In Fortnite , developers Epic introduced a new vehicle a few weeks ago: the “Kugler” is a kind of oversized hamster ball. What was intended as a fun vehicle threatens to dominate “serious” Fortnite. The only solution is the Boogie Bomb as a counter item.
What kind of device is this? The Update 8.1 on March 12 brought the vehicle “Kugler” to Fortnite.
It’s a glass sphere that a pilot can sit in. With a “grabber,” they can grab around and move quickly.
Here was the first reaction: When players were still unaware of how the Kugler worked, the reaction was rather cautious.
Hardly anyone knew how the thing would behave: some thought, the Kugler would be a kind of “demolition ball,” which you could zoom around with to destroy structures.
Others thought the thing was rather silly:
- Before, there were airplanes with a powerful turret
- now a hamster ball with a plunger on the front – quite ridiculous
How the player community then accepted the Kugler: Once the “Kugler” was really live, players experimented with the device to find ways, to have fun with the ball in Fortnite and be effective.
The Kugler allowed for some crazy stunts, as one could be fired out of a cannonball in the device.
It actually looked like a fun item – something that wouldn’t have a significant impact on the game, but would just create a good mood in Fortnite.
The “real game” would still be about being able to shoot well and build well.
New Meta of Fortnite: Kugler and Boogie Bombs?
This is how it is now: The amazing thing is that the “Kugler” has now found its way into competitive play of Fortnite, in the Fortnite esports.
There, the best gamers play for a pile of money. They are currently preparing for the Fortnite World Cup 2019, where 30 million US dollars will be at stake.
In esports, every team strives to get the most out of Fortnite and to find the best strategies. They evaluate every new item in Fortnite to see which ones provide the most advantages.
Professionals are currently training specifically with the Kugler because it gives them enormous advantages. In the endgame with the Kugler, you have a protective wall, can escape extremely quickly from tricky situations, and are incredibly agile.
Pro player Tfue uses the Kugler to protect himself in the endgame:
- Those without a Kugler are easy targets and will be eliminated
- those with a Kugler can survive for a long time. Because hardly anyone takes the time to destroy the glass first before they can then deal damage to the player.
This is the counter against Kugler: A counter against the Kugler has indeed been found – but this is actually a curiosity.
In fact, “Boogie Bombs” are now a popular means in the endgame of Fortnite.
Because the actual fun item that forces players to dance, takes people out of the hamster ball and makes them vulnerable.
Epic dissatisfied with the role of the hamster ball
This is what Epic wants to do: Epic has also noticed that the Kugler is extremely strong in the endgame and wants to intervene.
With one of the next patches, 8.30, Kugler pilots should be able to be shot through the glass.
But for the moment the Kugler seems to be even stronger because with the latest patch damage from traps first applies to the Kugler before the damage hits the player.
This is what it’s all about: The interesting thing is that fun items that the average player often leaves behind, like “Boogie Bombs” suddenly become meta-relevant items in the hands of professionals.
Here in the clip, Tfue scolds his partner “Cloak” for underestimating the importance of Boogie Bombs. He left one behind himself and was then killed by a Boogie Bomb – which leads Tfue to jokingly yell at his friend. Cloak takes it quite lightly.
If Epic significantly nerfs the Kugler again, the pros will probably need to adjust again to find success in Fortnite.
