Shotguns in Cyberpunk 2077 have been underwhelming, by and large. Melee weapons tend to do better up close and, at range, the damage drop-off is very high when compared to other FPS games. These criticisms are valid for most ordinary shotguns. But when you have an iconic shotgun in your hands, everything changes.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077: All Iconic Pistols, Ranked (& Where To Find Them)

In fact, if you fight an iconic shotgun, you might never even think about going back to your other weapons because getting in close and blasting away is so intensely satisfying. The raw damage numbers are preposterous, it's just a matter of getting the pellets to land, and these are the best weapons for making each shot count.

Updated May 22, 2023, by Sean Murray: Cyberpunk 2077 has received several updates, and one of them included a particular special iconic shotgun. So we've updated this list with that shotgun and given our other entries a bit of love too.

6 Bloody Maria

Bloody Maria Cyberpunk 2077

Weapon Type

Power

Base Weapon

M2038 Tactician

Iconic Effect

High knockdown chance, increased chance to cause bleed and dismember enemies

Location

Complete all Gigs from El Capitan, can be found in V's stash

Bloody Maria is mostly just a Tactician, which is a fine shotgun, but it can be outclassed by some of the higher damage dealers on this list. What this weapon has going for it is the knockdown chance. Any enemy that isn't blown to bloody pieces immediately is likely to get blown off their feet, making a follow-up shot child's play.

That knockdown effect can be very helpful on higher difficulties where you might need some extra crowd control, but it's generally better to just flatline your opponent in one blast rather than two.

5 Sovereign

Sovereign

Weapon Type

Power

Base Weapon

DB-4 Igla

Iconic Effect

Fires both barrels while aiming down sights, reduced reload speed and spread

Location

Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Modern Labor Market in Japantown, crafting Spec dropped by Shinobu Amai

Sovereign performs exactly as you'd expect a double-barreled shotgun to perform if you pulled both triggers at once. The gun's barrel flies upward thanks to the massive recoil, and whatever you were aiming at has been reduced to a bloody paste.

This gun welcomes those targets to try and get up close. By firing both barrels when aiming, the massive damage is instantaneous. You might be concerned about getting swarmed during the reload, but the iconic nature of the weapon improves reload time, so when the next melee enemy rushes in after the next, you'll be waiting with a smile.

4 The Headsman

The Headsman Cyberpunk 2077

Weapon Type

Power

Base Weapon

M2038 Tactician

Iconic Effect

Increases projectiles per shot from 6 to 16, increased chance to dismember and apply bleed, increased reload time, reduced fire rate and clip size

Location

Suspected Organized Crime Activity: Privacy Policy Violation in North Oah, crafting Spec dropped by the Militech mech

Most players stay away from this weapon because it has three penalties tied to it. Here's the deal; those three penalties have to be on this weapon because its advantage is so extreme that, if it had no drawbacks, nobody would use any other weapon ever again.

Nearly tripling your projectiles is a lot of fun, especially on power weapons. Even if you miss, the ricochet still has a huge chance to apply bleed effects. And the reduced reload time means you can just keep firing until it's all over. If you plan to play blindfolded, this gun will make it as smooth as possible.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077: All Unique Submachine Guns, Ranked

3 Mox

Mox Cyberpunk 2077

Weapon Type

Power

Base Weapon

Budget Arms Carnage

Iconic Effect

Requires 6 Reflexes rather than 10 Body, reduced reload speed and spread while aiming, fires additional projectiles per shot

Location

On a table inside Judy's apartment after completing mission "Pyramid Song"

The Mox is a confused weapon. On one hand, it's a power weapon that is supposed to send shrapnel everywhere, but the reduced bullet spread means that it performs best as a mid-to-close range head hunter. That's not terrible, but it might make some dedicated shotgun users uncomfortable with the precision aiming this weapon requires.

What keeps the Mox from being higher on this list is that it requires Reflexes instead of Body to wield. Not a lot of Reflexes, mind you, but all the shotgun perks require Body, not Reflexes, so you'll need a dedicated hybrid build to make Mox work for you.

If you romanced Judy, you'll need to wait a few days after the end of "Pyramid Song" in order for Judy to call V and leave a heartfelt message. She'll say she left Mox at her place and gifts it to V to keep fighting the good fight.

2 Ba Xing Chong

Ba Xing Chong Cyberpunk 2077

Weapon Type

Smart

Base Weapon

L-69 Zhuo

Iconic Effect

Fires explosive homing rounds, greatly increased chance to dismember enemies

Location

Adam Smasher's Vault on the Ebunike, only accessible after looting the access key from Adam Smasher's corpse, crafted using Edgerunner Artisan Perk

The biggest problem with using shotguns at range is that the pellets spread out, so you're missing more than you're hitting. That's not a problem with Ba Xing Chong. Thanks to this shotgun being a Smart gun, every projectile fired from this monstrous weapon will find its mark. It's as overpowered as it sounds.

Additionally, the explosive rounds provide some AOE and also have a chance to knock your opponent over, making it look like you've hit your targets with a bunch of mini-grenades as they go flying. If you really don't care for shotguns, even iconic ones, use this one for the hilarious ragdoll effects.

Sadly, Ba Xing Chong is only obtainable after beating the game at least once. You have to kill Adam Smasher and loot his access key before going back to his boat to raid his secret stash.

1 Guts

Guts Cyberpunk 2077-1

Weapon Type

Power

Base Weapon

Budget Arms Carnage

Iconic Effect

Deals chemical damage with chance to poison, 20 pellets per shot, reduced fire rate, reduced reload speed, highly increased recoil

Location

Hidden in some bushes in the southern section of Memorial Park in Corpo Plaza, just behind three monks

Rebecca's shotgun from Edgerunners is the shotgun of Cyberpunk 2077. Like most shotguns, it requires you to be up close and personal with your opponents for it to deliver the full effect, but it can and does kill everything in a single impressive blast.

The chemical and poison damage seems superfluous, but you can actually fire Guts well beyond its effective range to apply poison to targets that refuse to get close. Best of all, you can grab this gun near the start of the game and never look back. It's just sitting in some bushes waiting for its new owner.

NEXT: Cyberpunk 2077 Complete Guide And Walkthrough