diff --git a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/PulsarSpace.java b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/PulsarSpace.java
index ef4a9e4fc..c923be8a3 100644
--- a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/PulsarSpace.java
+++ b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/PulsarSpace.java
@@ -401,11 +401,6 @@ public class PulsarSpace {
         SubscriptionType subscriptionType = getEffectiveSubscriptionType(cycleSubscriptionType);
         String consumerName = getEffectiveConsumerName(cycleConsumerName);
 
-        if ( subscriptionType.equals(SubscriptionType.Exclusive) && (activityDef.getThreads() > 1) ) {
-            throw new RuntimeException("Consumer:: trying to create multiple consumers of " +
-                "\"Exclusive\" subscription type under the same subscription name to the same topic!");
-        }
-
         if (StringUtils.isAnyBlank(cycleTopicName, subscriptionName)) {
             throw new RuntimeException("Consumer:: must specify a topic name and a subscription name");
         }
diff --git a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerMapper.java b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerMapper.java
index 4177f5cd2..cae3afd42 100644
--- a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerMapper.java
+++ b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerMapper.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerMapper extends PulsarTransactOpMapper {
 
     private final LongFunction<Consumer<?>> consumerFunc;
     private final LongFunction<Boolean> topicMsgDedupFunc;
+    private final LongFunction<String> subscriptionTypeFunc;
     private final boolean e2eMsProc;
 
     public PulsarConsumerMapper(CommandTemplate cmdTpl,
@@ -42,10 +43,12 @@ public class PulsarConsumerMapper extends PulsarTransactOpMapper {
                                 LongFunction<Supplier<Transaction>> transactionSupplierFunc,
                                 LongFunction<Boolean> topicMsgDedupFunc,
                                 LongFunction<Consumer<?>> consumerFunc,
+                                LongFunction<String> subscriptionTypeFunc,
                                 boolean e2eMsgProc) {
         super(cmdTpl, clientSpace, pulsarActivity, asyncApiFunc, useTransactionFunc, seqTrackingFunc, transactionSupplierFunc);
         this.consumerFunc = consumerFunc;
         this.topicMsgDedupFunc = topicMsgDedupFunc;
+        this.subscriptionTypeFunc = subscriptionTypeFunc;
         this.e2eMsProc = e2eMsgProc;
     }
 
@@ -57,6 +60,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerMapper extends PulsarTransactOpMapper {
         boolean seqTracking = seqTrackingFunc.apply(value);
         Supplier<Transaction> transactionSupplier = transactionSupplierFunc.apply(value);
         boolean topicMsgDedup = topicMsgDedupFunc.apply(value);
+        String subscriptionType = subscriptionTypeFunc.apply(value);
 
         return new PulsarConsumerOp(
             pulsarActivity,
@@ -66,6 +70,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerMapper extends PulsarTransactOpMapper {
             transactionSupplier,
             topicMsgDedup,
             consumer,
+            subscriptionType,
             clientSpace.getPulsarSchema(),
             clientSpace.getPulsarClientConf().getConsumerTimeoutSeconds(),
             value,
diff --git a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerOp.java b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerOp.java
index cdf929b96..24f61acac 100644
--- a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerOp.java
+++ b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarConsumerOp.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerOp implements PulsarOp {
 
     private final boolean topicMsgDedup;
     private final Consumer<?> consumer;
+    private final String subscriptionType;
     private final Schema<?> pulsarSchema;
     private final int timeoutSeconds;
     private final boolean e2eMsgProc;
@@ -54,6 +55,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerOp implements PulsarOp {
         Supplier<Transaction> transactionSupplier,
         boolean topicMsgDedup,
         Consumer<?> consumer,
+        String subscriptionType,
         Schema<?> schema,
         int timeoutSeconds,
         long curCycleNum,
@@ -68,6 +70,7 @@ public class PulsarConsumerOp implements PulsarOp {
 
