Call of Duty: Vanguard was released earlier this month to a somewhat mixed reception. While many who have played since the game's release have been impressed with the changes made since its beta, others were turned away by their first impressions. The return to a World War 2 setting has been well received by Call of Duty fans, which has led many players to sticking with Call of Duty: Vanguard for now.
Call of Duty: Vanguard has classic maps and weapons from previous Call of Duty games that have given fans their fair share of nostalgia. The World War 2 setting has seen the return of the likes of Dome, Castle, and many more iconic weapons from the series. However, one returning weapon that has flown under the radar since launch is the Double Barrel Shotgun, which is the last unlocked shotgun.
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Double Barrel Shotgun
The double barrel shotgun will be a familiar weapon to most gamers. It’s a common weapon type in first-person shooters across the board, and in particular, it was one of the more iconic weapons in Call of Duty: World at War. Especially in World at War zombies, where the double-barrelled shotgun was especially prominent and powerful, given it is a cheap option in the early rounds. With the attachments on offer in Call of Duty: Vanguard, the Double Barrel may prove to be a bit more useful than World at War’s Double-Barrelled Shotgun, but on a basic level, they are fairly similar to one another.
The Double Barrel Shotgun faces a number of challenges in being one of the best guns in Call of Duty: Vanguard. The shotguns of Call of Duty: Vanguard have caused quite a stir since launch: In particular, the Combat Shotgun, prompted Vanguard’s shotguns to receive a nerf, as it proved to be quite problematic in close to mid-range gunfights. The Double Barrel Shotgun has struggled to find its place in comparison. It has the lowest firepower but the highest accuracy of all the shotguns. Theoretically this should make it good for mid-range encounters, although this doesn’t appear to be the case. Instead, players may be better-served dipping into the guns attachments to craft it into something wholly different.
Best Attachments for Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Double Barrel
By checking out Call of Duty: Vanguard’s gunsmith, players can alter their weapons attributes to make them suit their needs. In the case of the Double Barrel Shotgun, players may look to make the weapon significantly better in close range encounters at the cost of longer range. This may seem counter-productive, but the Double Barrel Shotgun does have one attachment that none of the other shotguns have, which could easily make it one of the better weapons in close range encounters. Fortunately, while the Double Barrel isn’t the most useful weapon in its base form, it can be significantly improved in the gunsmith, although it may take some time to unlock the right attachments.
Unfortunately, none of Call of Duty: Vanguard’s operators have the Double Barrel as their favorite weapon, and as such, there are no XP bonuses to be had. As for attachments, players should look for wider pellet spread to increase close range damage. As such, the first attachments players should look to unlock are the Sawed-Off barrel and the A5 Smoothbore muzzle, which reduce damage range, but with improvements in close range encounters. Throwing in the Buck and Slug should make this weapon formidable, and adding the Akimbo proficiency will double the weapon's firepower, topping off its transformation. With all of these attachments, the Double Barrel Shotgun will become a useful tool, albeit unrecognizable from its base form.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.