Fortnite Battle Royale's latest limited-time mode improves first-shot accuracy

From its snipers-only shootouts to its stealth-driven Sneaky Silencers, Fortnite Battle Royale loves a gimmick. Its latest limited-time mode, however, targets how weapons work, and how they might improve down the line. Shooting Test #1 is live now. 

"One of our favorite things about Fortnite Battle Royale is choosing how to engage another player—whether that’s building cover and closing the gap, dropping from above, sneaking around, or just going in guns blazing," says Epic Games in this blog post. "Unfortunately, it can be frustrating when those plans are disrupted by a shot that randomly misses your target."

Epic suggests two prototypes will address the latter: First-Shot Accuracy, and Perfect Accuracy and Recoil—with Shooting Test #1 focussed on the former.  

(Here's where I pretend the game's inconsistent first-shot accuracy is responsible for my own catalogue of missed targets. Can I get away with blaming my awful aim on that? Probably not. Git gud, as the cool kids say.)

Epic also notes that this phase of testing closely reflects the game's current build, however changes include a new red-glowing reticle applied when standing still, aiming, and when aim spread is at peak accuracy. Elsewhere, headshot critical hits have been reduced—shotguns now deal 150 percent damage, and not 250 percent—while damage fall-off has been introduced to a range of weapons. 

Check out the sum of Shooting Test #1's nips and tucks in this direction. 

"Our intent is to run multiple shooting tests, and we’ll be gathering data from many different sources (internal analytics, community sentiment, and various social platforms)," adds Epic. "Your participation is key! We want to be confident that what we have is better for the community, across all platforms and skill levels."