[Poll results out] Is the Rail Gun in Fortnite balanced or is it overpowered and should be nerfed?

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on June 13, 2021) follows:

Another season and yet another ‘overpowered’ weapon in Fortnite slapped onto players. Last time, it was the Primal Shotgun introduced at the beginning of Season 6.

The gun had reigned supreme due to its ability to thrust a ton of damage practically through almost every build. But following uproar from the community, the weapon was nerfed severely.

So severely, in fact, that the poor thing wasn’t even considered special anymore.

But as it stands, Fortnite isn’t done with overpowered guns just yet. With the brand new Season 7, we now have a worthy new king contender – the Rail Gun.

This bad boy works by charging for a small period of time before spitting out a ray that not only does massive damage, but also pierces through built walls like an arrow through a juicy watermelon.

Yep, it more or less functions similarly to the Primal Shotgun, except that this time around, it has a far greater range.

But the real question is whether Epic Games repeated its mistake with the Primal Shotgun? Or have they taken it as a lesson and molded it into a well-balanced, yet fun and powerful new weapon this time?

Turns out, the player base is at loggerheads when it comes to the Rail Gun. On one side we got haters booing its ability to penetrate builds. And on the other, we got a few reasonable arguments from fans who love its current state.

While the points against the beast don’t exactly make a lengthy list, with critics calling for the nerf mainly because of the gun’s ability to penetrate builds, the points supporting it are several, and we have discussed these below.

Firstly, the Rail Gun’s damage is still comparatively low when pitched againt the likes of snipers like the Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle. Thus, its ability to penetrate walls is the only incentive for picking it over the Bolt-Action.

Secondly, the fact that it needs a couple of seconds of charge time before it can be fired at its maximum potential means that its wielder is extremely vulnerable for that time period.

Last but not the least, the Fortnite Rail Gun emits a red laser when being charged up which is a pretty good indicator of your location for anyone that happens to notice the beam. This only makes you further vulnerable.

In short, the ability of the weapon to penetrate builds and still cause massive damage sure does make it something to be spooked of, but that’s balanced out by the fact that firing it reveals your location and that the gun needs charge time.

In other words, its advantages are almost balanced out by its disadvantages.

Still, there are rumors doing rounds already that the Rail Gun will be nerfed as early as the next season and will meet the same fate as its daddy – the Primal Shotgun. So yeah, good news for its haters!

That said, what is your opinion on the Fortnite Rail Gun? Should it be nerfed? Or do you consider it as a balanced weapon that simply makes the overall game experience better than ever before?

You can opine through the poll above or rant in the comments section below. As always, the poll results will be out next week so stay tuned.

IST 07:10 pm: The poll results are out and it seems 66.7% players feel that Rail Gun in Fortnite should be nerfed whereas 33.3% players have no problem with it.

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