Fortnite v9.01 Patch Notes: Tactical Assault Rifle Added, Compact SMG Vaulted, Drum Gun & Baller Nerfed

Epic have just released the v9.01 patch notes ahead of the game going into downtime, and it’s a pretty significant one. Not only do we have the Tactical Assault Rifle to mess around with, but we no longer have the Compact SMG (the P90) as a result. Adding to that, the health on Ballers has been reduced, and Drum Guns now do less base damage.

Here’s everything you ought to know.

WHAT’S NEW?

Tactical Assault Rifle
Tactics take the day! This robust and precise assault rifle is the ideal option for tight quarters.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Tactical Assault Rifle
  • Available in Rare, Epic, and Legendary variants.
  • Available from Floor Loot, Chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines
    • Fully Automatic
    • 30 Round Magazine
    • Deals 22/23/24 damage
    • Headshot Multiplier of 1.75x
    • This weapon has a tight spread in close quarters but is less effective at long range when compared to other Assault Rifles.
• Reduced Baller health from 200 to 150
  • The primary goal of the Baller is to provide fun and exciting mobility. We feel that it still has a little too much defensive agency – this change should reduce the effectiveness there while not impacting its strengths.
• Drum Gun adjustments
  • Reduced base damage from 26/27 to 22/23
    • Since its unvaulting, the Drum Gun effectiveness has been slightly higher than we wanted. This change should reduce its combat effectiveness while still retaining its flavor.
• Vaulted Compact SMG
  • Due to the recent addition of the Drum Gun and the brand new Tactical Assault Rifle, we wanted to reduce the availability of high rate-of-fire weapons.

GAMEPLAY

• Slipstream adjustments
  • Slipstreams no longer block building.
    • Trying to build up to get into a Slipstream should be an easy & intuitive experience. We noticed some cases where players would build up to the Slipstream, but due to build restrictions would take a ‘leap of faith’ and not make the jump. This should make getting into a Slipstream easier.
  • Players flying in a Slipstream will destroy player built objects when they collide.
  • Slipstreams are now disabled after storm phase 5.
    • We’ve seen a number of cases where Slipstreams caused issues during late game circles – primarily around getting pulled into the storm unexpectedly. Since the value of Slipstream mobility is limited in those scenarios, we felt it’s better to simply disable them.

PERFORMANCE

• • Improvements made to level streaming performance on all platforms.
    • This will reduce cases of buildings not loading in.

• Physics optimizations to improve performance in conduits

You can check out the rest of the patch notes for Creative and Save the World over here.

A sad day to see the Compact SMG go, but I am amazed it lasted this long. I still have fond/truly horrendous memories of when it was first added with a 50 bullet mag and could laser anyone from a good distance away.

MORE FORTNITE SEASON 9:
– Fortnite Season 9: Complete Fortbytes Guide
– John Wick’s House Is Now In Fortnite
– Fortnite Season 9 Patch Notes: New Tilted, Pump Shotgun Vaulted, Slipstreams & More