The downtime for Fortnite‘s newest patch has begun—and the update is bringing with it some pretty interesting changes.
As has become the norm with Fortnite, yet another piece of equipment is being added. This week it’s the Impulse Grenade, a concussive grenade that knocks every player in its area of effect up into the air and forwards.
In the video accompanying the patch Epic was keen to show off its uses both on opponents and allies. Perhaps this is part of the developer’s attempts to encourage off-piste strategies like rocket riding.
Outside of the new kit, the biggest change in the patch affects the Scoped Assault Rifle. The Scoped AR has long been out of favor for most players. The inventory in Fortnite is so small that carrying a weapon with such limited efficacy just wasn’t worthwhile, especially with the release of the Crossbow as another long-range option.
The Scoped AR has been changed to be perfectly accurate on every shot. This should help make up for its already weak damage, which was the number one thing holding the weapon back in its previous form. The headshot damage has been reduced from 250 to 200 percent—but that’s definitely a fair change when it has guaranteed accuracy.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, Shrines have also been added to the map. The Shrines will contain treasure chests, and likely be as lucrative and temporary as the Christmas Trees were.
The patch also contains some other smaller weapon changes. The Revolver now shoots medium ammo, presumably in an attempt to spread out which weapon uses which bullets. The three most recent additions—the Minigun, Chug Jug, and Crossbow—have also all had their drop rates reduced.
With the regular SMG rotating into the game’s vault, the Tactical SMG has been boosted. It now carries 35 bullets in a clip, and its fire rate has been buffed from 10 to 13.
The servers are down right now for the patch to roll out, and as is the norm with Fortnite patches it’s a mystery as to when they will return.
