Fortnite patch notes – 5.1 update latest including Playground Mode and a new legendary compact SMG – Top Stories| Top Stories

FORTNITE is going all out for its one-year anniversary with the release of its latest update, patch 5.1.

The highlight of the patch notes includes the long-awaited return of Fortnite’s Playground mode but the introduction of a new legendary compact SMG. Here’s all you need to know…

Epic Games

What are the Fortnite 5.1 Patch notes?

BIRTHDAY EVENT

Summary

Fortnite officially turned one-year-old on July 24, 2018, from which time players have been able to start completing the challenges.

• You can now find birthday cakes placed around the map with consumable slices next to them. Enjoy those tasty treats!
• Cake slices give +5 health and +5 shield instantly when consumed.
• Complete three birthday even challenges to unlock a new emote, spray, and Backbling.
• The Battlebus and Supply Drops have been decorated to celebrate #Fortnite1st.

Epic Games

LIMITED TIME MODE: PLAYGROUND

Summary
Playground is a low-pressure environment where friends can let their creativity run wild. Build massive structures. Practice with the weapons and items. Fight against your friends. This mode returns with improvements for a limited time on Wednesday, July 25. Have fun!

What’s New?

• Players can now switch teams in-game. Join the same team to work together creatively, join separate teams to practice fighting each other!
• Note: Voice chat will remain on across all teams, future iterations of the mode will offer more customization.
• Aim assist will work when using a gamepad against players on an opposing team.
• Matches will no longer end if one player leaves the server.
• Golf carts have been added and spawn 100% of the time.
• Ammo cans spawn 10x the amount of ammo.
• Removed grey vending machines, increased the chances of higher-tier machines spawning.
• Increased launch & bounce pads spawn likelihood.
• Lowered forced glider deploy height, so players can get back into the action more quickly.
• Increased max rocket ammo cap to 60.
• Increased rocket ammo drop rates.
• Added 100 Supply Drops.
• Chests now spawn 3 weapons and more ammo & consumables than normal.
• Floor loot now spawns 3 items.
• Increased Chug Jug and Slurp Juice spawn chances, decreased Bandages.
• Added Chug Jugs to floor loot.
• Respawn timer lowered from 10s to 3s.

Mode Details

• Drop into the Battle Royale map alone or with up to a full squad for an hour.
• Players respawn immediately unless eliminated by the Storm.
• The Storm doesn’t start closing in for 55 minutes and takes 5 minutes to close in.
• Resources gained from harvesting increased by ten times the normal amount.
• 100 Llamas will be spawned on the map.
• Chests & ammo boxes spawn 100% of the time.

EPIC

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Compact SMG added.
  • Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
  • Uses Light Ammo.
  • 50 round capacity.
  • Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
• Slurp Juice now grants 1 health every 0.5 seconds, up to a total of 75. If health is full, shield will be granted instead.
• Supply Drop loot rates adjusted.
  • Weapons (drops 1)
    • Assault Rifles to 25% from 14.2%.
    • Explosives to 25% from 28.5%.
    • Compact SMG 14.58%.
    • Sniper Rifles to 14.58% from 28.5%.
    • Heavy Shotgun to 10.42% from 7.1%.
    • Minigun to 10.42% from 14.2%.
    • Removed Hand Cannon, Dual Pistols, and Silenced Pistol.
  • Traps (drops 2)
    • Launch Pad to 44.44% from 9.6%.
    • Cozy Campfire to 33.33% from 7.5%.
    • Bouncer to 22.22% from 15%.
    • Removed Damage Traps.
  • Consumables (drops 2)
    • Shield Potion to 20% from 19.1%
    • Small Shield Potion to 17.50% from 12.7%
    • Med Kit to 13.75% from 6.3%
    • Slurp Juice to 11.25% from 5.11%
    • Clinger to 10% from 6.3%
    • Remote Explosives to 10% from 3.3%
    • Impulse Grenade to 10% from 4%
    • Chug Jug to 7.5% from 2.1%
    • Removed Boogie Bombs, Grenades, Bandages, Stink Bombs, Port-a-Forts, and Bush.
  • Materials (drops 2)
    • Wood to 33% from 47.6%.
    • Stone to 33% from 35.7%.
    • Metal to 33% from 16.6%.

