With the introduction of Chapter 3 Season 4 of Fortnite, there were some drastic changes both around the island and to our player inventory. In this article, we will take a look at all the weapons currently available and their stats to help players find the best possible loadout for their gameplay style.

Completely New Weapons

In this Chapter of Fortnite, we had the introduction to the silvery substance Chrome Splash and the Chrome wave is beginning to take over the map. With the addition of Chrome, it was only logical that the changes affected the weapons selection, too.

New in Season 4 are the EvoChrome guns. There are currently two to choose from, the EvoChrome Shotgun and the EvoChrome Burst Rifle. These guns are unique to this season because as you use these weapons to kill opponents or wildlife, they will self-upgrade without the need to spend gold at an upgrade bench. In the lower right of your screen, when you pick up an EvoChrome weapon, you will see a meter that will raise after every kill.

You can level these guns up from green to gold with some persistent hunting–whether it is killing enemy players or wildlife. If you are in an area that is not already covered in Chrome, grab some Chrome Splash and douse a treasure chest to change whatever was inside into an EvoChrome gun.

Shotguns

The shotgun selection has changed a bit with the vaulting of the Striker Pump Shotgun, but many players were happy to see the Lever Action Shotgun get unvaulted. Though the Lever Action Shotgun is not the original Pump Shotgun many players were yearning to return this season, Fortnite also brought back the Ranger Shotgun as well.

Lever Action Shotgun

First seen in Chapter 2, the Lever Action is worth picking up this season. The gun is slightly more powerful than we saw it the last time, with a boost to the headshot damage, making it possible to drop an opponent who is unshielded. Slightly faster than the Prime Shotgun if you’re not entirely accurate with your shots, this may be the close-range weapon to balance speed and power you are looking for. Plus, let us not forget the cool animation of the twirling gun to make you feel like an Old West gunslinger!

Prime Shotgun

Added last season, the Prime Shotgun adds a punch with its first-shot multiplier. Another shotgun that can one-shot an unshielded opponent, if you hit the first shot, get the large bonus of damage, and then switch to a SMG, it can be a quick kill. But if the Prime is your only close-range weapon, you better hit every shot, as this gun has a slower reload time and only carries four shots.

EvoChrome Shotgun

New this season, many players are giving this evolving shotgun a chance, if only to complete the milestone of using Chrome weapons. On picking up this shotgun, a player will notice the sights on this gun are a little different than most shotguns, as the reticle (or lines) on the shotgun are in a horizontal pattern. While this gun does automatically upgrade the more you use it, you will have to use it more as it does less damage than the other shotguns. However, it is a faster-firing weapon, so if you frequently miss shots and get stuck reloading the Prime, this may be the shotgun for you. But for most players, the lack of punch is not worth the speed.

Ranger Shotgun

If you like to keep your opponents at a distance, the Ranger Shotgun may be the shotgun for you. Armed with a single shot and capable of doing a massive amount of damage at a distance of up to 10 meters, it is essential that a player wielding the Ranger Shotgun hits his target. Because this shotgun only has one shot and takes awhile to reload, if you arm yourself with a Ranger, be sure to have a backup weapon available if (or when) you miss your mark. Because the damage is already high on this gun and the aiming needs to be accurate, headshots are not as safe as landing a shot to the enemy's chest or abdomen.

SMGs

At the start of this season, the Stinger and Combat SMG were vaulted and replaced with two different types of submachine guns. Both guns have their benefits and drawbacks, so depending on your personal abilities, you may find one works better for your style.

Suppressed SMG

Though this gun is not new to Fortnite, it is a fairly versatile weapon for both up-close combat and mid-range options. Taking mini ammo, the suppressed nature of this gun means that the recoil is not as intense, making it easier to aim and fire at a longer distance. If you are able to hit an enemy player with a Prime or Lever Action Shotgun and follow up with a Suppressed SMG, you should be able to easily down a player.

Rapid Fire SMG

Like its name states, this is a submachine gun that fires at a fast rate with a high amount of DPS. However, because of the smaller clip (20-26 bullets, depending on rarity), if you don’t start with a shotgun, or you are inaccurate at tracking your target, you could potentially run out of bullets before getting the kill. Also, this gun has quite a kick and because of this, it can decrease the accuracy.

Assault Rifles

Sadly, the SCAR has not returned this season, and with the exception of the EvoChrome Burst Rifle, the loot pool has stayed very similar for the mid-range weapons selection.

Ranger Assault Rifle

This gun has been hanging around for most of the Chapter, and little has been done to really make this weapon stand out. Though it does have high accuracy, it is somewhat slow, has a lack of sight or scope and can be outplayed by other weapon selections. If it is in your comfort zone from the last few seasons, you can make it work for you in Season 4.

Hammer Assault Rifle

If you are an accurate player, the Hammer Assault Rifle does a decent amount of damage at both long and mid-range gun fights. Though it’s better used for mid-range battles, the Hammer Assault Rifle is a solid and familiar choice for many players as it has been in-game for a few seasons.

EvoChrome Burst Rifle

With the addition of the evolving gun technology, this gun may be one worth picking up.

Performing better in its type then the EvoChrome Shotgun, the EvoChrome Burst Rifle does a decent amount of damage with fair accuracy as far as ARs go this season. If you can pick this gun up and evolve it quickly, (do not forget to use it on wildlife as well as enemy players) it is a solid AR in a season of lackluster assault rifles.

Sidearm Pistol

Now the only handgun in the loot pool, the Sidearm Pistol is probably not picked up unless you are freshly rebooted or a die-hard pistol fan. Not that this gun’s accuracy and fire rate are horrible, but there are other guns that players tend to pick up in lieu of the Pistol.

Scoped Weapons

Many players enjoyed the addition of the DMR to the loot pool last season and were happy to see its return during Chapter 3 Season 4. But now there is a new returning weapon that may make players who enjoy sniping ditch the DMR for a bigger punch.

Hunter Bolt-Action Sniper

Many players either love the Bolt-Action Sniper or they hate it, depending on if they are sniping, or getting sniped. With the return of this gun, there is a return of the one-shot kill, with two follow-up shots if you do not hit a critical strike on the first try. Sniper ammo has become a hot commodity and players that have the accuracy to wield this gun are enjoying the satisfaction that downing a fully-shielded enemy player brings.

DMR

With a clip of ten bullets, a distance scope, and a high rate of accuracy, the DMR is a great choice for distance. Depending on if you are an accurate sniper or not, some players may choose the ten shots over the Hunter’s three, but regardless of what scoped gun you choose, the scoped weapons this season are ones to fear. Do not forget to build around yourself at a reboot van and try not to stand too still this season–you may be in the scopes of a DMR or Bolt-Action and not know it until you are knocked!

There are some of the same Exotic weapons (Boom Sniper, Dub Shotgun, Shadow Tracker Pistol, Chug Cannon) that you can buy off of NPCs around the map this season. There is also The Herald’s Burst Rifle you can get by defeating The Herald at Herald’s Sanctum. These guns are in limited supply, require gold or a fight to get them, and may be a hot spot where other players come to collect the same weapons.

With the start of any new season, it may take players a little while before choosing their ideal loadout. While the EvoChrome weapons are a neat idea with evolving as you kill, the lack of power and speed may keep these weapons out of player inventories. This may be considered the Season of Scopes with the power and accuracy of both the Hunter Bolt-Action Sniper and the DMR, but hopefully throughout the season we may see changes to the weapons selections.