Epic Removes Siphon From Core Game: v8.20 Patch Notes Breakdown

A new week means a new Fortnite patch. This one comes with a couple of new items and some substantial changes to the core gameplay. Read on to learn more.

Patch 8.20 has a lot more changes than a lot of us expected, including the removal of the siphon/material changes we saw in v7.40. Take a look at what's new.

Weapons & Items

Before we get into any of the other changes, we have to talk about the Siphon/Material changes. Epic says this in their patch notes:

"In v7.40 we implemented a few Pop-up Cup settings as a test in core modes. After monitoring a combination of gameplay, data, and feedback, we’ve gathered necessary info to conclude this initial test. We feel it has resulted in an unhealthy level of aggressive play, diminishing other viable strategies. The following changes have been reverted in all core modes:"

The patch notes then go on to list all of the changes most of us have loved. The 50/50/50 material drop, 500/500/500 material cap, 50 HP or shield on kill, and harvest rate increases are all gone.

I'm not a fan of these changes at all. I haven't heard anyone complaining about the original shift, but it's gone for now. It's a shame, but hopefully Epic will bring this ruleset back in the future.

The Infantry Rifle got a slight buff, as it was converted from projectile to hitscan. This will make hitting your shots a lot easier. The damage was reduced from 45/42 to 42/40.

Poison Dart Trap

The new item added in this patch was the Poison Dart Trap:

Available in Uncommon Rarity.
Can be placed on walls, floors, and ceilings.
Found from Floor Loot.
Can be triggered up to three grid cells away.
Fires Poison Dart projectiles a distance of three horizontal grid cells (four vertical grid cells).
Targets hit by darts will receive a damage-over-time effect that applies damage directly to health, bypassing any shields.
- 10 health damage per tick.
- 8 total ticks over 7 seconds for a total damage of 80.
- Subsequent hits will refresh the duration of the effect, but the amount of damage per tick does not change.

This trap is similar to what we expected - a DOT effect that will quickly damage your health. You may be able to save yourself with a bandage, but you have to factor in the time it takes to move away from the trap's area of effect.

Baller

The Baller no longer applies damage to players. Epic stated that the future versions of the Baller will allow players to shoot through the glass, making them a lot less powerful.

Ballers are almost completely risk-free where they currently stand, so it makes sense that Epic is addressing them. We'll have to wait until v8.30 for these changes, though.

New Foraged Items

There are now three new Foraged Items: Bananas, Coconuts, and Peppers. Each will provide different effects to players:

Bananas

Instantly grant 5 health when consumed.
Can be found in the tropical biome.

Coconuts

Foraged by damaging palm trees.
When consumed, Coconuts grant 5 points of effective health over a short time. That means it will replenish shields if the player is at max health.
Can be found in tropical and desert biomes.

Peppers

When consumed, peppers instantly grant 5 health and also increase the player’s movement speed by 20% for 10 seconds.
Can be found in the desert biome.

Other Changes

The Buried Treasure directional indicator is now attached to the player and emanates from the area of the treasure map in order to improve visibility, especially while moving.
- The indicator will continue to pulse every 3 seconds while the item is equipped.
Pirate Cannon adjustments
- Adjusted the collision of the Pirate Cannon to ensure the driver's seat is always enterable without needing to nudge the cannon.
- Moved the seat prompt locations for easier entry into the cannon.
- Increased the radius of cannonballs and player land explosions from 200 units to 250 units.
- Reduced cannon impulse/knockback when firing a cannonball while driving or when launching a player. This is unchanged when coasting.
Adjusted the equip time of the Epic / Legendary Pump Shotgun to match the Uncommon / Rare versions.

Events

The newest event is the Arena Game Mode for Solos and Duos. These games run at all times and allow you to gain "Hype," which advances you to higher leagues and grants you access to exclusive tournaments like the World Cup Online Opens.

Compete any time and gain ‘Hype’ to advance to higher leagues and unlock exclusive tournaments, such as the Fortnite World Cup Online Opens.
Each League is broken up into several Divisions, with players working their way from Open League to Contender League to Champion League.
Scoring will update from division to division, with an increasing amount of Bus Fare lost with each match at higher divisions.
Note: Matchmaking in Arena is based on players with similar Hype. As a result, players in higher divisions may experience longer than normal wait times before a match is found.

The new tournament is the Luxe Cup from March 30 - 31. This Duos tournament has $100,000 in cash prizes, but you have to have reached the Contender League in Arena to play it. The format is as follows:

March 30th - Round One: All Eligible Players
March 31st - Round Two: Top 3000 Players from Round One

You can take a look at the full list of patch notes including performance upgrades, bug fixes and more here.

Oh ya! I almost forgot! The Infinite Dab now lasts 14 hours in the lobby.

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