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Fortnite patch 1.8.1 releases tomorrow, brings optimization and performance improvements

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Epic Games has announced that the Fortnite patch 1.8.1 will come out tomorrow, featuring various optimization and performance improvements. According to the release notes, the Fortnite patch 1.8.1 improves point light shadow rendering performance on both consoles and PC.

In addition, this update comes with various optimizations to player character animation for improved performance. The team has also fixed various hitches during gameplay that were caused by the assets being synchronously loaded at runtime, and server network lag occurring if a player attempted to rejoin a match after timing out or being kicked.

Furthermore, this patch improves stability of the matchmaking system in Battle Royale. It also comes with a number of gameplay tweaks and improvements.

This patch will be auto-downloaded from Epic’s Launcher, and you can find its complete changelog below.

Fortnite Patch 1.8.1 Release Notes:

GENERAL

  • Added the option to uncap framerate on PS4 and PS4 Pro.
    • This option is in the ”Game” tab of the options menu.  When checked, this option will allow intermediate framerates.
    • WARNING: This will maximize framerate but lead to inconsistent performance and higher input lag.
  • Fixed several localization issues.

BATTLE ROYALE

GAMEPLAY

  • Slurp Juice can now spawn as Floor Loot in addition to in chests.
  • Fixed an issue that allowed players to consume Slurp Juice while running.
  • Fixed the effect of Slurp Juice persisting from the pre-game phase to the Battle Bus phase.
  • Fixed an issue which caused other players’ gliders to appear sideways.
  • Supply Drop balloons now take damage when shot from below.
  • Fixed an issue which caused revives to be interrupted if another DBNO player is near.
  • Adjusted the camera while holding the Pumpkin Rocket Launcher.
    • The camera angle previously interfered with players’ crosshairs.
  • Improved stability of the matchmaking system.

PERFORMANCE

  • Improved point light shadow rendering performance on consoles and PC.
    • This was particularly noticeable in Greasy Grove on Xbox One.
  • Various optimizations to player character animation for improved performance.
  • Fixed various hitches during gameplay due to assets being synchronously loaded at runtime.
  • Fixed server network lag occurring if a player attempted to rejoin a match after timing out or being kicked.

UI

  • Team members are listed next to the options menu.
    • This screen shows the number of players each team member has eliminated so far.
    • You can also select specific team members and toggle voice chat muting on either PC or PlayStation 4.
    • Xbox One players can mute team members from their profile.
  • Added confirmation prompt when equipping items in the Locker.
  • Changes made to sensitivity sliders will properly revert if the “Apply” button is not used before closing the menu.
  • Changed the description for V-Bucks to indicate that they can be used in both Save the World and Battle Royale stores.
    • “This in-game currency can be spent in both the Battle Royale PvP mode and the Save the World PvE campaign. In Battle Royale you can purchase new customization items for your Hero, glider, or pickaxe. In Save the World you can purchase Llama Pinata card packs that contain weapon, trap and gadget schematics as well as new Heroes and more. Note: Items do not transfer between Battle Royale mode and Save the World campaign.”
  • Fixed a visual issue with the crown icon over the party leader.
  • Fixed the consumable timer getting stuck on screen after transitioning from pre-game to the Battle Bus phase.
  • Fixed the Leaderboards and Stats page which showed an incorrect time until refresh if the system’s clock was changed.
  • Fixed consumable items being displayed as “Ranged Weapons” in their tooltip.
  • Fixed an issue causing text on the Item Shop screen to be cut off.
  • Fixed an issue which caused controller button icons to be pushed off screen on the Leaderboard page in the Italian language.
  • Fixed text that didn’t fit on the Stats page in the Polish language.

WORLD

  • Fixed a gap in geometry that allowed players to get below the terrain.
  • Minor environmental bug fixes
    • Examples: Floating Trees, small seams in terrain.

CONTROLLER

  • “Crouch” and “Repair” are no longer the same input on the “Combat Pro” config.
    • Click R-Stick to crouch.
    • Click and hold R-Stick to repair.

AUDIO

  • Enabling voice chat while in a match now adds the player to the voice channel.
  • Fixed an issue which canceled music if players used the dance emote.
    • Now it also reduces the volume of other music while yours is playing.

DAILY CHALLENGES

  • Some challenges were rebalanced.
    • Play Matches
      • Increased from 3 to 5
    • Shotgun Eliminations
      • Decreased from 5 to 4
    • Pistol Eliminations
      • Decreased from 5 to 3
    • SMG Eliminations
      • Decreased from 5 to 2
    • Sniper Eliminations
      • Decreased from 5 to 1
    • Existing progress on rebalanced challenges was reset.
  • The “Eliminate Squad Players” challenge was renamed to “Eliminate opponents in squad mode” to clarify how the challenge should be completed.

COSMETICS

  • Hair will no longer clip through the “Recon Expert” outfit while moving.
  • Hair will no longer clip through the “Skull Trooper” outfit while moving.
  • Improved lighting for certain characters in the matchmaking lobby.

SAVE THE WORLD

GAMEPLAY

  • Fixed “Taker’s” basic melee attack.
    • Now performs one strike instead of two.
    • woop damage has been increased from 162 to 250.
  • Fixed an issue which caused Crystal Scavenger weapons to have the incorrect max durability.

HEROES

  • The Soldier’s Shockwave ability has been rebalanced as we felt it was a bit underwhelming.
    • Base damage increased from 30 to 75.
    • Impact damage decreased from 1895 to 1695.
  • Fixed an issue which gave all Constructors the Machinist Harper’s Trap Durability perk.
  • Fixed an issue which caused the Trailblaster A.C. Outlander’s hair to clip through his hat.

MISSIONS

  • Improved the frequency of quest item drops to avoid frustrating unlucky streaks.

ONLINE

  • The matchmaking region id is now visible below the matchmaking button for better visibility.
  • The Party Finder menu on PS4 will now only update upon when the window is opened and will only update once per minute.
  • Fixed issue where region selection may not be properly reflected when backing out from the settings screen.

UI

  • Added a durability category for “Falling Trap” tooltip stats.
    • Now players will know how many uses the trap has left.
  • Fixed the description of the Keep Out! Perk.
    • Keep Out! Frag Grenade explosions leave a residual energy field, doing 25% of the initial grenade blast damage every 1 second, over 10 seconds.
  • Fixed an issue which caused the Helicopter slot 2 unlock to become available before the Helicopter unlock.
    • This change was previously noted in the v.1.8 patch notes, but the fix ended up getting pushed back to v.1.8.1
    • The Helicopter node in Research Tree 2 was swapped with the Hang Glider node in Research Tree 4.
    • This fix may cause some players to have parts of their research skill tree reset and refunded.
    • No progress will be lost but players will need to rebuy their skills again with their refunded points.

AUDIO

  • Fixed an issue which prevented audio from playing for the Halloween intro on Xbox One.

GENERAL

  • Fixed an issue which prevented the Victory cinematic from playing after a mission.
  • Fixed several client crashes.
  • Fixed a rare dedicated server crash that could occur while loading into a Storm Shield.