REMOVE MASTIFF ! OMG !

if you know how to strafe properly than mastiff will win 99% of the fights against r99

at close range i mean

@BrainDeadWraiths The R-99 takes actual skill to use and it doesnt even have higher dps than any other gun for the most part. The Volt is the gun that is being used that does an insane amount of damage, its in the Japanese meta right now as it just melts people but even then i'll say the same thing that i'd say about the R-99, it takes skill to use. The Mastiff doesnt take skill in the slightest, you dont even need to try aiming to get a good shot with it and once you get a good shot with it, you're winning. Im completely convinced that the people crying "just dont get close" literally dont play the game because no matter what you do, you're going to be in someones face at some point without you wanting to be, whether this is during a hot drop, end game or simply getting snuck up on and i can say with complete certainty, nothing feels worse than getting surprised by a mastiff, you're just dead, you have no time to react. Maybe if you're a wraith you can void run way but even then if the player chases you (which they normally will) you're screwed, the range that the mastiff can pull makes it so even getting OUT of range is damn near impossible, but OH! JUST STAY OUT OF RANGE! lmfao seriously, once the mastiff is in a care package i bet you anything the meta will clear up and you'll find more skillful fights instantly. 

The thing is: you guys consider movement and aiming as the only skill needed in this game.

in fact, there is way more than that.

good positioning and playing to the strength of your legend is very important too.

if you cant wait for me as a caustic main (since season 0) to move and step out of my defended position

i am gladly pumping you with my mastiff (basically any shotty).

i do not have good aim, i do not have great movement eigther, but if you dare giving up your advantageous position to run at me, you will pay.

you could argue: patience is a skill with the same value as aim and movement in apex.

knowing when to take a fight and not running at every player blindly.

if you get good at that, you will not complain about mastiff anymore.

people saying the mastiff is not op makes me think we are not playing the same game xD

maybe they could make it so you couldnt put a bolt on a mastiff. i guess that would make things a little better

@Triumphkutter 
Once again, someone who hasnt read the thread and has no idea what they're talking about. You can tell Pred ranked players they dont know how to play the game all you want but it doesnt make it fact, your weak argument of "just dont get close" isnt an argument because its not realistic in the games setting. I've explained how it isnt multiple times already so im not going to do so again. You either use the mastiff as a crutch or you want it out, theres no in between. 

@Xx__Miku831__xX Too tired to read the previous page at the moment. Obviously you can't turn and run away from a Mastiff user mid fight since he can just switch to his secondary weapon and pursue you. It's disrespectful to imply that's possible like it's disrespectful to suggest the Mastiff is a mid-range threat.

It does/did more damage than it should at that range but so does nearly every other weapon so it seemed dishonest and insulting to focus on that. R-99, Volt, Wingman being the primary weapons that ignore their theoretical range which some members of the community accepts because it takes some degree of skill. Not much skill for 2 of those guns to be honest.

I've maintained that shotguns should dominate at close range but I'm open to the idea that the Mastiff does a little to well here. Instead of focusing on that we've derailed into a sniper Mastiff debate which is honestly laughable to me.

As @MartimRosat mentions above the problem can be solved by tweaking or removing the shotgun bolt. Weakening it at all ranges while maintaining high damage close range shots.