The new Fortnite v8.11 patch is out now. Even though the patch is small, there are a lot of small talking points in the patch notes. Tournaments, UI and a new weapon are the newest additions to the game. There is even a new style of mobility that is being brought back from the vault.
Flint-Knock pistol
The newest weapon to Fortnite is the Flint-Knock pistol. The unique weapon can be found as floor loot and knocks back the player using it as well as enemies that are close enough. Dealing 86/90 damage and using heavy ammo, the weapon takes three seconds to reload. Even though the weapon has to be reloaded every shot, it has some very cool uses.
The Flint-Knock pistol does 132 damage to structures, making it great for smashing through walls that are still building. When firing at a wall, the pistol will knock the player back and destroy the wall. For an unsuspecting enemy, this a great strategy since the knock-back makes the players position unpredictable. Followed by a shotgun, it is effective on lower level players. The weapon also has an impulse like effect when shot. If the player jumps and shoots downwards, the pistol launches them three tiles high. That means if there’s too much going on down low, it makes for a quick escape back to the builds up top. It is also useful to take high ground if an enemy just keeps building.
Impulse Grenades
They’re back! Impulses are back with a buff, boasting an extra 344 percent effectiveness to vehicles. A lot of players were upset when impulses disappeared the first time. The consumable item offers a lot of extra mobility without flying too high into the air like with a jump pad. Many players liked them for doing trick shots and making cool plays on enemies. Now that impulses are back, it could cause a stir in the competitive scene.
Players now have to decide if a stack of impulses are more useful than shield or medkits. The extra mobility helps a lot late game and is similar to the grappler. Taking high ground or launching players out of storm will be a threat at all times. It can be a very easy kill if enemies are not building how they should be. It will be interesting to see how the pros adapt to the change since impulses were last in the game.
impulse grenade to bounce pad trickshot 🔥 pic.twitter.com/74GxsQgnSF
— Reckzo (@Reckzo) August 8, 2018
Tournaments
Tournaments are back again with more Gauntlet test cups. This week the top three percent will be invited to play in the Blackheart Cup, a 100,000 dollar tournament. There was a similar tournament last week and the competition was hot. Players were trying very hard to get their piece of that money. These tournaments are all leading up to the big Fortnite World League Event happening in a few short months. Players are practicing and using these events to do it. If there was ever a time to get better and practice, it is now. The Blackheart tournament starts March 23 for eligible players and the top 3000 advance to round two the following day.
Players can expect to play a very packed late game and practice skills like turtling and editing in this playlist. While it is a lot of fun, it should be taken seriously. Epic likes to host an extra secret tournament for top competitors in the gauntlet, those points mean a lot.
UI Fixes
Last week, Epic came out with new outfit variations of Scarlet Defender, Elite Agent, Renegade Raider, Waypoint, Overtaker and Whiteout. These variations allow players to take off headgear that is worn by that skin, allowing their faces to be seen. There was a few hiccups and Epic has been working on fixes for a few of the skins. Now, the Whiteout skin has been fixed so players can take his helmet off. These were a small change that went under the radar, but an awesome one for players who like to keep things fresh. The leaderboard UI was also fixed so tournament leaderboards now show the correct placement. Prior to this update, there was a bug that made the leaderboard show “#0” for every player, and rankings were unknown.
The full list of patch notes can be found here.
Feature Image Courtesy of Epic Games
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