Fortnite update v16.10 patch notes: Raptors, new weapons, Primal Shotgun nerfed

The first mid-season update for Fortnite Season 6 has arrived. V16.10 brings raptors, new weapons, and more NPCs to The Island, and we’ve got patch notes and all the details you need.

The “Primal” theme continues in Tuesday’s update.

The biggest change in Fortnite this week is the arrival of a new-look “apex predator.” It’s now confirmed that these are raptors (possibly marking a Jurassic World crossover) that roam The Island looking for their next snack. These new terrors are expected to be very hostile.

Epic have also locked in more crafting and loot adjustments, which should better balance the new Season 6 weapon crafting system, and there’s a brand new weapon called the Junk Gun.

In the balance department, the meta-breaking Primal Shotgun is also set directly in Epic’s sights. The new gun ⁠— introduced in v16.00 earlier this month ⁠— is in dire need of a balance tweak after running amok these past few weeks.

Here’s everything we know about update v16.10, starting with all the details on Fortnite’s impending patch downtime, and the March 30 notes.

Fortnite 16.10 patch downtime details

Epic Games officially locked in the v16.10 update for Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Downtime began at 4AM ET (8AM UTC, 9AM BST, 7PM AEDT) and will likely go on for a while before you can play.

Be warned: this patch is “larger than normal” on PC.

The update size is 5GB on Switch; 3GB on PS4; 3.8GB on PS5, 3.7GB on Xbox One; 3.89GB on Xbox One S; and 4.5GB on Xbox X. The update on PC is especially large, coming in around 15.4GB.

Fortnite v16.10 patch notes

Raptors invade Fortnite

The iconic Velociraptors are finally set to arrive in Fortnite.

These toothy beasts, made famous in Jurassic Park back in 1993, have become one of the first dinosaurs everybody thinks of when they talk about the prehistoric monsters. Now, in a very fitting twist for the Primal season, the Fortnite island is about to be overrun by the iconic dinosaurs.

• Read More: Fortnite Spring Breakout event: start date, more

Expect to see these Raptors chasing down players, and eliminating foes. They will likely spawn in the Forest — their natural habitat — and according to leakers “will be tamable” like the boars and other beasts around the island this season.

Make sure you bring a weapon too if you’re going Raptor hunting; the dinosaurs will “attack on sight,” according to in-game text about the beasts.

New Junk Gun (Recycler) weapon added

An exciting new weapon has arrived in Fortnite Season 6: the Recycler, also known as the Junk Gun, which you can see below.

Not much is known about this weapon yet, but its name and appearance suggest players will be able to build it from resources found around The Island, and maybe craft ammo for it too.

According to leakers, it’s not actually in the game yet, but will likely appear within the next week or two.

Primal Shotgun already being nerfed

The controversial Primal Shotgun is already being nerfed, just one patch after its debut, after it dominated the Fortnite meta from the word “go.”

Epic Games is targetting the close-range weapon’s fire rate in patch v16.10, in an effort to curb its power. Right now, the two-burst shotty has a 3.8 fire rate. This will likely get a minor haircut, down to around to lower 3.0s, though damage will stay the same for the new Season 6 gun.

Full list of Fortnite v16.10 balance changes

• Crafting & loot adjustments
• Creative Powerups now support Team, Class, and All combinations
• Primal Shotgun fire rate reduced
• Makeshift Shotgun gets v16.10 adjustments
• Crafting material costs now scale with Makeshift rarity
• Animal Bones, Mechanical Parts added to floor loot

New NPCS hint at Neymar Jr. skin

It’s been confirmed that 5 new non-playable characters have arrived on The Island in the v16.10 update.

Prominent leaker HYPEX shared images of four of the new NPCs. Webster is a creepy-looking robot chicken, while Hyde appears to take inspiration from the iconic story Jekyll & Hyde.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is the addition of football players Galactico and Derby Dominator. These are skins that previously appeared in the Item Shop, but their arrival as NPCs definitely seems to hint that secret skin Neymar Jr. will be in Fortnite very soon…

More leaked skins & cosmetics

A bunch of new cosmetics and skins will arrive between the v16.10 patch and the next update.

Leakers have shared images of all the new cosmetics in the files, including quite a few Easter-themed items and a new anime pack, which you can see below. Find all the new skins & cosmetics here.

Zero Crisis LTM removed

The big Season 6 launch event’s playlist has been removed at the end of the v16.10 downtime.  The “Zero Crisis” story LTM is not likely to return either, so hopefully you’ve already had chance to play it a few times.

Fortnite patch 16.10 bug fixes

As usual, the Fortnite devs will also ship a number of bug fixes, as documented on the official Trello board. This patch only has a handful of fixes, including problems surrounding the popular battle royale playlist, and Creative mode.

Here is the full list of bugs fixed in v16.10:

General

• Cannot create system-level parties between PS5 and PS4 when playing Fortnite.

Battle Royale

• Anomaly may not appear on Shark Island.
• Chapter 2 Season 5 Legacies missing.
• Visibility is extremely decreased when inside the Storm.
• Opening the inventory will cancel Tap to Search/Interact/Revive actions.
• Character Quests not counting for progression.
• Stackable items are not split when Shift-Dragged.

Creative

• Slow-motion effect.
• AI can get stuck in obstacles.
• Player portal appears as “Creative Don’t Fill.”

So, there you have it: the Fortnite v16.10 patch notes.

Once all the official March 30 update details have been released & loaded into the game, we’ll make sure to let you know ⁠— so make sure you stick around!