Fortnite’s 3.5 update is out now, and it brings a number of new items to both Battle Royale and Save the World modes. But perhaps the most exciting change in the patch for console players is that it also improves load times on PS4 and Xbox One.
With the update, developer Epic says it has “made some data layout optimizations” to improve the game’s performance on consoles. In particular, the Xbox One version should now load about 25-30 seconds faster than it used to, while PS4 load times have been reduced by about 10 seconds.
“On both platforms, we expect to see fewer issues with geometry or cosmetics failing to load in time, and FPS drops during skydiving,” Epic said in the update’s patch notes. However, Epic notes that the updateepicgames for Xbox One is “larger than normal” due to the optimization changes, though the studio says it is “working to minimize the impact of this type of optimization in future releases.”
In addition to improving load times, update 3.5 makes a number of balance changes and bug fixes. Unfortunately, it has also resulted in a couple of new bugs, including one related to the recently added Guided Missile.
Following the update, Epic temporarily disabled the weapon after discovering an animation issue that could occur when players sprint after firing the missile. Epic will reintroduce the Guided Missile to the game after the issue has been resolved.
Beyond that, update 3.5 adds a replay system and the new Port-a-Fort, an item that can quickly construct a fort when thrown. It also introduces new customization options to Save the World mode. Meanwhile, the next limited-time mode for Battle Royale, 50v50 v2, is scheduled to begin soon.
