotgun Surgeon, And Stay Back! and magnum slugs. You can clear out death claw nests without taking a hit!
Yeah, it should have been alone in S tier. It is broken, in a good way.
I remember I was caught off guard soloing a Deathclaw flawlessly on the highway bridge at Lonesome Road. The riot shotgun with these perks is no joke!
@@sanlorenzo7896 How did it do against the custom Deathclaw (RAWR)?
Nice profile pic
@@paulsmith5752 Ironically enough, I used the weapon binding ritual and defeated him hand to hand. 😅
Ironically Dinnerbell has the best "crit" with 11 instead of 10 like most so a sneak kill with dinnerbell probably will be the most devastating with coin shot.
Once i get the perk, that unlocks hand load versions of each ammo i just switch to those and never look back...4/0 Buck Magnum hand load rounds are the best ammo for any Shotgun...
@@Summon256 talking about crit damage. Each "pellet" crits separately so a sneak crit which if you get them will all crit automatically. so while the 4/0 buck magnum is better for open combat since less of the shotgun damage is spread out, it will only get 88 sneak crit damage. Coin shot has 8 projectiles which will be 176 sneak crit damage that It would be difference between a kill or not for a larger health character.
Shotgun has probably the most variety of ammo and you can definitely get a lot more out of it if you play around a bit.
@@BaeBunni They key here - is that with 4/0 Buck Magnum Hand Load Rounds you will be self sufficient and well rounded in ANy combat situation and that's what you want! You won't always be sneaking with a freaking shotgun (And it's not the best stealth attack tactics anyway...much better to use melee weapons with Ninja perk and alikes if you are sneaky type...)
@@Summon256 lol why argue that on my post about sneak criticals if you wanted to talk about 4/0 buck. While less spread out damage usually is better, tbh on average 4/0 less effective unless you only have 1 luck and actively avoiding crits but. There aren't many enemies that have to much do to stop normal magnum shotgun shells except power armor and robots but pulse slugs are better for that unless you have practically 0 criticals then it's useful. Also normal magnum shotgun shells don't need hand loader to craft.
@@BaeBunni I wasn't talking about "normal" magnum rounds, i was talking specifically about 4/0 hand load ones as i thought i made myself quite clear?...those cannot be crafted without perk! And just like i said 4/0 Buck mganum hand load rounds are the best for all kind of situations and universally effective against all kind of targets! With those rounds it eliminates the need to constantly switch between ammo back and forth, since it fits almost any combat situation...i'm not a fan of constantly having to switch between hollow point and armor piercing all the time, i just wait until i get access to hand load rounds and don't everbother to switch again...
I actually think the fully modded hunting shotgun is generally better than Dinner Bell. It's got tighter spread, higher capacity (important because of the relatively slow reload), and even a bit more durability for what that's worth, while only missing out on a pretty marginal amount of damage.
I honestly kind of hate dinnerbell tbh, it just feels like it’s not as good as the fully modded hunting shotgun, if the dinnerbell had the choke even it would be fantastic but it doesn’t and you just can’t get the same range with it which I find extremely disappointing, with perks you can get some serious range out of the hunting shotgun, that and I think the single shot is underrated on this list
Yeah as a hunting shotgun addict I always use it over dinner bell it only having 5 bullets makes it very poor in fights with bullet sponges. For instance a death claw can be easily dealt with a hunting shotgun that has 8 bullets if you knock it down while with dinner bell you spend precious time reloading when those 3 extra bullets would’ve killed
@@chaegibson720 little late, but dinner bell has the choke added by default.
I really don't like how shotguns work in 3 and 4.
Half the fun of using them is the pump! Just so much more satisfying to use in New Vegas.
Obsidian really handed Bethesda their own ass with this game.
You liked normal shotguns and not the auto assault that doesn't require a pump...sure thats fun but would you really sacrifice practicality over personal preference? The rate of fire is much slower on a self pump.
@@ravinraven6913pump shotguns are far more reliable in real life. And it’s a video game not real life.
@Harkon Takala It is semi-auto yet Charon has the animations of a lever action rifle when using it (Noticed it in Nerbit's videos). Not only does the gun itself absolutely make no sense design wise (How exactly do the shells get from the drum at the front back to the chamber at the rear?), the animation set is genuinely just plain broken.
