Key Highlights:
- Fortnite disables vehicles, Nitro Fists, and NPC hiring in Ranked modes.
- Changes implemented as part of ‘All Sweat Summer’ event from 4-18 July 2024.
- Community response largely positive, viewing changes as potential improvements to competitive play.
Epic Games has announced significant changes to Fortnite’s Ranked Battle Royale and Zero Build modes as part of its ‘All Sweat Summer’ event. From 4-18 July 2024, players will experience a dramatically altered competitive landscape, with several key features temporarily disabled.
Quick Links:
The shocking announcement was made over on X/Twitter by the Fortnite Status account, you can view that tweet below:
Experimental Changes Remove Vehicles, Nitro Fists, and NPC Hiring
Perhaps the most notable change is the removal of all vehicles and vehicle-related items from Ranked play.
This includes the powerful Boss Cars, which have been a contentious addition to the game’s meta. The decision comes after growing player frustration with vehicular combat, as evidenced by the popularity of the vehicle-free ‘Reload‘ variant.
There is a simple solution to this problem! Just make vehicle spawn drops at a low percentage on the map, but perhaps Epic Games will implement that idea in the future, who knows?
The Nitro Fists, a mythic item introduced in Chapter 5 Season 3, will also be unavailable during the event.
These powerful gauntlets have been criticised for their high mobility and damage output, with many competitive players arguing they’re too difficult to counter in certain situations.
In the build mode, they have literally been the meta this season without question. If you weren’t carrying this item in build mode, then there was no way you were winning the match and grabbing that Victory Royale.
Lastly, players will no longer be able to hire friendly NPCs to assist them in Ranked modes. However, hostile NPCs and Bosses with medallions will remain in the game, maintaining some level of AI interaction.
Community Reaction
The announcement has been met with largely positive feedback from the Fortnite community. Many players view these changes as a step towards a more skill-based competitive environment.
Some have praised Epic for using this event as a testing ground for potential long-term adjustments to the game’s meta.
Back in Ch4S2 the famous Kinetic Blade was removed from tournaments which was seen as a good thing at the time.
These changes come at a time when Fortnite has been experimenting with various modes and features to keep its gameplay fresh and engaging.
The Reload variant, which features smaller maps and no vehicles, has seen surprising popularity, indicating a desire among players for a more focused, combat-centric experience.
It’s worth noting that these changes are currently limited to Ranked modes. Standard Battle Royale and Zero Build modes will continue to feature all Chapter 5 Season 3 elements, including the recently announced Magneto mythic, which allows players to create metal shields and launch projectiles.
Epic Games has stated they will be closely monitoring player feedback during the ‘All Sweat Summer’ event.
The data and responses gathered could potentially inform future updates to Fortnite’s competitive modes.
While these changes are temporary, their implementation suggests that Epic is open to significant adjustments to Fortnite’s core gameplay elements.
The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether these removals enhance the competitive experience or if players prefer the more chaotic, vehicle-filled matches.
As Fortnite continues to evolve, balancing casual fun with competitive integrity remains a key challenge.
The All Sweat Summer event represents an bold experiment in this ongoing process, one that could have lasting implications for the game’s future.
As the event unfolds, all eyes will be on how these adjustments impact the game’s meta and whether they’ll lead to a sweatier, more skill-focused summer in the world of Fortnite.