Besides giving Fortnite fans a brand new playspace to explore, Epic Games’ massive Chapter 2 update has afforded the developer freedom to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. Bloated weapon pools, a cramped map and hugely divisive vehicles have either had to be outright removed, Vaulted or repeatedly patched to maintain balance, a trajectory that could never have been maintained indefinitely.
Apollo Island, on the other hand, represents a fresh start for the battle royale, one that’s undoubtedly been designed from the ground-up to accommodate all sorts of experimental gameplay features in the future and beyond. Some of those are already present, of course, in the form of fishing and swimming mechanics, but Chapter 2’s unofficial nautical theme doesn’t end there. As per seasoned data miner Lucas7yoshi’s latest efforts, it appears one of Chapter 2’s first new weapons has been revealed ahead of schedule.
Check it out below:
According to the item’s description, the Harpoon Gun has the nifty ability to not only damage players hit by its barbed projectile, but pull anyone it hits closer to the user. Such a trait might sound grossly overpowered on a surface level, but it’s worth bearing in mind that damage values and effective range are yet to be discovered.
It’s highly unlikely, for instance, that Epic will allow those that wield the gun to yank players across the entire map for a follow-up shotgun blast to the gut, although it wouldn’t be the first time that the developer has missed the mark when it comes to balance. Regardless of its properties, unreleased content discovered in this way usually has a habit of appearing in-game sooner rather than later so expect the Harpoon Gun to make its debut soon.
As for new content available now, the first post-launch update for Fortnite Chapter 2, patch v11.10, went live earlier today. See here for all the details.
