Epic Games is now rolling out its biggest Fortnite update yet for season eight. The version 8.10 release brings a brand new vehicle that looks like a blast, and big changes for Battle Royale across all platforms.
Here’s what you have to look forward to.
Last week’s Fortnite update — the first for season eight — wasn’t the most exciting. We did get buried treasure and a new limited-time game mode, but not much else. This week’s release is far more spectacular.
There’s a brand new vehicle called the Baller to enjoy, plus welcome changes to weapons, matchmaking, and performance. Epic has also made a somewhat controversial adjustment to vending machines.
Fortnite 8.10 is huge
The Baller is a single-seat vehicle that you’ll find at expedition outposts and around pirate camps. It has a built-in grappler and boost functionality that helps you get around quickly, pulls you up cliffs, and swings you through trees.
You’re protected when you’re inside the Baller as it is a giant ball, but you will still need to be careful. The Baller has 300 health and is vulnerable to damage from enemy fire, and it doesn’t have a weapon of its own.
While we’re on the subject of weapons, there are big changes to rifles in Fortnite 8.10.
Weapon adjustments galore
The common variant of the loathed infantry rifle has been removed, so it shouldn’t spawn everywhere anymore. The rarity of the heavy assault rifle has been adjusted from rare/epic/legendary to common/uncommon/rare, which should mean that it is much easier to come by.
There’s also an adjustment for clinger grenades; you can only carry six in one inventory slot now, as opposed to 10. The availability of treasure maps has also been decreased in chests and floor loot.
Vending machines no longer charge you for weapons and items, and they will only drop rare and legendary items now. But there’s a big catch. Each machine will dispense just one item. As soon as it has been used it will be destroyed.
Big matchmaking improvements
Listen up if you play Fortnite on console or mobile, because there are big matchmaking changes you’ll want to be aware of. Epic is now combining PS4 and Xbox One players by default, and there’s no way to avoid it.
Actually, that’s not quite true. You can opt-out of cross-play, but if you do, you won’t be able to play regular Battle Royale game modes. Your only options will be Playground mode and Creative.
Nintendo Switch players will now be combined with mobile players, rather than PS4 and Xbox One players. This should provide a better experience, especially for those on Switch, who had trouble competing against faster consoles.
So many bug fixes
Switch players should also notice improved performance after Epic reduced the likelihood of particles being triggered when the day changes phases. This update also fixes some packet loss problems with certain ISPs.
There’s an incredibly lengthy list of other bug fixes and improvements for all platforms. It’s too big to include here, but you can read it on the official Fortnite blog if you want to find out more.
When you’re ready, you can download Fortnite 8.10 across all platforms now.
