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This subject appears in Serious Sam: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 3: BFE. This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope.  This subject appears in Serious Sam's Bogus Detour.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 4.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.  This subject is from the Mental War era. 

 
"Ah, my old love!"
Sam Stone[src]
 

The 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun, Single Shotgun, or just Shotgun, is a single-barreled shotgun that uses buckshot shells and fires seven pellets in a rectangular-shaped pattern.

It is used by Serious Sam in most games, but is also used by Cloned Shotgunners in Serious Sam 3: BFE, Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope and Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE, as well as by a few characters in Serious Sam 4 and Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. Along with the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle and the SOP38 Pistol, the shotgun is one of many standard-issue weapons given to Earth Defense Force soldiers.[1]

Overview[]

The pump action shotgun has been standardized military equipment since the year 2094. Originally designed for use in the offworld colonies, it is optimized for durability and ease of use with an emphasis on maintenance and repair under harsh and dirty conditions.[2] The buckshot shells used by the weapon are effective enough for taking out groups of enemies at low to medium range, and while the shotgun excels in firerate and range, it is far weaker in terms of firepower compared to the more powerful Double Barrel Coach Gun, so it best reserved for elimination of groups of weak enemies or against medium opponents.[3]. The shotgun's pump action mechanism allows for fast, efficient reloading and a decent overall rate of fire.[3]

The shotgun fires one shell every time the fire key is pressed. Being pump action, the shotgun has a short delay between shots as the weapon's pump has to be cocked each time the weapon is fired. Unlike the coach gun, the pump action shotgun has a higher rate of fire, better range and is more accurate than the latter, with each pellet dealing ten points, making a maximum total of 70 damage if all the pellets connect.

The shotgun's appearance and function is not the same in all of its appearances:

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

The shotgun functions almost identically to its previous incarnation, with the exception that it must be reloaded after it has expended its magazine. Its pellet spread allows it to only hit things from point-blank to medium range. In the Serious Sam Fusion version of the game, the shotgun has been improved to carry a maximum of 15 shells per magazine, with a faster reload speed and increased range overall, which makes the shotgun a much more versatile weapon.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

The shotgun has a surprisingly tight spread, enabling the pellets to travel some distance. Like the shotgun in Serious Sam 3, the shotgun has to be manually reloaded, though the shells are inserted into the shotgun rather than using a clip magazine. The shotgun also has a much higher rate of fire.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

Unlike the Serious Sam 3 version, the shotgun behaves much more like the Serious Sam 1 version, with roughly the same range and spread, and no longer uses a magazine or has to be reloaded.

Alternate fire mode[]

In Serious Sam 4 and Siberian Mayhem, the shotgun can be fitted with an underbarrel grenade launcher, which serves as an alternate fire mode.[2] The grenades are fired with the secondary fire key and can deal a high amount of damage to any target that the grenade comes into contact with. However, these grenades have a weaker splash damage than other explosive projectiles and have a smaller blast radius. In Serious Sam 4, this upgrade can only be acquired after completing the "Thin Red Line" side objective in Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

In Siberian Mayhem, unlike the previous game, this upgrade is acquired normally in the campaign, on the first level, A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails.

Appearances[]

The single shotgun is usually the second or third firearm the player acquires in the series. In its appearances, it is usually obtained on the first or second levels of the game. It can also be found in secrets. The shotgun is a very common weapon, and ammo for it can be found on pretty much every level.

Serious Sam 1[]

In Serious Sam: The First Encounter, the shotgun is first acquired in the Temple of Hatshepsut and in the first level of every era in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.

Legend of the Beast[]

The shotgun is acquired in Children of Amon Ra inside a locked cage. Once the two levers have been pulled in the opposite yards, the cage is unlocked, revealing the weapon. It can also be found as a secret in the same level.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

The shotgun is acquired near the end of Into the Spider's Nest, but can be obtained earlier in Summer in Cairo as a secret. In Serious Sam's Bogus Detour, Sam first obtains the shotgun inside the Temple of Ptah in Knee Deep in Sand. In Serious Sam 4, it is found in Death from Above and later in A Breakfast in France.

Jewel of the Nile[]

The weapon is acquired in a locked shed in Gathering of the Gods. The player needs to obtain a key from a portable to unlock it.

Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope[]

The shotgun can be bought from the weapons menu just like any other weapon in the game.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

The shotgun first appears inside a temple in Knee Deep in Sand. It then later appears in Path of Feast/Fear.

