Tac vs Charge: Which Shotgun should you use in Fortnite Season 5?

The Shotgun meta has been switched up once again, are you team Charge or team Tac?

As well as the addition of multiple new locations and an in-game currency system, the Season 5 patch saw a major update to the Fortnite loot pool. Undoubtedly, the change that sparked the most controversy was the removal of the Pump Shotgun.

After being taken out for Season 3, the Pump returned last season to the delight of many casual and competitive players alike. However, a few months later and it’s back in the vault.

In its place is the Charge Shotgun. While some argue that this weapon is good because it requires more skill than the Pump, for a lot of people, the shoot on release mechanic and naturally slower paced fighting just feels boring.

season was fun for a couple hours now its boring idk why they added charge back nobody wanted it

— benjyfishy (@benjyfishy) December 2, 2020

Whether you like it or not, the Charge, along with the Tac and the new Dragons Breath Shotgun are what we have to work with this season. The question is, how will the meta unfold and what is the best one to pick up?

Unfortunately, upon first impression, the Dragons Breath doesn’t seem too useful. This is largely due to the fact that you can only fire one shot before having to wait for an insanely long reload animation. It can also create very chaotic situations by setting both friendly and enemy builds alight.

So, Charge or Tac? There’s no doubt that the Charge Shotgun packs a stronger punch (although Epic did buff the Tac ahead of Season 5). If you can use it efficiently and get the hang of timing your shots, you can secure some quick kills on opponents, even at a longer range. On top of this, the high damage output and ability to one-pump means it has greater clutch potential when you find yourself outnumbered.

On the other hand, the faster rate of fire and larger magazine size make the Tac way more versatile, especially when you are on the offensive. You can pre-fire, replace walls and exploit through builds, all without having to slow down to reload.

The Tactical Shotgun is also significantly more forgiving in 50/50 situations. If you find yourself face to face with someone holding a Tac and you miss your Charge shot, it’s curtains.

For some players, the decision will come down to rarity. It may be worth taking a Charge over a low tier Tac, but the Epic and Legendary variants of the Tac reign supreme.

In conclusion, there are positives and negatives to both, it comes down to your personal playstyle and comfortability. Unlike in Season 3, both the Charge and Tac Shotguns are currently available in Creative mode, which means it is easy to practice.

Many of the featured practice maps in the Creative Hub have been updated to reflect the new loot pool. I would recommend heading into matchmaking on one of these maps and experimenting with each weapon. After playing for a while you will start to get a feel for which Shotgun works best for you.