Skill-based matchmaking has finally arrived in Fortnite Battle Royale with today’s version 10.40 update.
The release also brings brand-new game modes and locations, big changes to controller settings, and bug fixes. But there’s one thing missing for players on iPhone and iPad.
In typical Fortnite style, this weeks patch is a big one. Fans have lots to look forward to, including a host of new content that will keep Battle Royale feeling fresh for another few weeks.
There are also some big bug fixes in this release. But one of the features iOS players have been calling for has (yet again) been left off Epic’s list.
Fortnite gets skill-based matchmaking
The biggest change to Fortnite this week isn’t its new games modes or locations. It’s a massive change to matchmaking, which Epic first confirmed on Tuesday.
Players are no longer thrown into one big matchmaking pool to play against anyone. Epic is finally taking skill into account, matching players with others who are at the same level.
That means inexperienced players shouldn’t be entering into the same games as seasoned Fortnite masters. But as your skill level improves, so will your opponents.
Controller settings overhaul
Epic has also added new sensitivity and aim assist settings for those who use a controller. The ability to spam aim assist is gone, and there are now 10 simple sensitvity presets to choose from.
You can use more “advanced” options to tweak controller settings even further if you need to. But for most players, the basic presets — like those in most games — will be enough.
Other controller changes include improvements to look sensitivity, aim sensitivity, and build mode sensitivity. You can find out more about these tweaks on the Fortnite blog.
Enter The Combine
In line with the controller improvements, there’s a new Fortnite game mode designed to help controller players improve their aim. But you can also play it with a keyboard and mouse or touch.
It’s called The Combine, and in it, your main goal is to reach the end as quickly as possible while eliminating all targets along the way.
The Combine is great for practising accuracy, reaction, tracking, and other skills that make great controller players great. And there are leaderboards that help make it competitive and fun.
Visit Starry Suburbs
This week’s Rift Zone has nrought back the ruined neighborhood near Pleasant Park. It’s called Starry Suburbs, and it now seems a sweet place to live, with spacious homes full of loot.
While visiting Starry Suburbs, you’ll find shooting stars landing on the ground around you. And you can crush them to uncover powerfuls items, including a never-before-seen weapon.
Big fixes on mobile
There is a long list of changes and improvements to Fortnite on mobile this week. We won’t list them all here — you can find them on Epic’s blog — but we have picked out some highlights:
- Fixed crash when exiting Battle Bus on low-end iOS devices.
- Scoped AR crosshair now loads on first ADS.
- Graphical improvements to a bunch of outfits.
- Players can now edit or destroy floor pieces placed in 1×1 buildings.
These changes are all well and good, but there are some things mobile players have been calling out for that are nowhere to be seen in the patch notes.
Still missing on mobile
The big one is L3/R3 support on iOS. Apple’s latest update brings the ability to play games with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One controllers, but Fortnite still doesn’t support them.
We’re still stuck with the “limited” controller layout, which doesn’t use L3/R3 buttons. You can change it, of course, but Fortnite still won’t recognize them on iPhone and iPad. How annoying.
Epic is also yet to fix the problem iOS 13 users have been having with the new three-fingered copy/paste gesture. So if that was driving you mad before, it will continue to do so in 10.40.
