Fortnite Chapter 3 has been a success for the most part with the introduction of a good map, new weapons, and a new sliding mechanic. The nerfs to shotguns had many players scratching their heads when trying to plan a workable loadout. With the introduction of the very powerful MK-7 Assault Rifle and the Stinger SMG, most gameplay had been centered around a “spray and pray’’ meta.
In an unusually quick update, Epic Games has nerfed the spray weapons slightly and provided a solid buff to the shotguns. These changes should allow for a more balanced and interesting gameplay style. Judging by over 30,000 likes on their Twitter feed, it seems that the updates were well-received by the majority of the Fortnite community. Here are the announcements:
Shotguns:
The Striker Shotgun is now much more viable with buffs to accuracy and rate of fire. The reticle size has been reduced resulting in more damage per hit. With the increase in the rate of fire, players now have an effective counter to enemies who simply dive into boxes and start spraying away.
Although the pull-out time for the Auto Shotgun has been reduced, it remains less viable than the Striker Shotgun. The main reason for this is that the Auto Shotgun still has a very high reload time. This inability to reload within a reasonable amount of time could create major problems in longer fights.
Spray Weapons:
The MK-7 Assault Rifle has been one of the most powerful and accurate weapons for dealing damage at distance. The additional ability to deal damage through protective builds has made this weapon a must-have for effective gameplay. The MK-7 also works very well with the new Chapter 3 mechanics as it allows for ADS while sliding. This new update has not changed the accuracy or the damage output of the MK-7. But opponents might have a fair chance now that the environmental damage through builds has been reduced.
The Ranger Assault Rifle had been almost unplayable from the start due to weak damage output and low accuracy. Epic has increased damage by 1 for all rarities and increased accuracy slightly. These adjustments were needed for this AR. However, the MK-7 still outshines the Ranger in almost all categories.
There has been no mention of any changes to the Stinger SMG. It remains one of the most powerful weapons in Chapter 3. The high accuracy and rapid rate of fire can melt opponents quickly in close-range combat. Prior to this update, many players were running with two Stingers in their inventory and completely shunning the shotguns. However, with this update, the normal AR/shotgun/SMG loadout seems to be viable once again.
