'Fortnite' New Burst Rifle vs. FAMAS: Tips for ‘Battle Royale’s New Weapon

Fortnite: Battle Royale has given players a massive arsenal of weapons to fight their way to total domination of the island. From the now-defunct guided missile launcher to the Infinity Gauntlet that lets you channel your inner Thanos, Epic Games has taken more of a comic book approach to the type of firepower it gives gamers — until now.

A recent Fortnite Tracker leak of the anticipated v4.2 update, revealed that an assault rifle, which appears to be a riff on a real-life weapon, will be added to the roster. The potential new weapon has been dubbed the Bullpup Burst and it looks almost identical to the FAMAS assault rifle, which was popularized by the French police and military. Unfortunately, players will have to wait for an undetermined amount of time to try it out, since Epic has delayed the release of the v4.2 patch due to undisclosed issues.

While you can’t get your virtual hands on the Bullpup Burst just yet, comparing it to how FAMAS weapons function and looking at the item’s leaked stats can give you an idea of how you’ll need to play to get the most out of this new rifle.

‘Fortnite’ New Burst Rifle vs. FAMAS: Effective Range

A real-life FAMAS maintains its accuracy to about 300 to 450 meters (984-1476 feet), making it a mid- to long-range weapon. Fortnite Tracker puts the Bullpup Burst at the same effective range as all the other rifles, meaning you’ll get the best use out of it if you keep a moderate distance.

Keep in mind that this new weapon will likely only fire in bursts and not in a fully-automatic spray. This will boost its accuracy but decrease the amount of damage you’re able to dish out at point-blank range. Your best bet will be going for headshots at mid-range. The Bullpup Burst does up to 52.8 headshot damage from mid-range, so if your opponent doesn’t have any shield, you could effectively two-shot them if you’re accurate enough.

‘Fortnite’ New Burst Rifle vs. FAMAS: Reload Time

A bullpup is a firearm with its magazine far behind its trigger. All FAMAS weapons are bullpup rifles, but Fortnite Tracker’s pictures seem to show the magazine in front of the trigger.

Bullpup rifles typically take a little longer to reload because of the magazine’s position, but the Bullpup Burst can be reloaded as quickly as 2.3 seconds, according to Fortnite Tracker. This makes it faster than the Burst rifle. Pick your shots carefully, you don’t want to get caught reloading in the middle of Fatal Fields.

‘Fortnite’ New Burst Rifle vs. FAMAS: Longer Range SCAR

All in all, the Bullpup Burst seems to be a more accurate and longer range version of the SCAR. This means it will do overall less damage than the SCAR, but you’ll have a higher chance to land shots much farther away, effectively increasing your damage if your aim is up to snuff.

So when the Bullpup Burst is finally released with v4.2, and if these leaked stats are true, be sure to keep your distance and pick out those headshots. You’ll dominate the island in no time.