Call of Duty: Vanguard has endured a rocky start to life, with plenty of positives and negatives to leave Call of Duty fans unsure about the game. While Vanguard has been praised for the changes made since its beta, it struggled initially with sales, which dulled the excitement somewhat. The game has since recovered as far as sales are concerned, with Vanguard becoming the best-selling game in the US for November. This will no doubt be in part due to the positive reviews of fans, as well as Call of Duty being one of the largest franchises in the gaming industry.
In addition to these factors, Call of Duty: Vanguard will likely rank as a popular game among long-time Call of Duty fans due to its return to a World War 2 setting. This has been a long time coming as far as Call of Duty fans are concerned, as the last time Call of Duty featured a World War 2 setting was in Call of Duty: World War 2 over four years ago. Fans have been comparing Call of Duty: Vanguard to World at War, however, and it makes sense considering the game features a number of classic World at War maps and weapons.
These classic Call of Duty: World at War weapons have been very well-received by Call of Duty fans, who are happy about the nostalgia they provide. Weapons like Call of Duty: Vanguard’s StG 44 and MP-40 have been popular choices. However, on maps like Das Haus, which is one of the more close-range maps in the game, it becomes clear that the shotguns are king. Vanguard’s shotguns are absolute monsters at close range, giving other close-range weapons like SMGs no chance in encounters. However, there are four distinctly different options for players who want to pick up a shotgun, each of which carrying its own positives and negatives. As such, it can be difficult to know where to start when picking a shotgun to run.
C Tier: Double Barrel
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Double Barrel is undoubtedly one of the more iconic weapons in the game, instantly recognizable to anybody who has played a war shooter. Most shooter fans will be aware of the power it holds at close range, but will also be aware of its obvious downsides. As the Double Barrel has a high rate of fire, it is very effective at close range, capable of blasting enemy players with two shotgun shells in rapid succession. However, once these shots have been fired, the player is at the mercy of any other players in the near vicinity. Players have just the two shots before having to reload, making the Double Barrel a tricky gun to use in Vanguard, especially in Assault or Blitz combat pacing games.
B Tier: Gracey Auto
Coming in at B Tier is Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Gracey Auto, which is one of the game’s two semi-automatic shotguns. Throughout the Call of Duty series, semi-auto shotguns have been popular weapons, from the Spas-12 of Black Ops, to the Striker of Modern Warfare 3. However, in the case of the Gracey Auto, it has not been one of the more popular choices among fans. It is undoubtedly still a fun weapon to use, but its low firepower, when compared to some of the other shotguns in the game, holds it back somewhat. It can hold up to 10 rounds, which is a major improvement upon the Double Barrel’s two-round mag, but these are needed as it can take multiple shots to kill.
A Tier: Einhorn Revolving
The first unlocked shotgun in Call of Duty: Vanguard, the Einhorn Revolving, has also been one of the more popular weapons in the game. It makes sense, as it is one of the more unique weapons in Vanguard, sporting a revolving magazine despite being a shotgun. In this respect, it definitely earns points for being one of the game’s more interesting weapons, and like the Gracey Auto, it is also a semi-automatic shotgun. However, it packs more of a punch when compared with the Gracey Auto, being effective at greater distances and killing enemies in one to two shots. The Einhorn Revolving slightly edges out the Gracey Auto for A tier, but there is one shotgun remaining that tops them all.
S Tier: Combat Shotgun
Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Combat Shotgun sees the return of the M1897 Trench Gun. This has been a mainstay throughout Call of Duty’s World War 2 titles, as well as making appearances in the Black Ops series. In Call of Duty: Vanguard, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game and tops the list when it comes to shotguns. It is a pump-action shotgun, meaning players will have to wait between shots, but along with this comes the highest firepower of all of the shotguns. It has terrorized multiplayer lobbies since Vanguard’s release, and despite shotguns receiving a nerf, the Combat Shotgun remains as one of the best weapons in the game.
There is one other aspect that Call of Duty: Vanguard players may want to consider when picking the shotgun that they will run in multiplayer, though. Call of Duty: Vanguard has operators that players may choose to play as, and these operators have ‘favorite weapons’. It’s worth bearing this in mind when selecting loadouts, as using these favorite weapons will offer weapon xp boosts, allowing players to unlock attachments slightly faster. Fortunately for shotgun users, Padmavati has the Combat Shotgun as her favorite weapon, which hands the gun a real advantage, along with it being the most powerful shotgun in the game.
Along with choosing operators, it’s worth looking into Call of Duty: Vanguard’s gunsmith to see where some of the weaker shotguns can possibly be improved. In Call of Duty: Vanguard, players can choose up to 10 attachments on any gun, improving anything from damage range to fire rate. While the weaker aspect of the Double Barrel in its ammo capacity cannot be improved, players could look to improve upon aspects of any of the other three’s weaker points. The Combat Shotgun is the strongest base shotgun in the game, but with attachments, all four can become a force to be reckoned with.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.