In Fortnite, it is not uncommon for weapons and items to be removed from battle royale for a number of reasons, including when one is perceived as simply too powerful amidst the game’s other offerings. This process, called vaulting, has the potential to shakeup the established metagame, and a recent report has revealed that yet another weapon is on its way to the vault.
Taking to Twitter earlier today, Fortnite Design Lead Eric Williamson has stated that “a few more vaults” are coming, and he has specifically indicated that the Quad Launcher will be among these vaultings. While Williamson did not expand on what other items will be headed to the vault, he did mention that players will not have to wait long for the removals, as they are set to take place within the week.
The Quad Launcher was introduced in October 2018 with patch 6.02, and the explosive weapon has become a go-to option for destroying opposing structures. Since its release, a vocal portion of the playerbase has been clear in their opinion that the Quad Launcher is not properly balanced, and many posts on Epic’s official forums and Reddit are written by players calling for a nerf to the weapon.
It seems that Epic has heard these concerns and plans to address them not by rebalancing the Quad Launcher, but instead opting to remove it in full. While some players will certainly be happy to say goodbye to the weapon, others may wish that the company could find another way to correct the perceived issues without vaulting the gun.
Separately, Williamson has indicated that the update that will send the Quad Launcher to the vault is also set to feature several other notable changes to battle royale. These changes include “small tweaks to shield availability” as well as “a reduction of mobility (item and vehicle spawn chance).”
With this announcement, Epic continues to show that Fortnite is a constantly evolving experience. The full ramifications of the changes outlined by Williamson remain to be seen, but it is clear that the company has no intention to let the game stagnate any time soon.
Fortnite is out now in early access for iOS, Android, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
