Epic Games Launches New Fortnite Balance Update Days After Patch v5.20
Epic Games released their latest major patch for Fortnite just a few days ago; update v5.20. Now, they have already released their first Fortnite balance update for the game, bringing new changes and nerfs to the game’s weapons and equipment. Notably, the new update nerfs SMGs significantly. Given how SMG-dominated Fortnite has been of late, the update is likely to have a major impact.
The New Fortnite Balance Update
For quite some time, the SMG has been a mainstay weapon for Fortnite players. Now, however, Epic Games seems to be trying to bring the weapon in line with the rest of Fortnite’s arsenal. Both the Compact SMG and the Drum Gun have been nerfed. The Compact SMG’s damage has been reduced from 22/21 to 21/20, and its magazine size has had a 20% reduction from 50 to 40. The Drum Gun, meanwhile, has been hit even more heavily. Its falloff range damage from 80% to 70% and 65% to 55% have been reduced, as have both its jumping and targeting accuracy. Most notably, however, is that the gun’s spawn rate from chests and floor loot has been reduced; by a staggering 40%.
The SMG nerf is likely to reduce the dominance of SMGs in Fortnite over the coming weeks, as the weapons become less powerful in comparison to other options. Interestingly, the balance update also chose to buff wall health for all structures. Wood wall initial HP has gone up from 80 to 90, while Stone wall initial HP is up from 80 to 100. Metal wall initial HP has increased from 80 all the way to 110. Epic Games hasn’t buffed buildings in any way for quite some time; a fact which has been a source of complaints from some fans. Hopefully, this change will go some way to addressing those concerns. Overall, the new balance update doesn’t change too much. However, the few areas where it does make tweaks are likely to have widespread impact across the game.