Fortnite's V18.20 update has been rolled out and brings some much-needed changes to the Impostors mode, as well as a few basic adjustments to the game's overall functionality.
Prior to its release, many were hoping the V18.20 update would be a little more substantial than it ended up being. Fortnitemares - the battle royale's annual Halloween event - is in full swing right now, and so fans naturally assumed that more spooky content would be introduced today (October 12).
Meanwhile, throughout the server downtime window, reputable data miners like @iFireMonkey, @HYPEX and @ShiinaBR were busy reporting on all manner of exciting leaks that have yet to be confirmed. Among other things, they uncovered evidence of new consumable items, jump-scare zombies that will roam the island, and even an upcoming Batman collaboration.
Unfortunately, none of these things appear to be in the game at the time of writing. They aren't mentioned anywhere in the official patch notes at least, which are more focused on quality-of-life improvements and matchmaking tweaks.
Perhaps juicer content will be drip fed through to Fortnite over the coming days, but for the time being, V18.20 is another underwhelming addition to Season 8 that doesn't add much of note. Here are the details taken from Epic's website.
Combat Assault Rifle vs. Combat SMG Vote
Players can now vote for one of two weapons to be added to Fortnite in a future update.
You can choose between either the combat assault rifle or the combat SMG. To support your favorite, you will need to find notice boards scattered around the island and donate gold bars to your preferred gun.
You are quite literally voting with your wallet in this instance, as the first weapon to hit 100% of its funding goal will be dropped into the game world.
According to the patch notes, these combat weapons will have tighter bullet spreads (reducing blooming) and are exceptionally powerful. However, they apparently suffer from intense recoil.
Updates to the Impostors Mode
Most of the V18.20 update is focused on the Impostors mode (which Epic has finally acknowledged is directly inspired by Among Us).
A new "Role Bias" feature allows you to express a preference about whether you want to be assigned as an Imposter or as an Agent. It is worth noting that this is only a preference setting, so you are not guaranteed to be given your chosen role every time, but it does increase the likelihood of you getting your desired experience.
Meanwhile, a separate playlist has been set up for those who want to play the Impostors mode with voice chat enabled. Verbal communication will obviously change how these matches unfold, given that you must now openly voice your suspicions of other players and will need to be a convincing liar if you hope to deflect blame onto innocent parties.
Of course, for those who (understandably) do not want to have to converse with strangers online, there is still a playlist that relies on the old quick chat features.
Stay With Squad Option
A new feature has been introduced to Fortnite's team-based modes that allows you to stay with your squads as you head into subsequent matches.
If you are playing on "Fill "(which puts you in a team with random players as opposed to friends), then you will be promoted to select "Stay with Squad" at the end of the game. If your teammates choose to do so as well, then you will all remain in the same grouping for the next match.
This option is currently only available to those playing on NA-East servers, but will be rolled out globally at a later date.
Return Requests Update
Fortnite has changed the way that its item return policy works, so that it now refreshes after 365 days.
Gamers can return up to 3 items that they have purchased with their V-bucks (excluding things like battle passes which are none refundable) before they then have to wait for the allotted time to elapse. This has been detailed more thoroughly in a separate blog on the Epic Games website.
General Bug Fixes
In addition to all of the above, the following bugs have been patched with the V18.20 update:
- Fixed an issue involving players not being able to use a Fishing Rod while in the passenger seat of a Motorboat or in the back of an OG Bear truck.
- Fixed an issue involving Battle Pass page unlock progress not always tracking correctly.
- Fixed an issue involving Nintendo Switch players not being heard in voice chat by players on other consoles.
In related Fortnite Season 8 news, Newsweek has prepared guides on how to complete Sideways encounters, how to unlock the various Toona Fish skins and where to find IO Guards on the island.
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