Fortnite Battle Royale’s latest season in Chapter 5, titled Underground, has introduced a variety of changes to the meta and how things work in the context of gameplay (and gunplay). So far, there’s been an addition of weapon mods, new guns, changes to movement, and much more. But out of these, one change stands out as something that’s going to be familiar to Call of Duty players.
If one has been a fan of Call of Duty games, they will instantly recognize the Ballistic Shield. The one-handed weapon of offense as well as defense can be equipped in the game now and provides adequate utility if one knows how to use it correctly.
How Does Ballistic Shield Shift the Fortnite Battle Royale Meta?
With the addition of Underground to the Chapter 5 era, the entire gunplay and mobility seem to have changed. We’ll dive into this later because there’s an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed: the Ballistic Shield. A tool that looks like it escaped an ugly riot situation and is here to break the meta and opponent’s shields.
Here’s how it works. Essentially, the Ballistic Shield is an epic (purple) rarity item to be found in the new map and is equipped in one of the slots in your inventory. Anytime you choose to equip it, you’ll have some defense (passive) while also having the ability to hold it up. When doing so, you can use a pistol to damage opponents.
Unfortunately, the pistol isn’t going to do you huge favors, but that’s the price you pay for a reliable defense, especially in a mode like Zero Build where building or editing walls is no longer an option.
If you’re facing symptoms of Déjà vu or sense a rise in heartbeat, we don’t blame you. This kind of gameplay is familiar to Call of Duty players, especially those who’ve faced the wrath of opponents running around with a ballistic shield.
These players are usually tough to go against since the shield does a pretty good job of blocking any kind of projectile that goes against it. Well, unless you’re a trigger-happy player with a lot of explosives in your arsenal.
Regardless, it’s not entirely a doomsday scenario if you see someone holding up a Ballistic Shield in Fortnite Battle Royale. If you keep shooting at the enemy player, after some point, they automatically let go of the shield for a while.
In other scenarios, try shooting at their arms or legs instead. On the other hand, if you’re using the shield yourself, do remember that it’s possible to ram into players by holding up the shield and sprinting. Deadly stuff, huh?
Ballistic Shields Aren’t the Only Thing to Worry About in the Game
Just like in Call of Duty, the balance changes seem to shift with changing seasons in Fortnite Battle Royale, and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be playing the same game a few months from now. However, at the time of writing, Ballistic Shields are easily one of the more powerful items in the game. Fortunately, there are plenty of other changes that have switched up the learning curve a little, giving you more opportunity to turn the tides in your favor.
For instance, Medallions are a powerful tool in the game that can completely shift the dynamics in your favor if you happen to get your hands on one. Or many in this case. These are golden objects dropped by bosses (such as Peter Griffin) on the map. Once you pick it up, it starts restoring your shields up to 50.
This used to be broken a few weeks ago before the nerf, but things are now a little more balanced. Similar to a Victory Crown, Medallions don’t actually take up any inventory slots. So, go stack ‘em up!
Another interesting item to take advantage of is the Grapple Blade. This neat tool allows you to quickly maneuver to places in your vicinity, as well as deal damage to opponents. While attacking with this thing may feel a little slow, it’s a good backup option in case you run out of bullets or have time to reload.
Finally, if you’re at a location with one of the bosses in the game, don’t forget to find a spot where you can upgrade or modify your weapons. Suppressors, grips, and scopes are some of the additions that can give you an advantage.
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