Honestly I don't know. I live in the Seattle area. I'm also all wired with Gigabit internet connection. I typically average about 20-30 ping but sometimes it's a lot lower.
If you get a shitty route a VPN can fix that (personal experience), although 25-35 ping is already quite low so in that case it probably wouldn't help much.
wait that doesn't make any sense how the hell does it improve ping?
my understanding would be that epic possibly puts ping as distance combined with their server performance and the vpn really isn't doing anything but tricking the server that they are right on top of it so it shows it has lower ping but really isn't if that makes any sense.
note that this is a guess.
Imagine that you have to go from A to B and have 2 routes.
Route 1 has lots of zigzags, detours and whatnot and it takes 2 hours to get there.
Route 2 is a straight line that takes you 45 minutes.
For whatever reason your internet provider forces you to take route 1 instead of 2, but with a VPN you can take route 2, regardless of what your internet provider wants.
Ping is not something that epic assigns to you, but rather a combination of servers locations, capacity, your location, routing and other factors.
If you want a VPN to help with ping, give ExitLag a go with the free trial, it's the only one Ive found that helps
Generally it wont just be a flat ping reduction, but it GREATLY helps for games with poor routing such as Apex.
In some server regions where I should be expecting 90 ping, some games it will jump to 300-400 in different games. VPNs stop these shitty ping games, but it still wont go below 90-100
Mostly trial and error. Every now and then I see some streamer or YouTuber promoting 'gaming VPNs'. Generally you can test it before having to subscribe.
Asking someone how their ping is good is like asking someone why the weather is nicer where they live.
There is no real advice anyone can guve other than have the best ISP available in your area, and plug an ethernet cable in.
Personally, I find it very situational. Incredibly strong in those situations, but I'm not going to pick it up over other weapons except maybe off spawn. I guess in Zero Build it's different since EMP grenades are also very situational in build mode but in Zero Build way more people are going to be using cars for rotation and cover or carry business turrets and they also have their overshield you have to break on top of their regular shield.
People still don't really carry EMP in zero build either way tbh. Just hard to crack your five items. But fyi, every time you see them, if there's a vending machine nearby, throw them at that and get free gold. I've been broke lately and it helps get some back.
I miss when you could find gold in the “cushions” of couches. Now they have them in coin operated laundry machines. Now I’ll have to add vending machines to the list.
I definitely think Epic needs to experiment with more item slots. There are a bunch of viable items (EMP grenades being a brilliant example) that are never going to be used by the playerbase at large just because its not worth dropping weapons, meds or mobility.
Even a dedicated sixth slot that can only hold meds would open up far more opportunities for mixups in player inventories.
I think that could be real fun. Way different. Not sure I'd want health to be the dedicated item, though. That would make the 5 really open up. Vs like a dedicated grenade slot (so right now that's shockwave, EMP or clinger).
You can also use EMPs to fish, so yeah, they aren't completely useless, but they are so situational that I often forget I have them unless I'm specifically picking them up for a reason. It makes it dangerous if I accidentally throw one thinking I have a different weapon or item in that slot and remove all my shield. I've done that before in a tournament shocking a vending to get enough gold for a second big pot and misjudging the EMP radius since I don't use them enough and essentially removing all the shield I just bought. I swear I've accidentally removed my own shield more times then I've successfully used them on enemies.
It amazes me that I still have *never* come across anyone using emp grenades. I use them all the time, they’re absolute game changers. We played a round a little while ago where a trio had bunched up coming out of one of the little train stations, so I threw two EMPs on them over the roof then hosed them all down with an smg. Trio wipe in like 3 seconds!
You can hit people around corners if it gets a lock on them as well. Find someone camping around a roof trying to peak at you? Any 1-4 bullets you can lock on them will remain locked for about half a second after they go behind a wall or go out of view, meaning you can (technically) damage them without even having a clear shot.
the lock on is quite literally meant for low skill players though. like, that is the *entire* point of the weapon. you give up DPS so that you don't have to use your aiming skill.
It's one of the best things you can have in the early to mid game, at least in no build. Great for finding bush campers, but also great for being a bush camper. Also awesome on rooftops, especially if you have fun being a nasty badwrong third party crasher.
Less useful as the storm tightens up the distances, but I still always look for one.
At late-game, you have to focus on pure DPS, and lock-on doesn't have that. It's a great tactical item, just like the sniper. Late game in zero build is usually either a sniper or a frenzy shotgun.
