Fortnite Aim Assist Exploit Fix Backtracks After Community Outcry

Yesterday, Epic delivered Fortnite version 7.40, and with it came a bunch of changes. Chief among these changes was a fix to a console issue that allowed players to exploit the game's auto aim function, which is automatically applied when using a controller. This exploit could potentially give controller players an alarming degree of accuracy, and while it seems that most agreed that it needed to be addressed on some level, the consensus is that Epic's fix went a little too far in the other direction.

For those of you who need a little refresher, the exploit we're talking about allowed users to continuously spam their ADS button – left trigger by default – to repeatedly snap their crosshairs to their target's location. Do this fast enough and you can burn down a target quickly with minimal effort, and some PC players complained that it gave controller users an unfair advantage, as aim assist isn't generally applied to mouse and keyboard controls.

With update 7.40, Epic implemented a cooldown timer on the "snap-to" effect when aiming down sights. Every time the ADS button was pressed after the first, that cooldown grew slightly, climbing as high as 5 seconds in some cases. Players promptly took to Reddit to explain that this fix made guns control differently from one shot to the next, and it wasn't long before Epic took notice.

In a post to the Fortnite subreddit, Epic community manager Sean Hamilton explains that the goal of the bug fix was to remove the exploit but still keep "the same 'aim assist' feel." He goes on to admit that Epic "obviously missed the mark on this," so the company has made a decision to revert the changes while exploring a new fix.

For now, then, it seems that aim assist will remain spammable while Epic approaches the problem from a different direction. Hamilton gave no indication of when a new fix might ship, but considering the rift this single issue is causing within the larger Fortnite community, we'll probably see one soon.