Fortnite is announcing another new update today, this time making several balance changes to some of the weapons new to Chapter 3. The new balance update is sure to be divisive amongst players, with several weapons getting nerfed and others boosted.
Epic Games' popular free-to-play battle royale title is now well into its second month of its first Chapter 3 season. The "Flipped" season introduces an all-new map, with a few returning fan-favorite POIs. The first season of Fortnite Chapter 3 has also introduced a myriad of new items and weaponry, although some of that weaponry is now being changed with the new update.
Detailed on the official Fortnite service update Twitter account, the balance update affects all rarities of three weapons in particular: the Stinger SMG, MK-Seven Assault Rifle, and the Auto Shotgun. For the Stinger SMG, damage rate has been reduced from (in order of rarity) 18/19/20/21/22/24 to 16/17/18/19/20/22. It's a similar case with the MK-Seven Assault Rifle, which is getting nerfed from 21-26 to 20-25. The only weapon getting a buff is the Auto Shotgun, having its reload time reduced a whopping two seconds, from 8.8-6.8 to 6.2-4.8.
Fortnite does state that it will be continuously evaluating the weapon balance changes as the season goes on, indicating more balancing may be on the horizon. The update comes on the heels of another update, which just went live the day before. Fortnite's 19.01 hotfix has added severe weather to the island, in the form of tornadoes and lightning. The massive twisters suck up almost any object it crosses paths with - including players - which they can use as a means of escape. Lightning strikes cause damage and set the area ablaze, but give players a temporary speed boost.
While Fortnite appears to be rolling out content updates on a near-constant basis as of late, even more is coming, if a prominent leaker is to be believed. Well-established Fortnite leaker HYPEX has said several Spider-Man NPCs will soon appear at the Daily Bugle, including Mary Jane Watson and Green Goblin. Mary Jane will supposedly sell a Web Shooter with infinite web fluid, while HYPEX is uncertain of Green Goblin's details. The leaker believes a third Spider-Man-related character will also appear, although it's a mystery as to whom.
Although Fortnite Chapter 3 is composed of mostly new and evolving elements, one old-school fan-favorite location is beginning to emerge. It's already confirmed that Tilted Towers is returning, and a recent leak may reveal exactly when.
Fortnite is free-to-play for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