Serious Sam 4[]

The shotgun is first acquired in Death from Above. It appears for the second time in A Breakfast in France, and then for the final time in The Package.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

The shotgun only appears on the first level, A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails, along with an equipment case containing its grenade launcher upgrade.

Upgrades[]

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

Accurate Boomsticks Accurate Boomsticks
Your shotguns will fire with less spread and at a longer range.

Serious Sam 4[]

Grenade launcher attachment SS4 icon Grenade Launcher Attachment
This grenade launcher attachment can be mounted onto the Single Shotgun, allowing the user to launch grenades as a secondary fire option.

Tactics[]

General[]

  • While the pump shotgun has a good rate of fire compared to the coach gun, it has significantly less firepower, so it should be generally be used against weak enemies, such as Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers and male Gnaars. It usually takes one shot to down the beheaded enemies at up to medium range and one shot to kill a male Gnaar at close range.
  • The pump shotgun is also effective against single Kleer Skeletons. Approximately two shots at close range will be sufficient. However, this makes it ineffective against large hordes, due to the impossibility to kill each in a single shot.
  • The pump shotgun is notably ineffective on enemies stronger than a Kleer Skeleton. Even wounded stronger enemies will absorb more than a few shots if the player intends to finish them off.
  • The weapon can be used to finish off the latter enemy or a female Gnaar that has been significantly damaged by the coach gun. This helps to preserve shells, especially early in the game, when shells can be somewhat limited depending on the difficulty.
  • It is quite a useful weapon against lone Sirian Werebulls; two shots at close range from this weapon will kill one.

Serious Sam 1[]

  • The pump shotgun can be used against small amounts of Scythian Witch-Harpies at close or medium range. The shell spread is tight enough to hit her at medium range and its rate of fire is quick enough to engage them at close range.
  • The shotgun is useful against single juvenile Arachnoids, as their relatively low health and their tendency to flinch when damaged allows the player to take them out before they can even fire on the player.
  • With Serious Damage active, the shotgun becomes a lethal weapon and can be used to dispatch medium targets like Arachnoids, Common Aludran Reptiloids, Minor Bio-mechanoids and Zumb'uls with relative ease. It also works very well against Kleers, being able to take them out in a single shot at close range.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

  • The shotgun's relatively fast rate of fire and somewhat-low spread makes it handy against weak enemies, such as Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers, Cloned Soldiers and Hatchling Antaresian Spiders. Even groups of them can be cleared out quickly thanks to its good rate of fire.
  • Make sure to reload often. 10 rounds can be burned through quickly when not paying attention, so it is a good idea to tactically reload.
    • If playing in the Fusion version, the player doesn't need to reload as often thanks to the shotgun's magazine being extended to 15 rounds.
  • It is usually too weak to use against anything more powerful than a Kleer Skeleton unless the player is forced to use it, such as in the boss fights against the Adult Arachnoid and Major Bio-mechanoid or the Sirian Werebull miniboss. However even after that, with proper cover, it can (and without secrets, must) be used to fight against single Adult Arachnoids in the early levels.
  • This is an excellent weapon to use against Aurigan Cave Demons. Their health is low enough that one or two shots will easily kill it, the spread is low enough that it can hit a Cave Demon at medium or close range with ease, and its rate of fire is fast enough that it's possible to squeeze out a second shot quickly if one shot doesn't kill it.
    • There is also the possiblity that some pellets will land on a Cave Demon even if it is concealed behind a pillar. However, this largely depends on the Cave Demon's position and angle when the player is firing at it.
  • It is useful against small groups of Hatchling Arachnoids, as only two close-range shots are needed to kill one. It is not effective against many Hatchlings as they can easily overwhelm the player, which makes the shotgun obsolete for large groups.
  • Much like its classic counterpart, it takes two close to medium range shots to kill a Gnaar, though the player can wound it with a shot from the SOP38 Pistol and then finish it off with the shotgun for an easy kill. This also helps to conserve ammo.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

  • The shotgun is one of the most effective weapons in the game, as the weapon's spread is tight enough to hit enemies at up to medium range, and it does a lot of damage per pellet fired. Its ammunition can also be found in abundance.
  • It is a very effective crowd-control weapon against masses of weak enemies like Gnaars, Kamikazes, Kleers or Orc Troopers. This can be useful when the player needs to clear out rooms of lots of weak enemies clustered together.
  • The shotgun can become an even more effective weapon once the player has acquired several weapon upgrades.
  • The weapon is also effective against Minor Bio-mechanoids, provided that the player is close to it and fast enough to dodge its lasers.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

