The Shockwave Hammer has been removed from Fortnite after being the source of numerous rowdy discussions in the community. Fortnite fans are usually very direct when it comes to giving their opinion on changes that are made to the game. Whether Epic Games removes, adds, or changes something in the game, fans will notice, and they will provide their feedback without any difficulties.Epic Games always has to think very carefully before making a move and consider how making a change to the game might impact those playing it. The game has been around for a while but it's still quite activate, and it's got a large community. It'll never be possible to please everyone that's part of it, but Epic Games keeps an attentive eye on community forums and tries to take action based on the majority's opinion. This week, Fortnite players have been especially adamant about wanting the Shockwave Hammer completely removed from the game.The Shockwave Hammer was an active discussion topic since it was first released due to its incredibly powerful attacks and the infinite mobility that it provided to those that used it. This only got worse when a player found a glitch that allowed users to bounce indefinitely with the Shockwave Hammer; this turned an already overpowered weapon into a glitched menace. After what seems like more than enough time to consider how to react to this issue, Epic Games has now removed the Shockwave Hammer from all Fortnite playlists.
According to the Epic Games Twitter announcement, it seems that the removal of the Shockwave Hammer should be only temporary. Epic's intention is to put it back in the game once it has successfully addressed and solved the issue. Game updates are typically released on Tuesday, but since it was just removed early in the week, it might only come back January 17 or January 24 which is when the next in-game Fortnite concert is rumored to start.
It was odd that Epic Games stayed silent on this subject for so long; gameplay matters are usually taken care of rather quickly with hotfixes. The community speculates that Epic Games was hesitant on vaulting the Shockwave Hammer since it was required to complete limited-time Oathbound Quests in which players had to find it. The next stages of Oathbound Quests will be available before the end of the month, so, hopefully, this melee weapon will be fixed and much more balanced when it makes a return in the next update.
Fortnite is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.