@Harkon Takala It makes absolutely no sense for the US to base a shotgun (And a rifle that has absolutely no reason to even exist in universe) on a communist smg. At least it isn't the absolute vomit-inducing abomination of a gun that is the "assault rifle" in FO4.
I'm pretty sure I modded out every single base FO4 weapon, save I think the plain laser rifle and the double barrel. Pretty sure those are the only two I haven't found mods to replace/fix.
That's because Josh Sawyer knows a whole lot more about firearms than Todd Howard, and it shows.
Lever-Action Shotgun + Cowboy Perk = _Bashing in the doors to The Tops and yelling _*_"I'm here for Benny Big Bollocks!"_*
Yee-fucking-haw
The Riot Shotgun with the "And stay back" perk is pretty much my go to weapon for when a deathclaw is charging me. They literally have no chance against it.
Yeah that is crazy strong.
@@ReapeeRon I cleared Dead Wind Cavern on hardest difficulty with Riot Shotgun & Stay Back Perk in 22 Seconds flat. Making it by far best in game. 12.7 mm SMG in like 30 seconds. Sprayed Deathclaws legs then face. Gobi Scout Rifle was 3rd best. All American sucked I got mauled, same with Anti material rifle low damage & Dps. My character was maxed with Boon & Rex I should add. Medicine Stick 4th place or This Machine can't remember. Ranger Sequoia did good as well so yes it can handle toughest fight in game.
I absolutely loved shotguns in NV. Did a whole character around them and with the right build they are just broken.
The riot gun is the best weapon in the game bar non. Even tho the damage isn’t insane, just knocking enemies around.
Yeah, it's mostly and stay back, but even without that its DPS is pretty crazy.
Tri-beam and riot shotgun are crazy good
@@ReapeeRon and you get a crazy amount of options for ammo. Some time 12 rounds seems a little low tho.
1:34 big horn to the rescue and coming in with the devastating ram.
I have to say the lever action shotgun to me is A tier, I get so hype when I get it because it looks so cool and is so powerful, no to mention a straight upgrade from the sturdy caravan shotgun and lever action so affected by cowboy, you can really stack the buffs and have some good ammo options as well, always A tier in my heart
My personal favorite is the hunting shotgun. I know that the riot shotgun is superior statistically, but the hunting shotgun is a pump action and comes with that satisfying clatch-clatch sound after every shot.
It will never not be funny knocking folks down with the Riot Shotgun + perks. Send'em straight into the ground and blast them to bits.
I’ve done the seirra Madre cloths exploit so much it makes the single shot gun, sawed off shot gun and big boomer even stronger then the riot shotgun because of the reload speed
i'll have to look that up; cuse i finally can say i don't hate Seirra Madre DLC as much as I used to; just need to start with a melee build until i begin the DLC; then hope for the best.
@@CallofDutyBlackOps28 Pro tip- Do Lonesome Road first, grab the claw of Rawr but hold onto it until Dead Money, Being a Quest Item it isn't take from you so you just need to find a workbench and you will have a deathclaw guantlet which comes with increased limb damage.
@@demomanchaos genius
@@demomanchaoswhats the point of doing that dead money is way too easy anyway
@@noobgun12 Because it speeds things up quite a bit.
When I first played New Vegas I used the lever action for the first two thirds of the game, way past when it stops being good. I felt pretty underpowered. Then I discovered Gunrunners and bought a riot shotgun. I fell in love immediately hahaha
Since I was already working overtime to make the lever action work, the game became an absolute breeze when I got the upgrade. To this day, riot shotgun is my favorite gun in gaming.
Yea lever action is early to mid game but you can push it to end game with the better shells base shells fall of hard mid game. The riot shotgun is so over tuned that even regular shells feel good late game.
First clip is so cool. I thought that you had two ranks of animal friend, but no. Those bighorners must just hate ghouls more than people. Lmao.
Yeah they just wanted to help me out when I was on the struggle bus.
I realy love the Dinner Bell. Its the shotgun with the highest dmg per shot and the best accuracy, so you get most for your money. The only bad thing is the quest to get it is pretty long and tedious. If ammo isn't a concern tho in the lategame the riot shotgun destroyes everything.
