After being vaulted all the way back in 2019 during the 7.30 update, the Heavy Shotgun has finally returned to Fortnite. The 19.20 update released on February 1 introduced the unvaulting of the shotgun alongside the introduction of Covert Cavern and a new Battle Pass outfit. While you may also seek out the new Mythic version of the Stinger SMG, you might be familiar with the Heavy Shotgun from before it was vaulted. By the end of this guide, you will learn where to find the Heavy Shotgun in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 1.
Where to Find the Heavy Shotgun in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 1
As of the 19.20 update, you can find the Heavy Shotgun on the ground, in chests and from supply drops. You can find the shotgun in normal and rare chests around the Fortnite map. Additionally, you can find the Heavy Shotgun in all rarities, ranging from common up to legendary.
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A change to the shotgun that you may notice is that it no longer penetrates through multiple targets. According to the official news post by the Fortnite Team, this is an unintended bug that the team will fix in the future. However, you may also notice that the shotgun is longer-range and requires more accuracy to land shots on other players. While you can still use it as a heavy-hitting, close-range weapon, it also now poses a threat from farther distances. It is also still highly effective with damaging structures.
According to a popular Fortnite leaker on Twitter, The Heavy Shotgun also hosts notable buffs. While a common Heavy Shotgun will deal up to 81 damage with 142 headshot damage, a legendary shotgun will deal up to 99 damage with 173 headshot damage. Reload times have also improved between each rarity, ranging from 4.8 seconds at common rarity to 3.9 seconds at legendary.
Fortnite is available on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Android, and iOS platforms.