Guided Missile Launcher UAV is now a thing and it is brilliant!
The Guided Missile Launcher was added back to Fortnite yesterday, so it is time to talk about it in detail.
When it was initially launched (yes, pun intended) back in Season 3, it was incredibly overpowered. The sheer damage you could put out in combination with team-mates shooting meant any opponent needed divine intervention to get out of the battle alive.
It lasted only a few weeks, with Epic Games quickly vaulting it. It’s taken them almost two entire seasons to bring it back.
Now that they have, it has been rightly nerfed, dropping the damage from 1100 to just 400 to structures. The damage to players has also been cut to only 74 – 77 from 105- 110. Most notably though, the change to movement speed has been the most important, with it being fine-tuned to stop being almost impossible to counter.
https://twitter.com/sprinklesgaming/status/981489041685336064
Thankfully, I was able to have a few games with the launcher, in both the Fly Explosives LTM and the standard game. In all of these games, I played in a full squad, as indeed the Guided Missile was never great in solos.
The first thing you will notice is that really; the item is not about dishing out vast amounts of damage. Instead is it more like a UAV from Call of Duty and allows you to find nearby players and report back to your team. Obviously, you can put out some damage, and you will get kills with them – but don’t expect to use them as something that will get you out of trouble.
Should you use it?
If you are in a duo or squads. With the changes to the meta and nerfs to materials, more and more players are hiding in corners and buildings. Being able to use something that will give you 15 seconds of free radar is going to be invaluable.
Better than a Grenade or Rocket launcher?
This is a hard one. Really, it depends what your other weapons are in your loadout. If you have a good assault rifle, shotgun and SMG, then the Guided Missile Launcher is a great addition. In squads, one of your team should absolutely run one to be able to scout ahead for enemies.
Will it change competitive play?
Hopefully.
Like we have mentioned, the ability to see around the map for 15 seconds gives you a significant advantage. Competitive Fortnite’s biggest problem is that, well, it is boring. Players are continually sitting in structures and being scared of moving.
If they can use the Guided Missile as a UAV, hopefully, it will give intel to be able to push.