Fortnite’s latest Simpsons season has brought targeted weapon buffs for two underperforming additions: the deodorant applicator and cobalt slingshot. The deodorant gun now packs an extra punch—up one point in both legendary and epic variants, boosting its high fire rate even further.
Meanwhile, the cobalt slingshot’s area damage just got a solid jump, making clearing cover a little easier for players. These changes come straight from this morning’s official patch notes, and while minor, they’re already shifting some mid-tier strategies. Here’s a close look at how these buffs play out and what the community has been saying since rollout.
Why These Weapons Needed Updates
Both the deodorant applicator and cobalt slingshot entered the new Simpsons-themed loot pool with plenty of novelty—but lagged behind other favorites in performance. Players were especially vocal about the deodorant applicator’s low base damage despite its excellent fire rate, making it tough to justify over other automatic picks. The cobalt slingshot suffered from limited area-of-effect output, focusing more on niche scenarios like flushing out campers than as a reliable all-rounder.
Gameplay data and social chatter pointed to these gaps early in the season, especially the need for perfectly accurate, recoil-free options as third-person bloom mechanics frustrated long-time players. Epic responded by tweaking raw numbers, aiming for more balance without completely reshaping their early competitive metagame.
What Changed in the Patch
This morning’s hotfix brought two highly-requested buffs. The deodorant applicator received a modest but meaningful damage increase: the legendary now hits for 14 and the epic for 13, up one point each from previous stats. Thanks to its rapid-fire energy beam and lack of bloom or recoil, the deodorant gun now melts targets a little faster—especially in high-mobility shockwave skirmishes.
The cobalt slingshot’s area-of-effect damage jumped from 50 to 58 points, with the direct impact damage remaining at 15. The weapon also keeps its damage-over-time effect inside the radioactive cloud. These changes mean direct hits now stack for a bigger total, making quick knockouts and cover-clearing more practical.
Spawn rates for both weapons were quietly increased last week, making them more visible in standard chests, though they aren’t flooding the loot pool.
Community Reactions and Playtesting
Community feedback so far has been cautiously positive. Many players who already liked the deodorant gun continue to enjoy its perfect accuracy and rapid damage output—especially when chasing fleeing enemies or hip-firing during shockwave engagements. However, most agree the buff doesn’t transform it into a must-carry, and its range limitations keep it outclassed by classics like Mr. Blasty and the infantry rifle.
The slingshot’s improved AoE helps for breaking cover and pressuring campers, but its slow fire rate still limits applicability versus spammable options from previous seasons. Direct hits are stronger, but timing is everything, and skilled users are leveraging the buff for tactical repositioning rather than raw eliminations.
What’s Next for Fortnite Weapon Balancing
These changes hint at more rolling tweaks as the Simpsons season develops. With the deodorant applicator and cobalt slingshot both boosted—and their spawn rates on the rise—expect further experimentation in loadouts and strategy, especially as new mythics and crossover weapons hit the pool. Epic appears to be monitoring mid-tier weapon viability closely, often responding quickly to competitive sentiment and data.
Weapon durability and cooldown mechanics remain part of Fortnite’s design meta, with the deodorant weapon featuring an overheat penalty rather than ammo. As additional Simpsons-themed loot drops throughout the month, the devs may continue tweaking numbers for balance and novelty.
