The latest Fortnite update, released on December 15, armed players with an arsenal of new, powerful weapons, including the Lever Action Rifle. As one of the challenges in Fortnite’s Operation Snowdown event, players must find the rifle and deal the required amount of damage before time runs out.

With the Fortnite winter 2020 event thoroughly underway, many players are fighting to complete the Operation Snowdown challenges so that they can earn special rewards, such as the Frost Squad skin and the Fish Fest emoji. The emoji is unlocked by dealing 100 damage with the new Lever Action Rifle, but players only have until January 5, 2021, to complete the task.

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In order to deal the 100 damage, players will have to first locate the rifle. Fortunately, the Uncommon and Rare variants of the firearm, which deal 52 and 55 base damage respectively, can be found in chests and as floor loot. The Epic variant, with a base damage of 58, requires an upgrade, so players desiring this version will need to seek out an NPC, which is the new way to upgrade weapons in Fortnite Season 5.

Once players have a Lever Action Rifle in their possession, they need only land two body shots, or one headshot, to complete the challenge. It’s advisable for players to enter Team Rumble or Rally Royale LTM sessions to attempt this challenge, as these game modes allow players to respawn, which increases the probability of finishing the task.

The semi-automatic weapon, which may make some players feel like a cowboy in the Old West, is technically a Sniper Rifle, though it doesn’t come with a scope - at least for now, as it appears Fortnite may be adding weapon attachments in the near future. Due to the lack of magnification, the rifle tends to work best at mid-range, though, because it uses heavy ammunition, it does have value as a shotgun-substitute in close-range battles.

Players will need to make sure they stock up on ammo so they can complete the challenge quickly. It may be advisable for players to seek out the locations where Loot Llamas are most likely to appear, since these guarantee 10 stacks of heavy ammo.

There are plenty of new features to keep gamers invested in Season 5, including a new emote that allows Fortnite players to celebrate the end of 2020. The Lever Action Rifle is special in that it allows players to complete an Operation Snowdown challenge while also earning a new, unique emoji for their collection.

Fortnite is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

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