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Ever since the original Doom’s iconic double barrel demon-eraser, shotguns have been an integral part of shooter games. Even for players who favor engaging at long range, it is always a good idea to keep one handy for close encounters. Apex Legends has four different weapons in this category. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about using them, while primarily focusing on the EVA-8 Auto.

Apex Legends Aliens shotgun

Introduction to shotguns

Shotguns may seem like straightforward weapons, but each of the four Apex shotguns is a different animal. The Peacekeeper offers the most burst damage and is a great armor-breaker, best used by players who favor mobility. The EVA-8 is all about sustained damage and suppression and is more forgiving in the aim department. The Mastiff has unique horizontal spread and can down entire squads in seconds, but it is rare and has limited ammo.

The Mozambique has the least spread over range and the fastest ADS movement and rate of fire. For players who trust themselves to get the job done with just three shots, the Mozambique is the most mechanically powerful weapon of the bunch. With the addition of the Hammerpoint Rounds hop-up in Season 2, the Mozambique stands to become its own brand of devastating.

Rusher-type legends like Bangalore and Octane can get the most out of a shotgun. The EVA-8 is especially strong in the hands of Bangalore due to its wide pellet spread. Bangalore can smoke an enemy player or even an entire squad and then fire indiscriminately, tracking her targets through damage numbers.

EVA-8 Auto Shotgun | Apex Legends Guns Guides
This EVA-8 concept art shows that at one point in its development this shotgun could hold 20 shells. This explains its oversized magazine.

Taking care of your shotgun

While they are all different, all Apex Legends shotguns share some common factors. They are designed for close-range use and have a 1.5 headshot multiplier over a maximum range of 40 meters. They also have very slow projectile speed and expanding spread. All of this generally makes them mediocre at mid-range and useless beyond it.

Although shotguns should be fired from the hip more often than not, they can benefit from a digital threat optic. The Peacekeeper could alternatively use a 1x scope once you find the Precision Choke hop-up.

When aiming down sights you only lose nine percent of your regular movement speed, or zero with the Mozambique. However the effectiveness of ADS fire varies from weapon to weapon. The EVA-8 in particular does not get any benefits, retaining its pellet spread whether fired from ADS or hip.

Starting with Season 2, shotguns will require three-to-four ammo stacks to function. They are not difficult to kit, as the only custom part you can attach to most is a shotgun bolt. Players using two different shotguns in their outfit should equip a bolt on their Peacekeeper last. It benefits from it less than the other shotguns.

EVA-8 Auto Shotgun | Apex Legends Guns Guides

Using the EVA-8 Auto

The EVA-8 Auto gets its name from its pellet spread. Each blast fires nine projectiles in the shape of the number eight. This particular spread, combined with its large eight-shell magazine, makes for serviceable suppression at mid-range.

The other three shotguns fire pellets in various shapes and are prone to miss completely sometimes. Meanwhile, the EVA-8’s signature “cloud” can reliably tag moving targets for low but consistent damage. When firing on Gibraltar you might even score full hits, but that’s another story.

EVA-8 Auto Shotgun marks | Apex Legends Guns Guides

At close range the EVA-8 is one of Apex Legends’ most dangerous weapons. While it lacks the burst damage of the Peacekeeper, it boasts far higher DPS and it fires in full auto. Moreover, the EVA-8 gets a larger fire rate increase from shotgun bolts than the Peacekeeper. That means that as the match goes on, its damage output scales better.

Whether you are shredding targets up close or applying pressure while your squad mates rush in, the EVA-8 is a reliable and dangerous weapon.