Shotguns got a broad damage buff two weeks ago. Patch 7.2.0 (October 20, 2026) raised the damage of the plain light-penetration pellet shotguns, and the Halo crossover M90A got the largest raw damage gain of any shotgun. Then patch 7.2.2 (October 29, 2026) corrected the numbers Arrowhead had published for the SG-22 Bushwhacker. Players are still arguing about which shotgun came out on top. So this guide ranks every primary shotgun in Helldivers 2 by what it does now, covers the Bushwhacker sidearm separately, and picks the best one for Terminids, Automatons and the Illuminate. Every buff number comes from Arrowhead's official 7.2.0 patch notes and the 7.2.2 hotfix notes on Steam. Unlock locations and magazine sizes come from the Helldivers wiki. The guide is current for Devoid of Liberty 7.2.2, while Scope of Authority is the newest Warbond.
Quick answer: The best shotgun in Helldivers 2 for most players after patch 7.2 is the SG-225 Breaker. It's free in the Helldivers Mobilize! Warbond, fully automatic, and its damage rose from 330 to 396 in 7.2.0. The strongest single shot belongs to the M90A (damage 605 → 726), but it holds only 6 shells and needs the 1,500 Super Credit ODST Legendary Warbond. Against bugs, take the Breaker Spray&Pray or an incendiary shotgun. Against Illuminate Voteless hordes, take the Breaker Spray&Pray. Against bots, light-pen pellets struggle, so take a medium-penetration option like the SG-8S Slugger or skip shotguns.
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What changed for shotguns in patch 7.2.0 and 7.2.2?
Patch 7.2.0 had one section just for shotguns. Arrowhead named the problem directly: "The light penetration regular pellet shotguns have fallen behind in effectiveness compared to other shotguns with, for instance, medium penetration or status effects." The stated goal was simple: "These shotguns will have a faster time to kill and hit harder with each round."
A separate section buffed the Legendary Warbond weapons from the Killzone and Halo crossovers. Those guns can't take attachments, and Arrowhead's reasoning was: "Since legendary warbond weapons don't get customization, we think some of the weapons need a slight increase in their base stats to compensate." That's where the M90A's buff came from.
Here's every shotgun change across the two patches. All figures are taken from the official notes:
| Shotgun | Patch | Damage | Durable damage | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M90A Shotgun | 7.2.0 | 605 → 726 | 220 → 264 | +20% |
| SG-8 Punisher | 7.2.0 | 405 → 486 | 108 → 135 | +20% |
| SG-225 Breaker | 7.2.0 | 330 → 396 | 66 → 88 | +20% (durable +33%) |
| SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray | 7.2.0 | 240 → 288 | 64 → 80 | +20% (durable +25%) |
| SG-22 Bushwhacker (sidearm) | 7.2.0, corrected in 7.2.2 | 405 → 486 | 108 → 135 | +20% |
The Bushwhacker row needs an explanation. The 7.2.0 notes listed it as 450 → 540. Nine days later, the 7.2.2 notes said "The Bushwacker changes in the previous patch were calculated incorrectly" and gave the correct values: 405 → 486 damage and 108 → 135 durable damage. If you read 540 on a tier list or in a video, that number is wrong.
What the patch did not touch matters just as much. The SG-8S Slugger, SG-20 Halt, SG-451 Cookout, SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary and SG-8P Punisher Plasma got no changes in 7.2.0 or 7.2.2. Arrowhead's own wording explains why: the buff was aimed at plain light-pen pellets, which had fallen behind the medium-pen and status-effect shotguns. Those other shotguns were the benchmark, not the target.
Is the shotgun buff actually noticeable?
Mostly yes, but how much you notice depends on the enemy. A 20% damage increase only feels big when it pushes a gun over a breakpoint, meaning it now kills an enemy in one shot fewer than before. Against enemies whose health sits just above the old damage number, the change feels huge. Against enemies far above it, you won't feel much.
Player reactions in the r/Helldivers thread on the shotgun buffs line up with that. One player wrote: "My first shot with buffed m90 vaporized a hunter wHich was funny as hell." Another was less impressed: "I used the M90A and Punisher against Overseers and neither felt much better than before. Spray and Pray did feel a little bit better." A third argued the Breakers gained the most, because "By their nature, the Breakers are DPS spam machines, so higher damage lets them do their jobs better." One player pointed out that the change mostly brings the Punisher back to how it felt about a year ago.
So the short version is: automatic shotguns gain on every trigger pull, and the M90A gains the most on single targets. The Punisher is better, but it still doesn't solve armored targets.
