Warzone expert reveals overlooked Shotgun set to dominate after Season 4 Reloaded buff

Luca Di Marzo
Warzone VLK Rogue loadout

Shotguns failed to take over the close-range meta in Warzone as of late, but all that could change following the Season 4 Reloaded update. One expert believes significant buffs have made one weapon impossible to ignore.

The Season 4 Reloaded update shook up Warzone by delivering Fortune’s Keep map changes, the new Vargo-S Assault Rifle, and of course, several weapon buffs and nerfs.

Of the major changes to Warzone weapons, none seemed more impactful than the major buffs to Shotguns. SMGs have dominated the past few seasons of Warzone and a Shotgun has not taken over the close-range meta for quite some time.

However, a Warzone expert believes that a forgotten Modern Warfare Shotgun is set to dominate Season 4 after receiving a buff that allows it to one-shot kill enemy players.

Modern Warfare Operator holding VLK Rogue Shotgun

A July 28 Warzone update that buffed Snipers has shifted the focus to long-range weapons for the moment, but IceManIsaac believes that players must not overlook the changes made to the VLK Rogue.

The VLK Rogue had its max pellet damage increased by 26% and the weapon can now one-shot kill players as the Call of Duty content creator proves.

IceManIsaac VLK Rogue Warzone loadout

  • Muzzle: Forge TAC Marauder
  • Barrel: 16″ Warlord
  • Laser: 5mW Laser
  • Stock: No Stock
  • Magazine: 8-R Dragon’s Breath

Thanks to the 8-R Dragon’s Breath incendiary damage, the VLK Rogue can one-shot kill players, but IceManIsaac explains that certain requirements must be met: “if they don’t have E.O.D, that’s where you can get the one-shot potential.”

If a player has E.O.D equipped, a two-shot kill will take them down which is still quite impressive: “consistently if I’m inside of a building with you, two pump—absolutely done.”

Increasing damage range and movement speed is the key to properly utilizing this VLK Rogue loadout. The Forge TAC Marauder and 5mW Laser boost both of the aforementioned qualities.

The No Stock attachment will have you zooming across the map as you look to get your powerful Shotgun blasts off. The ability to finesse players with this loadout makes it fun to use and you shouldn’t be surprised to see it rise to the top of the close-range Warzone meta if it doesn’t get nerfed.


For more Call of Duty news, check out how the Warzone devs confirmed that they’d be nerfing the sun following unintentional lighting changes across Caldera.

Image Credit: Activision

About The Author

Luca is an Associate Editor at CharlieIntel. An accomplished, writer with interests in sports and gaming alike, Luca is focused on Call of Duty and FIFA as a content creator. After earning his BA in English Literature at Concordia University, he began writing for Gamelevate, OddsShark, and H4X. Luca joined CharlieIntel in 2021. You can reach Luca at [email protected], or via X @TheLucaDiMarzo.