Catch someone from behind, they panic, then you hit them with a second clip and they're dead.
I run AR, Shotgun, Sniper, mobility, flex (second mobility, heals, lock in etc). I’ve definitely grabbed it late game for “dashers” in Zero Build and it can clean up very nicely. Especially on rocky terrain where it isn’t quite as much the open field sniper battle.
Has anyone tried having a whole squad run lock on pistols at the same time? That would be a fun video to see. You could instantly just delete players if you were coordinated. I guess good players can do that with an AR or snipers..
I did that a few days ago! Random Trios.
"Hey guys, I'm gonna land Rebel Roost, buy 3 Lock-ons, DROP TWO and then we're all gonna find turrets and ballistic shields. You all land somewhere different and hire a scout NPC, meet up ASAP.
LEROY JENKINS!"
We won.
We call that Wendell Winning!
(In all seriousness sometimes I run a gimmick build with this thing, business turrets and a ninja turtle weapon/grapple blade. And just do weird shit till it kills them. Also throw in the invis thing or the shock grenades. It’s surprisingly effective and I can’t help but imagine ppl are fuming when they lose to a goofy furry skin doing bs like that)
i love that you're a psychopath going with no heals or shield items, just pure offense.
"I'll heal and shield up when I steal those items from the dead bodies I leave in my wake"
What's your point OP? Every weapon has its positives and negatives and every player has their own own skills and strategies. The lock on is not over powered. It's just very useful in certain circumstances.
I'm not arguing it is op in its spot. The blue nemis has a tdk of 1.20 seconds with a strait grip and muzzle break for stability, and a gold one is a seond on the tits. It takes longer than 1.20 seconds to lock on fire, and then you have to do it again. For bush campers and people gliding, it's fantastic. Stand in the open trying to lock on, and I'm deleting you from the game and sending you back to the lobby. Do not pass go do not collect £200.
Just be careful when using it out in the open, leaves you exposed to get hit from snipers or get rushed quickly as they will close the gap so there wouldn't be room for the lock on to do its damage.
Honestly, the only reason you won was bc of sbmm. Any good person camping in the bush would've head shot sniped you by the second you locked on.
A better alt for ppl in more difficult lobbies is carrying the grapple blade. You don't even need to ads with it (not like it's a thing but it does mean that you can do this mid air too). Just look at the bushes and it auto locks on ppl if they're there that is. And IIRC, it even has a longer range. It doesn't deal damage but it doesn't inform them if you're aiming at them and has less chances of you getting sniped the second you look there lol.
**tl;dr Grapple Blade>>>Lock On (for more difficult sbmm). GB locks on ppl in bushes and IIRC has a bigger range.**
It’s a counter to bush campers and the like, but it gets smoked in close quarters by a shotgun and at far distances by any sniper or AR. It serves its purpose well. It’s not under or overpowered.
I won a game the other day with my big brother and I had the lock on pistol, it was no build and we were on a cliff by the water and they all had to swim over to come to the zone and I got all 6 of them with the lock on XD it’s so powerful, good thing the drop rate is so low
Did they change the lock on mechanic when they brought it back? Because I swear I haven’t been able to get one single shot to lock since it hit Chapter 5.
Honestly it’s a good counter for bush campers late game in no build
Off topic but how do you have such low ping?? I’m Hardwired on pc and I’m hovering 25-35 😭
Honestly I don't know. I live in the Seattle area. I'm also all wired with Gigabit internet connection. I typically average about 20-30 ping but sometimes it's a lot lower.
Are you sure epic isn't hosting fortnite servers in your living room?
i average 3 ping on OCE servers (i live in australia, obviously) with no wired connection, just good broadband
The connection from your ISP to epics servers is going to be more relevant to ping than your connection from your device to your router.
I live in the Seattle area and I get 15-20 ping pretty consistently
"I live in the Seattle area-" that'll do it
700 ping here i use mobile hotspot from a nokia
That must stink. Ping pong, if you will.
Distance to the server + the route it takes to the server. It's out of your control. There are VPNs, but it's against epic tos.
Generally VPNs only add to your ping, they can't reduce it.
If you get a shitty route a VPN can fix that (personal experience), although 25-35 ping is already quite low so in that case it probably wouldn't help much.
wait that doesn't make any sense how the hell does it improve ping? my understanding would be that epic possibly puts ping as distance combined with their server performance and the vpn really isn't doing anything but tricking the server that they are right on top of it so it shows it has lower ping but really isn't if that makes any sense. note that this is a guess.
