After the rapid rise of Apex Legends, it seemed like this would be the end of Fortnite. However, Epic Games had other plans in mind and to this day, Fortnite continues to grow. Even after going through 8 major seasons, Epic Games are still pumping fresh content into the game to retain their player base. Staying on top for this long is no common feat and Epic Games are the masters of consistency. Just a week after the launch of Season 8, Epic has added even more content into the game. The latest update is now live on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS. The patch introduces a few new mechanics that change the way you play.
1. The Baller:
The Baller is a ball-like vehicle and kind of looks like the gyro pod from Jurassic World. It comes equipped with a Grappler and a Boost for agile and snappy movements across the terrain. You could basically escape from a fight by pulling yourself out of a tricky situation.
However, if you feel adventurous, you could also drop into an ongoing fight and take advantage of already weakened enemies. The possibilities are endless and the sky is your imagination. It also comes with its own 300 health that protects you from damage.
Fortnite players can find The Baller at Expedition Outposts and near pirate camp loot stashes.
It might not fit with the ongoing pirate theme of the season 8, but it is surely a welcome addition. Epic have also stated that they intend to add a wide variety of skins and items regardless of the theme.
2. Vending Machines:
The Vending Machines work differently too now. Adding a huge amount of building materials to activate them is no longer required. The Vending machines now activate without anything but also self-destruct after a single use. They are also much rarer now as Epic have removed common and uncommon Vending machines.
3. The Getaway:
A new limited time mode called The Getaway has also been added to Fortnite with this patch. It involves finding and delivering a jewel to a getaway vehicle before anyone else. There are four jewels and four vans on the map in an instance. This mode also resurrects the vehicle that got archived at the start of the Season 8. The All-Terrain Kart or ATK makes a return because it is the only vehicle that can carry 4 people at a time.
4. Cross-Platform Changes:
Another change that comes with this version 8.10 is the way cross-platform matchmaking works. Players from PS4 and Xbox One are now thrown together in one pool, while Nintendo Switch players now get paired with mobile players.
The reason for this was to optimize matchmaking for Switch players as they would have an “on-average better per-game experience” with mobile players. This might come as a surprise to some but might have something to do with the Switch being less capable in terms of raw power.
In a less significant change, drop rates of Heavy Assault rifles have also changed. They can now be found in only common, uncommon and rare variants with the epic and legendary editions being removed.
These changes paired up with an exciting Week 2 of challenges for Season 8 means that players won’t run out of content any time soon. With the pirate camps, buried treasure maps and all sorts of wacky stuff being injected into Fortnite, this sure promises to be one of the best seasons for the game yet.
You can see all the other small details about the new patch in the full patch notes on the official Fortnite blog here.