Epic Games has once-again unvaulted the Pump Shotgun in Fortnite, one of the game’s most popular – and most deadly – weapons. For a lot of fans, weapons like this are what makes Fortnite fun. They’re what makes this one of the best battle royale games of all time. Sure, things like the Fortnite Airphoria event add something different to the experience, but the core gunplay and frantic build battles keep people playing Fortnite; without that solid gameplay, the whole thing would fall apart. So, it’s very good news that the Pump Shotgun is back. However, don’t expect a return to the classic gameplay of Chapter 1 Season 1. This shotgun is back with a rather unusual twist.
If you’re wondering what that twist is, notable Fortnite dataminer and leaker ‘HYPEX‘ has you covered. According to them, and they’re very rarely wrong, the Pump Shotgun is back in Fortnite v25.11, but with a tighter spread than before, a longer damage range, and a whopping 160 headshot damage at legendary rarity. You know what that sounds like to us? A sniper rifle.
That’s right, Fortnite’s most iconic close-range weapon is being reintroduced with long range capabilities. However, that’s not actually a bad thing.
In fact, these changes will actually make the Pump Shotgun even more lethal at closer ranges – if you can land your shots. The tighter pellet spread will help you deal the maximum amount of damage per shot when you’re pushing someone and the higher damage range should mean that the damage output of the weapon is more consistent at close ranges, too. Then, of course, you have the headshot damage. This isn’t going to be enough to one-shot someone, especially with the new Overshields. However, a couple of consistent shots should be enough – which is certainly far from a bad thing if you’re in a fight with someone.
This update, as explained in this Forntite update post, also introduces an Explosive Repeater Rifle and two new Heavy Ammo-focused Augments: Heavy Headshots, and Heavy Ammo Acquired. Fortnite leaker ‘iFireMonkey‘ has revealed that this new firearm will deal upwards of 38 damage and 95 headshot damage – something that puts the firepower of the Pump Shotgun into perspective. It might seem low, but the fact it fires explosive rounds should still make this something worth picking up in-game.
For a free shooting game, Fortnite really is one of the best out there. You could argue it’s one of the best PS5 games and one of the best Xbox games out there, too, if you wanted. We would even go as far as to say it has earned the right to be considered among the best games of all time – even if you don’t personally like it. The return of the Pump Shotgun, as exciting as it is, is really just the latest in a long line of changes that help to keep Fortnite fresh and fun. Epic Games has such a wealth of vaulted content to choose from and it’s always releasing more. If you don’t like what it’s done with the Pump Shotgun, you don’t need to worry – we can image more changes are just weeks away. This is the ultimate live service game, and there’s a reason it’s still going strong all these years later.