Delivered a little later than usual, this week’s Fortnite patch 5.21 packs a punch with the introduction of the massive damage dealing Heavy Sniper Rifle and not one, but two Limited Time Modes.
The brand new Heavy Sniper Rifle is about sheer power delivering a breathtaking 150 to 157 damage to players (double that number for deftly aimed head shots), while buildings don’t fare well either sustaining between 1050 and 1100 damage per on target shot. To put this in perspective, one shot should completely destroy a wall or any other single structure piece for that matter. In terms of ballistics, bullets fired from the heavy sniper produce less drop than other snipers though the reload time is substantially longer.
As you’d expect, Epic don’t want everyone and his uncle camping the rooftops of Titled Towers with a high powered long distance rifle so the heavy sniper is limited to Epic and Legendary variants, available from the usual selection of spawns; chests, vending machines, supply drops, and floor loot.
This week, two Limited Time Modes make an appearance. The first is Soaring 50’s, which has players embark on a more aerial-focused assault of the map with the ability to redeploy gliders with a quick touch of the jump button when jumping from structures taller than 10 meters. In addition, extra spawns of Bounce Pads, Launch Pads, and Impulse Grenades should encourage players to take to the air as well.
The second Fortnite LTM fits in nicely with the Heavy Sniper Rifle and is the returning Sniper Shootout. As you’ve surely guessed, loot and drop points only churn out sniper rifles (though scoped rifles have been excluded from the party) for all out long-distance warfare.
In other Fortnite news, the time space continuum defying rift in the firmament appears to be disappearing very slowly. Data miners estimate the rift will close completely by August 21st, sparking speculation as to whether Epic are already gearing up for Season 6. More likely, the events leading up to Season 5 are simply being wrapped up and a line drawn in the sand to allow for fresh map altering shenanigans. Here’s what the rift should look like on August 18th according to FNBRLeaks.