In Fortnite, players are calling for the return of the “Double Pump” strategy. A developer has now responded to a fan request, but things do not look good for this play style.
Fans want Double Pump back: In a conversation on Twitter, a fan makes it clear that they wish Epic would bring back the “Double Shotgun.”
He is not alone. Many fans want this “old play style” back, which was popular until April 2018.
This is how Epic reacts: Fortnite developer Sean Hamilton has given a clear rejection – at least for the moment. The Community Coordinator states that there are no current plans to bring back the Double Shotgun.
Double Pump – Tactic from Another Time
This is the Double Pump: For months, shotguns, particularly pump shotguns, were popular in Fortnite. This was mainly due to a specific tactic, the “Double Pump.” Players collected multiple shotguns, then:
- they shot with one shotgun
- held down the fire button
- and quickly switched to the second shotgun and shot again, almost without a delay
This made it possible to bridge the long reload time of a shotgun and deal massive damage in a short time.
Double Shotgun Led to Exciting, Fast Gameplay
This was the gameplay back then: The “Double Pump” led to an aggressive playstyle in Fortnite. Players sought close combat in Fortnite and were constantly jumping. They fired two or more shotguns, took down opponents, and then jumped again.
This playstyle resulted in rapid gameplay and fast duels.
This is how it ended: It quickly became clear that the Double Pump was becoming dominant and was not a playstyle that the developers at Epic particularly liked.
Epic lingered on the issue for a while. With Update 3.0, they restricted the easy use of the “Double Pump” tactic, but top players were still able to utilize the Double Pump in February 2018.
In April 2018, Patch 3.5 was released. It ended this tactic by introducing a delay before a newly equipped weapon was ready to fire.
This is how it would be today: If one wishes to apply the “Double Pump” tactic today, it takes a while for the second shot to come, as the character must first ready the weapon.
This delay makes the Double Pump no longer usable. In any case, shotguns have fallen significantly out of favor with players.
Anyone wanting to play a Double Pump today will have to resort to the double-barreled shotgun that came with Patch 5.20. However, it has not proven to be an alternative to the new dominant weapons.
The shotgun nerf has many effects: After the shotgun was nerfed, other playstyles came to the forefront. Especially building became extremely important until it also fell under Epic’s scrutiny and was countered with new changes.
This is what it’s about: The desire for the “Double Pump” reflects a dissatisfaction with the new playstyle in Fortnite. SMGs have now become dominant, so strong that they could dismantle buildings.
The latest changes even eliminated fall damage or led to eternally long healing duels.
The topic of “Fortnite and balance” remains relevant, even if probably without the double shotgun.