Hunting shotgun with mods better than unic version because it has 8 magazine and better accuracy
@@druf5962 Does it have better accuracy tho? The choke is automaticly in built with the Dinner Bell so I dont know
@@Aaahrg Hunting Shotgun Choke reduces spread by 40% (from 1.5 to 0.9). Dinner Bell with choke has spread = 1.2
combat shotgun + shotgun surgeon + and stay back is so fun
"Think fast chuchle nuts"
-The Scout,Team Fortress 2
If you don't know the scout uses shotguns as a primary weapon he also says chuckle nuts
Big fan of the caravan shotgun myself, idk something about it is just so nice to use, and I keep it for the weaker enemies you stumble across later in the game
Slugs really make shotguns shine early on, the high damage can quickly kill most early enemies with fewer shots.
I like to keep both lever and riot shotgun because of them not sharing ammo pools, so i use lever day to day and riot on difficult enemies.
SHOW ME RIOT SHOTGUN!
SHOW ME DINNERBELL!
Shotguns are so fun in this game
Love how the big horn helped you out in the beginning.
I've unironically been waiting for this. I love shotguns in NV. I love how much a good build helps them
I always loved how the shotgun line in partucular is roughly placed from weakest to strongest from goodsprings to Gun Runners shop. Also one one benefit of not having couriers stash (or using Jsawyer mod) is not having instant access to the Sturdy Caravam. It just feels so organic to gather ammo for that single and use it in a pinch, then eventually upgrade to a caravan. Then once you get the riot your laying waste to cazadore like they are bloat flies
The perks really help make the shotguns stand out. Shotgun Surgeon especially. The enemy armor in NV can REALLY frustrate players at times, and seems BS as you appear to be dealing no damage. That perk mitigates that, and IIRC, it's still per pellet.
Yeah that perk is awesome. I love having that one.
Id put hunting shotgun in S. If you headshot with the choke attachment you'll one bomb most anything even without surgeon
i find it funny how the herd of bighorns came to your aid near the end of the single shotgun part XD😅
i like how the bighorner homies started helping you against the glowing ones
Huh, I didn't know the Sturdy Caravan Shotgun had so much spread. I honestly thought it was bugged with how much it was missing seemingly unmissable shots.
I've been playing every mainline Fallout game and recently got back to New Vegas, shotguns are part of my character so this video came out at like the perfect time lol.
I'm quite partial towards the lever-action shotgun personally even if it's not technically the "best" one, might just be because I like using lever-actions in general (also why I plan on using the Medicine Stick once I can afford it)
Blood born cave?
Same. I love rolling with Medicine Stick, Lever Action Shotgun, Lucky, some dynamite and other cowboy trinkets and really embracing the western vibe.
Loving these tier lists :) thanks for the vids
Glad that you like them.
I agree with just about everything in your review! I’m in a playthrough now and 20 gauge pulse slugs are available at gun runners and most other vendors its a blast to use the lever action shotgun with pulse rounds in any of the robot infested areas.
I really like the lever action with the shotgun surgeon and cowboy perk; I'll load it with slugs and use it a ton even pretty late game. Cheap to feed, plentiful to repair, it's great
I really wish there was a unique lever action shotgun so you could stack cowboy and shotgun surgeon. It could even get away with being weaker than the Hunting Shotgun by default, but since it would benefit from both perks it would probably end up better, plus use the cheaper 20 gauge ammo.
There is a mod for a unique Lever-Action Shotgun called the Ranger Denali, which I believe is found in Camp Golf. It's basically the same as the Lever-Action but it uses 12 Gauge instead of 20 Gauge. It's not official but it is really fun, and pairs well themeatically with the Ranger Sequoia
Hunting Shotgun with slugs is my baby. It's basically a sniper rifle at that point, and was one of my favorite weapons for deathclaw hunting.
Yeah that is a very fun way to run the hunting shotgun.
1:18 RAAHHH I see this all the time but do not use multiple of the same heal over time items at once. You only get one status effect for an individual healing item no matter how many you consume. That's why it's better to keep a diversified buffet on you instead of a mono mukbang
very quickly you became my favorite youtuber, i love informative yet still entertaining stuff like this
Ran my first Hardcore Hoover Dam battle play through with the hunting shotgun. Lanius never stood a chance.
