Fortnite's Latest Update Adds A New Submachine Gun And Removes Another

The first content update for Fortnite season 5 is now live, and though today's patch notes arem't quite as extensive as they usually are, the few changes this update makes are still pretty big. The biggest topic of the day is the addition of the new Submachine Gun, which actually represents a balancing effort on the part of Epic. That's because it replaces another submachine gun that has seen frequent use in Fortnite matches.

As detailed over on the Fortnite website, the new Submachine Gun will drop in common, uncommon, and rare variants, so you should encounter it a lot as you play matches. It does 19-21 base damage and, just as you'd expect, uses light ammo, with a 30 round capacity before it needs to be reloaded. You'll find it both as floor loot and when opening chests, so it shouldn't be too hard to track one down.

The new SMG is meant to be used in close range combat. Accuracy, of course, will suffer at range, and with the relatively low base damage of each bullet, you'll want as many of them to hit as possible. "Make enemies think twice before they push you," today's patch notes say. "Run and gun with the new Submachine Gun, ideal for those intense close range battles."

This weapon is actually replacing the Tactical SMG, which has been vaulted as of this patch. The Tactical SMG had become a very popular weapon with Fortnite players in recent months, and though it did similar amounts of damage to the new SMG, it also had a larger magazine size. There's no telling if the Tactical SMG will ever return to the game, but for now, you'll have to do without.

Aside from adding the new SMG and vaulting the Tactical SMG, today's patch also buffs the damage of the Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle, bringing it from 63/66 up to 75/78. That's it as far as changes to Battle Royale are concerned, but it's worth noting that Fortnite: Save the World is 50% off beginning today through July 25 at 8 PM EST. What do you think of today's changes to Fortnite? Head down to the comments section and let us know!