Fortnite Patch Notes v8.20: Bring On The Boom Bow

The latest Fortnite patch has arrived, and though many probably hoped to see some previous changes reverted with this update, it seems that things are staying the same for now. In place of those desired reversions, we're getting a new bow that fires explosive shotgun arrows. Maybe that isn't the best compromise, but it's hard to complain about a new weapon as zany as this one.

Simply called the Boom Bow, this new weapon consumes shotgun ammo to fire arrows that explode at the point of impact. Holding down the fire button before releasing will make the arrow fly faster, though it won't cause it do more damage when it eventually hits its target. Essentially, charging your shot is more a way to increase accuracy than it is a way to do more damage.

Epic doesn't give any details about rarity or where the Boom Bow will drop from, but it does say that arrows that make a direct hit will do damage from both the impact and the subsequent explosion. Impact damage is minimal clocking in a mere 15, but explosion damage is pretty huge at 100. It sounds like hitting those shots head-on is a good way to deal a lot of damage quickly.

That's the only new item shipping along with this week's update, but we are seeing a classic limited-time mode returning as well. Sniper Shootout is back with this patch, and like before, this will test your skills with long-range weaponry. Nothing seems to have changed since we last saw Sniper Shootout, but it's important to remember that teammate reviving is deactivated in this mode – if you go down, that's all she wrote.

Unfortunately, this patch arrives in the middle of a period of controversy for Fortnite. Many Fortnite players are calling on Epic to revert the changes it made to health and resource gains after eliminating players, but nothing in these patch notes suggests that's what Epic plans to do. We'll have to wait and see if Epic does anything from here, but in the meantime, you can check out today's full patch notes over on the official Fortnite site.