Top Tips for Finding the Ultimate Shotgun in Fallout 76

• Gauss Shotgun Plan can be bought from Minerva and Samuel.
• Minerva appears in Appalachia three weeks out of four per month.
• Crafting requires a Weapons Workbench and Science 1 Perk Card.
• Materials needed: Aluminum, Circuitry, Legendary Module, Screw, Silver, Spring, Steel, Wood.
• Gauss Shotgun: Hold to charge shots, bullets explode for area damage.

Game Tips: How to Get Fallout 76's Best Shotgun

By Brandon Morgan

As you become more powerful with every passing level in Fallout 76, you'll find that more than the average weaponry is needed.

You'll come to want more potent shotguns and rifles capable of delivering one-hit critical shots to take down the game's most formidable enemies.

Few guns compare to Gauss weaponry in the game.

Gauss Shotgun Plan Location

Currently, there are only two places to purchase the Gauss Shotgun Plan: Minerva and Samuel.

You can find Samuel near the elevator in the middle of Foundation. He's chilling next to a statue up the stairs past the robot vendors.

Minerva, on the other hand, only appears in Appalachia at odd times throughout the month. You can find her for a few days three weeks out of four per month. Also, her stock rotates. She may sell the Gauss Shotgun Plans one week but not the next. But she might be worth the wait as her Gauss Shotgun Plan is cheaper.

How to Craft a Gauss Shotgun

Once you purchase and learn the plans for the Gauss Shotgun, head back to CAMP. You'll need to have a Weapons Workbench in place and Science 1 chosen as a Perk Card as it allows you to craft energy weapons.

Step up to the Weapons Workbench and select Craft. Then navigate down the list to Energy Guns. After learning the Plan, the Gauss Shotgun will appear here. You need the following materials:

• x14 Aluminum
• x6 Circuitry
• x2 Legendary Module
• x15 Screw
• x4 Silver
• x4 Spring
• x7 Steel
• x8 Wood

Yes, it's a costly piece of space-age weaponry to craft, but it's well worth the trouble. It's one of the most potent CQB weapons in Fallout 76.

Gauss Shotgun Stats

• Type: Ranged
• Class: Shotgun
• Effects: Hold to charge shots, Bullets explode for area damage
• Area Damage: 15
• Blast Radius: Inner 100, Outer 125
• Ammo: 2mm Electromagnetic Cartridge
• Magazine: 8
• Fire Rate: 67
• Range: 84
• Accuracy: 26
• AP Cost: 35
• Weight: 70

Once you craft the Gauss Shotgun, we recommend bringing it to public events. You'll want to show off your new workhorse. It'll also help you clear enemies who come too close with ease. Bring along a secondary weapon with a bit more range as this is still a shotgun with a tight spread, and you'll become an unstoppable arsenal.