While there may be only a handful of days left inFortniteSeason 8, the battle royale appears determined to end its current season with a bang. A new hotfix forFortnitev18.40 is rolling out today, which adds another weapon item vote as well as the new “Strike from the Shadows” Week.
Epic Games' ever-popular free-to-play title is in the final weeks of its current “Cubed” season. Continuing a plot thread from the prior alien invasion-themed season,Fortnitehas been letting playersvote to bring weapons out of the vaultas part of the ongoing War Effort. Fans have since brought items like the Combat Assault Rifle and the Grappler back onto the island, and they’ll get one more shot to bring another weapon into circulation again.
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Detailed on the officialFortnitewebsite, the latest weapon item vote lets players decide between two fan-favorites: the Proximity Grenade Launcher and the Flint-Lock Pistol. Introduced during Chapter 1, Season 9, the Proximity Grenade Launcher fires a projectile very similar to a standard grenade, in that it bounces off surfaces. However, the projectiles can detonate mid-air whenever it gets within close proximity of an opponent. The Flint-Lock Pistol has a very unique function, in that it launches the wielder and targeted opponent in the opposite direction that they’re aiming, but is negated when crouched.
Both weapons boast unique properties that none of the currentFortnitearsenal has, so it should be interesting to see what the player base votes for. In addition to the new weapon item vote, a new themed week has begun, called Strike from the Shadows Week. Falling in line withFortnite’sNarutocrossover event, the next week puts an emphasis on the Paper Bomb Kunai with Shadow Stones and Shadow Floppers. All three items' spawn rate is spiked, with Epic Games encouraging players to sneak up on opponents in shadow form, then go for the elimination with Paper Bomb Kunai.
One curious detail of theFortnitehotfix is at the very beginning of the post, describing how its almost time to “employ a new fighting strategy.” While there’s been no indication as to what this means, some players are already theorizing the specific verbiage’s intent. With little time left in the current season, and the common belief that the next one will be the beginning ofFortniteChapter 3, fans think it might be therecently leaked throwable axe weapon. Popular leaker HYPEX revealed the model of the new weapon type, although its stats and features remain a mystery.
The combination of theNarutocrossover, Strike from the Shadows Week, and a new weapon item vote,Fortniteseems determined to spice things up for the rest of the season. Although, things may get exponentially more spicy next season, as its rumoreda sliding mechanic is being added.
Fortniteis free-to-play on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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