         this.topicMsgDedup = topicMsgDedup;
         this.consumer = consumer;
+        this.subscriptionType = subscriptionType;
         this.pulsarSchema = schema;
         this.timeoutSeconds = timeoutSeconds;
         this.curCycleNum = curCycleNum;
@@ -149,17 +152,28 @@ public class PulsarConsumerOp implements PulsarOp {
                         // normal case: message sequence id is monotonically increasing by 1
                         if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) != 1) {
                             // abnormal case: out of ordering
+                            // - for any subscription type, this check should always hold
                             if (curMsgSeqId < prevMsgSeqId) {
                                 throw new PulsarMsgOutOfOrderException(
                                     false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
                             }
-                            // abnormal case: message loss
-                            else if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) > 1) {
-                                throw new PulsarMsgLossException(
-                                    false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
-                            } else if (topicMsgDedup && (curMsgSeqId == prevMsgSeqId)) {
-                                throw new PulsarMsgDuplicateException(
-                                    false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                            // - this sequence based message loss and message duplicate check can't be used for
+                            //   "Shared" subscription (ignore this check)
+                            // - TODO: for Key_Shared subscription type, this logic needs to be improved on
+                            //         per-key basis
+                            else {
+                                if ( !StringUtils.equalsAnyIgnoreCase(subscriptionType,
+                                    PulsarActivityUtil.SUBSCRIPTION_TYPE.Shared.label,
+                                    PulsarActivityUtil.SUBSCRIPTION_TYPE.Key_Shared.label)) {
+                                    // abnormal case: message loss
+                                    if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) > 1) {
+                                        throw new PulsarMsgLossException(
+                                            false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                    } else if (topicMsgDedup && (curMsgSeqId == prevMsgSeqId)) {
+                                        throw new PulsarMsgDuplicateException(
+                                            false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                    }
+                                }
                             }
                         }
                     }
@@ -249,17 +263,28 @@ public class PulsarConsumerOp implements PulsarOp {
                             // normal case: message sequence id is monotonically increasing by 1
                             if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) != 1) {
                                 // abnormal case: out of ordering
+                                // - for any subscription type, this check should always hold
                                 if (curMsgSeqId < prevMsgSeqId) {
                                     throw new PulsarMsgOutOfOrderException(
-                                        true, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                        false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
                                 }
-                                // abnormal case: message loss
-                                else if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) > 1) {
-                                    throw new PulsarMsgLossException(
-                                        true, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
-                                } else if (topicMsgDedup && (curMsgSeqId == prevMsgSeqId)) {
-                                    throw new PulsarMsgDuplicateException(
-                                        true, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                // - this sequence based message loss and message duplicate check can't be used for
+                                //   "Shared" subscription (ignore this check)
+                                // - TODO: for Key_Shared subscription type, this logic needs to be improved on
+                                //         per-key basis
+                                else {
+                                    if ( !StringUtils.equalsAnyIgnoreCase(subscriptionType,
+                                        PulsarActivityUtil.SUBSCRIPTION_TYPE.Shared.label,
+                                        PulsarActivityUtil.SUBSCRIPTION_TYPE.Key_Shared.label)) {
+                                        // abnormal case: message loss
+                                        if ((curMsgSeqId - prevMsgSeqId) > 1) {
+                                            throw new PulsarMsgLossException(
+                                                false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                        } else if (topicMsgDedup && (curMsgSeqId == prevMsgSeqId)) {
+                                            throw new PulsarMsgDuplicateException(
+                                                false, curCycleNum, curMsgSeqId, prevMsgSeqId);
+                                        }
+                                    }
                                 }
                             }
                         }
diff --git a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarProducerMapper.java b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarProducerMapper.java
index 85b998162..9bdf63881 100644
--- a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarProducerMapper.java
+++ b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/PulsarProducerMapper.java
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ public class PulsarProducerMapper extends PulsarTransactOpMapper {
             // simulate message out of order
             else if ( simulateMsgOutofOrder ) {
                 int rndmOffset = 2;
-                if (value > rndmOffset)
-                    msgProperties.put(PulsarActivityUtil.MSG_SEQUENCE_ID, String.valueOf(value-rndmOffset));
+                msgProperties.put(PulsarActivityUtil.MSG_SEQUENCE_ID,
+                    String.valueOf((value > rndmOffset) ? (value-rndmOffset) : value));
             }
             // simulate message duplication
             else {
diff --git a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/ReadyPulsarOp.java b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/ReadyPulsarOp.java
index 226f44f49..de26f15cc 100644
--- a/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/ReadyPulsarOp.java
+++ b/driver-pulsar/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/driver/pulsar/ops/ReadyPulsarOp.java
@@ -497,6 +497,7 @@ public class ReadyPulsarOp implements OpDispenser<PulsarOp> {
             transactionSupplierFunc,
             topicMsgDedupFunc,
             consumerFunc,
+            subscription_type_func,
             e2eMsgProc);
     }
 
@@ -586,6 +587,7 @@ public class ReadyPulsarOp implements OpDispenser<PulsarOp> {
             // e.g. pulsarAdmin.getPulsarAdmin().topics().getDeduplicationStatus(message.getTopicName())
             brokerMsgDupFunc,
             mtConsumerFunc,
+            subscription_type_func,
             false);
     }