Software Update: Fortnite 8.40

Fortnite is a co-op survival sandbox game from development studio Epic Games. The graphic style is cartoony and is reminiscent of the style of games like Team Fortress. That automatically places the emphasis on fun. There are two modes in the game: the story-driven ‘Save the World’ mode, which is currently subject to payment, and the free ‘Battle Royale’ mode, which pits you against other players. The game can be played on Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and smartphones. For more information, please refer to our brief review. The developers have released Fortnite 8.40 with the following announcement:

V8.40 PATCH NOTES – BATTLE ROYALE

WHAT’S NEW?

• Air Royale Limited Time Mode – Pilot the X-4 Stormwing in this Limited Time Mode as you fight to become the last plane flying! Complete free Challenges to unlock brand new Wraps as you rule the skies.
• Infantry Rifle – New rarities for this precise, semi-automatic weapon are available now! Find and wield the Epic/Legendary variants and deliver accurate fire downrange.

LIMITED TIME MODE: AIR ROYALE

• Summary – Climb aboard a plane and take to the skies in this fast-paced mode where players fight to be the last one flying!
• Fashion Details
  • Air Royale is lifting off as a Duos-only mode.
  • Each plane has 3 lives, players will respawn until they lose their plane’s last life.
  • Touching the ground will instantly eliminate players.
  • Parking a plane on the ground for more than a few seconds will cause it to explode – stay airborne!
  • Hijacking another team’s plane will add that plane to your existing number of plane lives (and cost the team who lost the plane a life).
  • The storm has a ceiling that gradually lowers during the match. Be careful not to fly too high late in the match!
  • Loot chests of five different rarities will fall from the sky, allowing players to upgrade the guns they are carrying as well as boosting their plane’s weapons for a short time. To receive the contents of a Chest, simply fly through it.
  • If players receive loot from a Chest containing a weapon they already have that’s of the same or worse quality, they’ll receive additional ammo. Chests with higher quality guns will automatically replace the lower quality weapon that’s being carried.
  • Floating repair kits can also be found, these heal damaged planes and grant health & shields to players.

LIMITED TIME MODE: FOOD FIGHT – DEEP FRIED

• Summary – Two teams on either side of the map. A huge barrier down the middle. Lava steadily rising up from below. Build a fortress to protect your restaurant mascot. When the Barrier lowers, destroy the enemy’s mascot and then eliminate the remaining enemies to win the match!
• Fashion Details
  • An impassable barrier will be spawned along the center of the map for the first several minutes. Lava starts rising from beneath the map a few minutes into the match.
  • Each team will have an under-construction restaurant near the center of the map. Inside is a giant mascot head representing that team.
  • If the mascot head is destroyed, that team loses the ability to respawn when eliminated.
  • Players should use the time that the barrier is up to construct a defensive fortress around their restaurant.
  • As soon as the barrier lowers, fight to take out their mascot before they destroy yours!
  • Special red supply drops spawn at match start. These hold a handful of weapons, ammo, consumables, traps and a few hundred metal building materials.
  • Players will respawn when eliminated, keeping their inventory & dropping some ammo and resources.
  • 100 percent extra resources are gained from farming.
  • Building resources found on the ground increased from 30 to 50 per instance.
  • No explosive weapons or items are in this mode.
  • A small amount of free building materials are granted to each player every second.
  • The restaurants are now much higher, requiring players to build up to them.
  • May the best food win!

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Egg Launcher
  • Everyone’s favorite egg-themed Grenade Launcher skin is back!
  • This is a visual only change for the Grenade Launcher.
• Infantry Rifle
  • Added Epic and Legendary Infantry Rifle variants.
  • Deals 42/44 damage.
  • Can be found from Floor Loot, Chests, Supply Drops and Vending Machines.
  • Uses Medium Ammo.

GAMEPLAY

• You can now pet the dog… and other Pets!
• The Battle Pass Friend XP Bonus has been upgraded!
  • Instead of giving a small XP boost to each friend in your party, you now get a larger XP boost for partying with one or more friends.
  • The overall total XP Bonus remains the same (120%) and will now be much easier to keep active
  • In short, play any match with any number of friends and you’ll be getting the same amount of XP as someone who’s been playing with a full squad of Battle-Pass-owning friends.
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed an issue where the Season 8 trailer wouldn’t play in some cases.
  • Fixed an issue where the embers from environmental Campfires would linger if the floor they were attached to was destroyed.
  • Fixed issue where Coconuts could not be pinged.
  • Fixed an issue where turbo building could stop if you ran out of the current type of material you were using.
  • Fixed an issue with Traps being be placed inside walls, making them difficult to see.
  • Fixed an issue with Traps being placed inconsistently when auto-placed.
  • Fixed ‘Emotes’ not playing when bound to specific keys.
  • Fixed an issue when using ‘Replay Last Emote’ before using any other emote, so it now plays the emote in the default slot.

COMPETITIVE

• New Tournament – April 20 & 21: Fortnite World Cup Online Open Week 2 ($1,000,000 total prize pool!)
  • Top performers in each server region will qualify to the Fortnite World Cup Finals in New York City. Full Fortnite World Cup details and official rules can be found here:
  • Duos Game Mode
  • Participation in this event requires both players to have reached Champion League in Arena.
  • Region Lock is in effect – players may only participate in the qualifier for a single server region each week of the Online Opens. The server region of the first match entered for that weekend’s tournament will be the one the player will be locked into for that entire weekend.
  • Format:
    Apr 20 – Round One: All Eligible Players.
    April 21 – Round Two: Top 1500 Teams from Round One.
• Added Fortnite World Cup Qualifier slots onto the prize breakout for Online Open tournaments.
• Visual improvements for Lobby panel during Online Open tournaments.
• Updated how Anonymous Mode works in tournaments to provide an improved experience for stream viewers while still protecting streamers.
  • When a player is eliminated, their name will be shown in the elimination feed.
  • When a player eliminates an opponent, their name will be shown to the eliminated player only.
• Maximum Screen Aspect Ratio can no longer be greater than 16:9.