Fortnite: Buffs and Nerfs, how will it affect gameplay

The recent Fortnite update added a long awaited feature to the game, but there were other changes conducted at the same time. Bug fixes, adjustments to the storm, and drop rate changes were all included in the most recent update.

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Changes to the Fortnite Storm Cycle

The first Storm Circle in matches has been modified, they are probably trying to make match less boring by making the storms smaller/faster:Starting Radius: from 24 to 23Shrink Time: from 240 seconds to 210Wait Time: from 200 seconds to 170

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) August 5, 2020

After cars, changes to the Fortnite Storm Cycle will probably have the biggest effect on how players want to play the game. The reported changes only affect the first storm cycle, making the first circle smaller, start shrinking sooner, and shrink faster. All this should make Fortnite play a bit faster, but just how well does it address the well known pacing issues in Fortnite?

It is perhaps best to say that it doesn’t address pacing in Fortnite. Rather, it simply accepted that the game played slower than the players, and this tuning is meant to allow the game to catch up to the community.

With reports of games having as few as five players left before the first circle closes, this change won’t really solve that issue as make the game slightly faster so that the last players don’t have to wait as long for the game to end.

The initial radius being a meter smaller won’t have too much of an effect, it’s just a small change that causes both the storm to shrink slightly faster and the play area to be slightly smaller. However, with 30 seconds removed from both the wait time and shrink time it will significantly shorten the opening phases of the game.

For Fortnite players that loot less popular locations, they can gather all they need and move on quickly without having to wait nearly as long for the game to begin for them. However, for Fortnite players who frequently land at hotly contested locations this change will make the start of the game more frantic, especially if you struggle to quickly clear the area.

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Changes to Marauders in Fortnite

The Marauders have been updated:Bandage drop % from 50% to 25%Stink Grenade drop % from 50% to 75%Stink Grenade drop stack from 3 to 6

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) August 5, 2020

Marauders frequently fit the role of being something players can eliminate fairly easily for a simple reward. Usually they are worth going after due to the fact that they drop some unique equipment. In this case, Stink Grenades have had their drop rate increased to 75% while having their drop stack cut in half.

This results in the effective drop rate for Stink Grenades going from 3.00 to 2.25 per Marauder kill, both reducing the amount found and spreading their availability around more.

The other half of this is that Marauders have had their bandage drop rate reduced to 25%. This means Marauders are less useful to farm in Fortnite while farming them has been made more consistent, a nerf and quality of life change paired together.

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Bug Fixes in Fortnite

We're aware that the issue involving slow Glider speed after certain situations is still occurring for players and are working to address this.https://t.co/tfgXvbknJ7

— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) August 5, 2020

Battle Royale Bug Fixes (From Epic Games' Trello)

• XP bar can be visually incorrect while in a match. / Incorrect leveling-up.
• Ocean's Bottomless Chug Jug unable to be picked up while recharging if dropped by another player.
• "Deal damage within 10s of landing from the Whirlpool at Hydro 16" should say "at The Yacht" instead.
• "Land at Frenzy Farm/The Yacht and finish Top 25" not counting in Duos/Squads.

Epic Games published a list of bugs addressed in this patch via their trello board. However, most important is that Epic acknowledged the well known, and very frustrating, glider bug. Although they have not yet been able to solve it, they have announced that they are conducting an investigation to figure it out.