Flat damage oils are weak on shotguns, but not because the ÷ 8 rule takes damage away. A 12Ga shell is 8 pellets, and each pellet gets one eighth of the flat bonus, so an Add Damage Oil (+15) adds 1.875 to each pellet and 15 to the shell: the same absolute gain as on a 9mm pistol. What makes it small is the base. A shell already deals 8 × 40 = 320, so +15 is 4.7%, while a Damage Oil (+20%) adds 64 to the same shell.
Every 12Ga gun, and single-projectile guns for comparison
One oil applied to the stock gun, damage per shell:
| Gun | Ammo | Base per shell | Add Damage Oil (+15) | Damage Oil (+20%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1889 Mario | 12Ga | 40 × 8 | +15 (+4.7%) | +64 (+20%) |
| Arbiter 2 | 12Ga | 40 × 8 | +15 (+4.7%) | +64 (+20%) |
| Flock 76 | 12Ga | 40 × 8 | +15 (+4.7%) | +64 (+20%) |
| Majordome | 12Ga | 40 × 8 | +15 (+4.7%) | +64 (+20%) |
| Mossman | 12Ga | 40 × 8 | +15 (+4.7%) | +64 (+20%) |
| Socom 9 | 9mm | 60 | +15 (+25%) | +12 (+20%) |
| Bronco 89 | 9mm | 90 | +15 (+16.7%) | +18 (+20%) |
| M11A2 Fisk | 5.56mm | 96 | +15 (+15.6%) | +19.2 (+20%) |
| Type 80 Typhoon | 7.62mm | 120 | +15 (+12.5%) | +24 (+20%) |
| Rokua .308 | 7.62mm | 200 | +15 (+7.5%) | +40 (+20%) |
| Longboy | .50 BMG | 400 | +15 (+3.8%) | +80 (+20%) |
Arbiter 2 fires three shells per trigger pull, and Breacher 8 between one and eight; both are shown per shell.
The rule
For a 12Ga gun, damage per pellet = (40 + flat ÷ 8) × (1 + percentages). Negative flat oils are divided too, so Gemini Oil’s −30 costs a shotgun only 3.75 per pellet. Projectile oils raise the pellet count without dividing the flat bonus again: with +200% projectiles a shell fires 24 pellets and an Add Damage Oil adds 1.875 to each of them, +45 per shell.
What to put on a shotgun
- Use percentage damage oils first. At 40 per pellet, a +20% oil adds 64 per shell; the largest flat oil, Disposable Oil (+50), adds 50.
- Flat penalties are cheap on 12Ga. An oil whose drawback is a flat damage loss (Gemini Oil −30, Optimum Oil −20, Airsoft Oil −15) costs a shell the same 15 to 30 a rifle loses per bullet, under 10% of a 320-damage shell.
- A Chamber Chisel to .50 BMG turns the gun into one 400-damage bullet; flat oils then count in full. The best caliber record lists every shotgun’s caliber options.
The build calculator shows the per-pellet value for any combination, and the flat or percentage guide gives the crossover for every other gun.
Sources
- SULFUR Wiki: Enchantments (revised 2 November 2026)Since 1.0, flat damage modifiers are divided by 8 on 12Ga weapons, negatives included; more projectiles do not divide it further.
- SULFUR Wiki: Oils (revised 30 October 2026)Flat modifiers apply before percentages: (100 + 20) × 1.25 = 150.
- SULFUR 1.0 release notes (Steam, 28 October 2026)1.0 balance changes to shotguns and oils.
