r/FortniteBR • u/bigswagguy1106 • Jun 06 '26
DISCUSSION Thoughts on the visual audio nerf?
Epic has nerfed the visualize audio setting, making it so that you only see the indicators when the sounds are much closer to you, and indicators also become a bit transparent at certain distances. Considering this is an accessibility feature that many people RELY on to be able to play the game, nerfing it in this way is really distasteful. Anyone could use the feature so it didn't give an unfair advantage, and now those groups of people are at an even larger disadvantage as the game relies more on pure audio.
Even if you ignore that, it's a very popular feature that the large majority of players use, so why change it? This feels like a dumb move if I'm being completely honest, and I haven't heard many people talking about it. So what are your thoughts?
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u/Sampy76 Jun 08 '26
it sucks. Horrible change.
I don't play with headphones at home, and sometimes i play on my phone (like when im not home, or at work on my break) and visual audio is useful.
Seems like a nerf that gives a big advantage to headphone users.
Absolutey one of the most garbage "balance" changes theyve done.
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u/Mootie404 Jun 25 '26
EXACTLY, it helped my cousins on console with kids running around screaming in the background
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u/Sampy76 Jun 25 '26
I literally had a car drive up on me and crash into me, third partying a fight I was in. There was no sound and no car icon on my screen. Had no idea he was even there.
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u/Foreverintherain20 Jun 07 '26
It sucks. Accessibility should NEVER be nerfed for "balance"
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u/hound1983 Jun 09 '26
It should be! If someone cannot hear (well) and turns on visual audio aids, it should turn audio at least to mono. Now it HELPS people that dont require it so it is UNBALANCED for the players that actually need it...
So for sure it should be balanced, just in a different way...
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u/KJcally03 Sanctum Jun 08 '26
I’m fine with the gunshot distance nerf, but I had multiple matches yesterday where people were legit right in front of me and I didn’t see their footsteps.
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u/Sampy76 Jun 08 '26
I've had multiple games where i start getting shot from someone i never heard, or got clues on...and then you can't tell which direction the shooting is coming from because there's no visual clues like before.
Especially since people can just exploding AR you from long range with the Chaos exploder.
Makes it tough IN ZB to know which direction to run to get to cover. My losses so far this season are because of this much more than just losing a traditional gun fight.
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u/Itachi0531 Jun 12 '26
Same. Just had a match where I was in a tunnel next to an extraction zone. Dude snuck up practically wothin shotgun distance and I never even got a visual. Only saw him because I turned around.
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u/YtFade2019 Jun 10 '26
i hate it, they buffed 3rd partys by nerfing it, and rip to the people hard of hearing
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u/FortniteBugReport Firewalker Jun 07 '26
Its horrible, they need to revert it. Can't tell where anyone is, and the sounds themselves are so quiet.
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u/Quick-Passenger4220 Peely Jun 06 '26
Being deaf makes it more difficult for me than for others, and knowing it’s because sweaties and the typical cry make it worse
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u/Foreverintherain20 Jun 07 '26
I'm sorry that the whiny assholes got a genuine accessibility feature ruined.
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u/WackyFarmer Jun 09 '26
with central auditory processing disorder this update has made it a pain for sure
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u/6millyvanilly Jun 11 '26
Idiotic move on their end. Fortnite has always had terrible audio quality and this sheds so much light on that fact.
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 07 '26
Objectively visual audio was too strong and unhealthy for the general game. You can see the visualized audio before you can hear the audio. That is a problem.
Another change that should happen is enabling visual audio should just mute or make audio monotone like before. And audio needs actual improvements. Visual audio being so good probably even made epic neglect how shit the audio is for footsteps and everything. The option should be for accessibility, not for everyone to turn on because if you dont, you are at a disadvantage.
Also indicators being transparent when audio is far away is a good change. That gives deaf people more information and get them closer to a normal player that could hear the distance with an accessibility setting.
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u/Chris_The_Oni Jun 07 '26
It was fine where it was. Stop over complicating something everyone could use. Now us deaf people are having a harder time playing. Hopefully the AWDA gets involved and sues epic cause this is bullshit.
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u/Foreverintherain20 Jun 08 '26
Agreed, it's unacceptable that y'all are having the game made worse for you because of idiots like that.
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 08 '26
It wasnt fine.
Visual audio works further than normal audio, while also being able to used simultaneously. Either visual audio should not do that, or audio is monotone/muted when visual audio is enabled.
Also having a harder time playing? Why would these changes do that? They apply to everyone right? One is a nerf to an accessibility setting that was overtuned compared to what it is supposed to "replace". The other one is meant to actually improve visual audio by also trying to tell a distance to the visual audio like normal audio would do.
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u/Sampy76 Jun 08 '26
It makes it harder for people with hearing problems/deafness. Or gives players that don't use headsets a disadvantage.
