Epic Games nerfs two of the most powerful weapons in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4

Epic Games has nerfed Captain America's Shield and War Machine's Arsenal Rockets in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4. Given that both items are dominating the meta at the moment, this nerf comes as no surprise. However, it is yet to be seen how the community reacts to these changes. This is what Epic Games had to say about the changes made:

"Hey everyone! We’ve made some balance adjustments to Absolute Doom. We're excited to see everyone's enthusiasm for Chapter 5 Season 4 and will continue monitoring feedback as the season progresses."

Coming back to the adjustments made, three main weapons have had their stats changed: Captain America's Shield, War Machine's Arsenal Rockets, and Sovereign Shotgun.

Read on to find out how your favorite weapons in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4 have been affected.

Captain America's Shield and War Machine's Arsenal Rockets will deal less damage in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4

Here is the list of changes that Epic Games has officially implemented:

Captain America’s Shield does slightly less damage, will require more accuracy to ‘hone’ in on an enemy, and Staggers faster when blocking damage.
War Machine’s Arsenal Rockets deal slightly less damage to structures and take longer to reload.

According to the data in the files, both of these weapons have taken a major hit. Based on further information provided by reliable leaker/data-miner, HYPEX, Captain America’s Shield has over 50% less spawn chance. It will take twice the time to reload. Damage dealt to builds has also been reduced from 100 to 80.

As for War Machine’s Arsenal Rockets, the spawn chance has been reduced by 20%. Moreover, damage has been lessened from 60 to 50. Meanwhile, accuracy needed to 'hone' in on an enemy has been increased. Staggers are faster when blocking damage.

While these changes are major nerfs, the Sovereign Shotgun received a slight boost. Here is what was changed:

The Sovereign Shotgun aims down sights more quickly and fires faster while doing so.

Owing to this change, the Sovereign Shotgun could become more popular and take over the close-range meta. Lastly, as mentioned, Epic Games will be monitoring things and making changes when needed. This is likely not the last change we will see in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4.

In addition to changes made to weapons in Battle Royale and Zero Builds, a few have been implemented in the competitive meta. These are:

War Machine’s Arsenal vaulted.
Shockwave Grenades from Tournaments that have Building are enabled.

With War Machine’s Arsenal vaulted, the approach to combat should change slightly. However, having Shockwave Grenades in tournaments will shake up mobility. With all that being said, it is left to be seen how professional players react to these changes in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4.

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