Despite backlash on social media towards Epic Games making players choose between the Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle and Combat SMG, it would seem that as of now the AR is the clear winner with more than 80% being funded.Sadly, the Combat SMG picked the short end of the stick and will remain vaulted for the foreseeable future. Perhaps loopers will be able to have the weapon in the loot pool next season.Fortnite@FortniteGameThe War Effort continues. You can now vote for the Combat Assault Rifle or Combat SMG to aid the fight against the Sideways.Two high-powered weapons that are second to none in an expert’s hands. Vote in-game now!fn.gg/br-v18-207:30 AM · Oct 13, 20215113293The War Effort continues. You can now vote for the Combat Assault Rifle or Combat SMG to aid the fight against the Sideways.Two high-powered weapons that are second to none in an expert’s hands. Vote in-game now!fn.gg/br-v18-20Although players will not get to try out the brand new SMG this season, they will soon be getting a hand-held gatling gun in the guise of an AR, able to beam opponents at mid range.The Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle is an oddball of a weaponWhen the term Combat Assault Rifle comes to mind, most imagine a close to mid range weapon capable of dealing massive amounts of damage with high precision and accuracy.While the latter may be true for the new Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle, the former is a bit sketchy. It would seem that this new weapon, once thought to be powerful, is somewhat subjective in nature.HYPEX@HYPEXreminder: these are the Combat AR stats & description6:23 AM · Oct 15, 2021161066reminder: these are the Combat AR stats & description https://t.co/UGmc8VWFiMStatisticsFor starters, the gun deals very low damage. How low? About 11 damage less than its counterpart, the Assault Rifle. However, what it lacks in damage, it more than enough makes up for in rate of fire.StatisticsAssault Rifle (Legendary)Combat Assault Rifle (Legendary)DPS198225Damage3625Fire-Rate5.59Magazine Size3035Reload Time2.07s2.8The Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle has an astonishing 9.0 fire rate, which is very high. To put it into perspective, a Legendary tier Minigun has a rate of fire of 12. So although the damage output is low, the weapon can essentially be used to beam opponents into submission,To feed the ever-hungry bullet-eating Assault Rifle, developers have even slapped a 35 round magazine on the weapon, which is quite high for an AR. Players should be able to spray away without having to reload quickly.HYPEX@HYPEXThe damage is low because the fire rate is high and the magazine site is also 5 bullets bigger, the spread is also tight BUT the recoil is high!6:24 AM · Oct 15, 2021123030The damage is low because the fire rate is high and the magazine site is also 5 bullets bigger, the spread is also tight BUT the recoil is high!Based on information from HYPEX, the Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle features a tight bullet spread, which comes at the cost of high recoil. Compared to a normal AR in-game, this weapon will require a good understanding of recoil patterns in order to master.Release dateHYPEX@HYPEXThe Combat AR is at 80% while the Combat SMG is still at ~15% 💀 Expect it to release in the next 1-2 days if it keeps going with this rate!5:50 AM · Oct 15, 2021288396The Combat AR is at 80% while the Combat SMG is still at ~15% 💀 Expect it to release in the next 1-2 days if it keeps going with this rate! https://t.co/MydGMhT8G5Well, much like round one of the War Effort donation drive, there is no fixed date on which players can expect to see the Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle go live in-game.As of the moment, the weapon has been funded to a little over 80%. If donations are held at the current rate, the item could be in-game within two days at the most. Furthermore, given that the weekend is fast approaching, many more players will be grinding for gold bars and donating around the clock.If all goes well, the Fortnite Combat Assault Rifle should be unvaulted by Sunday, October 17. However, much like the Shockwave Grenades, players may have to wait a bit before Epic adds them in-game for use.