  • The shotgun is an ideal weapon against light targets such as Aludran Microhoppers, Beheaded Bombers, Beheaded Firecrackers, Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers, Gnaars, Processed Anthropolyps and Octanian Gamma Troopers, being able to take them out in a single shot at close to medium range.
  • When dual-wielded, the shotgun behaves just like the coach gun if they are both fired at the same time, with the exception of having much better accuracy and range. This can make dual-wielded pump shotguns a more reliable and versatile choice when dealing with enemies that are too far to land a good hit with the coach gun.
    • This also makes it easier to finish off Sirian Werebulls and other enemies a bit further away than usual; two pump shotgun blasts to a Werebull's head at the same time will finish it off without needing to be right next to the Werebull, unlike when using the coach gun.
  • The shotgun is a good weapon to use against Zubenhakrabian Spider Nymphs, especially if there are only a few of them. However, they are often released in large hordes whenever they are encountered, so the gun's rate of fire may leave the player vulnerable to being swarmed by them. It is sometimes better to use the shotgun's grenade launcher against them for larger groups.
  • It is effective at clearing out small groups of weak enemies clustered together.
  • It is a great weapon against Emetic Anthropolyps, but the player needs to keep their distance when shooting them at close range, as they will explode shortly after they are killed.
  • The shotgun can deal a great amount of damage to enemies if they are shot in the head with the shotgun. This is especially true for medium enemies like Adult Arachnoids and Hatchling Arachnoids and tougher enemies like Aludran Reptiloids and Scrapjacks.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In Test 1, the shotgun had a different firing sound compared to the one heard in the final version of Serious Sam 1.
  • Also in Test 1, the shotgun's pump was placed correctly. However, in the final version, the pump was replaced incorrectly. This is fixed in Serious Sam: Xbox and Serious Sam HD.
  • The shotgun during the pre-Alpha stage of Serious Sam 4 had a different model, which was more akin to its Serious Sam 3 counterpart than the final version. The weapon also had a different pumping animation, and was also magazine-fed just like the shotgun from the later game.[4] This was eventually scrapped in favor of a shotgun that didn't have to be reloaded when the final version of the game was released.
    • Additionally, when NPCs use this weapon in Serious Sam 4, a reloading sound can be heard, despite the weapon not being magazine-fed. This is likely leftover code from the pre-Alpha version.
  • In Serious Sam 3: BFE, the shotgun has a side saddle for carrying shells, but it serves no purpose in-game.

Related achievements[]

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Achievement Up Close and Personal
Up Close and Personal b Gscore
Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter[]

Achievement I love my Shotguns SSVRTFE
I love my Shotguns
Kill 250 Enemies with a shotgun.

Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]

Achievement Up Close and Personal SS3VRBFE
Up Close and Personal
Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Serious Sam Fusion[]

Achievement I love my Shotguns SSF
I love my Shotguns
Kill 250 Enemies with a shotgun.
Achievement Up Close and Personal SSF
Up Close and Personal
Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Trivia[]

Serious Sam 1[]

  • Sam does not physically pump the gun between shots. Sam's hand does not move, though the handle does. This is fixed in Serious Sam 3 and subsequent releases.
  • The shotgun in Serious Sam: Xbox has a different, slightly improved model than the classic version.
  • The Serious Sam HD and Serious Sam VR versions of the shotgun do not eject a shell between shots.
  • The shotgun's model appears to be a combination of the Remington 870 Police Magnum and a Mossberg 500 Cruiser.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

  • The shotgun is modeled after the Remington 870MCS Tactical, however, much like the Chinese Hawk 97-2 shotgun, it is magazine-fed instead of tube-fed.
  • The shotgun has a number of key differences that separate it from its other game counterparts:
    • The shotgun holds 10 shells (15 in Fusion) in its magazine, but realistically, the magazine's size is only just big enough to hold 3-4 shells.
    • Despite using 12-gauge shells, the weapon's magazine receiver sports a label for 5.56x45 NATO rounds.
    • The shotgun's iron sights resemble the M1014's iron sights.
    • Despite its realistic appearance, the shotgun's pellet spread retains the fixed rectangular shape like in previous games.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

  • When the player picks up the shotgun for the first time, the weapon has a unique first-person animation which shows Sam admiring the weapon. Shortly after, he pumps the shotgun, despite not having fired a round initially.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Serious Sam 1[]

Pre-release[]

Retail[]

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

  1. Serious Sam 3: BFE NETRICSA description
  2. 2.0 2.1 Serious Sam 4 NETRICSA description
  3. 3.0 3.1 NETRICSA description
  4. YouTube favicon Serious Sam 4 pre-Alpha gameplay on YouTube
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