This week, Epic Games didn’t add too much to the game but there are still a few things to mention. Due to the lack of content I usually have to write about, I’ll also write my thoughts on the shotgun nerfs from past few updates.
The main part of the update this week is the new Thermal Assault Rifle which supposedly allows you to spot chests, air drops, players, and “more” easier. The way it works is that when you ADS your screen turns a different shade and only chests, air drops, players, etc will be a different colour. Since the name implies “thermal” some people thought you were able to see through walls, but you actually can’t. From what I’ve seen, it looks like it just changes the colours on your screen. You can still see exactly what you’d see if you didn’t have the thermal assault rifle it’s just easier to see things. In my opinion, I don’t really think the thermal aspect of the weapon has any real advantage as long as you have decent vision. However, it supposedly deals the same amount of damage as the SCAR rifles. The trade-off for the thermal ability and the damage is 15 bullets from the magazine. If you ask me, I honestly wouldn’t pick one up over a SCAR. I’ll probably use it for fun in a few games to see what it’s all about, but then after a few games, I’ll just leave it.
Before I write on about the shotgun nerfs, a few other additions are that most traps can now be placed on ramps and there’s been a new soccer stadium next to Junk Junction for the World Cup which is currently being held in Russia. I don’t think they’re worth elaborating on, but they’re just nice to know about.
In the past few patches, shotguns are usually affected in some way whether they’re buffs or nerfs. Last week, I wrote about the shotgun nerf and how I didn’t think it would change the way I’d play. However, I was quite wrong because last weekend as I was playing I noticed something was “off”. I usually us double pumps in my inventory which used to be very effective. When I played after the pump shotgun nerf last week, I’d been experiencing frequent single digit numbers when fighting opponents in close range (even when I’m in the same room as another player). Usually, anyone would be hitting triple digit damage numbers or at least double digits, but lately, all of my friends that all used to double pump have all been talking about how they’re kind of useless. At first, I thought it was just me being me and having bad aim, but after hearing from other people that play nearly every day it seems like the double pump strategy isn’t that effective anymore unless you’ve got really good aim and can constantly hit headshots. Even then I would be hesitant to still use double pump since it’s very possible to do damage in the twenties even with a headshot.
This week, the patch notes weren’t that exciting from my perspective, but the shotgun changes from last week were. I think I’ll give the double pump a chance for my next few games, and if it doesn’t work I’ll switch to a different strategy for close quarters fights.