Latest Fortnite update adds new weapon and takes a new approach

Fortnite’s latest update is here and there are a few changes to be found.

Version 9.10 has arrived and it brings a handful of changes to the game including just two notable tweaks to the battle royale mode. This pales in comparison to some other recent Fortnite updates, which begs a few questions about whether Epic Games might finally be listening to pro players.

The key change in battle royale mode is the introduction of the new Burst SMG weapon. The gun uses light ammo and fires four-bullet bursts with a fairly tight spread, making it a strong mid-range tool. The gun is available in common, uncommon, and rare variants, which can be found on the ground, in chests, and in vending machines.

With the addition of the Burst SMG comes the vaulting of the Suppressed SMG. The move is continuation of recent efforts to prune back the number of mid-range weapons with high rates of fire.

Fortnite Season 9 has seen the introduction of the Tactical Assault Rifle and the unvaulting of the Drum Gun, which has resulted in a pileup of weapons that fill the same niche. Epic partially addressed this in version 9.01 by vaulting the Compact SMG, but the Suppressed SMG was ultimately left as an inferior version of the majority of medium ammo weapons. The Burst SMG gives players a light ammo weapon that offers something different than the various assault rifles and should have greater viability in combat than other SMG variants.

Is Epic Games Changing its Stance on Fortnite Esports?

The light update comes as something of a surprise. The Fortnite World Cup qualifiers have been going on for nearly two months now and Epic Games has done a great job of using them to alienate Fortnite’s professional scene.

Introducing new weapons and vaulting old ones on an almost weekly basis has led to many headaches for pro players, who have thousands of dollars at stake in a game that is constantly changing. Add to that how a wayward bug or glitch can cost a player a game or destroy a carefully crafted strategy, and Fortnite esports’ top stars have regularly been left frustrated.

When Epic finally addressed this, the company took an almost confrontational stance with pro players, stating they were aware of their issues but were not going to do anything differently. Despite that, Fortnite version 9.10 marks one of the smallest and least affecting updates to the game in recent months.

There are just three weeks of qualifiers left for the Fortnite World Cup and it’s easy to wonder if Epic may have been considering that with this patch. The full patch notes can be found on the official Fortnite website.