Fortnite Nerfs Controversial Chapter 4 Weapon

01/14/2023 11:28 am EST

Fortnite has taken a swing at one of its more contentious Chapter 4 additions by nerfing the Shockwave Hammer shortly after the weapon was brought back into the game. The nerf is a small one on paper that reduced the number of charges the weapon holds down to three from four, but it's one that's again left players feeling a bit divided given that some felt it was warranted while others expressed frustration towards the nerf.

This change was announced on Friday by the Fortnite Status Twitter account which had only this Shockwave Hammer nerf to report at the time. The nerf applies to the normal version of the weapon – the one assigned the purple "Epic" rarity – while the Mythic version of the Shockwave Hammer remains unchanged.

Given the weapon's damage and utility, it's not surprising that a unanimous opinion on this change is lacking. Those who like the weapon naturally wish it wouldn't have been nerfed and have accused Epic Games of dialing back and fun and uniqueness of the current season by lessening the Shockwave Hammer's power. Those in favor of the nerf applauded the change by saying that it needed to be toned down due to the mobility it offers players thanks to its previous four charges. As is the case with these sorts of nerfs, the game's competitive scene was blamed once more by people who felt Epic Games was catering too much to pros and the competitive environment.

The good news is that if you still want the old power of the weapon back, you've still got a tool to use, though obtaining it is a bit more complex than finding one off the ground. The Ageless Champion's Shockwave Hammer is the Mythic variant of the weapon and is capable of holding not just three or four but five charges to offer players maximum damage and mobility.

As mentioned previously, the hammer was at one point taken away in the past couple of days and stayed a way a while longer than expected, too, but it came back to the game on January 10th.

Fortnite's Shockwave Hammer nerf is now live across all versions of the game.

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