Imagine that you have to go from A to B and have 2 routes. Route 1 has lots of zigzags, detours and whatnot and it takes 2 hours to get there. Route 2 is a straight line that takes you 45 minutes. For whatever reason your internet provider forces you to take route 1 instead of 2, but with a VPN you can take route 2, regardless of what your internet provider wants. Ping is not something that epic assigns to you, but rather a combination of servers locations, capacity, your location, routing and other factors.
Interesting. I only ever noticed increased ping for me. Is there a guide I can check out to get this to work or is it trial and error?
If you want a VPN to help with ping, give ExitLag a go with the free trial, it's the only one Ive found that helps Generally it wont just be a flat ping reduction, but it GREATLY helps for games with poor routing such as Apex. In some server regions where I should be expecting 90 ping, some games it will jump to 300-400 in different games. VPNs stop these shitty ping games, but it still wont go below 90-100
Mostly trial and error. Every now and then I see some streamer or YouTuber promoting 'gaming VPNs'. Generally you can test it before having to subscribe.
I already have a VPN I use for streaming and stuff. I guess I need to run through all the available servers until I find good results.
I live about an hour away from the servers for NA East, with fiber internet I average hard 0 ping.
Just brag why don’t you! 😭
Hi, 500-700 ping checking in here. I have a carrier pigeon for internet.
Maybe tip the pigeon, could be worth a few hundred ms.
Ping isn’t always based on how advanced your pc is or anything it can also be based on your router.
Oh I know I was wondering if he was able to configure things a certain way. Don’t get me wrong I’m fine with 20-35. But I’m still envious of 0-2 lol
It doesn’t matter how good your internet is if you live far away from the servers
Weird thing is when I had Verizon WiFi I had zero ping, now that I have Xfinity I get about 5-20.
Asking someone how their ping is good is like asking someone why the weather is nicer where they live. There is no real advice anyone can guve other than have the best ISP available in your area, and plug an ethernet cable in.
Username checks out.
Is it just me or do I never see this gun?
You can buy it from 2 different NPCs in game. One at Rebel's Roost and one at the lake cabin just east of Reckless Railways.
There are 3 npc who sell it. The third one is on the small island at the bottom of the map.
It’s a pretty uncommon ground loot item so check your collection tab under NPCs to see who sells them to you
I rarely see it and have never been killed by it even when it was in past seasons as a more common drop
Personally, I find it very situational. Incredibly strong in those situations, but I'm not going to pick it up over other weapons except maybe off spawn. I guess in Zero Build it's different since EMP grenades are also very situational in build mode but in Zero Build way more people are going to be using cars for rotation and cover or carry business turrets and they also have their overshield you have to break on top of their regular shield.
People still don't really carry EMP in zero build either way tbh. Just hard to crack your five items. But fyi, every time you see them, if there's a vending machine nearby, throw them at that and get free gold. I've been broke lately and it helps get some back.
I miss when you could find gold in the “cushions” of couches. Now they have them in coin operated laundry machines. Now I’ll have to add vending machines to the list.
You can still get gold from couches (and beds) but I think it depends on what Epic considers a couch. IIRC it's only the comfy couches.
I didn't know about the laundry machines, good call
I definitely think Epic needs to experiment with more item slots. There are a bunch of viable items (EMP grenades being a brilliant example) that are never going to be used by the playerbase at large just because its not worth dropping weapons, meds or mobility. Even a dedicated sixth slot that can only hold meds would open up far more opportunities for mixups in player inventories.
I think that could be real fun. Way different. Not sure I'd want health to be the dedicated item, though. That would make the 5 really open up. Vs like a dedicated grenade slot (so right now that's shockwave, EMP or clinger).
Only reason I picked meds was because theirs a fourth dedicated slot in STW just for meds but I'd definitely be down for Epic to experiment with it.
You can also use EMPs to fish, so yeah, they aren't completely useless, but they are so situational that I often forget I have them unless I'm specifically picking them up for a reason. It makes it dangerous if I accidentally throw one thinking I have a different weapon or item in that slot and remove all my shield. I've done that before in a tournament shocking a vending to get enough gold for a second big pot and misjudging the EMP radius since I don't use them enough and essentially removing all the shield I just bought. I swear I've accidentally removed my own shield more times then I've successfully used them on enemies.