Awesome!
i think dinner bell should be A tier and lower than the hunting shotgun (with mods). the measly 5 damage increase is no match for the 3 extra shells and even tighter spread of the hunting shotgun. i would also bump the lever action to A tier, especially if using it with the cowboy perk
I agree with this take.
That's fair.
Lever Action always reminds me of Gopher videos - i always wished there was a unique variant
Same
Stay Back is hilarious on my crazy ass vats build with the Big Boomer. Yeah I know I could just use the riot one but it seems like cheating and it isn't cowgirly enough. What am I, a police officer or something? Nah. One blast per reload, all day every day - always my preferred way to play (any gun, any game).
It's even more hilarious to SNIPE with... via that perk which increases accuracy with each hit in vats. So many pellets and only one has to hit something for it to proc, making the next bunch instantly twice as likely lol. Pump myself full of action points and get a 95% across a mountain with what normally might as well be a melee weapon, lol. Terrible waste of shells but so funny.
That and some dynamite and tin grenades for whenever I might be stuck behind cover, and you have my favourite courier's complete battle strategy right there. Oh hallo deathclaw running at me! Lemme just aim at your legs slow you down to a crawl there... need to wait until a heart-pumpingly close range though, with my never more than 1 Endurance glass cannon. It's just that ideal sweet spot of excitement. :)
The Sturdy Caravan Shotgun will carry you through at least the first 7 or 9 levels. The Lever--action shotgun has to be my favorite in the game though. I wish it had a unique counterpart or even a 12 gauge version. It also has really good iron sights by NEw Vegas standards.
I'm not fond of the sturdy caravan, personally. It's spread is sky high and it doesn't benefit from any shotgun perks. I tend to just sell it. The lever action is awesome, though. My favorite has to be the fully modded hunting shotgun, though I do enjoy the single as well even if it's a little under powered.
@@joolsmacgrools1288 Whoa, it doesn't benefit from perks? Not even Cowboy? I didn't know that. Maybe I should check the Wiki. The single actually has good range and spread, but it's obviously limited.
@@gunslinginleftist only the lever action is affected by Cowboy. It should affect the pump action but that could make it too powerful and render the riot shotgun completely obsolete.
I think you can also find One hunting shotgun in a metal box in Horowitz farm
There is something aesthetically pleasing about wearing elite riot gear (lonesome road) and having this long barreled menacing hunting shotgun just hanging on the back of your duster.
Shotguns in Fallout are the equivalent of elder scrolls stealth archer meme for me, I just can’t help but use them on every character. And NV absolutely does the best job with variety of any Fallout game. The hunting shotgun is my personal favorite
i did a playthrough trying out the big boomer and it was perfectly fine with the rapid reload i was surprised quite a bit. even later on it put down pretty much everything.
I love using slugs with the sawed off shotgun. It's like having a horrifically deadly blunderbuss. So satisfying to hit a mid-range shot with it.
Game is 10 plus years old and we are still get weapon tier list. Love to see it
I personally love modded hunting shotgun, higher capacity than Dinnerbell and other shotties, second only to riot, but is also just fun to use. With Dead Money's Agility glitch the reload becomes obselete as its almodt instant
"Shotguns probably feel the most balanced in New Vegas out of any of the Fallout games".
Huh. That's an interesting take. I feel like shotguns were quite well balanced in Fallout 1 and 2? For early game, we get the Winchester Widowmaker at the same time as the Desert Eagle, which it is well balanced with. Shotgun gets better damage for less range and ammo capacity, which makes sense. 12 Gauge ammo base stats have a accuracy bonus, which helps but isn't overpowered like .223 FMJ is. And then in the mid game, we find the City-Killer Combat Shotgun, which is a very solid weapon and strong choice to arm companions with. And Fallout 2 added the Pancor Jackhammer as a late game option. Until I have enough Gauss rifles and pistols to hand out to the whole team, I will not complain about arming my companions with Jackhammers.
Anyway, good video, I just wondered why you'd find the shotgun balance in the classic games lacking.
