Fortnite: Why messing with Shotguns won't help bring balance back to the game

Shotguns are among the most polarizing weapons in all of Fortnite. Not only can they be extremely underpowered or overpowered, but many players rely on them to perform well. Since Fortnite is so fast-paced and close quarters at times, Shotguns are one of the few weapons that can deal an insane amount of damage with one shot.

Of course, this potential for damage is why Epic Games finds it so difficult to balance the weapon class. If the developers make any Shotgun too powerful they run the risk of breaking Fortnite's meta. However, if they're too underpowered, no one really picks a Shotgun up unless truly necessary.

Even with all of that polarity though, it's still in Epic Games' best interest to simply leave Shotguns alone and not buff or nerf them too severely.

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Leaving Shotguns where they are

In terms of the weapon meta in Fortnite, Shotguns have always been at the forefront. Whether it was the infamous Double Pump mechanic or the insanely powerful Heavy Shotgun, this weapon class has never been an afterthought. Although, all of that changed when Epic Games vaulted the Pump Shotgun in Chapter 2.

Image via Epic Games

In its place for Season 3 is the Charge Shotgun, which is fairly polarizing on its own. While some players do like the potential of the weapon, most stick with the tried and true Tactical Shotgun. Of course, it's not even worth it to use this weapon over an SMG most of the time.

So this flux in the meta leaves Epic Games with a decision. Should the developers buff either the Tactical or Charge Shotgun to make them more competitive or leave them as is? Our vote goes to not messing with the current Season 3 meta. Sure, when Chapter 2 - Season 4 rolls around maybe it's a different story. For right now though, messing with the Shotguns won't help to balance the game. It will only ensure that players use Shotguns over any other weapon, creating the same problem that's currently facing Fortnite.

There's no telling what Epic will do in the updates leading up to Season 4. Hopefully, the developers don't try to mess with the balance of the game too severely.