As Fortnite‘s popularity continues to sky-rocket, and with recent reports putting the player-base at over 200 million, Epic Games is keeping fans invested through frequent updates packed with new weapons and ways to play. Today’s patch is no exception, and v6.31 brings Epic and Legendary Pump Shotguns and a new Limited Time Mode to the battle-royale sensation.
As one might expect, Epic and Legendary Pump Shotguns are upgraded variants of their Uncommon and Rare counterparts. Both have the potential to perform one-shot kills, and the Legendary Pump Shotgun is capable of such a feat against a fully shielded opponent. They are available from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
However, these higher rarity variants are not the only things for lovers of Fortnite‘s close-range gunplay to be excited about in this update. As per the patch notes, Uncommon and Rare Pump Shotguns have also received an increase to their maximum damage, and all shotguns will now apply three pellets worth of damage even if only one or two connect.
Additionally, this new update introduces a new Limited Time Mode, pitting teams against one another to see who is the first to rack up 100 kills. It also features new content for Save the World, Fortnite’s PvE mode, and a slew of other small gameplay changes and bug fixes.
Shotguns have long been a divisive topic in the Fortnite community. At release, many players felt they were simply too powerful until a patch in June decreased shotgun damage output significantly. With this new update, it is clear that Epic is still not satisfied with where the high-power close-range weapon sits relative to the other artillery available.
While it seems unlikely that many hope that today’s patch will return shotguns to their launch power levels, weapon changes always provide exciting opportunities for players to rediscover and reconsider their battle-royale tactics. The success that has befallen Fortnite is due, in no small part, to Epic’s willingness to continually make these types of adjustments. Update 6.31 is just another such example.
Full patch notes for today’s update are available at Epic Game’s website.