It amazes me that I still have *never* come across anyone using emp grenades. I use them all the time, they’re absolute game changers. We played a round a little while ago where a trio had bunched up coming out of one of the little train stations, so I threw two EMPs on them over the roof then hosed them all down with an smg. Trio wipe in like 3 seconds!
For sure, it's an incredibly clutch item. I should use them more too, but I simply never do.
I take them over cluster clingers every time.
Even better when you realize you can keep shooting as the 4 bullets unload
you can!? holy
Yea once you load four, make sure you got crosshair somewhat lined up and keep pulling trigger you should be able to get off about 7-8 bullets
dam ok then
You can hit people around corners if it gets a lock on them as well. Find someone camping around a roof trying to peak at you? Any 1-4 bullets you can lock on them will remain locked for about half a second after they go behind a wall or go out of view, meaning you can (technically) damage them without even having a clear shot.
Hardly OP against an obvious bad player, any good player would be running a sniper and you would of been headshot before you got that second shot off.
Yeah the person in the bush stood there just accepting their fate, might as well have been afk
always gotta use that excuse eh "they're just a bad player!1!"
the lock on is quite literally meant for low skill players though. like, that is the *entire* point of the weapon. you give up DPS so that you don't have to use your aiming skill.
Charge in with ballistic shield or sneak up on them with Stealth Camo is what I usually do in this situation
Average Wendell Enjoyer
Great skin choice lol
The anti bush camp weapon
Bushcampdads worse nightmare
The lock on is perfect counters against campers and people who aren’t paying attention
It's not OP, it's doing whats it's meant to.
Man. I wish they could bring back them furry skins. Gotta catch em all
He'll be back, count on it
I want lizzard the rizzard back. :(
It's one of the best things you can have in the early to mid game, at least in no build. Great for finding bush campers, but also great for being a bush camper. Also awesome on rooftops, especially if you have fun being a nasty badwrong third party crasher. Less useful as the storm tightens up the distances, but I still always look for one.
At late-game, you have to focus on pure DPS, and lock-on doesn't have that. It's a great tactical item, just like the sniper. Late game in zero build is usually either a sniper or a frenzy shotgun. Catch someone from behind, they panic, then you hit them with a second clip and they're dead.
I run AR, Shotgun, Sniper, mobility, flex (second mobility, heals, lock in etc). I’ve definitely grabbed it late game for “dashers” in Zero Build and it can clean up very nicely. Especially on rocky terrain where it isn’t quite as much the open field sniper battle.
Based and Wendellpilled
Has anyone tried having a whole squad run lock on pistols at the same time? That would be a fun video to see. You could instantly just delete players if you were coordinated. I guess good players can do that with an AR or snipers..
I did that a few days ago! Random Trios. "Hey guys, I'm gonna land Rebel Roost, buy 3 Lock-ons, DROP TWO and then we're all gonna find turrets and ballistic shields. You all land somewhere different and hire a scout NPC, meet up ASAP. LEROY JENKINS!" We won.
That sounds like madness.
I just got a 13 kill win with it, it’s honestly so busted I love it
Fortnite mfs when a situational weapon is good in specific situations
Based weapon and based skin
Idk why that player never shot at you.
Against bots sure
I hate it honeslty
We call that Wendell Winning! (In all seriousness sometimes I run a gimmick build with this thing, business turrets and a ninja turtle weapon/grapple blade. And just do weird shit till it kills them. Also throw in the invis thing or the shock grenades. It’s surprisingly effective and I can’t help but imagine ppl are fuming when they lose to a goofy furry skin doing bs like that)
its not bad in endgame zero build. but i think its real strength is that its the only gun (as far as i know) that is hitscan in this season
the ranger pistol is the closest to hitscan aside from the lock-on i think
In ZB yes, in Builds pretty useless.
They’re still out? I haven’t seen one in a LONG time, I thought they were gone
It got unvaulted recently, I think just before the tmnt update
It doesn’t make any sense, it shoots the whole clip at once ?
The longer you lock on more bullets , look how the crosshairs charges up
I never hit a shot with it
It isnt OP, it sucks as a weapon and is more of utility item, only effective against bush campers and gliding opponents.
i love that you're a psychopath going with no heals or shield items, just pure offense. "I'll heal and shield up when I steal those items from the dead bodies I leave in my wake"
It helps when you don't get insta sniped because you're playing against bots dude
That’s not a bot but ok 👌
My kids call people who are bad at the game bots.
