If you’re wanting to use a shotgun, then the best XDefiant M870 loadout is your first stop, as its the starting shotgun you’ll have unlocked. However, it will take some work to get it performing up to scratch. Luckily, we’ve done all the hard work for you with the best M870 build in XDefiant so you can get back to blasting enemies with a pump-action.
With the XDefiant M870 build being the starting shotgun, it is unfortunetly often outmatched by later shotguns. In fact, the AA-12 is one of the best XDefiant guns, though to unlock it you will have to get good with the M870 first. Nevertheless, the M870 with the right attachments can still be a great choice on smaller or tighter XDefiant maps. If you’re looking for something with a little more range, we’d suggest the XDefiant P90 loadout, or even the XDefiant M44 loadout if you’re got good aim.
XDefiant M870 loadout
The best XDefiant M870 loadout is:
- Muzzle – Barrel Extender
- Barrel – Choke
- Front Rail – Pistol Grip
- Rear Grip – Quick Draw
- Magazine – Quick Mag
This M870 build focuses on boosting range and mobility to really hone in on the run-and-gun playstyle that can make shotguns work well in close-quarters. With the place of SMGs in the XDefiant meta, the M870 will be up against stiff competition, like the XDefiant MP7 loadout or XDefiant MP5 loadout. You will need to play to its strengths to avoid getting wiped out by these in close-range, and avoiding longer range weapons like the XDefiant ACR loadout when you’re closing the gap.
Starting off strong, our first attachment for the M870 loadout is the Barrel Extender. For a shotgun, this is a must-pick, boasting enhanced short and medium range effectiveness at the cost of recoil recovery and sprint-shoot time. This will help the weapon out when you’re not point-blank. And don’t worry about the negative effect of sprint-shoot time. Given this is vital for shotguns, our other attachments make up for it.
Following on from this, the Choke barrel is a great second pick. With this attachment only available on shotguns, it builds upon all the important stats you’d want. Firstly, it further increases both short and medium range, letting us deal increased damage at longer range. To add to this, it also offers bonus minimum and maximum spread, making more pellets land on target. This is vital in making this M870 build feel consistent and reliable, though it does come with a -15% sprint-shoot time effect. Nevertheless, this attachment has it all.
Up next is the Pistol Grip. Despite the name, this front rail attachment is perfect for shotguns and makes up for the negative impact on sprint-shoot time so far. It also improves minimum and maximum spread again to make our shots more precise to hopefully secure more one-shot kills at slightly longer ranges as well. With shotguns, the slight bump to horizontal recoil isn’t all that impactful either, making this attachment a win-win. Alternative options include the Superlight Grip and the PEQ-15 Laser which, while strong in their own right, don’t quite trump the Pistol Grip from our experience.
The Quick Draw rear grip also more than makes up for the previous impacts on mobility, boasting +10% sprint-shoot time and +10% ADS time. This is great for staying on the move, letting you rapidly draw and fire your weapon when you need it. Perhaps most importantly, it can give you an edge against agile SMGs like the XDefiant Vector loadout.
And for the fifth and final attachment, we’ve opted for Quick Mag. Having a small default ammo capacity of only five, paired with a slow reload, the Quick Mag is essential. This will not only increase ammo capacity by five, but also speed up reloads by 15%. When you’re running and gunning, the last thing you want is to be caught without means to fight back, which this helps with significantly.
While long sight-lines dominated by heavy weapons like the XDefiant M249 loadout or XDefiant TAC 50 loadout will still be off limits, this M870 build will massively improve the potency of this weapon at close-range. Thanks to these attachments, it will also be able to compete slightly further out than it normally would. Nevertheless, you’ll still need to play around its strengths, sticking to cover and picking fights you can win. It’s great for clearing out objectives in the XDefiant game modes though, whether you need to escort a payload or capture a point.
XDefiant M870 class setup
If you want a strong M870 class setup in XDefiant, then you can’t go wrong with the D50 sidearm and a Flashbang Grenade to push forward and close the gap.
As a shotgun, the M870 is all about close-range power. Since we can’t equip another primary weapon like the XDefiant MK 20 loadout to cover long-ranges, we need a strong and versatile sidearm.
From our experience, the D50 – better known as the Desert Eagle – is the best choice. This sidearm certainly packs a punch and can help eliminate enemies out of reach of the M870. As for attachments, we recommend the Barrel Extender, Reflex Sight, Quick Mag, and Quick Draw to improve its range and how quickly it can be drawn.
And to wrap the build up, we recommend a Flashbang Grenade. This is a great tool for pushing objectives and lanes with the M870 loadout. Just about any equipment option works, though, including the Frag Grenade and EMP Grenade. If you’ve got a favorite, chances are it will work.
That’s the best XDefiant M870 loadout and build. Though it can be very tricky to use despite it being a starting weapon, it’s devastating once you’ve got the hang of it and can stay on the move. To take it up a notch, pair it with one of the XDefiant classes like the Libertad or Echelon to give yourself an extra leg up on your enemies in one of the best FPS games right now.