Level 50

Shotgun Surgeon
Fallout 4
Shotgun
build
by @gavinrockstar23
Published Oct 7, 2026

Simplified version FudgeMuppet's "The Shotgun Surgeon" build

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More: Close Range builds, Endgame builds, Leveling builds, Solo builds, Tank builds

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lvl

2 lvl-ups to
SPECIAL points

Iron Fist

Channel your chi to unleash devastating fury! Punching attacks do 20% more damage to your opponent.

Big Leagues

Swing for the fences! Do 20% more melee weapon damage.

Armorer

You gain access to Rank 4 armor mods.

Blacksmith

Fire up the forge and gain access to base level and Rank 1 melee weapon mods.

Heavy Gunner

Thanks to practice and conditioning, heavy guns do 20% more damage.

Strong Back

What are you, part pack mule? Gain +25 to carry weight.

Steady Aim

Stay on target! Hip-fire accuracy is improved when firing any gun.

Basher

Get up close and personal! Gun bashing does 25% more damage.

Rooted

You're part tree! While standing still, you gain +25 Damage Resistance and your melee and unarmed attacks deal 25% more damage.

Pain Train

Choo choo! All aboard! While wearing Power Armor, sprinting into enemies hurts and staggers them. (Robots and oversized enemies are immune to the stagger.)

Pickpocket

Your quick hands and sticky fingers make picking pockets 25% easier.

Rifleman

Attacks with non-automatic rifles now do double damage and ignore 30% of a target's armor. They also have a slightly higher chance of crippling a limb.

Awareness

To defeat your enemies, know their weaknesses! You can view a target's specific damage resistances in V.A.T.S.

Locksmith

Your nimble fingers allow you to pick Advanced locks.

Demolition Expert

The bigger the boom, the better! Your explosives do 25% more damage, and you can craft explosives at any Chemistry Station.

Night Person

You are a creature of the night! Gain +2 to Intelligence and Perception between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Refractor

You must be part mirror! Instantly gain +10 Energy Resistance.

Sniper

It's all about focus. You have improved control and can hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes.

Penetrator

There's no place to hide! In V.A.T.S. you can target an enemy's body parts that are blocked by cover, with a decrease in accuracy.

Concentrated Fire

Stay focused! In V.A.T.S. every attack on the same body part gains +10% accuracy.

Toughness

If nothing else, you can take a beating! Instantly gain +10 Damage Resistance.

Lead Belly

Your digestive tract has adjusted to the weirdness of the Wasteland! Take less radiation from eating or drinking.

Lifegiver

You embody wellness! Instantly gain +20 maximum Health.

Chem Resistant

You gain complete immunity to chem addiction.

Aquaboy / Aquagirl

Water is your ally. You no longer take radiation damage from swimming, and can breathe underwater.

Rad Resistant

Exposure to the Wasteland has made you more resilient, instantly granting +10 Radiation Resistance.

Adamantium Skeleton

Your skeleton has been infused with indestructible metal, reducing limb damage by 30%.

Cannibal

Feast on mortal flesh to heal your wounds! Eating human corpses restores Health.

Ghoulish

Sure, you're still human - on the outside! Radiation now regenerates your lost Health.

Solar Powered

Catch some rays! Gain +2 to Strength and Endurance between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Cap Collector

You've mastered the art of the deal! Buying and selling prices at vendors are better.

Lady Killer / Black Widow

You're charming... and dangerous. Men/Women suffer +5% damage in combat, and are easier to persuade in dialogue.

Lone Wanderer

When adventuring without a companion, you do 25% more damage.

Attack Dog

When your dog holds an enemy, there's a chance he'll cause them to bleed.

Animal Friend

Commune with beasts! With your gun, aim at any animal below your level and gain a chance to pacify it.

Local Leader

As the ruler everyone turns to, you are able to establish supply lines between your workshop settlements.

Party Boy/Girl

Nobody has a good time like you! There's no chance you'll get addicted to alcohol.

Inspirational

Because you lead by example, your companion does more damage in combat, and cannot hurt you.

Wasteland Whisperer

Master the post-apocalypse! With your gun, aim at any Wasteland creature below your level and gain a chance to pacify it.

Intimidation

Time to show everyone who's boss! With your gun, aim at any human opponent below your level and gain a chance to pacify them.

V.A.N.S.

Let Vault-Tec guide you! The path to your closest quest target is displayed in V.A.T.S.

Medic

Stimpaks now restore 60% of lost Health, and RadAway removes 60% of radiation.

Gun Nut

You gain access to Rank 4 gun mods.

Hacker

You can hack Master terminals.

Scrapper

You can salvage rare components like circuitry, nuclear material, and fiberoptics when scrapping weapons and armor. Items with favorited components are highlighted.

Science!

You gain access to Rank 4 high-tech mods.

