Fortnite 7.1 Patch Notes with Suppressed Sniper, Plane Adjustments and More

Fortnite Battle Royale received its first major changes of Season 7 on Tuesday with the release of the version 7.10 patch notes' third content update, which feature the addition of a suppressed sniper rifle and significant adjustments to the X-4 Stormwing plane.

The suppressed sniper rifle is a silenced version of the game's bolt-action sniper, which will allow players to take long-range shots without opponents knowing the direction of the bullet.

Fortnite's newest weapon is available in either epic (100 base damage) or legendary (105) variants.

Popular Twitch streamer DrLupo showcased the gun in action:

Other weapon changes include the six shooter being vaulted and the return of the dual pistols, which were vaulted in an early November patch. Epic Games also vaulted the common, uncommon and rare versions of the burst assault rifle, leaving only epic and legendary versions of that AR.

Planes have been one of Epic Games' most controversial additions to Fortnite, perhaps behind only the Infinity Blade sword, which was massively overpowered and removed after just five days last month.

Although the X-4 Stormwing added a much-needed way for long-distance movement during a match, its ability to destroy builds, shoot and send opponents flying off mountains made it virtually impossible to defend against when being piloted by an experienced player.

The latest patch makes an effort to reduce the plane's power. The knockback of being struck was reduced by 70 percent, which should decrease the number of fall-damage eliminations, and the plane will take 50 percent more damage when it hits a structure.

Epic Games likely doesn't want to remove the plane, which does serve a purpose with the larger map introduced at the beginning of the season. That said, whether Tuesday's changes are enough to create more risk for pilots aggressively attacking opponents is unclear.

Finally, the newest community creation to take over The Block—the named location that replaced Risky Reels on the north portion of the Fortnite map—is the DM Arena. It has the look of a sports stadium with a multitude of bouncers, items now only otherwise available on the side of a Port-a-Fortress.