Fortnite leak show fan-favorite weapon set to return soon

Fortnite has vaulted and unvaulted many weapons in Chapter 3 Season 2. The likes of the MK-Seven Assault Rifle are no longer available in the loot pool, but loopers can opt for other weapons like the Combat SMG and the Red-Dot Striker Burst Rifle instead.

Having said that, Chapter 3 Season 2 has just begun and as usual, the loot pool will be altered with every update. Leakers have already discovered upcoming shotguns and rifles in the game's files.

One such weapon is the Hunting Rifle, and here's everything there is to know about it.

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Hunting Rifle will return to Fortnite in Chapter 3 Season 2

Hunting Rifle is clearly one of the most popular OG weapons. It was originally released in Season 3, and was last seen in Chapter 2 Season 4.

The Hunting Rifle was a huge hit among Fortnite players due to its damage output. They could one-shot opponents with it, but doing so obviously required impeccable aim.

This made the Hunting Rifle a high-risk, high-reward weapon. With a magazine size of just a single bullet, players wielding it definitely could not risk missing a lot of shots.

Now, it seems like the Hunting Rifle is coming back in Chapter 3 Season 2, but HYPEX has claimed that Epic Games plans to nerf the rifle before re-introducing it. Interestingly, these nerfs won't allow players to 'one shot headshot' opponents anymore.

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Hunting Rifle and Heavy Sniper in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2 get massive nerfs

Previously, the Hunting Rifle used to deal 82/86/91/96/100 damage according to rarity. However, in Chapter 3 Season 2, its damage output has been reduced to 72/76/80/84/88.

The weapon has a 2.25x Headshot Multiplier, which means that even at Legendary Rarity, a headshot will only deal 198 damage. Eliminating an opponent with a single well-timed hit is now impossible, considering that the Tactical Overshield mechanic is also a part of the meta now.

Similarly, the Heavy Sniper's headshot damage has been reduced from 200/200/200 to 180/192/198. The damage to builds (when building returns) will be 600/630/660 as opposed to the original 1000/1050/1100.

It is evident that Epic Games doesn't want loopers to one-shot enemies with headshots in Chapter 3 Season 2. While some players have accepted this approach, others believe that at least snipers should be able to eliminate someone with a headshot.

Fortnite is not the most realistic Battle Royale out there, which explains why the developers have decided to nerf the one-shot capabilities of Sniper Rifles. However, the mixed response from the community isn't a big surprise, as players have contrasting demands from every weapon.