Perhaps the most controversial question in Fortnite Chapter 4 today is which weapons are best. But as we began in our last article on Long Range weapons, we can provide significant clarity with the use of some data. In this article, we are going to cover the much more complicated and diverse short range weapon options, everything from the Assault Rifle to the Thunder Shotgun.

New: Maven Auto Shotgun, Shockwave Hammer, Tactical Pistol, Thunder Shotgun, Twin Mag SMG

Un-Vaulted: Assault Rifle (SCAR), Combat Shotgun, Machine SMG, The Dub Shotgun

In this article, we will consider Time to Kill, Reload Time, Damage per Round and a variety of other useful metrics to determine and refine down this large list. With these metrics we will consider: 

1. Is the Shockwave Hammer good? What about the Dub?
2. Are Shotguns better than Pistols or SMG's?
3. Is the Assault Rifle (SCAR) good?

Once we complete this analysis, it will be clear which weapons are best as you seek to optimize your loadout. We hope you enjoy this analysis!

 1. Is the Shockwave Hammer good? What about the Dub?

The reality is that despite providing "mobility" to players the dub shotgun is not particularly effective as a weapon or a mobility option and players should disregard this weapon. 

If we consider the Shockwave Hammer it provides competitive attack damage and a viable option for "mobility" in a game that has seen significant reductions in hand held mobility options. This should be a fixture in most loadouts, so familiarize yourself with it.

 2. Are shotguns better than other short range options?

 

There are a number of new competitive non-shotgun weapon options for players  and it seems that they have a higher efficacy relative to their slower firing harder hitting competition. More information is needed but these are worth taking a closer look. 

One of the gaps in previous analysis has been the lack of consideration given for the accuracy with which a weapon is used. While it is quite hard to quantify given bloom settings, range, and other not easily retrievable data are often not provided. We should be taking into account levels of accuracy when we make close comparisons and not assume that every bullet lands. In this particular analysis, we see that under much more realistic accuracy constraints ~50% the Machine SMG significantly outperforms what appeared to be the category leader the Twin Mag SMG. Under similar conditions, we can consider that the Maven is also the top shotgun option. For this situation, we have considered the Legendary or Best tier available. 

When it comes to short range options it seems that non-shotgun options are a formidable group that appears to outperform their shotgun competition. It is, however, valid that both these weapon types can be used in different ways. Shotguns can be used in a "peek-a boo" type fashion with high effectiveness compared to an SMG which requires more sustained exposure to the enemy. If we assume that there is no cover and these weapons are going toe to toe, it is quite clear that the SMGs (and for that matter pistol/SCAR) would prevail.

In short, the Assault Rifle is "good". It can't be ruled out like the Dub shotgun and appears to materially outperform shotguns at close range. However, it appears that there are a number of better options which make a less relevant consideration for your loadout. The pistol falls into the same category as the Twin Mag, AR, and Machine SMG all outperform it. 

Conclusions

• The Dub and Thunder shotguns are not worth adding to your loadout. 

• The Shockwave Hammer should make it into your loadout as a mobility option and a potential short range situational weapon, however, better attack options exist. 

• The pistols and SMGs materially outperform shotguns when we control for accuracy and are a formidable addition to Chapter 4’s arsenal. The Machine SMG and Maven Auto Shotgun arising as the top options from their respective categories. (The Machine SMG needs to be leveled up to Rare.)

• The SCAR is good but like the tactical pistol there are higher fire rate options that can prove to be more effective at shorter ranges.

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