Fortnite: New currency-like item to be added to the game

According to recent leaks, Fortnite could soon be adding a new currency to the game. A new item, called a “Wad” would give players a currency to purchase items while in a match, and likely not for purchasing items from the item shop. This new Wad currency could function as a way for players to buy weapons from some kind of vendor, rather than relying on chests and loot drops.

Information about the Wad currency in Fortnite is light

Currently the only information we have to go off of is that the Wad will be added to the loot pool. Wads will come in four increments:

• Small Wad Stash: 25
• Medium Wad Stash: 100
• Large Wad Stash: 250
• Wad Safe: 500

These will reportedly spawn within stashes and safes throughout Fortnite. Other than that, next to nothing is known about them yet, though players can expect to see them in the future.

A new "Wad" item/currency got added this update to the loot pool, it's planned to spawn in stashes & a safe (thanks to @Not0fficer for the help):- Small Wad Stash: 25- Medium Wad Stash: 100- Large Wad Stash: 250- Wad Safe: 500

— HYPEX 🎃 (@HYPEX) October 27, 2020

What do the Wads mean for Fortnite?

Because there is so little information about this new currency, the most we have to go off of is speculation. Therefore, you should be at least somewhat skeptical about any interpretation of these items in game. However, it isn’t likely that these will be usable at the in-game item shop as that would cut into the profitability of Fortnite as a whole. If players could earn currency more consistently through playing the game, they would be much less likely to buy V-Bucks.

All 14.40 Icons for content creators: https://t.co/KnRHA1IzUQ (Click "Download" to the right to download everything)

— HYPEX 🎃 (@HYPEX) October 26, 2020

However, it wouldn’t make much sense to add a currency to the game that couldn’t be used. The two most plausible interpretations are that Wads will be used in-game to purchase items and to help lower the influence of randomness on your average games of Fortnite. Most of us have had the experience of landing somewhere only to find nothing but SMGs and pistols lying around.

If players could purchase even low rarity AR’s and other strong guns it could give players more consistent games that are less affected by luckl. An alternate interpretation is that these items could possibly be used for something more specific. This would mean that they are only valuable in relation to a specific unimplemented feature.