Heavy SMG or Chain Shotgun?

[Zoomaster]

I've got some stuff unlocked, and want to know which of these weapons to make. The LMG is out of the question; I've tried to use it before in similar conditions, and it just wasn't a good weapon in the situations I faced.

I know that the Heavy SMG is the usual go-to weapon because of its solid firepower and reliability, but I'm curious is the chain shotgun is better in different ways since I've never used nor encountered it before.

[Hoki]

both are the best choice in their specific fields.

if you have range to spare in defense go for SMG. they are good against raiders as they have to walk into your base.

chain shotguns feature more damage but lack in range. they outperform smgs in close quarters. they are superior in situations with no distance available such as dropraids and infestations.
if you run your defense just via chokepoints instead of a fleshed out killbox shotguns shred enemies especially with some melees in front to tank the attackers.

what weapon to use always depend on the situation at hand:
defending chokepoints? shotgun
infestations? shotgun (as you easily get into chokepoint setups)
dropraids? shotgun if you have small rooms; otherwise smg
decently sized killbox? smg
offensive? smg (jack of all traits keeps you flexible); snipers in open field are great as well
combat in open field? minigun (large spray allow you to hurt other raiders as well
large killbox? smg/sniper ( a mix of both maybe)

[itssirtou]

Originally posted by Hoki:

large killbox? smg/sniper ( a mix of both maybe)

I wouldn't recommend snipers in a killbox for any reason other than not having the time to swap. Don't get me wrong a good sniper is super important for handling a lot of events, but its not a killbox weapon.

I haven't done my own testing but I use this, has worked wonders so far
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFjPzn_NNAg

To answer the OP: Heavy SMG, with a killbox designed to support it.

Chain shotty has slightly worse penetration, and short enough range to allow some of the more problematic enemies like molotovs or nades to possibly get a shot. It also means you have to jump through hoops for non-killbox raids

[Watereaters]

Use an SMG, shotgun projectiles are ♥♥♥♥ (it's just one stopping shot textured as a buckshot blast, use a shielded sword/mace-man instead)

[Astasia]

I think this is the first thread I've seen with people suggesting SMGs. They aren't an awful weapon, but they really don't shine at all. Charge Rifles and Assault Rifles perform better in the 13-25 tile range, and if you are under 13 tiles the Chain Shotgun blows everything else away (excluding the "AoE" of the LMG and Minigun).

The Assault Rifle is the usual mid-game generalist weapon, it has decent range and solid DPS throughout, only marginally below the SMG in short range. Charge Rifle replaces it late game, with slightly shorter range but better DPS up close and very good AP on top. Against Infestations or tribal raids the Chain Shotgun remains the goto for 2-13 tile range, but against outlanders/pirates the Charge Rifle even replaces that with only slightly lower DPS but more than double the AP.

[LIMP BISQUICK]

So here's the thing. They're all good weapons, yes, even the LMG. Lot of it is going to depend on how/where you use them. Many things to influence too; what you have on hand, what you're fighting against, base layout etc. You as a player should figure out if you do like to use such weapons. Do you like getting up close and personal with the chain shotgun? Do you hate using incendiary? Do you hate micro.. etc Most guns have a sweet spot and you should be asking questions like that instead IMO.