The key to pwning with the Shotgun in video games in general is not your aiming ability, the spread of the pellets is so large it’s almost impossible to miss, the key is to position yourself so your target is always within firing range. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you can’t get a kill with the M1014 if the guy your shooting at is half way across the map. Yet still see Call of Duty players trying to run into huge wide open places with their Shotgun only to be destroyed at range with a LMG.

Therefore to dominate with the Shotgun what you need to do is always move in small enclosed areas where you cannot be killed with a range weapon. This means avoiding high points on the map, getting to cover as long as possible and occasionally camping if you have to. Most players aren’t used to this style of play in Call of Duty 4 so you really need to make a conscious effort to move smart.

There are some maps where you have to move through wide open spaces, so if you get to a safe place and switch over to your Pistol or Overkill weapon. Equipping Extreme Condition in Perk slot 3 can also be useful on more open maps where running across without cover is unavoidable. Try out these movement tips for the Shotgun and you should be able dominate all your friends at Call of Duty 4 in no time.

Find a good place to play – Search and Destroy can be a great game, or a terrible one all depending on the rules of the server you are playing on. With no rules 3/4 of the players are dead in the first 10 seconds from nade spam, and with too many rules everyone is stuck playing boring weapons. I look for servers that ban Noobtubes, Grenades and Airstrikes in the first 20 seconds of the game to prevent explosive spam and ban Martyrdom entirely because it just doesn’t work with friendly fire on. I think that anything beyond that is overbearing and takes away a good aspect of the game. You may have different preferences though and given the number of servers out there I am sure you can find one to suit you.

Have a plan – I can’t stress this having a plan enough. This isn’t TDM where you can just run aimlessly around and circles until you get a kill, you need to know exactly what you are doing and where you are going to go the second the match starts.

For example lets say my plan is to rush the enemy early and catch them off guard. This means a need a class tailored to do so, P90+Extreme Condition is a good start. I also need to know what route I am going to take to do this rushing. So on Creek my plan could be to rush over the mountain trial, throw a stun grenade, and flank the enemy from behind. Your play won’t work perfectly every time, so you need to be prepared to improvise when necessary.

Be familiar with the maps – Getting kills in Call of Duty is all about positioning, even more so in Hardcore when it only takes 1-2 bullets to kill. This means knowing what corners to check when you clear a room, and where to hid when you camp the bomb. Being able to strategically jump is also a useful, but not vital skill. This also directly connects back to having a plan and knowing what you are going to do at the beginning of a game.

Beware of Claymores – Because Call of Duty S&D is objective based you get a lot of people, well, defending the objective. This can be done several ways but Claymores are the preferred method because you can just set it and forget it. Hardcore makes it virtually impossible to outrun a Clay after they have been tripped, so you need to concentrate on prevention. One more drastic way to do this is by equipping the Bomb Squad perk. Bomb Squad usually isn’t needed though, simply moving moving slowly through rooms and keeping an eye open instead of strafe jumping everywhere will keep you alive.

Listen – Unlike other game types which are so noisy from the endless fragging you can actually here players when they walk or sprint. The sound of players foosteps gives you valuable information which not even Radar can provide thanks to Silencers and UAV Jammers. Crouching is also the preferred way to travel for this reason, you are move almost as fast as you would walking but with virtually no noise.

I hope these tips were helpful, please respond in the comments if you have any more tips or questions.

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Call of Duty 4 Pistol Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Light Machine Gun Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Sub Machine Gun Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Sniper Rifle Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Shotgun Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Assault Rifle Class Review

Call of Duty 4 Explosive Stats Chart

Call of Duty 4 Perk Stats Chart

Flash Grenades vs. Stun Grenades in Call of Duty 4 COD4

Please let us know what you think and if there are any tips of your own that you would add.