Shotgun
A basic but powerful weapon with good range, damage, and ammo efficiency, but low rate of fire. Fires in spread pattern.
The Shotgun is the earliest weapon capable of seriously assaulting Biter nests. The weapon's starting damage can pierce nest armor (12x4 vs. 2) and destroy them with moderate difficulty. Shotgun ammo represents a massive boost on resource efficiency, with 2 copper and 2 iron giving a stack of shells worth 480 raw damage. Contrast this against the pistol ammo, which costs 2 iron for 40 raw damage. These traits make the shotgun user friendly for sustained assaults against biter nests.
The shotgun sports a lower damage output and can not clear out biters with the same efficacy as the Submachine gun. Players can switch between both weapons to balance power and efficiency, or support themselves with covering fire from combat bots and Turrets.