We’re now into the eighth week of Fortnite Battle Royale‘s Season 10, and that means there is a brand new patch coming in the form of the v10.31 Update for PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.
A week after the massive v10.30 update in Fortnite, Epic are releasing what is expected to be a much more conservative patch for v10.31, although it still includes some important fixes and map changes that hint at the future of the popular battle royale title.
For the second update in a row, there hasn’t been a new weapon, item, or vehicle announced in the in-game message screen, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been significant changes made to the game. You can view the patch notes in full below.
Party Hub
The headline addition to Fortnite in the v10.31 Update is Party Hub, which Epic Games says is a brand-new way to “hang with your friends while you’re on the go so the party never stops.”
Players can use the new feature to see when their friends are online, start a party so you can all hop into the battle bus together, and even voice chat before you launch into a game on any platform. Party Hub takes the form of a mobile app, with the main screen now divided into two sections, one which allows you to play a match on your iOS or Android device, while the bottom is now dedicated to the hub.
Players who want to join up together on the Party Hub function can even transfer their group to a different platform to play matches, such as PC, Xbox or PS4, and can set their session to invite-only to make sure people can’t join during your search for a victory royale.
Storm Changes
Epic Games have also adjusted how the game’s Storm Circles will work, with the final locations no longer able to be one of Moisty Palms, Greasy Grove, Tilted Town or Retail Row.
This is because these points-of-locations are currently in Rift Zones, which add unusual gameplay mechanics to the locations, and can make it difficult for the final moments of games to be fair and balanced. While players can still land here, you can at least know that you won’t be in a crucial showdown at Greasy Grove with tacos forcing you to dance instead of picking off an enemy.
Storm Circles will no longer end at the following locations (in core and Arena modes):
- Moisty Palms
- Greasy Grove
- Tilted Town
- Retail Row
Ziplines
Ziplines have been reintroduced to the game in this update, with Fortnite fans once again able to zoom across the island.
Epic were forced to disable them following an “issue” with the mode of transportation, although the developers refrained from revealing what problem was plaguing them. This has now been fixed though, meaning they are back and dotted around the map once again.
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Resolved an issue in which Ziplines could give players an unintended effect.
- Because this issue has been resolved, Ziplines have been re-enabled.
The v10.31 Update also brings a number of bug fixes, updates for mobile players, and improved Accessibility options. You can read the remaining patch notes below.
Remaining Fortnite v10.31 Update patch notes
BATTLE ROYALE
WEAPONS + ITEMS
Bug Fixes
- Resolved an issue involving the Star Wand and AC/DC Pickaxes not doing the intended amount of damage.
- Because this issue has been resolved, these Pickaxes have been re-enabled.
GAMEPLAY
Bug Fixes
- When a player is eliminated, their damage towards the Storm Surge threshold will no longer be removed from their remaining teammates’ total.
ACCESSIBILITY
- Support-a-Creator codes can now be used for real-money offers in-game.
- More information on this will be available in a blog post later this week.
- Please note: For any Packs that contain V-Bucks, the revenue share will be applied to the Creator code that is entered when the V-Bucks from that pack are spent.
MOBILE
- Party Hub
- Connect with Fortnite friends on the go so the party never stops. See who’s online, party up, and jump in-game together on any platform. (Or just voice chat!)
- Want to hang with friends in-game while you’re out and about? Now you can take the party with you! For more information, check out our FAQ here.
- Multitasking
- This new feature allows you to use two apps at once on supported iPads! Supported iPad models include:
- iPad Pro
- iPad (5th generation and later)
- iPad Air 2 and later
- iPad mini 4 and later
- By enabling Multitasking, all iPads will have the ability to rotate the screen orientation to enter Portrait Mode.
- If you don’t want to play in Portrait mode, enable Rotate Lock on your iPad.
- This new feature allows you to use two apps at once on supported iPads! Supported iPad models include:
RECAP
- From server on September 13
- Resolved an issue involving some Mission objectives not measuring progress.
This article was updated at 4:49 AM EST on Wednesday, September 18.
When does v10.31 go live?
According to Epic’s announcement, which came a little later in the day than usual, the v10.31 patch will be going live on September 18 at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST.
Even though this isn’t a major update, there is still going to be downtime for it, which means that matchmaking will be disabled 20-25 minutes prior to the scheduled release time.
It’s time to mobilize.
The v10.31 update releases today. Downtime is expected to begin at 4 AM ET (0800 UTC).
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 18, 2019
Again, while nothing concrete has been announced in terms of new content, the tweet does include the line “It’s time to mobilize,” which is a pretty cryptic tease.