Best shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077 version 1.6

CD PROJEKT RED's action RPG Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most versatile open-world games out there, allowing multiple different playstyles for players to experiment with. The game offers a plethora of options when it comes to cybernetic augmentations, armor, attributes, and even weapons. Players can mix and match them to craft their desired builds.

From stealthy netrunner builds to the tanky and powerful Gorilla Arms build, there are a variety of ways players can enjoy the fascinating combat of Cyberpunk 2077. All the weapons in the game are fun to use and have their place in certain builds. However, nothing is more satisfying to use than the shotguns in Cyberpunk 2077, which are easily one of the most deadly firearms.

Shotguns in Cyberpunk 2077 pack a punch at close range. However, players can also use them as mid-range combat weapons by investing in certain skills that increase their effectiveness. The game also has tech weapons (including shotguns) that possess some interesting perks and abilities.

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Best weapons and attributes for shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077

Attribute distribution for shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077

For the best shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077, players must invest points into a set of attributes that provide increased mobility, high defense, and a boost to the weapon's base damage.

The attribute distribution for this build is as follows:

Body: 20

Skill trees to invest in: Annihilation and Athletics

• It is the main attribute for this build. It ensures players have sufficiently high HP to trade a few blows with their opponents while increasing survivability.
• It also adds relevant perks to the shotgun weapon.

Technical Ability: 20

Skill trees to invest in: Crafting

• It provides bonus armor and allows players to craft some of the best gear in the game, including the shotguns necessary for the build.

Cool: 20

Skill trees to invest in: Ninjutsu and Cold Blood

• The Cold Blood perk tree provides necessary damage bonus to the shotgun weapon.

Reflexes: 8

• It allows players to increase overall damage output and critical chance on the weapon.

The shotguns in Cyberpunk 2077 pack a punch with every fire, knocking back enemies and dealing a lot of damage simultaneously. Having mobility perks allows players to stay active on the battlefield, compensating for the low firing rate of the weapons.

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Optimal loadout for shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077

The best shotguns to use for this build are as follows:

• Sovereign: A traditional double-barreled shotgun with high critical chance and damage values.
• Ba Xing Chong: Tech weapon with high DPS, critical damage, and bleeding chance perks.
• DB-4 Palica: Tech weapon with thermal damage and headshot multiplier perks.
• The Headsman: A very powerful shotgun that also deals chemical damage. It also doubles the projectiles shot as a special effect.

All these weapons work as great mid-to-late-game options for players. However, the Sovereign and DB-4 Palica are two shotguns that can be acquired fairly early through vendors in Night City.

While the weapons are the primary damage dealers, the mods applied to them are what dictate the real damage output and effectiveness of the weapon perks.

The optimal weapon mods for this shotgun build are as follows:

• Crunch: Increases base damage of the weapon.
• Neon Arrow: Reduces weapon reload time by 5%.
• Penetrator: Increases critical chance.
• Pacifier: Increase critical damage.

Here are the best armor mods for the shotgun build:

• Deadeye: Increases critical damage by 6% and headshot damage multiplier by 15%.
• Fortuna: Increases critical chance by 4%.
• Bully: Adds 8% critical damage bonus.
• Armadillo: Provides bonus defense for increased survivability.

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Best cyberware for the shotgun build in Cyberpunk 2077

Having an optimized set of cyberware installed will drastically increase the effectiveness of the shotgun build.

Listed below are the best cyberware for this shotgun build:

Frontal cortex:

• Heal-On-kill: Adds certain percentage of health back to the players after every successful kill.
• Mechatronic Core: Greatly increases damage against mechs.

Ocular system:

• Kiroshi Optics MK.3
• Trajectory Analysis
• Weakspot Detection

Circulatory system:

• Biomonitor
• Bioconductor
• Second Heart

Immune system:

• Shock-n-Awe: Reduces electroshock when hit.
• Pain Editor: All damage received reduced by 10%.

Nervous system:

• Kerenzikov: Allows players to slow downtime when dodging or sliding.
• Synaptic Accelerator: Slows downtime when detected.

Integumentary system:

• Subdermal Armor
• Optical Camo
• Heat Converter

Operating system:

• BioDyne Berserk MK.4
• BioDyne Berserk MK.3
• BioDyne Berserk MK.2
• Zetatech Berserk MK.5

Berzerk mods:

• Devastating Berserk
• Chained Berserk
• Sharpened Berserk
• Focused Berserk

Skeleton:

• Bionic Joints
• Synaptic Signal Optimizer

Hands:

• Smart Link
• Ballistic Compressor

Legs:

• Reinforced Tendons

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This build is expensive in terms of weapons, cyberware, and attributes required. However, it packs a punch when it comes to mowing down hordes of enemies, even at the highest difficulty preset.

The build is extremely useful against the many cyberpsycho boss fights in the game, which can often be challenging using other weapons or playstyles.

Cyberpunk 2077 might not have had a pleasant launch back in December 2020. However, over time, with constant effort and updates from developer CD PROJEKT RED, the game has become a much more stable and enjoyable experience for players across multiple platforms.

CD PROJEKT RED recently announced the game's first and only major story expansion, Phantom Liberty. It is scheduled to be released exclusively for current-generation consoles and Windows PCs.