Shotguns are the bane of a casual Fortnite player’s existence. The skill it takes to accurately hit shots to deal max damage is something not everyone has.

So when a new, more powerful shotgun is released, it’s both an exciting and terrifying time. New weapons add variety to the game, but will the new shotgun be a menace to deal with.

Epic Games introduced the Ranger Shotgun alongside the Fortnite v20.20 update. This is a long-range shotgun that deals high damage, but it only fires a single shot with each reload.

Where to find Ranger Shotgun in Fortnite

The Ranger Shotgun has been added to the Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 loot pool. Luckily, if you want to try this new powerhouse out, it’s not hard to find.

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According to Epic Games, the Ranger Shotgun can be found on the ground as well as in chests, supply drops, and loot sharks. Additionally, some NPCs will sell the Ranger Shotgun.

The shotgun comes in all five rarities. The Common (grey) deals 117 damage to players, while the Legendary (gold) does 142 damage to players. With a multiplier applies to headshots, this could be the one-hit-kill weapon players have been searching for.

However, players will need to hit their shots for this weapon to be effective. With only a single shot per reload, and a 1.5-second reload speed, you can’t afford to miss any shots.

For more Fortnite, check out how to unlock the Prowler skin in Season 2, and stay tuned for more news and guides.

The Machine Pistol has a pretty interesting history as it’s been accidentally released a few times before. However, it’s now officially in the game to stay.

This part SMG part pistol was in Fortnite’s original release but was vaulted shortly after in v2.5. DuringChapter 1 Season X, the Machine Pistol was unvaulted for 30 minutes before returning to the shadow realm.

Then there were rumors that the Machine Pistol would make its official debut in Chapter 2 Season 2, but that never came to fruition. Instead, players were given the standard Submachine Gun.

The Machine Pistol finally arrives

In the February 8th, 2022 hotfix update, Epic Games added officially added the long-awaited Machine Pistol. This is another spray-type weapon with a ridiculous rate of fire and damage output.

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This is a mid-to-long range weapon that comes is rarities from Common to Legendary. It can be found on the ground, in chests, Rare Chests, Supply Drops, and while fishing.

It’s better if fired in short bursts instead of rapidly like other SMGs. That’s because it has incredible accuracy for the first few shots, but its bloom increases over time.

It also packs a punch dealing a large amount of damage to both players and structures.

The Machine Pistol hasn’t been added to Competitive playlists yet. Epic Games states it is under a period of evaluation before being put into highly-competitive play.

For more Fortnite, check out where you can find every Mythic and Exotic weapon on the map.

Fortnite’s v9.21 patch added the latest weapon to shake up the loot pools and meta of the game. This new proximity launcher packs an explosive punch and decimates opponents with ease.

Epic Games does not slow down for anybody! The latest new weapon, the Proximity Grenade Launcher, is quickly mixing things up for Fortnite players.

• Read more: Fortnite v9.21 Patch Notes – Proximity Grenade Launcher, Horde Rush LTM, and more

The weapon delivers decent damage with extreme ease due to its wide explosive radius and automatic detonation. Let’s hop into everything this weapon has to offer.

The First Look is split into two parts: Stats & Gameplay.

Proximity Grenade Launcher Stats

Weapon stats are where it all begins. These parameters determine how the weapon feels for players and how much it’ll impact gameplay.

While the Proximity Launcher isn’t the most “OP” weapon ever released (nothing tops the Infinity Blade), it’s still something that will undoubtedly have its haters.

The Proximity Grenade Launcher comes in two variants, Legendary & Epic. Each one has slightly different stats, but the core mechanics remain the same.

Here are the stats breakdowns for each of weapon’s rarities:

Legendary Prox. Grenade Launcher Stats

While the damage of the weapon isn’t lethal in a single blast, it still takes serious chunks from your health and shields. Keep in mind also that the weapon detonates its explosive rounds when in close proximity to targets.

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This means that you don’t even have to hit players directly and still do the 67 or 70 damage!

Anyway, enough stats talk, let’s see how the weapon performs out in the field.

Proximity Grenade Launcher Gameplay

The proximity launcher will surely have all kinds of uses for players. The unique mechanic of proximity detonation might also have some glitches and bugs, especially in high speed build fights.

Enemy on top of your 1×1? No problem!

For an effective example of how the new weapon can be used to your advantage, here’s a short clip from ‘TheoryPK’ on the FortniteBR subreddit.

Proximity Launcher Trick! Dealing with people on top of your 1×1 from r/FortNiteBR

Theory shows how players can use quick edits to place a pyramid outside of their own 1×1. By using this build, you can bounce a prox-nade at enemies above you! Remember, you don’t need to be super accurate as the nade will explode when in relative range.

Be sure to build your 1x1s out of brick or metal before attempting this as the structure damage can be too much for wood builds.

