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Epic just made a number of balancing adjustments including a small nerf to the Shockwave Hammer.
Along with a brand-new map, Fortnite Chapter 4 introduced a fresh loot pool, movement mechanics, and Reality Augments. With so many huge changes made overnight, a few technical hiccups are inevitable.
Now that we’ve had time to see what items are overpowered or too weak, and which bugs need fixing, the developers have dropped the first balancing patch of the season.
Thunder Pump Shotgun buff
Did you notice the new Thunder Pump Shotgun feeling a bit slow and clunky in fights? You weren’t alone.
The equip time has been “slightly” reduced meaning that you can pull it out a bit quicker after making an edit or changing from your Pickaxe/ another weapon.
Shockwave Hammer nerf
Undoubtedly the craziest and most controversial addition in Chapter 4, the Shockwave Hammer is fantastic for both mobility and dealing damage.
Its recharge time has now been increased, so it’s not quite as spam-able! There will also another fix made in the next update, as detailed later in this article.
Big Ex-Caliber Rifle changes
The Ex-Caliber Rifle has ruffled some feathers early on too. Its hipfire accuracy and player damage have been reduced.
Most importantly the Ex-Caliber’s structure damage has been “greatly reduced”. If you’ve seen any scrims this season, you’ll know this was a must!
We’ve made a number of meaningful adjustments to the following:
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) December 9, 2022
? Capture Point time reduced.
?? Tactical Pistol accuracy and recoil improved.
?? Maven Auto Shotgun fires quicker and has improved accuracy.
? Thunder Pump Shotgun is now slightly quicker to equip.
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Other balancing adjustments
- Capture Point time reduced
- Tactical Pistol accuracy and recoil improved
- Maven Auto Shotgun fires quicker and has improved accuracy
- Light Ammo drops in stacks of 20, up from 18
More coming next update
Epic confirmed that additional improvements will be pushed live in the next full patch.
Firstly, materials harvested from various rocks around the Island will be significantly increased. Right now, farming the large “God” rocks gives nowhere near as much brick as you’d expect, so this is a great change.
Additionally in our next update:
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) December 9, 2022
?? Materials harvested from various rocks across the Island have been significantly increased.
?? We have fixed an issue causing Shockwave Hammers to deal damage to players through structures and builds.
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As well as this, they will be fixing a bug that allowed the Shockwave Hammer to damage players through structures and builds.
A lot of these adjustments address the biggest concerns the community has had since launch. It’s very encouraging to see Epic responding so quickly and a good sign going forward!
