Fortnite v8.10 Patch Notes Breakdown

Take a look at what to expect when you load into Fortnite for the first time after the v8.10 release.

The 8.01 update came with some big changes, including a complete rework to the current matchmaking system for console players. Let's get into it.

Baller

The Baller is the newest vehicle in Fortnite Battle Royale. It's a single-seat vehicle that allows you to swing from the grappler and boost to get up hills. You won't take any damage while you're inside, but the ball has 300 HP before it dumps you out.

Weapon/Item Changes

The first change to weapons involves the Infantry Rifle. You can no longer find common ones. Looks like we'll have a wait a bit longer before they finally vault the thing.

Clingers will now only stack up to 6 - down from 10. This is a good change and will limit the clinger-spam we've been seeing since they came out of the vault.

The rarity of the Heavy AR changed as well. They now drop in Common/Uncommon/Rare instead of Rare/Epic/Legendary. The damage for body shots will be 36/38/40.

Vending machines saw a massive change with this update. Instead of charging you materials for weapons or items, they will offer free loot but will disappear after you use them once. Epic also removed common and uncommon vending machines - along with the turret from Legendary vending machines.

This will be an interesting change, and it means that a whole squad can't get decked-out with purple shotguns. I think they made this change because of the amount of rare loot that's in the Fortnite world right now; especially with Treasure Maps.

Speaking of treasure maps, Epic reduced their availability. The floor loot drop chance decreased from .53% to .27% and the chest loot drop-rate reduced to 1.65% from 3.25%.

Gameplay Changes

As we mentioned at the beginning, there were some huge changes to the crossplay system. PS4 and Xbox players now jump into the same pool, as do Switch and Mobile players. This will allow you to find games faster and match up with your crossplay friends a bit easier.

One of my personal favorite excerpts from the patch notes is in this section as well:

• Reduced infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 11 hours in the front end.
• Just kidding, Increased Infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 13 hours in the front end

Storm kills and logout eliminations now credit the last player to do damage. This will help prevent people from self-killing to avoid giving an opponent the siphon boost.

Other changes include:

• Siphon now has a visual effect.
• You can now build as soon as you hit something after using a cannon
• You auto-enter the driver's seat of vehicles if it's empty
• New visual effects when you use a healing item
• You can dance with a balloon

Competitive

Gauntlet Solo and Duo test events are back. Players in the top-tier will now have a harder time finding matches, though. Epic removed the 8-minute time limit, so now these top-ranked players have to wait for others to catch up.

The bus fare is now -3 in duos to compensate for the inflated kill points. You now get +2 points for reaching 15th place in solos and 7th in duos (previously 10th and 5th).

The Scallywag Duos Cup is March 16-17 and will offer $100,000 in cash prizes. Those who make the top 3% will move onto the next round and compete for the prize money.

Take a look at the full list of patch notes here, including bug fixes, LTMs, Creative Mode updates, and more. Follow @FortniteTracker for more news and updates.