The Fortnite 8.20 and 8.20.1 update patch notes have gone live, with the new Fortnite update introducing the new explosive bow — the Boom Bow — a new bow in Fortnite that transforms players into explosive archers. The brand new update, pushed live by Epic Games on April 2, gives players another bow to tinker with after the Crossbow was thrown into the vault.
The bow is the headline item in an altogether more subdued content update for Fortnite, with it only featuring a few minor bug fixes, which revolve around improvements to the Arena. The Boow Bow sounds like a lot of fun, with it firing arrows that explode on impact by virtue of their shotgun shell tip. It utilizes shotgun ammo, so there’s no need to pick up any new ammunition in the game, and holding down fire increases both the projectile speed and its direct impact damage.
The Boom Bow achieves maximum power with little load-up time, with players only needing to hold down the fire keybind for 1.6 seconds until they can scale its damage from a minimum of 18 to a whopping 54. Its headshot multiplier is 4x, so you’ll want to aim for your opponents’ heads if you want to deal massive damage.
Outside of battle royale, the Cannonade Launcher has been added to Save the World, which is a rapid-fire automatic launcher that fires small explores rounds. This will be available in the Weekly Store from April 3.
Look below for details on the latest Fortnite update:
Fortnite 8.20 patch notes | New bow in Fortnite
BATTLE ROYALE
WHAT’S NEW?
- Boom Bow: Archery can be a blast! Nock enemies in a whole new way with this explosive new weapon.
LIMITED TIME MODE: SNIPER SHOOTOUT
SUMMARY
- In this limited time mode, players will do battle using sniper rifles.
- May the best aim win!
MODE DETAILS
- Only weapon drops are Sniper Rifles.
- Floor Loot spawners reduced by 50%
- Reviving “Down But Not Out” teammates in Duos & Squads is deactivated – be careful peeking!
WEAPONS + ITEMS
- Boom Bow
- Fires Arrows with a Shotgun Shell tip, which explode on impact.
- Uses Shotgun Ammo
- The longer you hold the fire keybind down, the stronger the shot! This increases both projectile speed and direct impact damage.
- Explosive damage is consistent regardless of the power of the shot.
- The Boom Bow will achieve maximum power after 1.6 seconds of charging.
- A direct hit will deal both the direct hit damage and the explosion damage to the enemy player it impacts.
- Direct hit
- Base damage 15
- Headshot Multiplier: 2x
- Explosion
- 100 damage
- Direct hit
- Peppers
- Increased duration from 10 seconds to 20 seconds
- Increased movement speed bonus from 20% to 40%
EVENTS
BUG FIXES
- Arena
- Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to queue for Duos when the party leader was in a lower division.
- Fixed an issue which caused players to not be promoted to the next division while playing in Duos with a player in a higher division.
- Note: Hype was still being earned correctly, this was a visual issue only.
- Fixed an issue where players in Duos were charged Bus Fare based on the party leaders division, rather than their own.
CREATIVE
WHAT’S NEW?
- Geometric Galleries: Use these new galleries to add unique shapes to your creations!
WEAPONS AND ITEMS
BOOM BOW
- Fires Arrows with a Shotgun Shell tip, which explode on impact.
- Uses Shotgun Ammo
- The longer you hold the fire keybind down, the stronger the shot! This increases both projectile speed and direct impact damage.
- Explosive damage is consistent regardless of the power of the shot.
- The Boom Bow will achieve maximum power after 1.6 seconds of charging.
- A direct hit will cause both the direct hit damage and the explosion damage to the enemy player it impacts.
- Direct hit
- Base damage scales from 18 (minimum) to 54 (maximum)
- Headshot Multiplier: 4x
- Explosion
- 54 base damage
- Direct hit
PREFABS
- Non-Right Square Pyramid Gallery Large
- Non-Right Triangular Pyramid Gallery Large
- Right Triangular Prism Gallery Large
- Seven Point Cube Gallery Large
- Square Pyramid Gallery Large
- Triangular Prism Gallery Large
- Upright Triangular Prism Gallery Large
SAVE THE WORLD
WHAT’S NEW?
- Cannonade Launcher: Loud Noises! Heroes and Husks will have a blast with this new Rapid Rocket Launcher
WEAPONS AND OBJECTS
Cannonade Launcher
- A chaotic, rapid-fire, automatic launcher that shoots small explosive rounds.
- Available in the Weekly Store from April 3 at 8 PM Eastern Time until April 10 at 8 PM Eastern Time.
