Everyone agrees – the combination of two shotguns to bridge the slow rate of fire is passé in Fortnite: Battle Royale after update 3.0.0. What are people playing with now? Can the system still be tricked with a specific weapon combination?
Double shotguns were popular because they allowed players to counteract the slow rate of fire. Individual players could take out entire teams on their own this way.
Fortnite developer Epic found this combination too powerful – it was removed from the game with update 3.0.0. From now on, you have to wait for the pump animation after switching to a shotgun. Which combinations have established themselves as the best solution in Fortnite: Battle Royale since the update?
The shotgun is still powerful – even alone
The shotgun can still deal with enemies alone. If you stand close enough to an opponent, you can take out any enemy with a single shot – regardless of how much health or shield points they have.
This is due to the high multiplier for critical hits, which is currently at 250%. Epic is working on a change – in the last shooting test, the multiplier was reduced to 150% – and shortly thereafter increased back to 200%.
If more than two shots are needed to knock out an opponent, a different weapon than a second shotgun must be used since update 3.0.0.
Shotgun + Tactical Shotgun / Submachine Gun
This combination is likely the most common one you’ll encounter. The shotgun initiates the fight, then the shooter switches to the tactical shotgun or tactical submachine gun to finish the battle.
With update 3.0.0, standard submachine guns were removed, but the tactical variant was significantly improved. Anyone using an epic submachine gun in combination with a shotgun is well-equipped for many close combat situations.
The use of an epic tactical shotgun is also becoming increasingly popular. Tactical shotguns are considered inconsistent – not always inflicting damage that accurately reflects the hit area and distance. Among all tactical shotguns, the epic variant is considered the best.
However, there are also players who now only use shotguns as a backup solution – the issue with weapon switching to counter a slow rate of fire affects several weapon categories.
The double variant is also overpowered with other weapon types!
In Fortnite: Battle Royale, you can find weapons that can deal horrendous damage with precise shots but have a limited rate of fire. Unlike the now weakened shotguns, these weapons can still be fired more frequently through a trick than the rate of fire would allow.
The following weapons are increasingly appearing in double variants:
- The Crossbow – Since the Valentine’s Day event in Fortnite, owning two versions in your inventory allows you to achieve a faster rate of fire than the weapon class allows – and that at any distance (except close range). This also includes
- The Bolt-Action Sniper – it fires very slowly, and must be reloaded after each shot. However, if you find the same weapon twice, you can fire two shots in quick succession. Two hits will always result in the opponent’s death, regardless of health and shield points.
- The Hand Cannon – The Hand Cannon is brand new in Fortnite and deals particularly high critical damage. The rate of fire is a meager 0.8 shots per second – and can be bypassed in double form! Three hits with this weapon are lethal – always. The double version is strong – but the weapon must be found twice, which considering the available rarity (epic and legendary) is not very common.
- The Rocket Launcher – Two rocket launchers currently represent the most annoying combination in the endgame of Fortnite: Battle Royale. Two rockets fired in quick succession can cause a lot of confusion. Especially in team mode, this tactic is particularly useful for distracting the enemy fortress.
Epic has emphasized that they are closely monitoring any changes in the meta – so if more weapons are used in double form, changes may also be possible here.
What weapons have you been playing since the double shotgun nerf? Is a combination mentioned here part of your strategy?