Every shotgun in Helldivers 2, ranked
This ranking is our editorial judgment for general use after the 7.2.2 patch. It weighs the official damage numbers, each gun's penetration and role, how easy it is to unlock, and what players report in the field. It is not based on measured kill breakpoints. Helldivers 2 is a co-op PvE game with three very different factions, so "best" always depends on what you're fighting. The faction picks further down matter more than the overall order.
| Rank | Shotgun | Where you get it | Type | Penetration | Best against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SG-225 Breaker | Helldivers Mobilize! (free) | Automatic, box magazine | Light | Bugs, Voteless, general use |
| 2 | M90A Shotgun | Obedient Democracy Support Troopers (Legendary), page 3 | Pump-action, 6 shells | Light | Medium bugs (Hunters, Stalkers, Brood Commanders) |
| 3 | SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray | Helldivers Mobilize! (free) | Automatic, drum magazine | Light | Small chaff, Shriekers, Voteless |
| 4 | SG-8S Slugger | Helldivers Mobilize! (free) | Pump-action slugs | Medium | Bots, single larger targets |
| 5 | SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary | Steeled Veterans, page 2 | Burst, drum magazine | Light + fire | Bug swarms |
| 6 | SG-451 Cookout | Freedom's Flame, page 1 | Pump-action, incendiary | Light + fire | Bugs, crowd stagger |
| 7 | SG-20 Halt | Truth Enforcers, page 1 | Pump-action, stun + flechette | Light / Medium | Stunning Overseers, controlling one big target |
| 8 | SG-8 Punisher | Helldivers Mobilize! (free) | Pump-action, round reload | Light | Close-range light targets, stagger |
| 9 | SG-8P Punisher Plasma | Cutting Edge | Pump-action, explosive plasma | Medium | Mid-range groups (it arcs) |
| 10 | SG-97 Sweeper | Superstore (permanent catalog, Super Credits) | Slamfire pump, flechettes, bayonet | Medium | Bots and medium infantry up close |
| 11 | DBS-2 Double Freedom | Superstore (permanent catalog, Super Credits) | Two-barrel, single shot or volley | Medium | Burst damage on one target, then reload |
The SG-97 Sweeper and DBS-2 Double Freedom are permanent Superstore items bought with Super Credits, not Warbond unlocks. Neither changed in 7.2, and both rank low only because the free Breaker family does most of their jobs. The Sweeper is the better of the two, since medium-penetration slamfire gives it a real role against bots. The SG-22 Bushwhacker is a sidearm and is covered separately below.
Why the SG-225 Breaker is the best shotgun for most players
The Breaker was already a go-to primary, and 7.2.0 gave it more damage per shot (396) and +33% durable damage (66 → 88). That's the largest durable-damage increase among the buffed shotguns. It's fully automatic, it's free on the Helldivers Mobilize! Warbond everyone owns, and it takes attachments, so you can tighten the spread with a choke. One player in the buff thread said they run it "with the half choke" and it "works well at short to medium ranges." The weakness hasn't changed: ammo goes fast, so bring a resupply plan.
Is the M90A the strongest shotgun now?
On damage per shot, yes. At 726 damage after 7.2.0, the M90A hits harder per shell than any other pellet shotgun in this list. The catch is the rest of the package. It holds only 6 shells, it can't take attachments because it's a Legendary crossover weapon, and it sits on page 3 of the ODST Legendary Warbond. Legendary Warbonds cost 1,500 Super Credits and contain no claimable Super Credits, unlike Premium Warbonds. Don't buy that Warbond for the M90A alone. If you already own it, the M90A is now the best one-shot tool for medium bugs.
What is the best shotgun for Terminids (bugs)?
Bugs are where shotguns are strongest. Most Terminids rush you in groups, have little armor on the parts you'll hit, and die quickly to pellets up close.
- Best overall vs bugs: SG-225 Breaker. Automatic fire and 396 damage per shot clear Scavengers, Warriors and Hunters fast.
- Best for swarms: SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray. With 288 damage on a wide spread, you no longer need precise aim to one-shot chaff. It's also very good against Shriekers.
- Best for fire builds: SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary or SG-451 Cookout. Neither was changed in 7.2, but fire damage keeps working on bugs after you stop shooting. Pick the Cookout if you want the Punisher's stagger with burning added.
- Best for single targets: M90A. If you own it, it deletes Hunters, Stalkers and Brood Commanders.
Shotguns don't handle Chargers or Bile Titans, and no shotgun replaces anti-tank. Pair one with a support weapon from our best Terminid loadout guide.
What is the best shotgun for Automatons (bots)?
