For those of you new to the Tribes series... this is NOT a shotgun. Since T:V is a prequel to T1, mostly everything that was in T1 has been taken back a few technological generations. In T1 and T2, the blaster fired a pulse of energy. Since T:V is more primitive it doesn't look as fancy, but it is still an energy weapon. It does not use ammunition, it's tied into your energy reserve. This weapon is probably my least favorite. Much like the CG it's accuracy is poor over long distances. Also like the CG, this weapon can really shine when used in close proximity to your target with the speed packs active boost. Mostly everybody will go with a differant weapon loadout.