Epic Games has promised to make big tweaks to shotguns in its next Fortnite update. Players can look forward to increased damage in close quarters gunfights, while the pump shotgun will be rebalanced to “improve effectiveness.”
The general consensus among the Fortnite community right now is that shotguns are broken — and have been for a while. The pump shotgun in particular gets a lot of criticism; it should be one of the strongest in its class, but in so many instances, it’s completely useless.
The problem stems from shotgun changes made during season five.
Epic introduced a number of tweaks, including big shotgun nerfs and disabling the “double pump,” in an effort to balance weapons in close quarter gunfights. Since then, however, other weapons like the SMGs have been buffed, while shotguns have remained unchanged.
Epic is finally going to do something about it.
Fortnite 6.31 will bring overdue shotgun improvements
In Fortnite version 6.31 — the game’s next release — a number of shotgun changes will be made, Epic Games lead designer Eric Williams confirmed on Twitter. This will include a pump shotgun rebalance, which will increase damage dealt during close quarter fights.
The upcoming 6.31 update will include a Pump Shotgun rebalance to improve effectiveness: damage will increase in close quarters and range will be reduced slightly. Additionally, ALL shotguns will have a minimum damage of 3 pellets (even if only 1 or 2 hit).
— Eric Williamson (@erwil9) November 20, 2018
What’s more, all shotguns will have a minimum damage of three pellets — even if only one or two actually hit your target. This is hugely important in a game with erratic and unpredictable bloom, which can sometimes cause none of your shots to hit even if your aim is accurate.
So, with the blue pump shotgun, which deals 10 damage per pellet, you will deal a minimum of 30 damage up-close. Damage falloff still applies, so if you hit an opponent with a shotgun at range, it is possible to deal less than that. But you should expect at least 30 up-close.
Williams makes no mention of “double pump,” which allowed players to carry two pump shotguns and quickly switch between them for a faster fire rate, returning to the game. Nevertheless, this is still wonderful news for those who like to use shotguns in Fortnite.
