Fortnite fans have another exciting update to the popular battle royale title to look forward to, as Epic Games have officially released the v8.20 Content Update for the game on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices – bringing with it the new Explosive Bow. 

Players of the game have grown accustomed to receiving new updates for Fortnite every week, as Epic Games continue to roll out new updates for the game every seven days. 

On Tuesday, April 2, players received a brand new Content Update for Fortnite, which introduced a brand new weapon that Fortnite fans will be able to wield the next time they drop into Fortnite. 

• Read More: Fortnite Duo vs Squad console World Record beaten by three kills – March 2019

While much of the content included in the V8.20 Content Update was unknown, Fortnite fans were aware of the Explosive Bow, thanks to Epic updating the in-game news feed on Sunday, March 31. 

This is the first time that a weapon which fires arrows will be a permanent part of the game since May 2018, when Epic Games decided to place the Crossbow in the vault. It has made an appearance since, returning briefly to celebrate Valentine’s Day in February, but the Explosive Bow appears to be a mainstay in the game for the near future. 

The weapon will fire bolts with Shotgun shells attached to the end. The longer players pull back the bolt, the more power it will do, with the weapon hitting max velocity and power after being held for 1.6 seconds.

The Content Update also brought a number of bug fixes, including a fix to Arena Mode that was stopping players from teaming up with friends who were a lower rank on Arena Mode.

They’ve also buffed one of the Foraged Items, with the Chilli pepper now offering a 40% speed boost compared to its previous 20, while the effect now lasts for 20 seconds instead of 10.

The Content Update didn’t bring any major bug fixes this week, although Epic Games did release the v8.20.1 update on Friday, March 29 which addressed some issues with The Baller and other complaints fans have had, although they have still yet to revert the unpopular changes made to the game’s elimination rewards. 

The Fortnite v8.20 Content Update is live now, and you can read the patch notes in full below.

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
• 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 this new set of Galleries to add even more unique shapes to your creations!

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 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

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
  • An automatic launcher with a high rate of fire. He fires small explosive balls.
  • Available in the weekly shop from April 4th at 2:00 am to April 11th at 2:00 am (European Central Time).

V8.20.1 RESOLVED ISSUES

On March 29 we released a client update to fix some issues that appeared in the v8.20 update. Find all the details on which issues were resolved below!

Battle Royale

• Fixed an issue where spectator numbers would not update, even after the spectator had left the game.
• Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to queue in the correct division level in the Arena game mode when the party leader was in a lower division.
• Fixed an issue which caused the Poison Dart Trap to be hidden behind certain wall assets.
• Fixed an issue where trap placement on walls would be blocked if a stair structure was attached to the wall.
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from getting removed from the Baller when hit by a Boogie Bomb.
• Fixed an issue preventing friend invites from displaying in the social panel.

Creative

• Fixed an issue where Creature Spawners wouldn’t activate within the correct range after it has been resized.
• Fixed an issue where the Phone Tool would emit two beams rather than one after copying multiple times.
• Fixed an issue that prevented non-damaging traps (Ice Block, Bouncers, etc) from functioning if the Game was not started.
• Fixed an issue where any Baller vehicle that was placed on an Island prior to v8.20 could not use the boost.
• Fixed an issue that prevented vehicles from being damaged by Music Sequencer when damage was turned on.

Save the World

• Re-enabled the X Marks the Spot sub-objective.
• Fixed an issue where the X Marks the Spot objective was removing items from player inventories.
• Fixed an issue that was causing B.A.S.E to incorrectly hover over player built structures.

Are you experiencing an issue that’s not listed here? Let us know on any of our official social channels or by using the in-game Feedback feature found in Options.

• How to use the in-game Feedback report system:
  • While in-game, open the Options menu
    • Navigate to the Feedback Button
      • Create a Bug report to provide us with logs of the issue

When reporting issues please include information such as:

• Description of the issue
  • Account Name (optional)
  • Platform
  • Link to video or images
  • Include details on when this issue started happening