Shotgun

Description
The Shotgun is the second weapon upgrade available in the game once the player reaches level 4. In the game files it is named "Shrapnel1".

Like its name suggest, it shoots multiple bullets in a fixed pattern wherever the player is aiming at, very similar to the Plasma weapons as well.

The projectiles are colored in gold, one being big in the center and two smaller ones to the sides.

Upgrades
The Shotgun has a faster Fire Rate than the Default Cannon, this time shooting 2 shots per second. While the clipsize remains the same size as its predecessor, its reload time is the fastest among all Tier 1 weapons. Not to mention the damage combined of the 3 pellets yields 30 in total and 60 in DPS, able to consistently wipe out plenty of enemies at the beginning of a level.

The weapon's Recoil and Recover stats are balanced, meaning that without any Fire Rate upgrades the weapon will always have perfect accuracy even if Reload Time and Clipsize are upgraded multiple times.

Interestingly enough, the big and small pellets don't have Damage nor Bullet Speed differences, but the larger projectile does have a larger hitbox.

Once the Shotgun is acquired, Tier 2 of the Shrapnel weapons becomes available for the next time the player opens the Upgrade Screen.

Strategy
The fixed pattern has a 20° angle spread for both smaller pellets, and the bigger one will go straight towards where the player clicks. This can make it somewhat difficult to hit targets to the side in the event the screen doesn't have too many enemies. It's not an appropiate weapon for when enemies come in rows, and much less if the player relies on shooting at point-blank range, since for that to become effective the enemies can come in contact with the ship, dealing damage then destroying it and leaving the planet defenseless for a couple of valuable seconds.

For much bigger targets like bosses this can be an ideal weapon, specially when they are at medium range where most pellets can hit and deal extra damage. It's also suitable for cleaning up asteroids, even those which leave debris; a single extra shot can clean that space without hassle.

One relevant upgrade for the Shotgun is Damage, since it affects all pellets equally, in turn getting a lot of benefits from the stat upgrade. Reload Time is not needed since it is fast enough already and can keep up with a screen full of enemies. Even if one were to choose Fire Rate, Recoil and Recover values don't turn into a problem for the first few upgrades.