I think the shotguns in the older game are fine too, I was meaning to refer to the later games like 3 and 4, where in 3 they were way to strong and in 4 then were not that great unless you got good legendary effects on them.
@@ReapeeRon Oh! In that case, yes, I also prefer Fallout New Vegas shotgun design to Fallouts 3 and 4.
Loving these lists and looking forward to energy weapons 👍
The Bear and The Bull
History
Thank you for these gun videos. I wanted to replay New Vegas and these videos are a great refresher.
Riot shotgun and hunting shotgun with perks, mods and good ammo are totally s tier
I've always been in love with the lever action shotgun in this game, it is my favorite weapon. It just feels so great to use. I wish there were a unique version and a 12 gauge version in vanilla (I know there are mods for these)
personally I love the big boomer. I recently did a 'kill everyone run' and once i got it from lady gibson i fell in love. it is by far the best gun if you want to blow someones head right off. If youre built around it you can even one shot targets with high DT/DR. The real limiting factor I had was the relative lack of 12 gauge ammo, but that was mostly due to me killing every vendor except the gun runners.
The Riot shotgun is amazing but the Hunting shotgun is my personal favorite
single-shot break action + slugs early game is so fun
The cave you were thinking of at the Hunting shotgun part is Bloodborne Cave. And yeah theres not only a hunting shotgun, but a bunch of other high value weapons and a steamer trunk with 7K caps in it.
FO4: Double barrel or semi auto?
FNV: what flavor of hole making do you want?
GRA does actually have 20 Ga. Pulse Slugs
Lol did you take the Animal Friend perk or you got lucky with the big Horn helping with the ghoul 😂
amazing content as usual dude
Thank you very much Benji!
I can't wait for the ultimate ballistic Rifles tier list video. Also keep the great work I believe that your channel will go far.
Bro, the riot shotgun is so busted it needed it’s own category lol also there is a guaranteed one in the radiation vault, right? Nice video though. Loving the tier list!
S Tier shotguns
Dinner Bell, Riot Shotgun, Dinner Bell, Riot Shotgun, Dinner Bell, Riot Shotgun..........................Lol!
Id take Dinner bell down to A and put Big Boom just above it but below S, Riot Shotgun stands alone
@@ravinraven6913 Not quite. While Big Boom is LEGIT, the constant reloads are what drops it to A tier, NOW if it were also a hold out weapon it would 100% be S tier. Lol. The Dinner Bell is the weapon you use when "You've come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and a you're all outta bubblegum" where it's counterpart The Riot Shotgun is the EPITOME of "Well anyways I started blastin" Lol. ☺
Fallout NV has the most realistic range and spread for shotguns as well. Really packs a punch at a distance as well as up close.
To confirm your statement on its location, yes there is a hunting shotgun in near perfect condition behind a hard locked door in Charleston Cave, right outside of Jacobstown. Riot shotgun is OP as fuck, but the hunting shotgun definitely feels more satisfying to use
It's never mentioned but I love how with the single shot the bighorners were just like "we gotchu homie" and fucked up the ghouls
Yeah that was pretty nice!
Probably my favorite game and one of my favorite implementation of shotguns in a game
Me too!
1:38 GO BIGHORNER!
I'm appalled that u didn't cripple the ghouls legs
For me i always end up with a fully modded hunting shotgun as an endgame weapon. Especially since you can sneak up north to one of the farm steads outside north vegas to find a free hunting shotgun really early game.
This game needed Long Barrel Coach Gun badly and for some odd reason never got one, but only got sawed-off versions! It's funny, cuz the Fallout game where it fit less had one, while New Vegas where it would feel right at hime lore-wise it is missing! Kinda weird if you'd ask me...
In terms of top shotguns, I say the best 20 is the lever action and the riot as a best 12.
But with so many shotguns non make a return, however I would classified the sawed off as bottom tier due to their rarity.
The guns in fallout NV are so much better than the ones in fallout 3 and 4. The normal guns at least are goofy as hell in 3 and 4 they look like they told a 9 year old draw a picture of a gun and I'll put it in a video game. The NV ones are all practical looking and fun to use and don't look silly like 3 and 4s guns.
