Fortnite fans have a chance to try out the v8.20 Content Update as it is live on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices on Tuesday, April 2, bringing with it the new Explosive Bow weapon.

First introduced during Fortnite Season 7, Content Updates are used by Epic Games to make a small number of changes to the game, usually introducing a new item or some cosmetic changes to the game.

These generally don’t require downtime, as there is much less content included in the update compared to the regular, and much larger, Fortnite patches.

The explosive bow was first spotted in the official Fortnite Season 8 promotional image.

When is the Fortnite v8.20 Content Update release?

Fortnite’s v8.20 Content Update officially went live on Tuesday, April 2, at 5 AM PT / 8AM ET / 1 PM GMT. The patch is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.

• More: FaZe Clan’s Tfue explains why Fortnite’s v8.20 update shouldn’t be reverted

There is no downtime for the v8.20 Content Update, so players will be able to download the patch and hop straight into the game.

New Weapon – Explosive Bow

Fortnite fans were already aware of the addition of the Explosive Bow, as Epic used the game’s built-in newsfeed to announce its arrival on Sunday, March 31, stating that “Archery can be a blast.”

The weapon will fire explosive bolts that will deal damage to opponents and structures, although the range of which the bolts can be fired will be short that how far a player could fire an explosive from a Rocket Launcher.

Here’s a first look at some footage of the Boom Bow in action, courtesy of @Dakotaz.

Bug Fixes

Following the Fortnite v8.20.1 update that released Friday, March 29, a number of new bugs were addressed, but new ones were also identified, which Epic have addressed in the new v8.20 content update.

The new bug fixes were all related to the new Arena mode, with players sometimes being prevented from queuing up with lower level division players, problems ranking up and more.

Fortnite v8.20 Content Update: Full Patch Notes

BATTLE ROYALE

Boom Bow

Archery can be a blast! Nock enemies in a whole new way with this explosive new weapon.

The new explosive bow is the main addition in the v8.20 content update.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Boom Bow
  • Fires Arrows with a Shotgun Shell tip, which explode on impact.
  • Uses Shotgun Ammo
  • The longer you hold the fire keybind down, the stronger the shot! This increases both projectile speed and direct impact damage.
    • Explosive damage is consistent regardless of the power of the shot.
    • The Boom Bow will achieve maximum power after 1.6 seconds of charging.
  • A direct hit will deal both the direct hit damage and the explosion damage to the enemy player it impacts.
    • Direct hit
      • Base damage 15
      • Headshot Multiplier: 2x
    • Explosion
      • 100 damage
• Peppers
  • Increased duration from 10 seconds to 20 seconds
  • Increased movement speed bonus from 20% to 40%

LIMITED TIME MODE: SNIPER SHOOTOUT

Summary

• In this limited time mode, players will do battle using sniper rifles.
• May the best aim win!

Mode Details

• Only weapon drops are Sniper Rifles.
• Floor Loot spawners reduced by 50%
• Reviving “Down But Not Out” teammates in Duos & Squads is deactivated – be careful peeking!

EVENTS

Bug Fixes

• Arena
  • Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to queue for Duos when the party leader was in a lower division.
  • Fixed an issue which caused players to not be promoted to the next division while playing in Duos with a player in a higher division.
    • Note: Hype was still being earned correctly, this was a visual issue only.
  • Fixed an issue where players in Duos were charged Bus Fare based on the party leaders division, rather than their own.

Creative Mode

​​​WHAT’S NEW?

Geometric Galleries

Use this new set of Galleries to add even more unique shapes to your creations!

WEAPONS + ITEMS

• Boom Bow
  • Fires Arrows with a Shotgun Shell tip, which explode on impact.
  • Uses Shotgun Ammo
  • The longer you hold the fire keybind down, the stronger the shot! This increases both projectile speed and direct impact damage.
    • Explosive damage is consistent regardless of the power of the shot.
    • The Boom Bow will achieve maximum power after 1.6 seconds of charging.
  • A direct hit will cause both the direct hit damage and the explosion damage to the enemy player it impacts.
    • Direct hit
      • Base damage scales from 18 (minimum) to 54 (maximum)
      • Headshot Multiplier: 4x
    • Explosion
      • 54 base damage

PREFABS

• Non-Right Square Pyramid Gallery Large
• Non-Right Triangular Pyramid Gallery Large
• Right Triangular Prism Gallery Large
• Seven Point Cube Gallery Large
• Square Pyramid Gallery Large
• Triangular Prism Gallery Large
• Upright Triangular Prism Gallery Large

SAVE THE WORLD

Cannonade Launcher

Loud Noises! Heroes and Husks will have a blast with this new Rapid Rocket Launcher

WEAPONS + ITEMS

Cannonade Launcher

A chaotic, rapid-fire, automatic launcher that shoots small explosive rounds.Available in the Weekly Store from April 3 at 8 PM Eastern Time until April 10 at 8 PM Eastern Time.

V8.20.1 RESOLVED ISSUES

On March 29 we released a client update to fix some issues that appeared in the v8.20 update. Find all the details on which issues were resolved below!

Battle Royale

• Fixed an issue where spectator numbers would not update, even after the spectator had left the game.
• Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to queue in the correct division level in the Arena game mode when the party leader was in a lower division.
• Fixed an issue which caused the Poison Dart Trap to be hidden behind certain wall assets.
• Fixed an issue where trap placement on walls would be blocked if a stair structure was attached to the wall.
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from getting removed from the Baller when hit by a Boogie Bomb.
• Fixed an issue preventing friend invites from displaying in the social panel.

Creative

• Fixed an issue where Creature Spawners wouldn’t activate within the correct range after it has been resized.
• Fixed an issue where the Phone Tool would emit two beams rather than one after copying multiple times.
• Fixed an issue that prevented non-damaging traps (Ice Block, Bouncers, etc) from functioning if the Game was not started.
• Fixed an issue where any Baller vehicle that was placed on an Island prior to v8.20 could not use the boost.
• Fixed an issue that prevented vehicles from being damaged by Music Sequencer when damage was turned on.

Save the World

• Re-enabled the X Marks the Spot sub-objective.
• Fixed an issue where the X Marks the Spot objective was removing items from player inventories.
• Fixed an issue that was causing B.A.S.E to incorrectly hover over player built structures.