For the past few months, Epic Games has been
working to make Fortnite 's end game a little more diverse. In June, the developer admitted
that they want to support a variety of late-game strategies, not the "just build lol" meta that has set in. Since then, we've seen various changes implemented, including changes to the storm circle location, the addition of stronger close-to-mid-range weapons,
nerfs to building materials (quickly followed by buffs again), and things of that nature. To Epic's credit, many of these changes have been for the better of the game, but they aren't quite done yet.
In a developer update shared today, Epic previewed some of the changes coming to
Fortnite next week with patch 5.40. One of the big changes is to storm destruction which will now cause damage to player-built structures in the final phases of the game. Epic explains the goal with this change is to
"provide a little more dynamic gameplay in the final stages." And before everyone freaks out, less than 10 percent of matches make it to the point where the storm will begin to cause damage to structures.
With update 5.40, we'll also be saying goodbye to the revolver. In an effort to keep the item pool "fresh and dynamic," the lame revolver is being sent to the vault. This doesn't necessarily mean it will be gone forever, as evidenced by the return of the guided missile, so it's possible it could return in the future. Epic says they'll continue to vault even more items, especially as we head into season six and beyond.
And finally, update 5.40 will add new mobility items, update balance parameters (rarity, stack sizes, etc.). Perhaps the biggest change here is that shields will be changed from a max stack size of two to three. Check out the developer update below for a full look at what's happening in
Fortnite Battle Royale with update 5.40 next week.
In addition to all of these changes, Epic
has teased the arrival of the High Stakes Event, a special in-game event that seemingly has something to do with gambling and heists. More details will be shared tonight during a livestream.