Fortnite is continuing to send emails to certain users with patch notes for updates.
But the patch notes are short and don’t go into much detail.
Below I will show you the patch notes that Fortnite sent, and then we’ll go into more detail about the changes in the v13.20 update.
The patch notes from Fortnite for the v13.20 update
13.20 arrives on June 30. Highlights include:
Hot New Weapon
We’ve added some new flare to your arsenal.
Deployable Workbench
Easier access to upgrading and sidegrading is on the way.
LTMs Are Back
LTMs arrive this week for Season 3. We’re starting with some fan favorites.
A Hero Arrives
A mighty arrival is coming to Item Shop this week. Stay tuned.
Enjoy!
Submachine damage reduction
In v13.20, the damage of each submachine gun has been reduced by 1.
So here are the new damage values for each submachine gun:
- Common: 16 damage
- Uncommon: 17 damage
- Rare: 18 damage
- Epic: 19 damage
- Legendary: 20 damage
The fire rate was also reduced from 12 to 10 for common to rare submachine guns.
This base damage and fire rate reduction along with the headshot multiplier decreasing from 2.0x to 1.75x at the start of Chapter 2 Season 3 means that the DPS of submachine guns is much lower in v13.20.
In other words, submachine guns are now significantly weaker in this latest Fortnite update.
This may result in more players using shotguns again, which leads us to the next change.
Charge shotgun changes
Charge shotguns were added in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 and effectively replaced the pump shotgun.
The charge shotgun has polarized the Fortnite community with many players liking it and others hating it.
In v13.20, Fortnite increased the magazine size of the Epic and Legendary variants of the charge shotgun from 3 to 4. This is still less than the magazine size of 5 for the Mythic charge shotgun.
One of the most difficult things with the charge shotgun was managing the low magazine size, so the increase from 3 to 4 should help.
Also, a quality of life change was added so there’s now a bar indicator above the crosshair when using the charge shotgun to indicate the level of charge.
Marauder changes
The Marauders that were introduced in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 have had changes to what they drop in v13.20:
- 54 Light ammo (was 18)
- 30 Medium ammo (was 10)
- 18 Heavy ammo (was 6)
- 12 Shotgun Shells (was 4)
Also, the chances of getting certain items have been tweaked to the following:
- 50% chance to drop 5 bandages (was 75%)
- 50% for 3 stinks (was 25%)
- 20% for a medkit (was 60%)
- 50% for 2 splashes (was 20%)
- 30% for 3 fire flies (was 20%)
These are definitely buffs to the loot from Marauders and improves the utility of killing them.
The reason why the percentages don’t add up to 100% is that there are different types of Marauders.
Deployable workbench
As you know, you can upgrade or sidegrade your weapons at an upgrade bench by exchanging your material.
In v13.20, you can get an upgrade bench from chests so you can deploy your own workbench to allow for easier upgrading and sidegrading.
Storm color changes
You may have noticed that the colors were changed in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 and that it’s harder to see in the night time unless you use these settings.
Now in v13.20, there have been changes to the storm colors and your screen will be purple when in the storm.
your screen is purple in the zone now pic.twitter.com/zZWdtkq4c3
ā TAVERN (@TurtleTavernTV) June 30, 2020
This will definitely make it more difficult to see when you’re in the storm, so you will find it more difficult to fight enemies that are outside of the storm.
v13.20 skins
In the patch notes that were sent, Fortnite mentioned that “a mighty arrival is coming to Item Shop this week.”
Fortnite leakers have revealed the skins that are being introduced in v13.20.
v13.20 skins and backblings pic.twitter.com/2spf9CmoVJ
ā Lucas7yoshi (@Lucas7yoshi) June 30, 2020
One of the skins is “Dad Bod Jonesy” and I think this is a reference to when Thor got fat in Avengers: Endgame.
Clearly, there are similarities and it seems to link with the “A Hero Arrives” teaser in the patch notes.
Bug fixes
According to the official Fortnite Trello board, the following known issues are addressed by v13.20:
General:
- Missing styles for the Specialist Pickaxe and Arroyo Pack Back Bling.
- Rage Emote fire effect remaining on/near players.
- Emotes playing over Main Stage music in Party Royale.
- Sandstorm Outfit missing hair.
Battle Royale:
- Fall damage from Ziplines when landing in shallow water.
- Epic & Legendary SMGs sometimes cannot be Sidegraded.
- Damaging Marauders counting towards Storm Surge.
- Chug Splash does not heal when thrown inside of a bush.
- Supply Drops may sometimes push loot under the map.
Save the World:
- Storm King’s AOE attack leaves the map covered in a bright pink texture.
- Softlock/loss in UI functionality when opening Llama in Llama Shop.
- Lobber projectiles may damage players or objectives near a wall.
Mobile:
- Changing between Build and Combat mode while holding down the fire button.
Conclusion
The v13.20 update has brought some notable changes to Fortnite.
For example, the nerf to submachine guns and improvements to the charge shotgun could change the weapon meta.
And the color changes when in the storm is going to discourage anyone from getting caught in the storm because it is increasingly difficult to fight against enemies.
Hopefully I have covered all of the major changes in this update, but if there’s anything that I’ve missed please let me know in the comments below.