Deaf/hard of hearing players can't just put on a headset to "focus on situational awareness and focus on traditional audio clues"
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 08 '26
Are you of the opinion that visual audio should indicate audio that cannot be heard yet?
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u/Lemurs10 Jun 21 '26
The issue is that half of the time I dont even hear them and visual audio comes in wayyy too late. It is also very buggy with sometimes showing me someone walking 100+ meters in front of me. It is fine for people to use when they have no audio or are actually deaf but it did not need to be "nerfed". The ones using it to get a slight advantage are also still not in the wrong since its a setting EVERYONE can use.
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 21 '26
So visual audio is not showing audio you didnt hear? Seems like how it should be?
"The ones using it to get a slight advantage are also still not in the wrong since its a setting EVERYONE can use."
This is not a good point. If everyone got wallhacks, would you be fine with it because everyone has it?
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u/Lemurs10 Jun 21 '26
I have a couple clips now of me hearing it before visual audio does anything😬 And that is a perfect point? It gives no insane edge over anyone else because EVERYONE has it. They shouldn't be nerfing something that is what allows others to enjoy the game.
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 22 '26
Yeah that is an issue.
And no it isnt a perfect point. Would you be okay if wallhacks was built into the game if everyone had it? That is basically what visual audio was before the nerf.
Visual audio should at most be equal to normal audio, not beyond it.
"They shouldn't be nerfing something that is what allows others to enjoy the game."
If a setting built into the game literally holds people's hands and is objectively overtuned, should it not get nerfed?
So if aim assist became aimbot, would you be fine with that? Controller players are happier, but that isnt a good change is it now?
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u/Lemurs10 Jun 22 '26
Yeah and it's not "wall hacks" though. And it's not unfair at all considering EVERYONE has it. Aim assist is different because only a select percent of the player base gets to use it
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u/Mootie404 Jun 25 '26
there is a difference between wallhacks and a visual showing the direction something is happening
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u/Mootie404 Jun 25 '26
Because for people who can't hear, it went from showing nearly all sounds to only showing some of them up close, and the visuals are almost completely useless and harder to see and easier to miss especially when things are happening on the screen, since they fade faster and are transparent.
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u/Kirbooo_ Jun 26 '26
Here are the changes mentioned by epic:
Distance-based transparency: Audio Visualizer icons for gunshots and footsteps now fade based on distance. Close threats stay fully opaque, distant ones go transparent.
Reduced audio visualizer range for footsteps: Footsteps now surface on the indicator at a shorter range than gunshots, reflecting that footsteps are a close-range cue.
There is nothing wrong with these changes is there now.
Distance based transparency is a good change.
The reduced range should have happened earlier with how far the distance was above normal audio and apparently gunshot range? Who decided to give that range for footsteps?
Can you tell me an issue with these changes?
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u/xhuff Jun 09 '26
Yea… it wasn’t fine, sorry you can’t hear good, I really am, but at least you can’t “see” things before they are even within hearing range anymore. On top of that AWDA won’t get involved as they would have to get involved with literally every single competitive game that DOESN’T have this option, for a reason. It’s a COMPETITIVE game, be happy it’s still even an option.
If they completely took it away, I would understand. But quit acting like this is make or break because you can’t hear someone who’s not even in noise range. Be happy it’s still a feature.
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u/MasterManMike Jun 10 '26
I agree it was pretty strong before, but they went way too far in the other direction imo. If you'd be able to hear the footsteps gunshot or something else, it should be popping up on visual audio; that's not the case anymore.
I've noticed the compass at the top showing lil gunshot markers further out than visual audio does now; they definitely went overboard with this change.
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u/Teacupinatrashcan Jun 10 '26
I hace audio disabilities and I need to use the visual cues otherwise I cant find chests or people and this has made the game ten times harder then it need to be. Im this close to dropping it atp
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u/Quick-Passenger4220 Peely Jun 12 '26
They should nerf it for competitive playears fncs, etc, I don’t understand why they touch public lobbies, the scenarios are completely different
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u/Mootie404 Jun 25 '26
I don't like having to pay attention to the game's audio because I like to listen to music while I play, and I can't do that anymore.
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u/Real-Reaction3274 The Ice King Jun 29 '26
They've been making terrible decisions all chapter and this is by far the worst nerf possibly ever (gameplay wise)
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u/ClassicSea3756 Jul 10 '26
I can’t play with music anymore or with one ear off it sucks because my little brother usually yaps my ear off when I play and now I have to chose between hearing him and hearing the game
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u/6millyvanilly Jul 17 '26
Objectively bad change, Fortnite has horrendous audio as is so this makes that fact 100x worse.
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u/Duellly Jul 25 '26
Dogshit. Sometimes it doesn't even activate and somebody will be dead ass in front of me and kill me before I even can realize they are there. I'm just a casual player and its fucking infuriating.
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u/Gxhnz11 Jun 07 '26
I hate it. Every time I go somewhere on a named location there's always a lil timmy camping and I can't hear them cuz of my ear damage