The people have chosen: The Drum Gun deserves to be back in Fortnite: Battle Royale. The powerful weapon was brought back to the game last weekend when players voted for it during The Unvaulting event, and it’s very likely that the gun is staying for a bit longer. But this voting system means some people don’t agree with the decision of the majority, and competitive Fortnite players are especially annoyed about the return of the Drum Gun. NRG player and Fortnite World Cup finalist Williams "Zayt" Aubin used an alt account to show exactly why he hates the weapon. Related: Finnish Fortnite duo almost qualifies for World Cup after facing 2 bugs in one match. Zayt had three Drum Guns in his loadout—way too many. “I’m having a lot of fun. Just griefing all these kids for the fucking Drum Gun, I’m having a lot of fun,” he said. He ran into an opponent who was using The Baller, sprayed the vehicle down and, as he describes it, eliminated them “only holding W.” Zayt was showcasing how powerful and versatile the Drum Gun is. It can shoot 45 bullets per magazine, its rate of fire is really high, and its accuracy is good enough to make it a good weapon in close quarter combat. If any person just walks forward while shooting down an opponent structure with the Drum Gun, they’re likely putting enough pressure on them to get the advantage and the elimination in the end, like Zayt did. Especially on lower levels of play, that’s an important issue. In competitive play, the Drum Gun can become a huge problem since it allows its user to force opponents to burn down their materials to protect themselves against a single magazine of the weapon. In a building-oriented meta like we’ve been seeing in the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers, the Drum Gun becomes a problem and a huge threat to which players have no effective counters. Fans and professional players will learn how the Drum Gun will actually affect professional competitions next weekend, when the week five qualifiers for the World Cup will take place, probably with the Drum Gun enabled. Until then, we’ll have the season nine debut, which could bring a nerf to the gun and make it a little less menacing.<doc-sep>Right on schedule, Fortnite's vault opened. Inside, a six vaulted items embedded within glassy columns lined the path before a massive ball of swirling energy. Just before the ball was a desk with a strange mask on top. Players were able to hit each column to collectively vote for which item would be returned to the item pool. As players around the world smashed away, the drum gun column clearly started taking more damage than the rest. Tragically, it won, one of the most lamented items in Fortnite history. Watch it all go down in the video up top (though I cut out a few minutes of crying). Why? Known for dissolving walls far too easily, the drum gun was vaulted to give defensive building a chance, though that chance might have just been revoked. It's not clear whether the drum gun's stats have changed, but my feelings for it haven't. I'm missing jump pads extra hard right now. Pro's don't need to worry, though. Epic says the drum gun won't be in play during the Fortnite World Cup Online Open this weekend. After that, we're not sure. The event didn't end there. With the drum gun back in play, players were spit back out into the world, just before the volcano erupted, sending molten rock and lava crashing down on Retail Row and Tilted Towers, destroying them completely. A rock also hit Polar Peak, leaving a visible crack that's likely to spread in the coming weeks. RIP, Tilted Towers. Where will the try-hards land now? So where does that leave Fortnite now? With a week until Fortnite Season 9 hits, it's hard to say. We'll see even more changes to the map then, and we'll probably see new items and tools that might mean the drum gun will make more sense. I'm more concerned about the disappearance of two popular landing spots. Tilted Towers in particular was likely the most popular landing spot in the history of the game, a crowded point of interest where the most aggressive players would duke it out immediately, risking a short game for big loot. Now all that remains is a molten pit. It's not an exciting location anymore, so I'm guessing we'll see a Tilted 2.0 with Season 9, perhaps a futuristic or post-apocalyptic take on Fortnite's little city.<doc-sep>After the countdown ticked down, the Loot lake Fortnite vault event began. The vault finally cracked open with a mighty beam of light and presented players with the chance to vote for the return of one vaulted weapon or item by hacking and slashing away at their desired choice. The X-4 Stormwing, Bounce Pad, Drum Gun, Grappler, Sub Machine Gun, and Infinity Blade were all on offer, and after a lot of hitting and jumping, the divisive Drum Gun won the vote. But it was far from over. Before the event ended, a white light then washed over the screen and players were kicked up into the air directly in front of the volcano, which began to erupt. Spewing lava out towards the map, the volcano destroyed Tilted Towers and Retail Row. Oh, the calamity! Our very own video maestro James Jarvis caught the moment first-hand: The Unvaulting has Destroyed half the map #theunvaulting #Fortnite #PS4sharehttps://t.co/5B66EExjY8 pic.twitter.com/uZt5fzGOK7May 4, 2019 See more The destruction of the two locations comes a week before Fortnite Season 9, which is due to kick off on May 8 at 8pm EST/ May 9 1am BST. Just how this will shake things up remains to be seen, but as one of the most popular drop spots locations, the loss of Tilted Towers is sure to be felt. We've yet to see if the Drum Gun - which many players loathed for its overpowered wall-zapping shots - will have any of its stats altered, or if anything else will be introduced to balance it out. Either way, like it or loathe the Drum Gun is back in action. This is what you get for voting Drum Gun #theunvalting #Fortnite #PS4sharehttps://t.co/5B66EExjY8 pic.twitter.com/xrXGopYPBBMay 4, 2019 See more Getting stuck into the action? Our Fortnite tips will help you edge ever closer to that coveted Fortnite victory.<doc-sep>
Looks like the Drum Gun is back in Fortnite. Oh, and Tilted Towers is gone. Over the past few days, Fortnite players worked decipher mysterious runes which appeared at Loot Lake around the metal structure at its center. There were strange monitors in surrounding buildings showing images of vaulted weapons, which led folks to believe something was coming back. Eventually, the puzzle was solved, and all players had to do was wait until today, May 4, for the giant door in the center of Loot Lake to open. Like the monitors which surrounded the area, vaulted Fortnite weapons appeared and each were frozen in ice. Items such as the Drum Gun, Tactical SMG and four other items were inside – all frozen in blocks. Well, the Drum Gun is back, folks. Players were able to vote on various weapons vaulted throughout the years – and that was the once chosen by the community. All of the items in ice were the choices, and it seems only the Drum Gun was added – no matter which block you broke. Watch on YouTube The Drum Gun, which is basically a Tommy Gun, was added to the game in summer 2018 as part of Season 5. Apparently, it was a favorite of the community at large, so it’s making a return for Season 9. During the Unvaulted Event, the Volcano which has been spewing lava, finally went full Vesuvius, throwing boulders into the air. Titled Towers was destroyed in the process; Retail Row’s parking lot is in shambles; and Polar Peak now has a crack in it. Other areas of the map were hit by flying boulders, but as of press time, we’re not sure of everything that was demolished. Fortnite seasons tend to end with a bang, but many players were unable to participate in or watch today’s Unvaulted Event. Going by various comments made on social forums, many were stuck in the lobby. Rather unfulfilling way to end Season 8. If you missed it, give the video above from Fanbyte a watch.