Fortnite’s Burst SMG has already been nerfed

Fortnite’s Burst SMG has been nerfed a day after its release.

Epic Games reduced its structure damage from 25/27/28 to 23/24/25 for its Common, Uncommon, and Rare varieties, respectively. The gun’s damage to structures is now the same as its player damage.

This nerf might be related to how strong players found its four-bullet burst to be against players hiding behind walls. Even top streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins recognized the Burst SMG is great to take down enemy walls and deal damage to players that they can only avoid by building a second structure behind that wall.

With this nerf, it’ll be harder to burst through newly-placed brick and metal walls in Fortnite with a single burst. But this should have little effect on how players can use the Burst SMG to deal quick damage to players behind them. In the worst-case scenario, they’ll have to fire a second burst to achieve the same effect.

But in highly-competitive Fortnite matches, you’ll give your opponent a chance to counter-attack if you can’t take down their wall in a single burst. With that small damage reduction, there might be situations where players using the Burst SMG to take down an opponent’s wall will be punished in the short delay between the weapon’s bursts. One wall edit and a shotgun pump from your opponent are enough for you to lose a fight.

This update was a hotfix, which means all Fortnite players already have it active in their game. If you’re going for these plays in your matches, make sure to look for a Rare Burst SMG so you can deal more damage to structures and make it easier to pull it off.

If you’re defending yourself against one, it’s time to learn how and when to counter-attack.