Fortnite 8.1 Patch Notes with Baller Vehicle, Health Animations, More Changes

Fortnite Battle Royale received its first major update of Season 8 on Tuesday with the arrival of a new vehicle named The Baller to help players navigate the map in a unique way.

Changing the way vending machines operate, reducing the rarity and power of the heavy assault rifle and creating new animations when using health-based items are among the other highlights from the version 8.10 patch notes released by Epic Games.

A new vehicle doesn't come as a surprise, with the need for additional movement mechanics created by the removal of planes and most of the rifts following Season 7.

The Baller has the look of a hamster wheel with a grappler on the front, which allows for change of direction. The driver is immune to damage while inside the ball, which has 300 health that must be taken off to destroy its protective cover.

How a character acts while using the various health items—bandages, medkits, small shields, large shield, slurps and chug jugs—has remained mostly stagnant through the popular video game's history.

That changed Tuesday with new animations, though the consumables themselves still provide the same healing power they have in the past.

Vending machines had become an essential aspect of competitive play, with the ability to purchase multiple key items such as rift-to-gos, shields and high-end weapons. While it's still possible, players lucky enough to find machines won't be able to stack those essentials.

Now once a single item is taken out of the machine—the material cost has been removed—it gets destroyed. It will force some tough decisions and also eliminate the massive advantage of landing on a gold or purple vending machine, getting the safe zone and using it with no restrictions.

The heavy assault rifle had emerged as the top AR selection among most pro players and streamers because of its ability to hit for head shots in the 90s. The gun should be a little more balanced by reducing its power, with a rarest version now hitting for damages of 40 base and 80 head shot.

Other weapon changes include removing the grey infantry rifle, decreasing the number of clingers a player can carry to six and a multitude of modifications to the pirate cannon, an addition at the start of the season, to make it operate smoother.

Meanwhile, Fortnite is looking into ping issues potentially created by the new patch:

Events added include the return of The Getaway limited time mode, new gauntlet solo and duo tournaments as well as the Scallywag Duos Cup on March 16 and 17, which will include $100,000 in prizes available across all regions, with qualification based on performance in the gauntlet tourneys.