For months on end, players of Fortnite‘s Battle Royale mode asked for a burst counterpart of the SCAR. Fortnite finally answered with the FAMAS, a three-round burst rifle that can be found in both epic and legendary versions and which serves as a direct upgrade to the regular burst rifle.
This addition is great for players who already preferred the burst rifle over the regular assault rifle as they can now finally use the loadout that suits them best. So now only one question remains: Is it any good, or will the legendary SCAR still be king of the assault rifles?
How Does the FAMAS Perform?
As an upgrade to the blue burst rifle, the FAMAS obviously deals more damage and also reloads faster, but the biggest upgrade comes in the form of much less bullet spread, or “bloom,” as experienced players call it. The bullets of one burst from the FAMAS have a lot less spread than those from the regular burst rifle, making it much easier to hit two or even three bullets from one burst, which is the burst rifle’s biggest advantage over the regular assault rifle.
At first glance, the strengths and weaknesses of the SCAR and the FAMAS seem to mirror those of the regular assault rifle and burst rifle. The SCAR deals more damage per shot, but it doesn’t have the fast and high burst damage that the FAMAS can deal; the SCAR is more accurate, but it can’t shoot as many bullets in one quick peek. To find out which weapon is truly better, we’ll have to look at the statistics to hopefully get an answer.
What Do the Numbers Say?
Legendary SCAR:
- Damage: 36 (72 Headshot)
- Fire rate: 5.5
- Reload time: 2.1 seconds
- Spread: 0.150
Legendary FAMAS:
- Damage: 33 (66 Headshot)
- Fire rate: 1.75
- Reload time: 2.3 seconds
- Spread: 0.175
Pros and Cons
So let’s start off with the elephant in the room here and get rid of the obvious stuff. The SCAR’s DPS is a lot higher than that of the FAMAS but doesn’t have the quick bursts of damage, meaning in a continuing spraydown, you can deal a lot more damage with the SCAR than with the FAMAS. On the other side, quick peeks with the FAMAS are more effective because you have the ability to shoot three bullets in rapid succession.
When we look at the spread of both guns, you can see that the SCAR has less spread, but to make it as effective as possible, you have to be very accurate, especially when your target is quite far away. If you feel like your aim isn’t the best, it’s often better to take the FAMAS over the SCAR because it’s easier to hit at least one bullet with the FAMAS when you’re shooting one burst and then ducking back behind cover.
The SCAR is definitely the superior weapon when it comes to destroying structures. Its higher fire rate and equivalent structure damage make it way more effective for shooting down ramps or a one-by-one from pushing players.
Conclusion
Both the SCAR and the FAMAS are very powerful guns, and the best choice for you mainly comes down to personal preference. However, in some cases, one can be more effective than the other.
If you’re not carrying a weapon that is good at destroying structures, you should definitely take the SCAR over the FAMAS. If you’re planning on playing a bit slower, the FAMAS can be deadly with its quick crouch peeks. And lastly, if you don’t have a sniper, the SCAR has a much faster reset for first-bullet accuracy, making it much more effective for long-range targets and quick taps.
In the end, there is no true winner. Both guns perform very well and are good at different things. The FAMAS is a great addition to the game that should please fans of the regular burst rifle.
Hopefully, this helps you choose the assault rifle that suits you best and gets you as many victory royales as possible in Fortnite Battle Royale. And as always, don’t forget to stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Fortnite guides and other great content.
