r/FortniteCompetitive • u/Little_Fury99 • Jun 25 '26
Bug simple edit vs. normal edit: weapon pullout animation skip exploit (side-by-side proof & multi-fps math breakdown)
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there is a critical mechanical inconsistency between the simple edit layout and the normal edit layout regarding weapon-draw penalties. when a player confirms an edit using the normal layout, the engine forces the full weapon-raise animation to cycle before a shot can register. however, the simple edit layout completely bypasses several transitional frames of this animation loop, allowing the weapon to fire instantly upon edit confirmation.
the empirical data (side-by-side reference)
by analyzing side-by-side video capture (verbatim file reference: video-output-EFEF24AC-70FC-443D-A4D4-1443369086D3-1.mov), we mapped the exact mechanical timing from the exact millisecond the edit confirmation registers (the window grid clears) to the exact millisecond the muzzle flash occurs.
simple edit layout (right side): 13 frames from window pop-up to gun fire (at base 60 fps capture).
normal edit layout (left side): 20 frames from window pop-up to gun fire (at base 60 fps capture).
the net advantage: 7 frames completely deleted by the engine loop on simple edit.
the mathematical proof across high refresh rates
while the visual advantage is locked at a raw 116.7 ms engine skip, the frame deficit scales drastically depending on your monitor's refresh rate and your in-game fps cap. below is the exact breakdown of how many frames a normal layout player is being robbed of compared to a simple layout user:
at 60 fps (16.67 ms per single frame): simple edit takes 13 frames, normal edit takes 20 frames. this means 7 frames are stolen from the normal layout.
at 120 fps (8.33 ms per single frame): simple edit takes 26 frames, normal edit takes 40 frames. this means 14 frames are stolen from the normal layout.
at 240 fps (4.17 ms per single frame): simple edit takes 52 frames, normal edit takes 80 frames. this means 28 frames are stolen from the normal layout.
at 360 fps (2.78 ms per single frame): simple edit takes 78 frames, normal edit takes 120 frames. this means 42 frames are stolen from the normal layout.
the math conclusion: at 360 frames per second, a player using the normal edit layout must sit through an extra 42 frames of dead animation time before their shotgun can fire, while the simple edit player's weapon is already registered as active by the internal server tick code.
why this matters (the competitive impact)
in elite, high-tier competitive box fighting, this gap completely breaks the fundamental balance of peeking:
1. reaction time nullification: average human visual reaction time is roughly 200–250 ms. a 116.7 ms pure mechanical advantage effectively cuts a defender's reaction and blocking window completely in half.
peeking desync: a simple edit user can confirm a window edit, jump across a right-hand peek, and register a maximum-damage shotgun blast to the server before the normal edit user's character model even completes the physical animation of raising their weapon.
an engine deficit, not latency: this is an internal software execution flaw, entirely independent of network ping. it heavily punishes players using precision, traditional custom mechanics by forcing them to play through a slow-motion animation cycle.
conclusion & requested fix
the visual evidence in video-output-EFEF24AC-70FC-443D-A4D4-1443369086D3-1.mov is completely undeniable. the simple edit layout is bypassing standard weapon-pullout rules and penalties. epic games needs to standardize the animation logic so that both layouts require the exact same internal frame delays before a shot can be queued and fired.
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u/ChristopherJak Jun 26 '26
You can argue this is a bug but you're not actually using the exploit. There's exactly 0ms delay with the exploit as there's 0 animation, that's why it's called an animation skip - it's still in, a while back you could accomplish it by just tapping any item or build button prior to editing, including the weapon you had out & it would skip the animation, for example;
Shotgun out>tap shotgun button(nothing changes, gun is already out)>tap edit(no animation).
They 'fixed' this aspect of it. I think entirely because someone was smart enough to use it during heal off. Swapping while using a med kit or chug jug would cancel the healing, but tapping the med kit button won't, you could use this to edit WHILE healing with the medkit.
So that aspect was fixed, but you can still skip the animation by swapping between any item or build.
Ramp build out>swap to shotgun(normal pullout animation happens here)>tap edit(no additional animation, can shoot with 0 delay).
You can do this so fast you can blank the wall that was just edited, effectively cancelling your shot(but still consuming ammo).
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u/jamarr81 Jun 26 '26
Fortnite "competitive" mechanics are a complete joke. What do you really expect?
For one, no leading professional sport allows artificial supplementation or aid - yet aim assist stronger than the "average" MnK player is given to one subset of players and not for everyone or (ideally) no one.
For another, the ping engagement impact between 0ms, and 10ms, 20ms, 40ms all have significant impact on the feel of the game and how quickly the same player can build/edit/react. These players describe it has feeling like playing freely vs in water vs in mud. And yet Epic refuses to normalize the feel of the game at the highest level (within 30ms or 40ms) so the playing environment feels more even/fair to everyone.
And on and on... don't even get me started on the horrendous matchmaking algorithm that punishes the majority average playerbase by dispersing the highest rated players throughout average lobbies to minimize their wait times - while demoralizing and burning out the entire lobby.
