The pump-action combat shotgun available to Xenonaut ground forces is the close-quarters weapon of choice for numerous military and law enforcement agencies across the globe. With fearsome armour penetration and the ability to deliver massive firepower over short ranges, it is the perfect weapon for assault troops or those likely to encounter extraterrestrial heavy infantry. This fearsome firepower must be offset against the limitations of the weapon; it is heavy, suffers considerable recoil, holds only eight rounds and is incapable of automatic fire. Most problematic, however, is the fact that it is inaccurate and largely ineffective at anything other than short range.

Shotgun-armed assault troops are extremely useful in close-range fighting, such as when storming a building or a crashed UFO. As a couple of shots can drop even heavily-armoured enemies, shotguns are valuable for quickly clearing rooms of hostiles. Due to the frequent short-range firefights that our tactical squads are involved in, the shotgun is a vital part of the Xenonaut arsenal.