Chemist

Any chems you take now last an additional 200% longer.

Robotics Expert

Machines will always serve humans, if you have anything to say about it. Hack a robot, and gain a chance to power it on or off, or initiate a self-destruct.

Nuclear Physicist

Fusion Cores can be ejected from Power Armor like devastating grenades and Fusion Cores last twice as long.

Nerd Rage!

Genius. Is. ANGRY! When your Health drops below 20%, time slows and you gain +20 Damage Resistance and do 20% more damage while the effect lasts.

Gunslinger

Channel the spirit of the Old West! Non-automatic pistols do 20% more damage.

Commando

Rigorous combat training means automatic weapons do 20% more damage.

Sneak

Become whisper, become shadow. You are 20% harder to detect while sneaking.

Mister Sandman

As an agent of death itself, you can instantly kill a sleeping person. Your silenced weapons do an additional 15% sneak attack damage.

Action Boy/Girl

There's no time to waste! Action Points regenerate 25% faster.

Moving Target

They can't hurt what they can't hit! Get +25 Damage Resistance and +25 Energy Resistance when you're sprinting.

Ninja

Trained as a shadow warrior, your ranged sneak attacks do 2.5x normal damage and your melee sneak attacks do 4x normal damage.

Quick Hands

In combat, there's no time to hesitate. You can reload all guns faster.

Blitz

Find the gap and make the tackle! V.A.T.S. melee distance is increased significantly.

Gun Fu

You've learned to apply ancient martial arts to gunplay! Do 25% more damage to your second V.A.T.S. target and beyond.

Fortune Finder

You've learned to discover the Wasteland's hidden wealth, and find more bottle caps in containers.

Scrounger

There is a chance to gain ammo when firing the last round in your clip.

Bloody Mess

When an enemy explodes, nearby enemies may suffer the same fate.

Mysterious Stranger

Who is he? Why does he help? Who cares! The Mysterious Stranger will appear occasionally in V.A.T.S. to lend a hand, with deadly efficiency...

Idiot Savant

You're not stupid! Just... different. Randomly receive 3x XP from any action, and the lower your Intelligence, the greater the chance.

Better Criticals

Advanced training for enhanced combat effectiveness! Criticals do 50% more extra damage.

Critical Banker

You're a patient battlefield tactician, and can save a Critical Hit, to be used in V.A.T.S. when you need it the most.

Grim Reaper's Sprint

Death becomes you! Any kill in V.A.T.S. has a 15% chance to restore all Action Points.

Four Leaf Clover

Feeling lucky? You should! Each hit in V.A.T.S. has a chance of filling your Critical meter.

Ricochet

What goes around comes around! An enemy's ranged attack will sometimes ricochet back and instantly kill them. The closer you are to death, the higher the chance.

Leveling Roadmap

Companions

add perk

Bobbleheads

Intelligence

+1 Intelligence.

Strength

+1 Strength.

Perception

+1 Perception.

Endurance

+1 Endurance.

Charisma

+1 Charisma.

Agility

+1 Agility.

Luck

+1 Luck.

add perk

Magazines

add perk

Quests

add perk

Consumables

Chems, food, and drinks. Their combined buffs are counted into your stats; Medic, Chemist, and Party Boy scale them.

With Survival mode on, cards also show hunger, thirst, and disease risk, and food only works while you are Fed.

Weapons

Justice

216

Fire Rate

shots per
10 sec

Semi-Auto

Ammo

32Shotgun Shell

Range

100%10%

AP Cost

Reload Time

3.2s

566

23.1

Legendary

Staggering

Chance to stagger on hit.

Modifications

Calibrated Powerful Receiver

Superior damage. Better critical shot damage and accuracy.

Gun Nut (3)

Long Ported and Shielded Barrel

Superior recoil and range. Narrow spread.

Gun Nut (3)

Recoil Compensating Stock

Exceptional recoil.

Gun Nut (3)

Quick Eject Drum Mag

Exceptional ammo capacity. Improved reload speed.

Gun Nut (3)

Short Recon Scope

Tracks targets. Improved magnification. Superior sighted accuracy.

Gun Nut (3)

Science! (1)

Compensator

Improved per-shot recoil. Improved recoil control. Reduced range.

Gun Nut (2)

Weapon

Throwables

Throwable

Grenades, mines and traps. One is carried at a time; extras become swap-ins.

Armor Sets

Combined

hat

eyewear

mask

clothing

Clean Black Suit

Ballistic Weave

torso

covered by Clean Black Suit

left arm

covered by Clean Black Suit

right arm

covered by Clean Black Suit

left leg

covered by Clean Black Suit

right leg

covered by Clean Black Suit

backpack

Swap

Combined

hat

eyewear

mask

clothing

Black Institute Lab Coat

torso