Between the wide range of fire, insane close range damage, and efficiency, you can rarely go wrong with a good shotgun. No matter your level of experience, a shotgun is a good weapon for most missions. Warframe has a multitude of shotguns, but I’m here to tell you which are the absolute best, and able to blast enemies away with ease.

1. Tenet Arca Plasmor

The Tenet Arca Plasmor is a custom variant of a Corpus classic. Staggering blasts now ricochet and have greater range at the cost of a slower fire and reload speed.

This new and imprived Arca Plasmor requires a mastery rank of 16 to wield, and packs a heavy punch. It's well worth going through the steps to obtain the Tenet Arca Plasmor, for sure.

Why is Tenet Arca Plasmor Great

• Having 8-% of its damage delivered through radiation, the Tenet Arca Plasmor is extremely effective against most enemies, making it a very reliable weapon.
• The Tenet Arca Plasmor can be polarized up to five times, making its max rank 40 rather than 30.
• If firing at bodies, this shotgun has up to a 3 meter punchthrough, making it easier to kill more enemies at once.
• If you miss a shot, instead of disappearing, the projectiles richochet off surfaces, increasing your chance of hitting more enemies with less shots.
• The Tenet Arca Plasmor has the second highest base damage amount, second highest status chance, and the second highest magazine size among all the shotguns in Warframe.

How to Get Tenet Arca Plasmor

Tenet Arca Plasmor Details

2. Exergis

Feel the kick of this Corpus shotgun as it shatters a high-yield crystal into anyone and anything standing in your way.

This Corpus masterpiece is mastery locked at rank 8, and can't be wielded or crafted until then, mkaing it a great primary weapon for earlier game missions.

Why is Exergis Great

• The Exergis holds the highesr damage output per shot, fastest fire rate, highest status chance, and fastest reload speed of all Warframe shotguns.
• The punchthrough on bodies is infinite, meaning you can punch through as many as you can get to stand in front of one another.
• The pellet spread is very tight, dealing more damage to singular targets rather than widely spread small damage amounts to multiple enemies.
• The Exergis does slash damage primarily, making it easier to damage enemies with resistances to certain status types.

How to Get Exergis

The Exergis can only be attained through the market. You can either buy the gun itself for 225 Platinum, or buy the blueprint for 20,000 credits and spend the following resources to construct the gun:

• 20,000 Credits
• 2 Argon Crystals
• 2 Repeller Systems
• 175 Oxium
• 8,500 Salvage

Exergis Details

3. Tigris Prime

An atrifact of exquisite beauty. A weapon of deadly purpose.

This gun is surely a beast with its primed improvements. Though, you need a mastery rank of 13 to use it, it's well worth the grind.

Why is Tigris Prime Great

• Tigris Prime features the second highest base damage of all Warframe shotguns, along witht he highest slash damage, making it highly effective against the health of enemies.
• Fast reload speed with a multishot of 8 pellets per shot fired.
• Tigris Prime has two different polarities by default, making the modding process cheaper, and thus allowing for stronger mods.
• The Tigris Prime has a special trigger type that lets you fire two rapid shots, the first on your trigger button press, the second on its release.

How to Get Tigris Prime

Tigris Prime Details

4. Bubonico

Rain down a triple volley of explosive disease bladders from a distance, then move in for the kill bby unloadig a multi-shot barrage of toxic brbs with primary fire.

Between the Bubonico's alternate firing mode and its toxic damage output, it's clearl an amazing weapon if you hold a mastery rank of 13 or higher!

Why is Bubonico Great

• Bubonico has an alternate firing mode that allowes you to fire a 3-round burst of viral shots that explode in a 7 meter radius upon touching a surface or enemy.
• Bubonico does not hold an ammo reserve. Instead it regenerates ammo over time, meaning you can never run out of ammo.
• High critical change, critical multiplier, and accuracy.
• This shotgun has a strong punchthrough, allowing you to do damage to multiple enemies with one shot.The Bubonico does multiple damage types, making it versatile. It primarily deals slash damage, but does viral and toxin damage as well.

How to Get Bubonico

Bubonico Details

5. Corinth Prime

Heavy in the hand with a bone-crushing kickback. This primed version of this shotgun adds remote detonation of the weapon's airburst round.

If you plan on using the Corinth Prime, you'll need to achieve a mastery rank of at least 14 to unleash your wrath on unsuspecting enemies.

Why is Corinth Prime Great

• Corinth Prime’s high puncture and great slash damage make it quite effective against both armor and health, making it easy to take down enemies by itself.

