Expected Nerf to the X-4 Stormwing Plane in Update 7.10 (Tomorrow)

Epic responds to community feedback yet again and with a planned nerf to the X-4 Stormwing. Will the new changes help limit the plane's effectiveness?

Fans of Fortnite have made their opinions clear when it comes to the X-4 Stormwing's role in the game. Some like it and some don't - but nearly everyone agrees that it's too strong in its current state.

A quick update to the plane's mechanics caused players in the plane to take 25 damage when it was destroyed in the air. This was something, but it was far from a deterrent for people to fly their plane into your build-battle when they had full HP.

Now, though, it looks like Epic is addressing the plane problem with the 7.10 update set to launch tomorrow morning. Community Coordinator Sean Hamilton responded to a tweet about upping the damage players receive late last week.

Initially, he reported that the damage was changing from 25 to 35. After review, though, he updated the response and said that players will now receive a 50 damage hit when going down with the ship.

Update: Turns out it just got changed to 50 in v7.10. ??

— Sean Hamilton (@MrPopoTFS) December 13, 2018

Although we need to take this as speculation until the patch drops tomorrow, this plane nerf is a step in the right direction. I assume the damage taken will be against your HP, similar to the fall damage mechanic.

Is this nerf enough to reduce the effectiveness of planes? Probably not. The only change we'll likely see is players bailing a bit earlier than they have in the past to avoid the damage penalty. The X-4 Stormwing is still an effective way to traverse the map, swoop onto opponents, and knock buildings down.

We can also expect some bug fixes to ziplines in tomorrow's patch, so there won't be too many of these funny moments to look forward to.

Whether the nerf goes far enough or not, this is another example of the Fortnite team listening to their fanbase. Epic vaulted the Infinity Blade last week after public outcry, and are clearly taking steps to help address the current problem with the Stormwings

Check back tomorrow for a full breakdown of the patch notes and the biggest changes and takeaways from update 7.10!