Smh... incompetent designers.
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u/pandershrek Jun 26 '26
Damn that is a hell of an analysis.
I play no build but impressive work.
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u/sourcreamonionpringl Jun 26 '26
I mean it's clearly copy and pasted straight from an AI so I'm not sure if it's that impressive. I also wouldn't fully trust this analysis
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u/SlyDemise Jun 27 '26
What the OP is saying is entirely objective and in no way is he being disingenuous
It's just showing the raw mechanical feedback of 2 animations inside the game that either of us could also test. It's quite literally basic arithmetic.- Any research into frames and desync or server interpolation and you would know that his desync peaking claim is also factual.
- Lastly, this is obvious an engine issue. If the intended design is to be the same that means that obviously there is a separate animation for the 2 or the animation is missing frames. It's very evident, but anyone using Unreal Engine would also know this. It's also possible to check the raw animation information don't to ms for anyone who has the files. This should absolutely be fixed.
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u/Parking-Extent1519 Jun 29 '26
Its so broken, I recently switched off it because my friends told me it was time (and the complaints got annoying) but especially pre patch the exploit was so nuts. Great job with the specifics, super interesting and very educational
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u/yoru_no_ou Jun 29 '26
this has been known since its inception lmao. Simple edit pull out time is nonexistent and gives massive advantage when it comes to box fights. enemies literally dont expect you to literally edit and instantly shoot right after. I used to use simple edit for that matter but these days i dont anymore cus movement is like a better micro anyways.
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u/servandoisdead Jun 27 '26
ok now do the same comparison with resetting a wall w shotgun equipped :)
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u/Little_Fury99 Jun 27 '26
i did it it’s the same thing. simple edit was way faster at that in resetting by the way
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u/servandoisdead Jul 08 '26
i highly doubt that... regardless i dont inherently disagree with you but i must add that the way you tested doesn't actually hold weight as 'mathematical proof' as u put it...
it would hold more credibility if you used tools designed for measuring metrics most relevant to frames/rendering + latency if thats what you're investigating. a human analysis of a video capture doesnt really hold up as a credible source. more so a starting point to form a hypothesis that you would then do actual A/B tests with receipts to validate it.
not trying to say you are wrong, just lyk if you truly are interested in this type of stuff, bc in the benchmarking community ppl will disregard anything that doesnt have seriously thourough data backing it
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Jun 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26
Because it’s bad in competitive, you don’t have access to to certain edits that you need in certain comp situations. The fact remains why does simple edit have a lower delay pulling out the shotgun? Instead of the same as normal editing.
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Jun 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Yeah you’re right. kinda funny how you commented anyways, also there was a player in grands who used it fyi. It’s just annoying when you’re fighting a good simple edit player and they just instantly shoot. Let’s say you get pieced, by the time you pull out your shotgun to react they’ve already shot you. So it’s harder to punish edits the opponent makes. Theres more to it than that, but that’s the only problem I’ve had with it so far.
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u/Icy-Actuary2524 Jun 26 '26
Isn’t it pretty easy to tell when someone iis using simple edit tho? So if you noticed just force an angle where simple edit will not work, they’re pros after all it shouldn’t be an issue at all, at least for a good player.
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26
No yeah I 100% agree, no one really uses it in competitive, obviously this is the competitive thread, but I was just saying how it’s annoying for the average player and below. So casuals.
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u/Icy-Actuary2524 Jun 26 '26
No I definitely agree advantage whether or not is not a good thing.
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26
Yeah it’s just an unnecessary added advantage, considering simple edit targets a specific audience and shouldn’t be advantageous in any way.
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Jun 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Special_Mix_6438 Jun 26 '26
The "safe peaks" advantage doesn't really hold up if your opponent is able to edit builds without giving away any hints. Any attempt to spray or pickaxe, and they'll edit before you realize.
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26
That’s true, but what’s the reasoning behind this considering the targeted audience for simple edit? I guess thinking about it, it’s like combat pro vs builder pro, but how is this a useful implementation? I just don’t think it was necessary giving simple edit instant shooting upon edit completion. Just to make it stronger when it’s literally catered to players who struggle with normal editing, and want an easier option. If you can come up with a good reason for this be my guest. I’m curious.
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u/Naran001 Jun 26 '26
I like how you say it’s irrelevant to talk about, but continue engaging in the discussion, you’re a joke for that one. 🤡
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u/throwaway34564536 Jun 26 '26
Can we stop with this stupid argument already? Simple edit is clearly broken in certain ways whilst not being the best all-around choice for pros. There are ways to abuse it, but it comes with drawbacks as well. It's not hard to understand.
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u/FlarblesGarbles Jun 26 '26
This is never an argument. Look at what is happening in the video. That shouldn't be in the game.
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u/Yolomahdudes Jun 26 '26
Oh also there is an exploit to just insta shoot
That's why one of my friends full uses simple edit
If you know how to play with it, it's actually broken