Epic Games has been uncharacteristically slow at releasing patches for Fortnite this season - but we're not complaining!
Each of the patches so far has added loads of great new content, and even more is being revealed every time the water level drops.
It looks like the map will be recovering from Midas' Doomsday Device for the whole season, but here's what we expect from the next update, v13.40.
Latest News
Incoming Fishing Update - 5th August
According to another Twitter thread from data miner @iFireMonkey, Fortnite’s going to get another big fishing update in the near future. The changes—discovered in the game’s code following the v13.40 patch—will probably go into effect around the launch of next season, the leaker says.
The leak provides a long list of fish that will likely appear in the refresh, as well as a set of new strings for events like “first catch,” “personal best,” a fish’s length, or “requires pro fishing rod.”
Certain new fish will be catchable anywhere; others will be exclusive to parts of the map, including mountainous areas, swamp regions, and coasts.
Fortnite v13.40 Patch Notes - 4th August
The key bullet points from Epic's Fortnite v13.40 update have purportedly been leaked to Twitter. These come courtesy of Twitter user @iFireMonkey:
- Joy Ride Update: "Fuel up at the new gas stations and master each car's unique speed and handling."
- Groove to the Music: "Your road trip on the island needs a soundtrack, so we added radio stations. If you're streaming, adjust your Creator Options in the Audio Settings for copyright-safe music."
- Summer Splash LTMs: "New summer LTMs continue this week with Gungame and One Shot."
- Coral Castle: "In case you were underwater and missed it, the Coral Castle POI surfaced in the northwest quadrant of the map. Explore a lost city that time forgot."
- Party Royale: "New entertainment across music, sports, and the deep sea. Starting Friday, we'll have a video premiere event from Japanese artist Kenshi Yonezu at the Main Stage. Refer to your channel's platform policies for tips on how to avoid copyright strikes."
- What's bugging you?: "We were able to squash some key bugs called out by many of you. This includes the Slow Glider bug, dopping a weapon to instantly reload it, and controller bugs on PC."
Cars Arrive In Fortnite - 3rd August
The new 'Joyride Update' will bring cars to Fortnite! Here's everything you need to know about cars.
v13.40 Reaching Staging API - 31st July
The new patch has now reached the official staging API, meaning Epic is currently testing this update and will "likely release within the upcoming weeks" according to @FNBRHQ.
v13.40 Release Date - 30th July
The new patch is set to drop on either 4th or 5th August 2020.
Early v13.40 Patch Notes - 30th July
Here's what bugs are planned to be fixed in the next update according to the official Trello board:
- General
- Mouse cursor appearing on PC when playing with controller.
- Battle Royale
- "Deal damage within 10s of landing from Whirlpool at Hydro 16" should say "at The Yacht" instead.
- Slow Glider speed after redeploying in certain situations.
- "Land at Frenzy Farm/The Yacht and finish Top 25" not counting in Duos/Squads.
- XP bar can be visually incorrect while in a match. /Incorrect levelling-up.
- Ocean's Bottomless Chug Jug unable to be picked up while recharging if dropped by another player.
- Creative Mode
- Billboards broken in islands that used Roboto.
- Multi-selected items do not rotate properly on grid snap
- Save The World
- B.A.S.E. May not appear in the Trap Wheel
- Certain new weapon perks are missing on new weapons
- 'Search and Rescue' Quest missing Mission
- Quest 'Eliminate: Down with a Boom' does not track Lobber eliminations
- 'Weapons: Super Powers' Quest doesn't always progress
- Mobile
- Elimination feed may not appear on the HUD
- Yellow square appears when you level up
- Unable to throw grenades while riding a Loot Shark
- Sail Shark Glider may have yellow coloration on mobile devices
Release Date
Image courtesy of Epic Games
Usually, we'd expect to see a patch or update every two weeks or so, but Epic has been releasing them more slowly in Season 3.
This is great, it means we have to update our games less often, but we still get roughly the same amount of new goodies.
@iFireMonkey has provided a more accurate date, where we should see the update arrive on the 4th-5th August. This is due to Week 8 challenges not yet being complete.
Read more: Fortnite Birthday Event Countdown: Start Date, Challenges, Rewards and More
Will We See Cars?
Image courtesy of Epic Games
To cut a long story short, we don't know for sure - as Epic no longer gives us extensive patch notes, we have to make educated guesses mostly based on what developers write on social media.
Of course, we can also check the official Trello board, but that never gives anything huge away. It's more for bug fixes than game-changing updates.
However, if the patch comes next week as we expect, then it fits the timeline that Epic suggested we'd have to wait before we could drive cars around the map.
We're keeping our fingers crossed!
Read more: Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3: Cars Delayed By Up To Three Weeks
New Weapons
Image courtesy of Epic Games
We haven't seen a lot of new weapons this season, and we're wondering if this is due to the effect of the pandemic on Epic Games?
Maybe it's for balance, but we wonder if we'll see the Legendary Dragon Shotgun that data miner HYPEX found in the game files last week?
They don't expect the weapon to drop for another 2-3 months, but we're hoping it'll be sooner to satisfy our lust for new shooters!
Read more: Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3: New Leaked POIs, Ancient Astronaut Challenges And More
New POI Locations
Image courtesy of FortTory on Twitter
As the flood gradually drains away, we're bound to stumble across some new POIs, or our old favourites will look a lot different.
We know from leaks that both Atlantis and the Ancient Astronaut will be coming, and we can't think of a better time to drop one or both into the map!
Fortnite players have been very patient this season, as fewer updates mean less variety in matches. However, the developers are doing their best to keep us entertained during the pandemic!
Come back here next week to see what changes we'll see in update v13.40!
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fortnite