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Fortnite 20.30 update adds Drum Shotgun buff

Epic Games has released another Fortnite update and this one brings a huge Drum Shotgun buff to the battle royale alongside balancing changes to other shotguns

Fortnite 20 30 Drum Shotgun Buff: Three images, one of the Fortnite map, one of the Drum Shotgun, and another of a new Street Fighter character in Fortnite

We know there’s always a new weapon to talk about in Fortnite, but that doesn’t mean Epic Games has forgotten about the existing arsenal. The battle royale’s developer is always tweaking things and this time around it’s good news for fans of the Drum Shotgun – or any shotgun for that matter. Epic Games has introduced a Drum Shotgun buff alongside a wider shotgun balancing update through Fortnite’s v20.30 update – and we have everything you need to know about it below.

Going forward, the Drum Shotgun is going to hit harder than it ever has before. Epic Games has increased the weapon’s minimum pellet-hit count from 3 to 4 and greatly increased the weapon’s headshot damage.

In an effort to keep this Drum Shotgun buff from completely dominating your next Zero Build Quads, Epic Games has adjusted the weapon’s damage falloff values. Essentially, it has shortened its effective damage range.

We don’t know how drastic this change is, just yet. However, with Fortnite’s new sliding mechanic allowing players to quickly close the gap between them and their opponents, we can’t see this reduced damage range having too much of an impact. It’s an obstacle worth overcoming when you consider the substantial damage increase introduced.

The Drum Shotgun isn’t the only shotgun Epic Games have tweaked though – all Fortnite shotguns have been altered in the 20.30 update.

The Striker Pump Shotgun and Auto Shotgun also have an increased minimum pellet-hit count of 4 and increased pellet damage and headshot damage values. The Ranger Shotgun has also had its headshot damage buffed but, like the Drum Shotgun, its base pellet damage remains the same.

Interestingly, Epic Games has introduced a max damage cap to all shotguns. This will affect how much damage each individual shotgun shot can deal – which is going to affect the Striker Pump Shotgun a lot more than the faster-firing Drum Shotgun.

HYPEX, a known Fortnite dataminer, has shared the maximum damage cap for each shotgun at Legendary rarity below:

As you can see, the Drum Shotgun deals the least amount of damage per shot following the Fortnite v20.30 update. This, however, when you take the rapid fire rate into consideration, should bring it in-line with the other shotguns available in game.

It’s going to take a while for anyone to find out which shotgun reigns supreme, but there are some great Fortnite Star Wars skins to look forward to in the meantime. You can also check out the latest Fortnite Omni Chips locations right here.