Diamond Shotgun: Gimmicky or does it actually have a use?

[RetroNutcase]

As cool of a concept as this gun was when I found it, it felt way too gimmicky and ineffective versus the beast that was my upgraded shotgun. Has anyone actually used the Diamond Shotgun and done well with it? Just wondering.

[Pizza]

Mmm... well at the very least it's not a bad gun, were you to be forced to use it, it would be helpful... I wouldn't exactly say it's useful though; I ran through a bit of Horde mode with it just now but there are better ways to tackle situations where it has potential.

For example with some enemies, it's safer to bait an attack and then retaliate (plant pac-man, samurai spear guy, crystal lion) but if you were under heavy pressure, it'd be nice to get rid of them without having to go through that... It would be great if used as a shotgun with range in that situation but, it just doesnt have the ammo for it.

More ammo could be added but honestly, I think the best improvement would be to have its spread go through enemies and then converge (sweet spot bonus damage would be nice too); it would serve nicely as a panic weapon when you're being chased by an angry mob and what not as it can do damage on the way to your real target.

[Killerboots]

To piggyback on this a bit --- I found most weapons other than pistol/shotgun to be kinda gimmicky. Or at least, too situational for standard use.
It wasn't that the weapons didn't have a use, it's just that their use wasn't good enough to put up with the awkward UI change.
By NG+,I found myself grumbling anytime I'd have to switch to railgun just to flip a switch.

A quick-change UI system would have seen me trying different combos, but I can see how this would maybe go against to the feel of the game.

[mobilisq]

i found it VERY useful in a NG+ run, especially behind the 8 module door in the northern area, where you're on a platform whose shape constantly changes and have to fight an enormous horde of bird creatures. being able to take out four of them in the air from afar with one shot really lightened the strain of having 2 hit points