Fortnite update v22.20 early patch notes: Fortnitemares 2022, Zero Build Horde Rush, Pumpkin Shockwave Launcher, and more

Let the spooky season officially begin! (Image via Twitter/vondarkerreal)
Let the spooky season officially begin! (Image via Twitter/vondarkerreal)

Fortnitemares 2022 for Chapter 3 Season 4 will begin in just a few hours. According to the official tweet from the developers, everything will be revealed on October 18, 2022.

While a few content changes are known, the bulk of what's to come remains a mystery. Despite their best efforts, Fortnite leaks have not been able to showcase the exact theme for the occasion. Nevertheless, there are a few early patch notes that do provide some insight.


Patch notes hint at expected content for the Fortnitemares 2022 update v22.20

1) Fortnitemares 2022 reveal and freebies

Want to know what items might feature in the shop tomorrow? Check out our predictions for tomorrow's Fortnite Item Shop

Although Fortnitemares 2022 is far from being the festival of giving, there's no doubt that developers will be handing out freebies to players. With more and more loopers joining the metaverse, a few free gifts go a long way toward retaining the player base.

That said, official information about the spooky month will be revealed during downtime. Although The Herald doesn't seem like a powerful antagonist when compared to the Cube Queen, she no doubt has plans for the island in October. What these are and how they affect everything is yet to be seen.


2) Pumpkin Shockwave Launcher

Some time ago, leakers discovered a Pumpkin Shockwave Launcher in the game's files. As the name suggests, the weapon will likely function similarly to the Shockwave Launcher with the expectation that it may shoot out Pumpkins rather than Shockwave Grenades.

It'll be interesting to see the design of this weapon. Will the pumpkins be round-shaped when fired or elongated? No one knows as of now, but whatever makes the cut, it's bound to look goofy to give players a good laugh.


3) POI makeover for Fortnitemares 2022

Every special in-game event is marked with POIs being renovated for the occasion. While players do wish the changes were implemented island-wide, having some decorations is better than none. With that said, a few POIs and landmarks in-game are likely going to get a makeover.

By the looks of it, jump scares will be added to the map alongside zombie chicken. It's unclear how they'll function, but they will be entertaining to watch nonetheless. On that note, heavy fog may be reimplemented in the game for a few days during Fortnitemares 2022. This will add to the spooky feeling and provide a layer of environmental factors for players to navigate.


4) Halloween boss and Mythic

A brand new boss will be added for Halloween. According to leakers, it's codenamed "Freaky." Based on the information at hand, it will drop a yet-to-be-disclosed Mythic weapon along with the Pumpkin Shockwave Launcher when defeated.

In the last Fortnitemares, players had to enter The Sideways and defeat a boss for loot. This time around, Epic may add Chrome bubbles (or something similar) that players will need to enter to achieve the same. However, only after the update can these facts be verified or denied.


5) Diagonal Movement on PC

On October 14, the developers posted an official status on the addition of Diagonal Movement for mouse and keyboard players. Given that this was possible on controllers, bringing it to PC makes a lot of sense. That said, it's left to be seen how many players adapt to this new feature.

Since PC players don't usually use their keyboard to move diagonally in battle royale games, this will be something new. Nevertheless, if the feature manages to provide a tactical edge to those who use it, this type of movement will become the norm in the months to come.


6) Zero Build Horde Rush release

Horde Rush is already popular in Fortnite. It's been a staple in-game mode and is one of the highlights of Fortnitemares. In fact, it's probably the closest thing that resembles Save The World mode on the Battle Royale side of things.

That said, with Zero Build mode becoming popular in ragtime, it was only obvious that developers would create a similar mode for Horde Rush. Players will be able to complete challenges in this new Zero Build Horde Rush mode and earn XP to level up. Details regarding the same should be disclosed during downtime.


7) Miscellaneous

Although a lot of items are being added to the game for Fortnitemares, a few will be getting vaulted and/or nerfed during the update. According to leakers, the Grapple Gloves will be vaulted tomorrow and the Explosive Goo Gun may be getting nerfed.

With the Grapple Glove getting vaulted, there's a high probability of the Witch Broom making a return. However, given that Launch Pads can now be carried around and deployed at will, it's left to be seen if this will come to pass.

The Battle Bus is heading into Fortnite! Check out the final Fortnite item shop today!

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