I agree with that. I also really like the variety of weapon in fallout new vegas too. There is so many good and fun weapons to pick from.
I actually didn't know you could sneak in the sawed-off shotgun. Damn.
Awesome video as always!
Lever action has amazing ragdoll kills 😂
So, just to see it all its glory after I got an ultrawide monitor, I'm playing NV with a few mods and AWOP+ MMM. Anyway, one of the mods gave Contreras The Terrible Shotgun from FO3 to sell. Same specs, so it's almost twice the damage of the Riot shotgun, with the same fast-shot and 12 rounds. With the shotgun perks it is so fun seeing deathclaws getting blown off their feet.
Lever Action Shotgun is a great secondary weapon when you have Cowboy, Shotgun Surgeon, and And Stay Back. Load some 3/0 Buck(GRA) into that bad boah and it'll keep the creeps off of you for if Medicine Stick either didn't do the job or if 45-70 is too expensive to shoot smaller enemies with
Honestly, the caravan shotgun is my favourite and i couldn't tell ya why!
I would put caravan in A tier because of how available and forgiving they are, and the fact that they can be the muscle that gets you through the game until you reach that higher tier of shotguns. Sawed off arent immediatly available and the spread makes it unreliable at "medium" range, and the single shotgun punishes you a bit more for missing (sawed off is also punishing in that way, but if they get close to "punish" they are in the kill zone and stop being a problem shortly after).
The DLC caravan stays in C because even if you get it for free and is broken to have it so early, you dont upgrade it and it doesnt benefit from perks.
Im saying this because this tierlist is basically "the later they spawn the higher on the list they go" and it doesnt take into account how they are in the game outside fights, who drops them, are the special ones worth the trouble to get them (the boomer is turbo strong for this reason and how easy to get it is, and the "dinner bell" is strong but super underwhelming as a reward), how easy and available the rounds are, at what time you probably start seeing them and when they become obsolete...
Theres a perk that effects the single shot 20ga. shotgun but it only works if you use slugs. It takes it from a shotgun and turns it into a pretty accurate medium-long range 1-2 hit weapon. I've used it to take heads off raiders and powdergangers at essentially scoped weapon ranges using vats and just iron sights.
What perk is that
I loved the weapon variety in new vegas but I wish there were a few different shotguns because shotguns irl are just as diverse as rifles. NV got the rifle diversity down with all the weapon tho having scaling and progression in mind still having a purpose. And with the insane ammo variety it would've been interesting to see a bolt action shotgun designed for using slugs or buckshot with an insanly tight spread but make it super slow to use to force players into only using it for trying to take down shit like Cazadors or other insects/gekos from a bit farther range. It would've been cool to see a SPAS12 show up as an alternative to the Riot Shotgun. The Riot Shotgun is semi-automatic and is drum fed but maybe make it have more spread and more recoil where the spas would be tube feed semi auto with a tighter spread but less ammo. Also a proper over under (possible 12 gauge) that doesn't have those atrocious iron sights the caravan shotgun has would also be nice.
Just a note, 20 gauge does have pulse slugs, I can't remember if they are base game or GRA add-ons, but yeah, you can find 20 gauge pulse slugs fairly readily and I want to say they are a GRA add-on.
Shotgun builds are soooo much fun! Just send everyone sprawling with knockback and just BLOW through their armor.
I _love_ the base hunting shotgun.
People say the dinner bell is better but I will stick with the base version. It’s my go to.
Idk if you've figured this out, but F:NV has a silly quirk when it comes to switching weapons where it auto reloads them when you switch weapons, so if you want to get the fastest reload possible, take the weapon swap perk instead of the reload perks.
best way to get hunting shotgun early is doing the silver rush questline, it ending with you ambushing a bunch of hunting shotgun wielding legionnaires.
I love the Riot and Hunting Shotguns for the damage/power trip that comes with the high-level perks. That said, my favourite (at least in terms of appearance) is the lever-action. Sure, the Riot Shotgun sends things flying, but you can't flip-cock a Riot Shotgun and flip-cocking it what makes for a true cowboy.
Why did Fallout 4 have to remove so many things
It’s a good game but it just feels like a watered down version of NV
I agree, I wish Fallout 4 had more of the weapons of NV.