EPIC GAMEs

GAMEPLAY

• Changes to building materials.
  • Wood wall starting health to 80 from 100.
  • Stone wall starting health to 80 from 90.
  • Wood wall max health to 150 from 200.
  • Metal wall max health to 500 from 400.
  • Metal build time to 25s from 20s.
• Storm Circle changes.
  • Safezone 2 wait time to 120 from 150.
  • Safezone 2 shrink time to 120 from 90.
  • Safezone 4 wait time to 90 from 120.
  • Safezone 6 wait time to 60 from 90.
  • Safezone 7 wait time to 45 from 60.
  • Safezone 8 wait time to 30 from 60.
  • Safezone 9 wait time to 30 from 45.
  • Added moving circle to Safezone 6.
• Added “Sprint By Default” option, when enabled this makes sprint the default movement. The sprint key will now be used to transition into walking.
• Newly-placed building pieces will now appear in a different colour while players are still overlapping the structure.
• Improved handling of collision when building pieces are placed right on top of a player. It’s much more likely for players to be moved outside of newly-placed structures.
• Pickaxe damage against enemy and ally player built structures increased to 75 base damage and 150 critical damage.
• The slow motion and confetti effects for a Victory Royale will now play for the winner regardless of how they win the game.
• Changing the gyro motion of the Nintendo Switch to rotate around the roll instead of the yaw.
  • This is intended to allow for the users to be able to hold the device in any situation and always have the motion react according to the screen direction instead of being in the Switch’s world space.

Epic Games

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing bullets and projectiles to be blocked by the invisible collision.
  • This was being caused by player placed map markers
• Autorun can now be used while in vehicles. Fixed a logic issue in the autorun canceling code.
  • This should also fix autorun canceling when releasing the stick while using a gamepad.
• Changed the button layout for Old School and Quick Builder configs so that the “change seat” action button is not the same as the “powerslide” button.
• Sniper rifle bullets no longer incorrectly stop when passing through certain trigger volumes.
• Eliminating players will now properly grant challenge progress.
  • If the same player knocks out and eliminates an enemy with two different weapons, they will get elimination quest progress for both weapons.
• Players will no longer get stuck in the coasting state if they change seats while in a vehicle.
• Pickaxes will no longer stretch and appear incorrectly if the slow-motion effect plays while players are riding in a vehicle.
• Fixed an issue where a player would not have a weapon out if hitting a bounce pad into a jump pad under certain network conditions.
• Players will no longer hold weapons while emoting if they’re riding in an All Terrain Kart.
• Players will no longer fall through floor or pushed through walls when placing or editing structures.
• Remote Explosives will now only show damage numbers when damage is done to players.
• Vehicles can no longer be flipped while standing on top of them.
  • This fixes the issue where players would sometimes become stuck or teleported if standing on a vehicle that flipped.
• Crouching is no longer allowed while emoting.
• The Wave emote, emoticons, and sprays will now continue to play even if you’re moving.

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PERFORMANCE

• Various server performance improvements focused on the 50v50 LTM.
• Server performance improvements were made to the custom matches used during competitive events.
• Significant All Terrain Kart (ATK) performance improvements.

AUDIO

• Added spatialization to the sound played when a marker is placed on the map. Now you will hear it coming from where the in-world marker was placed.
• All Terrain Kart (ATK) audio improvements
  • Improved All Terrain Kart (ATK) audio attenuation fall-off.
  • Added a unique sound when the All Terrain Kart (ATK) is destroyed.
  • Added sounds for when the All Terrain Kart (ATK) is in water.
• Improvements have been made to grenade bounce audio so they don’t sound as spammy under certain conditions.
• Lowered the volume of the AC/DC pickaxe.
• Added a unique sound for bouncing off a diving board.
• Added a unique sound for destroying cacti.
• Audio panning logic for Switch has been changed. Sources panning from one side to another will be more dramatic.

Bug Fixes

• Conquest glider’s open and close sounds no longer stack when spamming the action.
• Twist emote music no longer overlaps with other emote music.
• Re-added metal impact sounds when shooting or pickaxing Shopping Carts.
• Weapon fire audio no longer cuts out when low on ammo for some weapons.

UI

• Adjusted lobby nameplate arrangement to better account for long player names.
• Added the ability to combine stackable items in player inventory if the stack sizes aren’t already capped.
• The Game Mode Select screen now sorts in the following order from left to right:

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue preventing players to select nothing as an Outfit and Backbling.
  • Removed the ‘Save and Exit’ option for items without variants.
  • Double tap the accept hotkey/button to confirm your selection.
• Fixed an issue in the locker where the shuffle icon for randomized outfits was drawn slightly differently to other shuffle icons.
• Removed an error message when trying to purchase the Battle Bundle while at tier 76 or above.
• The correct actions are now shown on the HUD when you get into a Shopping Cart for the first time after being in an All Terrain Kart (ATK).

ART + ANIMATION

Bug Fixes

• Prevented sprays from affecting the eyes of the Rainbow Smash pickaxe.
• The Toilet Paper contrail animations now appear correctly.

REPLAY SYSTEM

• Changed the icon when a player has been downed to an exclamation mark.

Bug Fixes

• Battle Bus positioning now appears correctly in replays.
• Fixed an issue with focus distance when changing cameras in replays.
• Fixed issues with drone cameras when viewing players in vehicles during replays.
• Fixed an issue where the camera controls would not display when toggling the HUD visibility.