Fortnite Battle Royale: Reviewing the new Thermal Scored Assault Rifle
By Ben Sundock
Patch v4.4 introduced a very exciting new assault rifle to the game that has changed how people will play Fortnite Battle Royale forever. Here is my review of the gun and a closer look at how it will be used by players.
To say I was worried about the power of this game would be a mighty understatement. However, after playing three or four games with the gun and using both the purple and gold versions of this new AR, I can comfortably say that I like this gun. A lot.
Looking through the scope totally changes how people will snipe. Trust me, this gun in nearly a sniper rifle.
The new Thermal Scored Assault Rife does either 36 or 37 base damage which is pretty fair. Although the gun takes medium bullets like all the other assault rifles, it has a smaller clip – 15 rounds – and the sound it makes when shooting it sounds much stronger than even a Scar.
One thing I was concerned about before the gun was released was the distance you could see enemies. While you can see enemies running around at a significant distance, the gun is only able to shoot 275 meters like all the other weapons.
So, in a way, the thermal scope can be used like binoculars to spot out enemies.
Much like the Scoped AR, this gun has little to no recoil and if an opponent is sitting still, you will be able to hit them without much problem. While I haven’t really experienced being shot at by the new AR, I have noticed that it isn’t very useful when trying to break down structures.
To combat this, I carried the Thermal Scoped AR, a regular AR (burst, SCAR, Famas) to shoot either structures or in close proximity, and some meds plus a shotgun.
I liked this loadout and quickly realized the thermal is not a good primary AR option. When an opponent is rushing you or nearby, it is nearly impossible to shoot them when scoped in like that.
Overall, this gun is a great addition to the game and is pretty balanced. The jetpack and the guided missiles were two items added in that were not balanced, and were therefore taken out.
Next: Fortnite Battle Royale is now out on Nintendo Switch
I don’t see many, if any changes at all, coming to this new AR. Epic did a great hob testing this new weapon out and making sure it wasn’t going to make fans angry. I have seen nothing but good things on Twitter and across the Reddit forums thus far, so I think the developers nailed this release.
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