Et tu B.R.U.T.E.? Fortnite players across the world will be breathing a sigh of relief today, as Epic has finally – after much outcry – properly nerfed the B.R.U.T.E. mechs that have been bedeviling folks in Season X. The company line was that these superpowered mech suits would help level the playing field, allowing less experienced gamers to hold their own against high-level players. It’s a nice thought, but in practice, introducing them seriously unbalanced things, with players rightly complaining that they were way too powerful.
At first, Epic sought to solve the problem by reducing how often they appear in Fortnite‘s competitive mode, and introducing the “junk rift” – a weapon specifically designed to counter them. But now we’re seeing some serious adjustments that should make them a little more fun to fight against.
Here’s the full list of balance adjustments, courtesy of Epic:
B.R.U.T.E. Balance Adjustments
- Decreased the maximum amount of rockets fired by the B.R.U.T.E. in a single charge from 10 to 6.
- Decreased the rate at which the rockets are fired from the B.R.U.T.E. by 56%.
- Decreased the radius of the B.R.U.T.E.’s rocket explosion by 42%.
- Increased the dash cooldown from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
- Decreased the velocity gained from boosting while in air by 33%.
- The B.R.U.T.E. no longer grants materials to the driver and passenger when stomping or dashing through the environment.
- Adjusted the variability of spawn rates for storm phases 1, 2, and 3 in core modes. Arena spawn rates will remain unchanged.
- Storm phase 1
- New spawn rates
- 29% chance to spawn 0.
- 3% chance to spawn 1.
- 3% chance to spawn 2.
- 3% chance to spawn 3.
- 3% chance to spawn 4.
- 3% chance to spawn 5.
- Old spawn rates
- 33% chance to spawn 2.
- 33% chance to spawn 3.
- 33% chance to spawn 4.
- Storm phase 2
- New spawn rates
- 25% chance to spawn 0.
- 25% chance to spawn 1.
- 25% chance to spawn 2.
- 25% chance to spawn 3.
- Old spawn rates
- 33% chance to spawn 2.
- 33% chance to spawn 3.
- 33% chance to spawn 4.
- Storm phase 3
- New spawn rates
- 25% chance to spawn 0.
- 25% chance to spawn 1.
- 25% chance to spawn 2.
- 25% chance to spawn 3.
- Old spawn rates
- 33% chance to spawn 1.
- 33% chance to spawn 2.
- 33% chance to spawn 3.
- Decreased the material cost of using the gunner’s overshield from 200 to 75.
- Increased the Health of the B.R.U.T.E from 1000 to 1250.
- New spawn rates
- New spawn rates
- New spawn rates
- Storm phase 1
These changes appeared in-game across all platforms without it needing to be patched, meaning that Fortnite players should be able to instantly tell the difference in power. Most of these nerfs are pretty easy to understand, too, as reducing the amount of rockets fired in a single charge was a no-brainer for most, as is reducing their fire rate and blast radius. However, in this collection of nerfs there’s actually one buff. The cost of using the overshield has been reduced from 200 to 75. Epic explained their thinking behind this as so:
“With the above changes, users of the B.R.U.T.E. need to play a bit more strategic than before, so we want to give a little bit longer of a window to do so.”
I guess that makes sense. Honestly though, even with these changes, the B.R.U.T.E. is still a formidable opponent, so my guess is that encountering one will still leave you feeling like you didn’t stand a chance.
This whole debacle has been a pretty big misstep for Epic, who’ve generally been quite good in reading the Fortnite fanbase over the last nine seasons. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see the wider effect of these changes though and if the developer decides to make any further adjustments.