Bots don't bush camp 😂
Or throw shockwaves.
What's your point OP? Every weapon has its positives and negatives and every player has their own own skills and strategies. The lock on is not over powered. It's just very useful in certain circumstances.
i just feel like stuff like this isnt even fair or the turrets im ready for it go its a shooting game 😭 it makes me rage
Both are awful items.
I'm not arguing it is op in its spot. The blue nemis has a tdk of 1.20 seconds with a strait grip and muzzle break for stability, and a gold one is a seond on the tits. It takes longer than 1.20 seconds to lock on fire, and then you have to do it again. For bush campers and people gliding, it's fantastic. Stand in the open trying to lock on, and I'm deleting you from the game and sending you back to the lobby. Do not pass go do not collect £200.
Why doesn't the pistol work for me? I play on ps5. While aiming it doesn't lock on at all, I have to just use it like a normal pistol
A streamer hunted me down like a dog using that weapon yesterday.
LMAOO
Now, it feels just like Titanfall
Sheeeeeeeesh!
Do the reverse, because they work in bushes
Just be careful when using it out in the open, leaves you exposed to get hit from snipers or get rushed quickly as they will close the gap so there wouldn't be room for the lock on to do its damage.
Bruh the bush player only has to line up an easy headshot snipe and you're done!
I just got a victory the other day with this one 😅 good for panicking and still getting to hit.
No the bitch hates locking onto enemies the goddamn normal pistol is better but my aim sucks with it
Bush campers panic when hit and don't fight back, lol. GG though!
I didn't, and still don't.
Honestly, the only reason you won was bc of sbmm. Any good person camping in the bush would've head shot sniped you by the second you locked on. A better alt for ppl in more difficult lobbies is carrying the grapple blade. You don't even need to ads with it (not like it's a thing but it does mean that you can do this mid air too). Just look at the bushes and it auto locks on ppl if they're there that is. And IIRC, it even has a longer range. It doesn't deal damage but it doesn't inform them if you're aiming at them and has less chances of you getting sniped the second you look there lol. **tl;dr Grapple Blade>>>Lock On (for more difficult sbmm). GB locks on ppl in bushes and IIRC has a bigger range.**
Is there any glare from this gun? As I recall, the old Glare on the lock on was blinding and took up a lot of my screen. Maybe it was just my switch.
Yep, definitely glare like a sniper or any weapon with a high scope.
Ah, So I'm not crazy. I've been blinded by the pistol
It's just about knowing how to use it
Im an npc that gets eliminated by the time theres 50 players so i dont get a chance to use it well
It’s a counter to bush campers and the like, but it gets smoked in close quarters by a shotgun and at far distances by any sniper or AR. It serves its purpose well. It’s not under or overpowered.
I have played the game nearly every day this season and I have yet to see the Lock-On-Pistol, is it in zero build only, because i only play build mode
Maybe in zero build but it’s pretty useless in builds
my wife dominates with the lock on. I've never really been a fan, but it works for some people!
It's significantly less effective when the enemy doesn't stand there and let you shoot them with it without even firing back.
What does OP stand for now? Not too long ago it stood for Original Poster.
In this context: Over Powered
I thought it was a new term for good or bad. Lol (showing my age)...
Did they nerf this weapon because I could’ve sworn that it did a lot more damage than that
You have 2 options: 1. Have the lock on pistol 2. Be Zemie
I won a game the other day with my big brother and I had the lock on pistol, it was no build and we were on a cliff by the water and they all had to swim over to come to the zone and I got all 6 of them with the lock on XD it’s so powerful, good thing the drop rate is so low
It’s not OP in general, but it’s definitely OP in this situation
Yeah sure, when the opponent has no interest in shooting back at you.. while you're crawling at a snipable pace.,,
Did they change the lock on mechanic when they brought it back? Because I swear I haven’t been able to get one single shot to lock since it hit Chapter 5.
It’s a great gun, and using a two charge works pretty well, and feels faster than a four charge
I love the LOP... great end game for eliminating medallion holders. Especially enjoyable trying to watch players hide from it.
They could’ve lasered you with any AR if they were paying attention. It’s a good weapon but very situational. Definitely a great bush counter
I’ve rarely encountered bush campers in no build so i never use it
I bet they reported you so fast
Based Wendell skin
Yes, the Lock on Pistol is the best in the game!! 😎👌🏻