Epic Games released the latest Fortnite patch, 5.30, and it's a bit more substantial than previous releases. The patch introduces a new item that lets you create your own rift, adds yet another Limited Time Mode (LTM) into the mix, and replaces the all-but-barren Tomato Town with a new Tomato Temple. Oh, and there's now an option to thank the overworked Battle Bus driver before plummeting into their favorite battle royale.
The new Rift-To-Go item does exactly what you'd expect: lets you create one of the rifts introduced a few months ago so you can quickly warp back into the sky and find somewhere new to land. It's an equippable item, so players who value space in their virtual backpack might prefer the launchpad instead, but the Rift-To-Go creates interesting opportunities to quickly duck out of a fight or flee the incoming storm.
Epic also introduced a new LTM called Score Royale that requires players to gather "points" before the game ends. The company said points are earned by "collecting coins, opening loot containers, and eliminating other players," so it seems like Epic wants to encourage proactive gameplay over camping. It'll be interesting to see how Fortnite players react to having an objective that involves something other than just surviving.
Patch 5.30 also cleans up Fortnite's user interface, tweaks Clingers and Pump Shotguns to bring their balance closer to other weapons, and includes other quality of life improvements. Epic also highlighted the addition of a new fan-made cinematic to the in-game theater at Risky Reels as well as several updates to the single-player Save The World portion of the game. (Which debuted first, even if it's oft-overlooked now.)
But not every change made it into the patch notes. The biggest is the replacement of Tomato Town, one of the map's numerous Points of Interest (POI), with a new Tomato Temple dedicated to the giant Tomatohead that disappeared at the start of Season 5. We haven't been able to explore Tomato Temple much, but it seems like it has far more loot and occupies a lot more space than its relatively empty predecessor.
The ability to thank the bus driver also wasn't mentioned in Epic's patch notes. This addition comes after numerous social media campaigns practically begged the company to let players do the polite thing and express their gratitude to the Battle Bus' driver-slash-pilot. You can offer your thanks on PC by pressing "B"; we don't yet know how to do it on the many other platforms on which Fortnite is available.
Patch 5.30 continues Epic's trend of changing things up in Fortnite every week. Many aspects of the game have changed dramatically in recent weeks, from the introduction of new weapons like the Double Barrel Shotgun and Heavy Sniper to revisions to building health, and it doesn't look like things are going to stabilize any time soon. Just hop in, thank your driver and try to adapt to the changes as quickly as possible.
