Escape From Tarkov is renowned for its harshly realistic weapon system, requiring players to manually load bullets into magazines, keep track of how many rounds they have left, and even pick up discarded magazines on the floor. This realism approach is no different when it comes to what types of ammunition players should utilize.
With a massive variety of over 80 different ammo types in Escape From Tarkov, newer players may find it difficult to wrap their heads around it all. But fear not - whether using shotgun ammo specifically for close-quarters engagements or simply to complete an important mission, here are the best types to use.
10 20x70mm Devastator Slug
Shotguns have two main types of cartridges – buckshot and slug. Buckshot cartridges contain lots of small pellets that spread out when fired and do damage over an area, whereas a slug is a single powerful pellet. Devastator ammo is a slug, meaning, in theory, it should be more accurate and reliable than buckshot rounds.
That is not the case, however, as while it may do more damage than most other slugs, it’s also wildly inaccurate and should only be used for very close-quarters engagements. Devastator ammo can be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 3.
9 23x75mm “Zvezda”
A rather unique type of ammo, the Zvezda is a flashbang round, meaning it can be fired to blind nearby enemies, preventing them from effectively defending themselves. While these flashbang rounds can be used to good effect if followed up with a barrage of bullets, the shot itself does no damage and is, therefore, a whole lot less versatile than other ammo types.
This one should be put under the ‘situational’ category and certainly shouldn’t be a player’s primary choice of shotgun ammo. Zvezda ammo can be crafted at a level 3 workbench and purchased from Prapor and Skier at loyalty levels 3 and 4, respectively.
8 12x70mm Grizzly 40 Slug
A budget option for players looking for cheap but effective shells, Grizzly 40 slugs have a strong damage output and even have a decent amount of penetration and armor damage.
While this is not enough to match up to stronger opponents with higher-tier armor, their strength comes from their availability. They can easily be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 1, making them an automatic pick for early-game shotgun loadouts.
7 12x70mm 8.5mm Magnum
Magnum rounds are one of the more viable buckshot rounds, with a potential damage output of 400, beating most other ammo types. It lacks penetration, however, and has a massive debuff to recoil, meaning it’s going to be difficult to control if firing in quick succession.
That being said, these rounds pack a powerful punch to lightly armored parts of a player, such as their limbs or head, so these areas should be aimed for if at all possible. Magnum is available to purchase from Jaeger at loyalty level 2 or can be crafted from a level 1 workbench.
6 20x70mm Star Slug
A decent option overall, the Star slug is the best of all the 20x70mm shotgun rounds, meaning if players are in possession of a TOZ-106, these are the rounds they should go for. It has a high amount of damage and decent penetration and is a fair amount more accurate than its competition.
It also has a 30% chance of causing heavy bleeding, which is always a nice bonus. Star slugs can be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 3.
5 23x75mm “Shrapnel-10”
Shrapnel-10 is a buckshot round that lives up to its name by firing a total of 8 pellets, each with a damage of 87, which outputs a devastatingly high amount of damage.
It suffers from low penetration, though, so it will struggle against armored opponents, but if used on unarmoured areas such as the legs, it can inflict tremendous flesh damage, sometimes killing players in one hit. Shrapnel-10 can be purchased from Prapor at loyalty level 3.
4 12x70mm Flechette
With a high penetration stat of 31, this buckshot round is capable of blasting through the toughest armors in the game if used at a close enough range. Its damage output may be underwhelming, but as one of the few options available to effectively deal with high-tier armor, it remains one of the best shotgun rounds in the game.
The only downside is that the player will have to adopt some crafty tactics, possibly using stealth to their advantage, to get close enough to take down a heavily armored enemy. Flechette can be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 3 or crafted from a level 2 workbench.
3 12x70mm .50 BMG Slug
If looking for an armor-penetrating slug round, on the other hand, the .50 BMG is a viable budget alternative to stronger and more expensive ammo types. It has a solid penetration stat of 26 and a very good armor damage at 57%. The .50 BMG allows players to take on heavily armored opponents from a further distance, although it still underperforms compared to the AP-20.
It also has a red tracer, which is rather pointless when it comes to shotguns, but at least it lets the player blast their enemies away in style. .50 BMG slugs can be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 3.
2 23x75mm “Barrikada” Slug
This powerful round combines very high penetration and high damage to create the ultimate armor destroyer, with only limited debuffs to accuracy and recoil. Unfortunately, the strength of this round is limited to the fact that it can only be used by the KS-23M, meaning the vast majority of shotguns won’t be able to wield its power.
However, if players have access to the KS-23M, this round should be their go-to ammunition to take on high-tier opponents. Barrikada slugs are available to be purchased from Prapor at loyalty level 4.
1 12x70mm AP-20
With all of the benefits of the Barrikada and none of the drawbacks, AP-20 slugs almost match the Barrikada penetration stat and are not far behind in damage, either. More importantly, they can be used by all 12x70mm shotguns, which make up most of the shotguns in the game. It even has a buff to its accuracy at the cost of some extra recoil.
Regardless, they are by far the most versatile and powerful shotgun shells in the game and are a strong pick for any close-quarter engagement. AP-20 can be purchased from Jaeger at loyalty level 4 or crafted from a level 3 workbench.
Escape From Tarkov is available on PC