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Fortnite update adds heavy sniper rifle, Soaring 50s mode

Get the latest patch notes in your sights.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
Sean knows far too much about Marvel, DC and Star Wars, and poured this knowledge into recaps and explainers on CNET. He also worked on breaking news, with a passion for tech, video game and culture.
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Sean Keane
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The heavy sniper rifle is the update's hardware addition.

Epic Games

Fortnite's Wednesday update added a new weapon,along with gameplay modes and challenges, with a special focus on sniping.

The heavy sniper rifle leads the patch notes from developer Epic Games. It'll deal a lot of damage to players and even more to structures.

The patch also adds two limited-time mode in Battle Royale. Soaring 50s puts "an extra emphasis on mobility" by allowing players to redeploy gliders when falling from a height of more than 10 meters and adding impulse grenades, bounce pads and launch pads throughout the map.

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The returning Sniper Shootout pits players against each other at long range, since the only weapons it'll deliver are sniper rifles.

In Save the World, there's a new Weekly Horde Challenge and a new hero -- Thora the constructor machinist.

The update applies to PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch and mobile versions of the game, our sister site GameSpot notes.

Watch this: Fortnite makes its Android debut exclusively on Samsung phones

On Monday, Google made Fortnite's status on its Play Store clearer, with a message steering people away from fake versions of the app. Check out our guide to installing Fortnite for Android and see if it's available on your phone.

In a quirkier side note, European entertainment agency Dare.Win is offering interviews for an internship within Fortnite and will reportedly ask candidates job-related questions during their game.