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High Damage Shotgun Builds in Cyberpunk 2077

By Krishnamohan Yagneswaran
Games Blog

🔫 High Damage Shotgun Builds in Cyberpunk 2077

If you’re the type of player who loves getting up close and personal, nothing hits harder than a shotgun in Cyberpunk 2077. A properly optimized shotgun build turns V into an unstoppable force — capable of clearing entire rooms in seconds. By investing in the right attributes and leveraging key perks and cyberware, you can dominate even the toughest encounters with raw, explosive power.

Whether you're into tech shotguns, smart shotguns, or classic double-barrel devastation, this guide walks you through the best high-damage shotgun builds, along with essential playstyle tips to make the most of them.


🧬 Attribute Allocation

  • Body (20): Core to any shotgun build — boosts health, stamina, shotgun handling, and unlocks devastating perks.
  • Technical Ability (20): Enhances cyberware, increases survivability, and supports Tech weapons like the Satara.
  • Reflexes (10–18): Improves mobility with Dash, Air Dash, and advanced shotgun perks.
  • Cool (Remaining Points): Boosts Crit Damage and adds stealth flexibility.

🎯 Key Perks

💪 Body

  • Die! Die! Die!: Boosts Crit Chance and rate of fire when low on stamina.
  • Spontaneous Obliteration: Grants finisher for enemies below 50% health and boosts Crit against close enemies.
  • Adrenaline Rush: Triggers a temporary health shield and faster regen on entering combat.
  • Pain to Gain / Juggernaut / Rush of Blood: Offer health item regen, increased damage, and reload boosts during combat chaos.

🔧 Technical Ability

  • Licensed to Chrome / All Things Cyber / Extended Warranty: Increase armor, cyberware functionality, and duration.

🌀 Reflexes

  • Dash / Air Dash: Excellent for closing gaps or dodging threats.
  • Can’t Touch This / Steady Grip / Bullet Ballet: Allow firing while dashing and reduce spread while moving.

🧬 Relic

  • Emergency Cloaking: Helpful for stealth-based shotgun openings or repositioning.

🤖 Recommended Cyberware

Operating System

  • Apogee Sandevistan: Slows time, letting you line up devastating shotgun blasts with surgical precision.

Frontal Cortex

  • Axolotl: Reduces cooldowns after each kill — perfect for Sandevistan synergy.

Integumentary System

  • Optical Camo: Pairs well with stealthy repositioning or resetting combat.

Nervous System

  • Reflex Tuner: Boosts Crit Chance when using precision weapons.

Skeleton

  • Epimorphic Skeleton / Para Bellum / Spring Joints: Buff defense and survivability.

🔥 Best Shotguns for the Build

  • Tech Shotguns: Satara, Pozhar — Charge to pierce cover and stack huge damage.
  • Smart Shotguns: Palica — Homing bullets are great for fast-paced fights and flanking.
  • Double-Barrel Shotguns: Headsman, Igla, Testera — High burst damage up close.
  • Iconic Shotguns: Guts, Mox, Dezerter, Ba Xing Chong — Unique abilities and high damage potential.

🕹️ Playstyle Tips

  • Activate Sandevistan, rush enemies, unload your shotgun, then use Optical Camo to vanish and reposition.
  • Use Rip and Tear to mix melee hits with shotgun blasts for bonus damage.
  • Tech Shotguns: Charge shots to penetrate cover and surprise enemies.
  • Smart Shotguns: Fire around corners or while evading with Dash.
  • Aim for headshots and weak spots — especially with perks that scale Crit Damage.
  • Trigger Adrenaline Rush to become a tanky DPS monster during prolonged fights.

By mixing the right perks, cyberware, and shotguns, you can create a build that turns V into a devastating, high-damage enforcer in Cyberpunk 2077. Whether you’re charging headfirst into battles or strategically eliminating enemies with enhanced reflexes and tech, the shotgun build is as brutal as it is satisfying.


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