Fortnite's Chapter 7 loot pool is a blueprint for battle royale going forward: balanced, lethal, and flexible

Fortnite’s Chapter 7 loot pool is a blueprint for battle royale going forward: balanced, lethal, and flexible | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Third Person Shooter Embark explains why it jacked up the cost of crafting Wolfpacks in Arc Raiders, concedes some players aren’t happy about it Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders’ Shrouded Sky added lots of cool new toys, but my favourite part is the new quality-of-life features that have flown under the radar Third Person Shooter The latest Arc Raiders patch makes Rocketeers way more important FPS Is Marathon’s time-to-kill too fast, or am I too Arc Raiders-pilled? 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FPS High on Life 2 review Third Person Shooter Arc Raiders’ contentious ‘aggression-based matchmaking’ isn’t just smart, but absolutely necessary Battle Royale Fortnite Chapter 7 map guide: Where to land, boss locations, mythics and hot-air balloons PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Resident EvilArc RaidersBest PC gearGame Quizzes Games Battle Royale Fortnite Fortnite’s Chapter 7 loot pool is a blueprint for battle royale going forward: balanced, lethal, and flexible Features By Samuel Horti published 1 March 2026 Weapon buffs and new guns in Fortnite Chapter 7 make it the most balanced loot pool I can remember. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter I love a good moan about Fortnite: about Epic Games vaulting my beloved shockwave grenades, about the sorry state of SMGs, and about a baffling update adding off-brand weapons.So I should give credit where credit’s due. Through careful buffs and bringing back some older weapons, Epic Games has curated the best loot pool in ages.I felt very differently a month ago. I loved Chapter 7’s varied map, but one weapon—the Deadeye AR—dominated. No other rifle came close. SMGs were as irrelevant as they have been for most of the past year, and the sole sniper only felt viable in a three-weapon loadout alongside the Deadeye and a shotgun. Related articles After a massive shake-up of Fortnite’s loot pool, what’s the best weapon and loadout? I’m tired of running the same Fortnite loadout—both SMGs and snipers need a major buff Fortnite’s no-aim-required lock-on assault rifle is an all-time stinker, and I hope Epic vaults it into oblivion What a difference a few weeks can make. I took a chunk of time off as paternity leave and I’ve returned to find that bad weapons are suddenly good and that a new red-dot rifle, the MK-seven, is challenging the Deadeye’s supremacy.The most meaningful change has been to SMGs. Epic has ditched the fast-firing Dual Micro SMGs to focus on the Holo and Flex SMGs, buffing the damage and magazine size on both weapons. The Holo always had potential because of its optic, which made it easier to aim—now, it’s finally fulfilling that potential as a stable, high-damage, full-auto weapon that shines over short-to-medium ranges. Its 200 damage-per-second means that when I’ve played a little stealthy and caught opponents napping, I’ve obliterated them before they know what’s happening. (Image credit: Epic Games)It’s so good that for certain players it’s worth ditching the Deadeye assault rifle. The Holo’s damage fall-off makes it struggle at mid-to-long ranges but if you can control sightlin