Perfectly balanced, nothing to see here

Many players had immediate fears that the Proximity Launcher would be bad for competitive. This is due to its ease of use, lack of need to aim, and bursty damage.

We present…Nick-sta’s demonstration on the next most broken thing in competitive Fortnite.

Proximity GL is crazy broken late game from r/FortniteCompetitive

Yeah, the act of being able to shoot a grenade up at a high ground opponent that is not in sight and kill them is a competitive ‘no no’. The whole clip just screams “Why!!!” loudly because competitive gameplay should be based around skill and accuracy, not big aimless explosions.

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It looks like the Proximity Grenade Launcher is another great argument for separate rulesets for casual and competitive players.

Another example of this came from pro player, Symfuhny. He shows how ridiculously easy the weapon is to use against high ground opponents…and low ground opponents. “What is this ****?” describes the new weapon perfectly.

Weapons are getting added to Fortnite at an unprecedented rate. Another data miner leak has revealed a new weapon is on its way along with a Prop Hunt LTM.

The Proximity Grenade Launcher will be arriving in Fortnite in the very recent future, but that’s old news. New leaks have revealed a possible Prop Hunt LTM is in the works.

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According to several data mining sources, a new LTM and corresponding weapon will hit Fortnite at some point. This comes at the same time as multiple other leaks including Cattus event clues.

Prop Hunt LTM & Prop-o-matic Leaked

According to prominent data mining site, Storm Shield One, Prop Hunt might be coming to Fortnite. The leaks include information on the LTM and a weapon linked to the mode.

The weapon’s name is the ‘Prop-o-matic’ and its stats immediately betray the intent of the weapon’s implementation. The stats sheets revealed by Storm Shield One shows that the weapon does 0 damage (as of now).

The weapon also only has a single ‘bullet’ per magazine, deals no structural damage, and has no headshot multiplier.

After these leaks came out, other data miners went to work to find more clues. The weapon is more than likely linked to a Prop Hunt LTM.

For those that don’t know what ‘Prop Hunt’ is, here’s a short explanation of the mode. This is how the mode works in other games and we can’t know how Epic will change things up.

In Prop Hunt, players are split into two teams: Seekers and Props. The Props must turn into differing environmental objects like Ammo Boxes to blend into the environment. The Seekers must try to find these Props after a short hiding period.

Anyway, on to some gameplay footage. The Prop-o-matic has been found as a render asset with game files. The data miner, @KrispyLeaks, found an image and render. With this render, the leaker created a bit of gameplay.

pic.twitter.com/OHJNPEszrv

— KrispyLeaks – Fortnite Leaks/News (@KrispyLeaks) June 8, 2019

[LEAK] The new "Prop-o-matic" gun in-game! (+ me actually holding it this time

The Prop-o-matic is a gun that will be used to transform yourself into props, in the soon to be expected Prop Hunt LTM!#Fortnite pic.twitter.com/zAcMBe21UA

— KrispyLeaks – Fortnite Leaks/News (@KrispyLeaks) June 8, 2019

The basic gameplay of the weapon will be to shoot objects that you want to become. This suggests that the gameplay will be quite similar to the Prop Hunts from Call of Duty and Garry’s Mod.

We’ll keep updating you on any new information about this new weapon and LTM.

Epic Games just released the newest item, Storm Flip, into Fortnite with the v9.20 patch…and now it’s already time for more!

• Read more: Where to find Fortbyte #95 ‘at a Solar Power Array in the jungle’?

The next weapon coming to Fortnite is the Proximity Grenade Launcher and its official reveal has begun. The newsfeeds around the world are starting to receive an update declaring the launcher’s imminent arrival.

Proximity Grenade Launcher Newsfeed

Before the release of each new item or weapon for Fortnite, Epic Games releases an image and tagline for the item. This can be seen by all players in the game’s newsfeed.

The Proximity Launcher has begun to appear in newsfeeds in certain regions. The full deployment of the update may take a little while to reach all regions.

The tagline for the new weapon is as follows: ‘It’s not a horseshoe or a hand grenade, but close still counts!’

This clue to the weapon’s function confirms its similarity to the XM25 military weapon. The weapon locks-on to targets, sends out explosive payloads, and detonates at the right time when in close proximity to the target.

The stats for the weapon were leaked earlier by data miners. It will fairly rare due to its legendary and epic loot categories.

It remains to be seen how Epic Games has managed to balanced such a powerful and, presumably, easy to use ability. Hopefully, the weapon has been painstakingly playtested before its release to avoid any annoyances from the addition.

With that said, the damage stats of the weapon are strikingly low for such a weapon.

You can expect the weapon to be released in the next day or two (June 11th-13th).

The v9.10 Content Update brought a brand new weapon to Fortnite’s arsenal, the Burst SMG. Let’s take a look at the weapon’s stats and how it plays in-game.

