Not a day goes by without Apex Legends players demanding buffs for the Mozambique. It’s the game’s most hated and memed weapon. Most players would rather fight unarmed than consider using it. For its part, Respawn has stated that it has no plans to improve its least-loved child. The studio recently gave the Mozambique a sarcastic shout-out in its 50 Million Players milestone highlight reel. Clearly, to them, it’s perfect as it is.

In fact, Apex Legends’ weapon designer Sean Slayback has indicated that the weapon has a specific purpose. According to him, it’s supposed to be used as a finisher. In this article, we will show you what he means. Hopefully, we can help you take a moment to appreciate the little shotgun that could.

So, what is it good for? The Mozambique shines in one particular situation. It maintains its pellet spread really well over long distances when aiming down sights. In fact, at a certain range, it outclasses both other shotguns in sheer burst damage.

At 43 meters, the Mozambique still lands all three pellets on target for a total of 45 damage. It is the fastest-firing shotgun in the game with 180 rounds-per-minute (RPM). That makes for consistent 135 damage-per-second with body shots. It’s also the fastest-reloading shotgun, which makes sense. You need to reload a lot with it.

At the same range, the EVA-8 begins to scatter a lot. Depending on pellets connecting, it can get a maximum of 42 damage per shot. With 128 RPM, this makes for a maximum damage-per-second of 90. The EVA-8 also has a slightly stronger kickback.

Pushing things a little further into the 56-meter range, the Mozambique becomes the most reliable finisher shotgun. Here the Peacekeeper only lands some of its pellets, getting a maximum of 60 damage per shot. With its 58 RPM, it can tap a target twice for every three times a Mozambique would. It deals a maximum of 120 damage in the time it takes a Mozambique to consistently deal 135.

Things get even more surprising when we compare the Mozambique to the Mastiff shotgun… OK, joke’s over. The Mastiff blows the Mozambique and basically all other weapons in the game out of the water. Besides, going past the 56-meter mark scales the humble Mozambique back down. At that range, it begins to scatter a lot even when aiming down sights.

So, does all this mean that the Mozambique is a better shotgun than either the EVA-8 or the Peacekeeper? Of course not. At any other range, it is still the worst of the trio. Shotguns really are not a medium-range tool to begin with, either. The Mozambique’s adorable magazine size makes it a risky choice in any situation. It also scatters horribly when hip-fired, more-so than the other shotguns.

What it does mean is that the Mozambique offers a more flexible kill-range against targets without armor. If you trust your aim and already favor shotguns, consider trying it as a finisher weapon. At medium range, the little shotgun brings the pain as efficiently as its flashier peers.

To be honest, this is all more of a thought-experiment than a serious analysis. Next time you pick up a Mozambique as temporary storage space, try pulling the trigger. Do it for laughs, or for the bragging rights. Who knows, you might make it into Respawn’s next Apex Legends highlight reel.

We hope you enjoyed the read! Feel free to offer your thoughts in the comments below. For more Apex Legends context, check out our in-depth Lifeline Guide, our Gold Items and Legendary Gear Guide, our Hitbox rankings and a report on the emerging “Door Meta” in Apex!