Halo Infinite: The unique role of the CQS48 Bulldog shotgun

When the Halo Infinite campaign demo debuted last year, fans got a look at the CQS48 Bulldog shotgun. The weapon piqued the interest of many, particularly because shotguns have often gone under the radar in past Halo games.

In a wide-ranging interview in the inaugural “Inside Infinite” series on Halo Waypoint, multiple members of 343 Industries Sandbox Team gave updates about all the different “toys” players will have at their disposal in both the campaign and multiplayer of Halo Infinite. One of those toys is, of course, the CQS48 Bulldog shotgun, and now we know a bit more about the type of role it will fit in the game.

The new Bulldog shotgun is fast-firing and fast-reloading. It provides a weapon for those players who prefer to be the “in-you-face CQC front-liner” — especially in multiplayer.

Weapons for this type of role have been limited in the past. While there have been shotguns in Halo games before, they are usually limited because of how strong they are. The lethality of the Bulldog shotgun is slightly tuned down, but its rapid-fire capability makes it more than effective close-up.

343 lead weapons designer David Price explained:

"We wanted to have a shotgun that was not a power weapon. The Bulldog is a versatile weapon that provides the player the role of a shotgun and up-close playstyle more frequently in multiplayer than previous Halo titles as it is lower on the lethality scale of weapons and is thus more prevalent. Similar to that, we wanted a shotgun that embraces the rapid-fire/dish out multiple shots quickly. That’s where the Bulldog excels."

As someone who identifies as that close-up, in-your-face front-liner, I absolutely love the concept of the CQS48 Bulldog shotgun. Provided it’s balanced correctly and not too overpowered or underpowered, it could become a game-changer in the Halo multiplayer.