Destiny Shotgun Rankings

Destiny Shotgun Rankings by InterimAegis

There have been a slew of questions about the “best” shotgun in Destiny post-patch and in particular, “is Invective #1” (Spoiler: I don’t think it is). Here, I give you some commentary based on my (extensive) experience with these weapons, and I feel this list can be well-applied to both PvP and PvE, though it is geared a bit more towards PvP. Without further rambling, here is a list of great shotguns in order of (personal) preference and an explanation of my rankings:

1. Felwinter’s Lie CQB Ballistics/Aggressive Ballistics/Smart Drift Control, Grenadier, Hammer Forged, Shot Package. Maximum range for a shotgun, more impact and stability than a Found Verdict, and to me the ultimate final say in personal, close-range protection. If you land your shot, you are essentially guaranteed a kill, so you can adapt this weapon to many different styles of play; the 6 round mag gives you a lot of Buckshot Bruiser medals. Warning: This weapon generates hatemail.EDIT: Some have commented that Felwinter’s can benefit from full auto to double the rate of fire. I would argue that without shot package (which occupies the same slot as full auto), you are better off with Found Verdict.
2. Found Verdict The important perks here are Full Auto + Hammer Forged; maximum range once again and double the fire rate, which makes this the shotgun to use when there are multiple enemies without sacrificing a likely one-shot-one-kill.
3. Universal Remote This appears here not because it is the most amazing weapon in terms of perks; it is a very-good-not-great shotgun in terms of stats. What it allows you to do is run with a real sniper rifle. If you are a skilled marksman with solid map awareness, a loadout of Universal Remote, Praedyth’s Revenge, and an LMG can wreak havoc on opposing teams.
4. Swordbreaker This is a very balanced and lower impact weapon with a high rate of fire. It allows you to miss with greatly reduced penalty and follow up quickly for the kill; the 6 round mag lets you run around a bit more. Of all the weapons listed thus far, this one lends itself best to a “run-and-gun” style.
5. Anything with Hammer Forged + Shot Package (e.g. Secret Handshake, Judgment, Crash) You can roll or buy a legendary vendor weapon with this combination of perks that will be similar to my Felwinter’s Lie (described above). If your weapon has a faster fire rate, it is a hybrid between my Swordbreaker description and my Felwinter’s Lie description. Where these particular weapons fall on my (your) personal list is a matter of taste; I prefer Felwinter’s Lie over, say, Secret Handshake because the higher impact of Felwinter’s Lie gives me effectively more range and flexibility.
6. Invective Truly looks fantastic, sounds fantastic, and has very balanced stats. The full auto perk increases its rate of fire, but the 4 round mag coupled with a very slow reload rate can hinder mobility and tactical reaction time. This is indeed a great shotgun, but I personally don’t feel it is worth your exotic slot. I have ranked it this low because it prevents you from using Thorn / TLW / Red Death / Vex / Suros / Gjallarhorn / Truth / Hawkmoon / Ice Breaker / Others (your choice obviously depends on PvP or PvE, etc.).