MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn last played Fortnite exactly 12 months ago. Now he has tried it again thanks to the Marvel theme. Read here why, despite an enjoyable experience, he ended up bitterly disappointed.
Here’s why I haven’t played Fortnite for 1 year: In mid-2019, I was fully into Fortnite and checked out every season and every Battle Pass. However, then I went on parental leave for seven months and didn’t get to play at all during that time. And somehow I had also had enough of Fortnite at that point and didn’t touch it again when I had more time.
Meanwhile, my new colleague Eilyn Rapp took over the subject here at MeinMMO, and I was assigned other tasks. Since I found a Battle Royale game that suits me better, in my opinion, Apex Legends, I also stayed away from Fortnite.
This is why I returned: But then Eilyn asked me for help with the news on the start of Season 4, and somehow the Fortnite fever struck me again. I am a big Marvel fan and Thor is one of my favorite heroes. So I thought, “Once the update is done, I’ll play a round after work.” Curiously, it was almost to the day 12 months after I last played Fortnite.
This is how the first round went after 12 months
The first round was so uneventful: I start a first round and find myself on a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier as a starting zone. Then the Battle Bus takes off as usual, but is accompanied by jets from the carrier that fly around us and then land on the map. Cool, there’s definitely going to be loot.
But I prefer to land in the center of the completely new unknown map first. There is a kind of headquarters where an AI opponent is hanging around. “Wow, since when are there PvE elements in regular Fortnite?” I think to myself and shoot the little guy.
Why is it so slow? After that, I loot first and wonder why the game ran so slowly and sluggishly. My character moves as if she is wading through thick jam. Did I pick up a debuff that makes me slow and sluggish?
Not at all, because since I had only played fast shooters like Apex Legends or Doom Eternal for months, the leisurely pace of Fortnite seemed unbearably slow to me.
Death by gravity: But no matter, I still want to explore Fortnite and cheerfully jump out of the building’s window. And die! What the hell happened?
Well, I forgot that you still take fall damage in Fortnite when you fall from great heights. This feature doesn’t exist in Apex Legends either. My goodness, Fortnite is still totally old-school!
The top round to be ashamed of
This is how round 2 started: Despite my inglorious first attempt, I want to try again. This time, I look and see that if I play as Thor, I need to find his hammer Mjölnir. Ah, there it is, because I was already wondering why Mjölnir isn’t a harvesting tool for the Thor skin.
First kill with Mjölnir: The mission map clearly states where the hammer is located. So I land there, and immediately, another Thor comes along who also wants the hammer. “There can be only one!”, I shout at the cowardly imitator and pull the hammer out of the ground a second before he does.
Now the aspiring god of thunder looks dumbfounded and I smack him over the head with the hammer until he says goodbye to Valhalla. Wow, that went easier than expected! I have my first kill!
No opponent stands a chance: Indeed, my success continues. I find various weapons, and more opponents are hanging out in the nearby town. But no matter what they do, I take them all out like rabbits:
- One runs in front of my SMG, a burst fire and he’s gone.
- Another opponent shows up. He builds a pathetic wall. I go around it, and after a salvo, he’s gone.
- I don’t even get to reload; opponent number three is already there. I switch to the shotgun and bam, headshot!
- An opponent tries to catch me from a distance but shoots like a drunken Stormtrooper with impaired vision. I aim at him with the sniper and relieve him of his misery.
In no time, I have 5 kills and think to myself, “Wow, what a massacre! I’m just too good for you miserable Fortnite noobs because of my hard work in Apex Legends!”
Deadpool puts an end to it: Meanwhile, I’m among the last 15 players and think to myself, “This is going to be an epic victory,” when suddenly Deadpool approaches me! He immediately builds a few walls, and before I know it, he gives me a headshot from a safe height.
“Okay, so no victory royale, but losing to Deadpool isn’t a disgrace. Making it into the top 15 and getting 5 kills in the first attempt can be seen as an achievement. I won’t count the failed first try from earlier; that was just a rehearsal!
The big disillusionment: Full of pride, I contact my colleague Eilyn. I want to tell her about my great new beginning in Fortnite and that I’m probably so good that I should definitely play more often.
But I was also a bit skeptical and jokingly asked Eilyn whether there might also be bots in Fortnite. The shocking reply came: “Uh, yes, they have existed for a long time.”
What a shame!
Well, after this revelation, all my self-confidence leaves me like hot air from a leaky balloon. Of course, those weren’t player opponents. No one plays that stupidly, not even the worst noob. Only the final Deadpool and perhaps the helpless Thor who didn’t get a hammer were probably real opponents.
The rest of my successes, I probably achieved against mindless and soulless bots that are only there to provide mediocre players like me with success experiences. My victory feels hollow and silly. In the past, every kill in Fortnite was a highlight for me, especially since I hardly master building. Now it feels somewhat cheap to me. I praise Apex Legends again. Every kill there is still a merit, and I hope that bots never come into play.
Whether I will play Fortnite more often remains to be seen. Because although I am currently not much into the gameplay, I celebrate the cool Marvel skins and want to see how the story of Season 4 about villain Galactus develops. And somehow it’s also fun to take out bots, to be honest.
Jürgen Horn
Editor at MeinMMO
