Fortnite developer Epic Games has removed one of the game’s Exotic weapons, the Storm Scout Sniper Rifle, from competitive play following feedback from the community. The popular battle royale title is currently in the middle of the Chapter 2 Season 5 (the game’s 15th season in total), which has seen the introduction of a new roster of weapons under the new Exotic rarity, including the team-healing Chug Cannon that restores squad health and shields rather deal damage to opponents.
Apart from Exotic weapons, the fifth season of Fortnite’s second chapter has also introduced a lot of new content into the game thanks in part to its current storyline, which focuses on The Zero Point. Assumed to be a portal to other realities, The Zero Point has allowed hunters from other dimensions to arrive at Apollo Island. This has allowed Fortnite to introduce even more guest characters into the game as skins. So far, the season has added Din Djarin from The Mandalorian, Kratos from God of War, Daryl and Michonne from The Walking Dead, Master Chief from Halo, and most recently Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe.
The current season isn’t just adding new weapons or characters into the game though as Epic Games recently announced via the Fortnite Status Twitter account that it has removed the Exotic Storm Scout Sniper Rifle from the game’s competitive playlists, citing community feedback for the reason it decided to vault the weapon. The sniper rifle in question isn’t exactly a new weapon as it was initially introduced in season nine of chapter one as either an epic or legendary weapon but was vaulted after only one season. The Storm Scout was then reintroduced at the start of the current season as an Exotic weapon, while keeping the same characteristics as its legendary version.
While the basic capabilities of the Storm Scout Sniper Rifle aren’t particularly remarkable, its unique function is what makes it stand out against the other sniper rifles in the game. When players equip and look down the sights of the Storm Scout, they are able to see where the next storm circle will appear, which then allows them to position themselves earlier than other players in the game. It’s likely that it’s this feature of the Storm Scout that players felt was overpowered hence asking Epic Games to vault the weapon and keep it from competitive play.
It’s unfortunate that the Storm Scout has been vaulted once again so soon after its return. However, since balancing is incredibly important in competitive play, it isn’t surprising that Epic Games would remove it from Fortnite (even if only temporarily) to help maintain the game’s delicate weapon sandbox balance.
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Source: Fortnite Status