While a lot of the focus for Fortnite players today will be on the new additions included in this week’s update, like the replay system, there is a major change within the latest patch for Battle Royale that is sure to draw some attention. Presumably in an effort to eliminate exploits like double pump shotguns and double heavy shotguns, Epic Games has added an equip time to several weapons that could potentially change Fortnite Battle Royale in some significant ways.
According to the latest patch notes for Fortnite, there is now a “short equip time” for many weapons in the game. The goal of this change, according to Epic, is to “reduce the effectiveness of quickly switching between weapons for high burst damage.” The affected weapon types are Rocket Launchers, Hand Cannons, Revolvers, Tactical Shotguns, Pump Shotguns, Heavy Shotguns, Bolt-Action Sniper Rifles, Hunting Rifles, and Crossbows.
While the goal seems to be reducing the prevalence of double heavy shotguns in Fortnite, the change could also greatly impact how players approach gunfights now. For example, if a player is using an assault rifle or SMG, the will not be able to quickly switch to a shotgun to deal big damage when an opponent gets up close. Similarly, if players are trying to build and then find themselves ambushed, they won’t be able to quickly switch to a shotgun and fire.
Since the update is only a few hours old, it’s unclear how it will impact play in Fortnite Battle Royale. Initial reactions from players on Twitter and the subreddit are very mixed, with some praising the change because of its double shotgun and double rocket implications, while others are concerned it will impact the use of these weapons overall. This may not be the solution Epic was looking for, but if there is one thing players can count on it’s that the developer will be listening.
If this change vastly impacts the way players use weapons and starts to lead to situations where players lose gunfights because their weapon wasn’t “ready,” then Epic might consider making another change. For now, fans are left to wait and see, as the update goes through rigorous testing by its massive player base later today.
As a side note, it appears that this change has also made double pump shotgun use possible again, but this doesn’t seem to be done on purpose. With the change to equip time, Epic also removed the pumping animation from pump shotguns presumably so that players wouldn’t need to wait for the equip and the pump before firing, but now this is possible. Again, this is likely a bug and should be fixed soon.
Fortnite Battle Royale is available for free on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