Meta shockwaves are a common occurrence in Fortnite as Epic continues to add and remove weapons from the game. The latest one comes in the form of the Burst SMG weapon!

Weapon Stats

The Burst SMG comes in three rarities: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. Similar in its role to the vaulted Suppressed SMG, this replacement does have slightly different stats along with a completely different firing style.

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We’ll look at the stats of the new weapon alongside the stats of the Suppressed SMG for comparison’s sake.

As you can see, the Burst has a lower damage-per second than the Suppressed SMG due to its firing delay. Additionally, the bullets within each burst also come out slower than the interval of the suppressed.

Additionally, the Burst also only packs 24 bullets per magazine. Reload times are also longer.

Burst SMG

• Available in Common, Uncommon and Rare variants.
• Fires a quick 4 round burst.
• Deals 23, 24, 25 damage.
• 1.75x headshot multiplier.
• 24 round magazine.
• Can be found from Floor Loot, Chests, and Vending Machines.
• Uses Light Ammo.

Structural Damage

The videos below show you how much damage the Burst SMG can do to structures. It’s definitely a great build buster, but it doesn’t have the same staying power as the Suppressed SMG.

The Burst SMG has the unique feature of having no damage falloff against builds.

Grey Burst SMG

• 2 bursts to destroy Wood
• 3 bursts to destroy Brick
• 5 bursts to destroy Metal

Green Burst SMG

Blue Burst SMG

Burst SMG Gameplay

The Burst plays quite differently than the Suppressed SMG. You can’t use it to spray through builds as the reload time and burst delay are too high.

With that said, the weapon is a potent close range weapon with excellent damage. 43 damage headshots can net you gunfight wins, but you will need to be careful of most shotguns.

For a better look at how the weapon plays, here’s a small snippet of gamplay from a Team Rumble match. The last few seconds of the video features Scar AR gameplay as we ran out of ammo for our Burst SMG.

Feel free to judge the quality of our gameplay in the comments.

Every weapon in Fortnite has a specific set of stats which dictates its performance. The upcoming ‘Tactical Assault Rifle’ has had its stats leaked via the v9.00 game files.

The underlying stats of each weapon in Fortnite are what makes the weapon ‘feel’ the way it does. Fire rate increases damage per second and compounds recoil. Reload times determine our ability to spray before we’re forced to put in another magazine.

• Read more: Shield & Health bar v9.00 updates to be tweaked by Epic Games

Leaks recently revealed the existence of a new ‘Tactical Assault Rifle’ which may be coming to Fortnite at some point. The stats for the weapon have now been revealed and we can glean some info from these numbers.

Tactical Assault Rifle Stats

According to recent leaks, a new assault rifle will be arriving in Fortnite Battle Royale at some point in the future.

The addition will more than likely come as part of a ‘Content Update.’

A credible Fortnite leaker, @lucas7yoshi_, has released information about the Tactical Assault Rifle’s stats. While these aren’t as good as gameplay, they can help us understand the meta change this weapon will bring.

Tactical Assault Stats:
Rare/Epic/Legendary
Point Blank: 22/23/24
Minimum Damage (max range): 14.85/15.53/16.2

Mag Size: 30
Reload Time: 2.2/2.09/1.98

Fire Rate: 7 Per Second (if im interpreting it right, don't take this as a solid fact)

Structure Damage: 25 per shot pic.twitter.com/hT6IGie7hW

— Lucas7yoshi_ // Fortnite Leaks & News (@lucas7yoshi_) May 13, 2019

Let’s compare the new Tac Rifle to the typical Assault Rifle. This’ll give you a picture of what to expect with this beast’s release.

Statistical Breakdown – DPS, Structure Damage, etc.

The clip size of the Tac Rifle is the same as a normal Assault Rifle at 30 bullets per mag.

Assault Rifle reload times for Blue/Epic/Legendary is currently 2.2/2.1/2.1. This gives the Tac Rifle a small advantage in reload times, but still gets beat by the SMGs.

Looking at the damage stats, the weapon is probably meant to be a close range weapon. Falloff puts the minimum damage to a paltry 14.85 (15 in-game). Maximum damage sits at 22/23/24 as opposed to the regular Assault Rifle’s 33/35/36.

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Fire Rate sits at a solid 7.0. For context, the Assault Rifle has a fire rate of 5.5 and the Suppressed SMG has a fire rate of 9.0. With this fire rate, the maximum damage per second is 154/161/168. The minimum DPS is 104/109/113.

The last stat we can take a look at right now is Structural Damage. The Tac Rifle will do 25 per shot as opposed to the regular AR’s 33/35/36. This means it will do 175 damage-per-second to builds, the AR does 192.5 DPS to builds.

These values may be changed before launch as Epic’s team will do testing for balancing purposes.