Fortnite update 15.40 has finally made it to live servers, and the late-season update has a few surprises for Battle Royale fans. The Flint-Knock Pistol makes a surprise return, and new LTMs are on the way like Air Royale and the Floor is Lava. Check out our unofficial patch notes below, compiled using official Epic Games sources.
Fortnite update 15.40 patch notes
Highlights
- Flint-Knock Pistol Unvaulted: Since being vaulted in Season 11, the Flint-Knock Pistol returns to Battle Royale. Since the gun wasn't vaulted for balance reasons, it doesn't appear to have changed much since it was last introduced.
- NPC Inventory updates: Characters will have more Exotics in stock for allies (or enemies) to acquire. This change will make many characters more useful to players.
- LTMs Return: Air Royale and Floor is Lava queues will be added back to the game soon.
- Adjust object/build level of detail in PC Perf Mode alpha: PC players trying Performance Mode should be able to adjust the appearance of objects and builds in-game. Those with more sophisticated rigs can make builds look more refined.
Save the World updates
February 21
Dashing Hawk Returns
- Standard Perk: Absolutely Stunning
- Lefty and Righty shots have a 37.5 percent chance to Stun the target for 2 seconds.
- Commander Perk: Absolutely Stunning+
- Lefty and Righty shots have a 37.5 percent chance to Stun the target for 2 seconds. Additionally, Lefty and Righty damage is increased by 100 percent against Stunned targets.
- Love Song Bow added - February 21 at 7 p.m. EST: Keeping the bow drawn past max charge will fire an arrow that stuns the enemy for 10 seconds. Weapon damage will break this effect. Does not affect Bosses or enemies that have recently been Lovestruck.
- Wargames Invasion quest: Also starts February 21 at 7 p.m.
- New questline arrives February 27: Help Major Oswald rediscover his inner soldier and recruit him to join your fight against the Horde!
Extraterrestrial Rio Perk Changes
- Standard Perk: Resonant Frequency
- Increases Energy Damage by 20 percent while Shields are at least 50 percent full.
- Commander Perk: Resonant Frequency+
- Increases Energy Damage by 60 percent while Shields are at least 50 percent full.
Gameplay Tweaks
- Nurses no longer stack their healing on Husks. They heal Husks at the same rate regardless of Nurse numbers.
- Husks deal less damage at higher levels of Twine Peaks. Crowd control effects now only work for the first five effects.
- Higher-tier traps no longer require increased resources when crafting. This means that Legendary items will now cost the same to craft as Commons.
- Five-star mats drop more often in Twine Peaks while four-star mats drop less often.
- Fewer low-rarity weapons at the end of Twine Peaks.
- Crafting ingredients now stack up to 999 rather than 200.
February 27
Major Oswald joins the fight with new quest
- Standard Perk: Command Presence
- War Cry snares enemies within its range by 30 percent for its duration.
- Commander Perk: Command Presence+
- War Cry snares enemies within its range by 30 percent for its duration. Additionally, affected enemies take 25 percent increased weapon damage.
Val Reporting for Duty
- If anyone can get through to the Major, it's his favorite student, Val. Fight through the Valor questline to unlock Homebase's favorite Brusier Defender.
Fallen Love Ranger Jonesy
- Standard Perk: Fuel for the Fallen
- Eliminations restore six Energy over three seconds. Duration refreshed with additional eliminations.
- Commander Perk: Fuel for the Fallen+
- Eliminations restore 18 Energy over three seconds. Duration refreshed with additional eliminations.
Wargames Quantum Countdown
- In this simulation, an unstable bomb is teleporting around your base. The Husks are drawn to its energy and trying to destroy it. Quickly adapt to protect its new location as the Husks take new, and unexpected, routes.
Bug Fixes
Battle Royale
- Total Bars appearing as zero in a match.
- Purple XP Coins disappearing when driven through (without granting XP).
- Matchmaking doesn't start if unreadied player leaves early.
Creative
- Phone Booths do not respect island settings when players change Outfits.
Save the World
- Mythic Lead Survivor portraits appear only as silhouettes.
- Locating a Durrr Burger not counting towards the "Locating: Burger Break!" Ventures quest.
As a late-season update, Fortnite update 15.40 doesn't offer much for players to sink their teeth into. The return of the Flint-Knock is an interesting addition, though, as it adds a slight wrinkle to the meta without bringing in a new weapon. Speaking of weapons, we're also glad to see more Exotics being handed out by NPCs as well. After all, as long as players collect enough Bars to buy a certain perk, they should be able to get it at any time they desire. Especially given that NPCs are one of the highlight features of Fortnite Season 5, why not make some adjustments to ensure they're being used regularly? Nothing about update 15.40 is completely revelatory on the Battle Royale side, but enough bugs have been squashed alongside a new content lineup to make the game feel a bit fresh.
While it's not all live today, one of the biggest surprises in Fortnite update 15.40 is the debut of new Save the World content that will be doled out over the next two weeks. From weapons to characters and Perk tweaks, update 15.40 offers the most substantial PvE overhaul we've seen in recent memory. Even though the vast majority of players have likely moved on, this is a nice treat for those still dedicated to the game that Fortnite was originally intended to be. Updates for this mode have been a long time coming, so enjoy them while they're here. At the very least, Epic has provided proof that Save the World isn't totally dead yet. While there could be more content, Fortnite update 15.40, brings enough to the game to keep all sides of the player base engaged.
Fortnite is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Android.
What are your thoughts on Fortnite update 15.40 given these patch notes? Are you excited for the return of the Flint-Knock Pistol? Tell us in the comments section!
