Fortnite’s new Combat Shotgun doesn’t seem to be working correctly

After the Season 9 patch notes arrived, players were dumbfounded at the vaulted list. The most popular weapon in Fortnite, the Pump Shotgun, made its way to the infamous vault. To offset this loss, Epic Games decided to replace it with the new Combat Shotgun.

Acting similarly to the Pump, the Combat Shotgun holds 10 shells and fires a little quicker. However, its damage is lower than the Pump’s, which caused a stir in the Fortnite community.

Even so, as long as the new shotgun were consistent, it would have been fine. But of course, in classic Fortnite style, this weapon seems to be badly broken.

Inconsistent damage for the Combat Shotgun

Normally in Fortnite, a broken weapon means it is wildly overpowered. The first edition of the P90 SMG is a perfect example of this. However, in the case of the Combat Shotgun, broken means something different entirely.

Once released, players immediately noticed something was off about the gun. No matter where you shot at any distance, the damage outputs would vary drastically. Most of the time, however, the damage would be on the lower end.

The proof is in the pudding

Everything you need to know about the current Combat Shotgun can be found from @TSM_Daequan:

The new shotgun is broken in a bad way. I knew somethin wasn't right sometimes 🤣🤷🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/5u173m6plp

— Daequan (@NRG_Daequan) May 10, 2019

Obviously, headshot damage should yield higher and more consistent results. While the range affects this slightly, it’s usually not noticeable unless you are firing from far away.

In the clip above, Daequan is standing at a normal distance for shotgun usage. Ideally, you want to be a little closer to your enemy, but Daequan’s distance is perfectly fine.

The first shot he fires is a “center mass” headshot, which hits for 113 damage. From that distance, 113 is fair damage output. Although, the next three shots, all aimed at the same spot, hit for 31. The fourth shot kills his opponent, which is laughable when considering every shot was a headshot.

To compare, Daequan also uses the Tactical Shotgun at the same range. Aiming at the same spot on the head, the Tactical Shotgun hits far more consistently and kills in three shots. Since the Tactical Shotgun has lower total damage than the Combat Shotgun, this further proves that the Combat isn’t working as intended.

Epic Games has yet to release any update on the new weapon. However, with the community’s full focus on the Pump Shotgun’s replacement, this should get patched quickly.

What’s your opinion on the Combat Shotgun so far in Season 9? Let us know in the comments. Keep up with Daily Esports for all Fortnite news and updates.