Epic Games released a surprise balance update on April 15, making changes to the Bow, Recycler, Makeshift AR, and more.

Fortnite Season 6 introduced some major changes to the loot system. The introduction of crafting also brought Makeshift weapons to the game, which are considerably weaker than their Primal and Mechanical counterparts.

Since Epic added so many new weapons in Season 6, it’s no surprise to learn that there were some balance issues at the start of the season. The most glaring problem came with the Primal Shotgun, which could shred enemies at close range and gives them little time to react.

The new Recycler was on the other end of the spectrum. It’s a relatively weak weapon and doesn’t see much use outside of niche situations. After all, you only have three shots before you need to start sucking trees for more ammo.

The most recent April 15 balance update attempted to address some of the issues with weapons in Season 6. Epic raised the spawn rate of Primal and Classic weapons to match that of Makeshift weapons, making the Crafting system a bit more optional.

Epic also buffed a ton of weapons, including the Makeshift AR and Revolver, Recycler, Bow, SMGs, and more. Here are all of the changes made in the April 15 balance update:

Doubled Crafting Parts in floor loot stacks
Makeshift AR & Revolver accuracy
Bow headshot dmg and arrow speed
Recycler junk bomb speed
Primal Pistol dmg and fire rate
Stats for all SMGs

⬆️ We’ve also equalized Primal and Classic weapon drop rates to be more evenly spread out alongside Makeshift weapons.

— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) April 15, 2021

Most, if not all, of these changes will be met with a warm reception from the player base. The SMG buff might not be super necessary, but it’s a fan-favorite weapon that will always be a part of the meta.

On April 16, Epic made further adjustments to the meta – this time focusing on competitive. They removed three explosive items: Rocket Launchers, Cuddlefish, and the Mechanical Explosive Bow.

Boom Boom💥. Buh-bye 👋

We’ve made the decision to remove the following items from competitive playlists:
Rocket Launchers
Cuddlefish
Mechanical Explosive Bow

— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) April 16, 2021

More than anything else, these updates show that Epic are listening and reacting to community feedback. We’ve been through some Fortnite seasons where it feels like the developers aren’t listening to us, but Season 6 won’t be one of them.