This is where shotguns are weakest, and the 7.2 buff doesn't change that. Bots fight at range, and many of them carry medium armor that light-penetration pellets bounce off unless you hit a weak spot. The buff only applied to light-pen shotguns, so it didn't fix this matchup.
- Best vs bots: SG-8S Slugger. It fires slugs with medium armor penetration. It works more like a short-range marksman rifle than a scattergun, and it can hurt Devastators that pellets can't.
- Alternative: SG-8P Punisher Plasma. Its explosive plasma has medium penetration and staggers targets, but the shots travel in an arc, so you have to lead them.
- Superstore option: SG-97 Sweeper. It's a permanent Superstore weapon that fires medium-penetration flechettes in slamfire, so it keeps damage flowing up close against bots.
If you don't need a shotgun specifically, a medium-penetration rifle is usually better against bots. Our best Automaton loadout has the full setup.
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What is the best shotgun for the Illuminate?
The Illuminate mix weak, numerous Voteless with tougher units like Overseers. That split decides your pick.
- Best vs Voteless hordes: SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray. Its wide birdshot spread and bigger drum magazine are made for hordes, and the 7.2.0 buff makes one-shots more reliable.
- Best all-rounder: SG-225 Breaker. It handles hordes and still does solid damage to bigger units.
- Best for Overseers: SG-20 Halt. It has two magazines: stun rounds that lock a target in place and armor-penetrating flechettes to finish it. Players report that the buffed M90A and Punisher still don't feel much better against Overseers. The Halt gives your squad a way to control them instead.
The Illuminate also field heavy units like Harvesters that no shotgun handles well, so bring real anti-tank. See our best Illuminate loadout.
Is the SG-22 Bushwhacker worth using after the fix?
The Bushwhacker is a one-handed, triple-barreled sawed-off sidearm from the Viper Commandos Warbond. It can fire one barrel at a time or all three at once. After the 7.2.2 correction, each shell does 486 damage. Firing all three barrels together puts out a lot of damage in one trigger pull, but it only holds three shells, so you'll spend a lot of time reloading.
It's worth using as an emergency sidearm, especially with a one-handed setup like the Ballistic Shield. Just remember the real number is 486, not the 540 that the original 7.2.0 notes listed.
Which shotgun should you unlock first?
If you're new, you don't have to spend anything. The Breaker, Breaker Spray&Pray, Punisher and Slugger are all in Helldivers Mobilize!, the free Standard Warbond, and three of them got the 7.2.0 buff. Unlock the Breaker first, then add the Spray&Pray for bug and Illuminate hordes.
When you're ready to spend Super Credits, buy a Premium Warbond for its whole set of items, not for one shotgun. Our guide to the best Warbond to buy first compares them. If you want a heavier support weapon to pair with your shotgun, check our best support weapons ranking.
FAQ
What is the best shotgun in Helldivers 2 right now? For most players after patch 7.2.2, it's the SG-225 Breaker. It's free, fully automatic, and its damage went from 330 to 396 in patch 7.2.0. The M90A hits harder per shot (726), but it has only 6 shells and is locked behind a 1,500 Super Credit Legendary Warbond.
Did patch 7.2 buff shotguns? Yes. Patch 7.2.0 (October 20, 2026) buffed the SG-8 Punisher, SG-225 Breaker, SG-225SP Breaker Spray&Pray and SG-22 Bushwhacker. The M90A was buffed separately as part of a Legendary Warbond weapon pass. Patch 7.2.2 (October 29, 2026) corrected the Bushwhacker to 405 → 486 damage.
Is the Punisher good now? It's better, with damage up from 405 to 486. It's still a light-penetration pump shotgun, though, so it's best against fast light targets and for stagger, not against armor. One player described the buff as a return to how the Punisher felt about a year ago.
Which shotguns were not changed in patch 7.2? The SG-8S Slugger, SG-20 Halt, SG-451 Cookout, SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary and SG-8P Punisher Plasma. Arrowhead aimed the buff at light-pen pellet shotguns that had fallen behind the medium-pen and status-effect ones.
Are shotguns good against bots? Not really. Bots fight at range, and many have medium armor that light-pen pellets can't penetrate. If you want a shotgun against Automatons, take the SG-8S Slugger, which has medium armor penetration.
Can you get shotguns without spending money? Yes. The Breaker, Breaker Spray&Pray, Punisher and Slugger are all in the free Helldivers Mobilize! Warbond. Super Credits for Premium Warbonds can also be found during missions, so every shotgun in this list can be earned without paying real money.
For more patch-current weapon and loadout breakdowns, see our AMW-20 Apex guide after the 7.2.2 buff and the rest of our Helldivers 2 guides on the timesaver.gg blog.
