The Shotgun is a destructive tool in Teardown, used for breaking down materials by blasting them at close range, often leaving several holes in walls and surfaces. It functions as a more destructive, chaotic, and close-range variant to the Gun. It has the most possible ammunition for any vanilla tool. Unlike all other tools in the game, it shoots several bullets at once instead of a single shot like the rocket launcher or the gun.
Description[]
A long gray weapon with dual barrels and wooden furniture, the Shotgun is used to fire off powerful volleys of bullets to destroy any type of destructible voxel within Teardown, including weaker materials of wood and metal, as well as brick and concrete. The only material which a shotgun cannot break is usually materials intended to be indestructible, that being voxels defining the level geometry of the ground and so forth. The weapon's blast is quite powerful at point-blank range, but due to the wide spread of it's shot and the damage fall-off of each pellet its potency is significantly hindered when firing upon distant targets.
In context to the campaign, the shotgun presents a surprisingly quick stepping stone up above the likes of the Sledge and Blowtorch by being able to destroy the last major voxel type in the game, making it a very important tool early on until similar weapons present rock shattering alternatives. This isn't to say the shotgun is only good in the early game, since it provides a great simplicity in use compared to most other explosives-based tools, making it both safe to use in close proximity while also destroying many voxels. With explosives like Pipe Bombs, self-damage can pose an issue for quickly dispatching an obstacle, an issue that the shotgun doesn't have.
After full upgrades, the Shotgun becomes very powerful in the right hands, having the largest amount of rounds of any maxed-out tool. While other tools may have significantly more destructive yield in one shot compared to a shotgun, the shotgun makes up for it with a high quantity of rounds that can be greater focused on important destruction locations. Some of the best examples are in Villa Gordon, where the stone walls and flooring on the higher floors require something stronger than a Sledge to break through, but also makes explosives problematic since their blasts can leave holes within the floor itself and interrupt a mission's flow. With the shotgun, it avoids this pitfall while bringing the damage to continue the pathway.
Upgrades[]
To unlock the Shotgun, the player needs to achieve an Novice Rank within the campaign, requiring a score of ten or more. It, like many tools unlocked after ranking up, has several upgrades to be purchased with cash.
The shotgun has three distinct upgrades:
| Upgrade Description | Initial Tool Stats | Upgrade Effect | Cost per Upgrade | Number of Upgrades | Maxed Out Upgrades |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The number of shells you have at the start of a mission. | 12 Rounds | +12 Rounds | $200 | 7 | 96 Rounds |
| Maximum range for weapon. | 20 AU | +20 AU | $300 | 2 | 60 AU |
| How much damage it makes. | 3 AU | +1 AU | $400 | 2 | 5 AU |
