Epic Reverse Fortnite Explosive Damage Changes a Day Later

Fortnite update 6.21 has been a controversial one, to say the least. While it added new mechanics like balloons, it also came with a load of performance issues. The most controversial change, however, has to deal with explosive damage. Fortunately, it looks as if Epic is already on top of course-correcting.

In the update, players now can receive 25% splash damage from explosions, even if they were behind a structure. Naturally, this caused quite the controversy among the Fortnite fanbase. Some would say player-built structures are the core Fortnite mechanic, and this appeared to be a blow to their effectiveness.

As for why Epic went with the change in the first place, the company said it wanted to work on an “imbalance” of offensive and defensive tactics it noticed. Knowing it would be controversial, when the update went live, Epic went to Reddit looking to its fanbase for its input on the changes, asking:

Is 25% the right amount? What if it were lower?

Should all material types have the same damage reduction? That is, should metal have a higher mitigation than wood?

Is the aggressive/defensive balance right currently? What other methods might make sense for countering overly defensive play?

Fans, in general, were not happy with the changes. On November 2, 2018, the day after the update went live, Epic again went to Reddit to address concerns.

Here is Epic’s statement on the issue:

Hey everyone, we’ll be reverting the explosive damage changes in yesterday’s update. We really appreciate your feedback on the topic! We’ve heard a lot of great input on how we can better incentivize aggressive play and will be keeping that input in mind while we consider other options. We are working on getting the changes reverted ASAP, and will update once completed.

While a specific release for the hotfix wasn’t given, it’s heartening to see Epic listen so closely to what its fans are saying.

Are any of you Fortnite players happy with this change? Do you think Epic made the right call with the original change? Let us know!

[Source: Reddit]