This Overpowered Fortnite Weapon Is Getting Nerfed

Spider-Man is only one of the latest additions to "Fortnite" in its Chapter 3 update. Unfortunately, like many Marvel crossovers in the past, his Mythic Web Shooter weapons have upset the balance in the competitive meta. His Web Shooters, which can be obtained from multiple locations across the map, allow players to swing around the island for quick escapes and drive-by shootouts. After enough complaints, Epic Games finally decided to nerf these weapons in "Fortnite" competitive playlists. 

Epic casually slipped in the announcement in at the bottom of its recent Pizza Party blog post. Here, it specified that Spider-Man players won't be able to swing around as freely as before. Web Shooters have a set number of times they can shoot a spiderweb across the map like a Harpoon Gun. Epic announced that the number of charges will drop from 80 down to 20 in its recent crackdown on players relying too much on the weapon. After all, it's difficult to keep running with only 20 charges.

"This lower count encourages players to make more strategic decisions about when to use the item," the post read. Unfortunately, the Web Shooter nerf only applies to competitive modes, so casual players will still have to deal with the onslaught of webs. This patch takes effect next week on Feb. 1, 2022 as part of the v19.20 update, but fans have been requesting the change for much longer.

Many players, especially those playing competitive modes, have complained about the Web Shooters for some time. Many suggested that Epic improve the Web Shooters' implementation or just remove them from the game entirely. On the other hand, fans claimed that their inclusion kept lobbies from getting "too sweaty" and added to the on-brand wackiness that keeps "Fortnite" fun. 

One Redditor recounted a frustrating story, suggesting that Epic completely remove the Spider-Man Mythic from competitive mode. "I'm tired of shooting at a guy then two Spiderman kids come third party and kill me," the original poster complained. "Then they BOTH just run away without fighting each other."

Some tried to defend the Web Shooters as just another Mythic Weapon and not really "OP." Still, critics begged to differ. "It is OP since it can be used as harpoon gun where it has a range of 120m while giving you essentially mobility of grappler but with less noise and more choice of your direction and altitude, which grappler cannot do that well," another person pointed out.

In the end, it looks like Epic Games sided with the critics. At the very least, those who want to enjoy the Web Shooters in their full glory can do so in casual modes. As mentioned, players can expect the nerf live on February 1, along with the "Fortnite" Pizza Party event. In addition to fewer web parades in competitive, players can expect squads to fight over pizza for delicious heals.