• The Corinth Prime has both the highest critical chance and critical multiplier of all Warframe shotguns.

• Tightest 6-pellet spread of all shotguns, increasing accuracy dramatically.

• Deals puncture, slash, and blast damage.

• Rather than reloading individual rounds, the Corinth Prime reloads and entire magazine at once.

How to Get Corinth Prime

Corinth Prime Details

6. Vaykor Hek

Forged in the fires of rebel struggle, this shotgun is a force for liberation.

Once you’ve achieved a mastery rank of at least 12, this syndicate-exclusive shotgun is a fantastic choice for a primary weapon in most missions!

Why is Vaykor Hek Great

• Features a 7-pellet multi-shot with justice effect.

• The Vaykor Hek is very well rounded when it comes to high stats. 

• Nearly 50% of the shotgun’s damage is puncture damage, making it great for taking down enemies’ armor.

• Double the Magazine size of the Hek, faster fire rate, and much higher critical chance.

How to Get Vaykor Hek

The Vaykor Hek can only be attained by reaching the “General” rank with Steel Meridian, and then purchasing the gun with 125,000 Steel Meridian standing.

Vaykor Hek Details

7. Convectrix

When it’s twin lasers converge on a target a circuit is created, frying the subject.

The convectrix is a great Corpus weapon, though many gamers don’t consider it a shotgun. Rather than firing your typical projectiles, it fires lethal lasers that chop up enemies with ease. Just be sure you’ve got a mastery rank of at least 7.

Why is Convectrix Great

• Very high slash damage.

• High status chance and multishot, making it amazing at taking down most enemies

• The convectrix ties with a couple other shotguns for the fastest fire rate in the game.

• Large ammo reserve and magazine size

• Alternate firing mode gives you a huge advantage, as it fires laser beams that spread out. These beams bounce back and forth off walls and cover a large area. 

How to Get Convectrix

Convectrix Details

8. Strun Prime

A classic shotgun design, embellished for the elite as only the Orokin could. 

This 14 mastery locked gun is a great one. It’s a strong upgrade from the original Strun, giving it innate punchthrough and far increased damage outputs.

Why is Strun Prime Great

• The Strun Prime reloads individual shells rather than an entire magazine at once, often making it quicker to reload one or two shells in time-sensitive situations.

• Extremely high overall status chance at 80%, giving most shots additional status effects.

• Damage falloff is quite a bit better than most shotguns, dropping from 100% to 50% between 26 and 52 meters.

• Strun Prime has the second largest ammo pool, magazine size, and critical multiplier

• Highest fire rate and highest multi-shot of all Warframe shotguns.

How to Get Strun Prime

Strun Prime Details

9. Fulmin

Strike with silent lightning or the pummeling drum of thunder. Alternate between stealthy short-range electrical discharge and automatic lightning gun. Faster mode-switch when used by Wisp.

The Fulmin is most definitely one of my favorites, as I love a good, silent weapon for stealth missions. With a mastery rank of 8 or higher, this weapon gives a massive advantage in any spy or rescue mission.

Why is Fulmin Great

• Being Wisp’s signature weapon, mode-switching is much quicker when used by Wisp

• Features an Alternate Fire mode that switches the trigger type to automatic and shoots a fast stream of lightning at farther distances

• Deals electricity damage that is very effective against machinery and robotic enemies

• Ammo regenerates, removing any potential to run out of ammo in the middle of a fire fight

• The Fulmin is nearly completely silent, making it perfect for spy or rescue missions where you need to go undetected, yet still allows you to pack a massive punch with your weapon

How to Get Fulmin

Fulmin Details

10. Phage

Fires seven beams of continuous biochemical energy which depletes the life from any surface they contact.

This 11 mastery locked shotgun is phenomenal. Its viral shots do insane damage and make a great addition to your arsenal!

Why is Phage Great

• Deal viral damage, making it effective against flesh and amplified damage done to health

• Very high critical and status chance

• Phage has absolutely no damage falloff, making it a good weapon for both short and long range attacks

• You can choose whether you’d like its beams to be spread as you fire or focused on one particular spot. If you hip-fire, it’s spread out while if you fire through your crosshairs, it’s a focused beam.

• The Phage has the highest fire rate of all warframe shotguns along with fantastic ammo efficiency and a 7-beam multi-shot.

How to Get Phage

Phage can only be acquired through the market or researched at the biolab in your dojo.

Phage Details

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