As many ardentFortniteBattle Royale players would likely attest, one of the most valuable weapons to have on-hand in the free-to-play multiplayer sandbox survival shooter is the Pump Shotgun. Now, it looks as if the developerEpic Gameshas some alterations in mind for the firearm, as Design Lead Eric Williamson has officially announced some new balance changes that are coming to make the gun that much more useful.
As seen in the tweet below from Williamson,Fortnitefans should expect the game’s upcoming Update 6.31 to include certain changes to the Pump Shotgun’s stats, with the re-balance giving the firearm a buff when it comes to up-close-and-personal encounters. The patch is set to increase damage in close-quarters situations, while slightly reducing range. These tweaks should not only help to maintain the weapon’s popularity, but also make it more realistic thanks to the minor range reduction.
As it so happens, the Pump Shotgun won’t be the only firearm of its kind to receive some changes inFortnite’s Update 6.31, for Williamson has also promised that all shotguns–be they of the Heavy, Tactical,Double Barreled, or any other variety–will have a minimum damage of 3 pellets. This will occur even if only 1 or 2 actually hit an opponent, which ought to make the weapon type even more favorable to those who rely on them in combat.
Taking all of this into account, it will be interesting to see just how theFortnitecommunity responds to these changes once they go live, for even though shotguns are often considered to be the one of the best weapons to grab in the game, not everyone is fully on-board with using them. Nevertheless, perhaps the aforementioned tweaks will go a long way in swaying practically everyone into keeping at least one shotgun on standby in their inventory.
Fortniteis available now for Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
