Fortnite received a surprise hotfix on October 6, 2026, during the ongoing Fortnitemares event. Identified as Update 5.23 on PlayStation 4 and version 1.000.234 on PlayStation 5, this deployment introduces meta adjustments to collaboration weapons and gameplay mechanics.
Major Weapon and Mythic Adjustments
The update prioritizes balancing seasonal Mythic items, specifically targeting the mobility and lethality of the A Nightmare on Elm Street collaboration gear while scaling back the building-shredding capabilities of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners weapons.
- Freddy’s Nightmare Mythic: These claws received a base damage increase. Players will also notice increased movement speed and reduced stamina consumption while tactical sprinting with the claws equipped, making the item a more viable tool for aggressive rotations.
- Rebecca’s Guns: This Cyberpunk-inspired weapon has been nerfed. It now deals significantly less damage to structures and features a slightly slower reload speed.
- Dual Fiend Hunters: These have been adjusted with improved ADS accuracy, higher overall accuracy, and faster reload. While base damage is increased, the headshot damage multiplier has been slightly reduced.
- Sideways Rifle: Specifically within the Reload game mode, the power-up damage bonus for this rifle has been reduced.
Sprite and Override Buffs
The Override system received several tuning adjustments to improve combat flow. Five specific Sprites have been buffed to increase their effectiveness in the field.
- Killswitch Sprite: Accuracy during hangtime has been improved.
- Klombo Sprite: Experience requirements have been adjusted to allow for faster leveling.
- Birthday Sprite: The spawn rate for healing cakes has been increased.
- Crash Bandicoot Sprite: Received a boost to spin damage and knockback force.
- Pond Sprite: Grants a higher jump height.
General Overrides were also adjusted. The Health Siphon now restores more health upon elimination, and the Dynamic Storm has been tuned to close circles faster. Other adjustments were made to the Speed Shooter rate of fire, Overshield maximum capacity, and the Action Hero hangtime accuracy.
Bug Fixes and Stability
The hotfix addressed two specific technical issues affecting islands and developer-made content.
- Changing Booth Error: Fixed a bug where players were incorrectly kicked from islands featuring a Changing Booth with an error message citing “tools that grant locked items.”
- Invisible Sidekicks: Resolved an issue where NPC Sidekicks would appear invisible on islands created by developers.
According to Beebom, the buffs to the Freddy Krueger-themed claws are intended to make the Mythic more competitive. Players may find the increased movement speed effective when navigating storm phases.
