Fortnite’s newest patch, v5.40, brings in the Getaway, the Grappler and the new High Stakes event to Battle Royale.
Fortnite ’s newest patch is here and it’s bringing with it the game’s biggest event ever: High Stakes.
The centerpiece of the High Stakes event is its introduction of Fortnite ’s newest game mode, The Getaway, but that’s not the only thing coming to Fortnite this patch. We’re also getting a new themed weapon — the Grappler, perfect for any heist you’re waiting to pull off — as well as some new skins, including the event-themed Wildcard outfit.
Also making their way into Fortnite thanks to this patch are a few meaningful balance changes. Among these are a variety of weapon rarity shifts and a few buffs. Also a change to the number of shields you can carry at once. Perhaps the most meaningful change to the game, though, has to do with the storm which is now a little more destructive than it used to be.
For a look at all of the changes coming to Fortnite in patch 5.40, you can check out our full patch notes .
Fortnite’s newest weapon has been added to the game and it makes getting around a whole lot easier. Just as the name suggests, the Grappler is a fast and easy way to grapple to the top of structures; all you have to do is shoot it and the gun will pull you straight up. The Grappler is an Epic-rarity weapon, has 15 charges and can be picked up from anywhere that loot spawns, including treasure chests and even on the floor.
The Getaway is Fortnite’s newest game mode and its most involved since Thanos entered the fray a few months ago. In fact, this game mode is even more of a change to standard battle royale than the mad titan was.
In The Getaway, squads of players are tasked with finding one of the safes, which drop during the first circle, and escaping the map with the jeweled llama that was inside. Meanwhile, the other players are trying to do the same thing, as well as stop anyone else from getting away with the prize. The first four teams that make it out will be the winners.
If there’s one thing that Epic has never quite been able to figure out in Fortnite it’s how to prevent the building in the late game of certain matches from getting too ridiculous. In these games two or three players each occupy a certain height as the final circle closes in and they attempt to heal to stay alive longer than their opponents.
Now, Epic is taking its most drastic step ever toward fixing this issue as some late game storms will now destroy structures that are at the storm’s edge. More specifically, this will begin happening on the storms zones that move, meaning that it likely won’t happen on the final circle, just the ones right before it. While this likely won’t fix every heal-off, it is likely to make them far less common.
While this patch may be full of weapon changes, not all of them really matter as much as you think because most of them are simply rarity changes — Epic is changing what it says about a weapon without actually changing the weapon. These kinds of changes help new players understand the strength of the item they are holding.
For instance, revolvers have all been vaulted. Meanwhile, Burst Rifles have been given a variety of buffs, including more accuracy on their first shots. Boogie Bombs also now drop in stacks of two, rather than just one at a time.
That’s right, shield potions are going from a limit of two in your inventory to three. This may not sound like the biggest change, but it actually means you can keep a whole lot more healing on you at once. Though shield potions aren’t as quick to use as their small shield potion cousins, they carry the added benefit of being able to shield you all the way up to 100. But the limit on only carrying two previously made them less than ideal to carry. Now, thanks to this buff, regular shield potion inventory slots are now a little more valuable.
