Our author Schuhmann has resisted Fortnite: Battle Royale for over a year, but a new mode has finally convinced him.
This is why I resisted for so long: I played Fortnite before it was cool.
When Epic started with “Save the World” in the summer of 2017, we took a trip to explore the new game in the editorial office.
Others quickly quit, but I stayed. I spent the entire summer of 2017 saving the world of Fortnite.
The mix of mobile RPG progression with a touch of shooter and “Dungeon Keeper” somehow appealed to me. While Fortnite: Save the World was objectively not a great game, it hit a specific point for me, and I enjoyed playing it.
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that Save the World wouldn’t be a hit. Epic then developed it in a strange direction and I logged in less and less.
When the hype around “Battle Royale” started, I was a bit defiant: They should make my game cool now, instead of just copying PUBG, I thought back then.
While Jürgen, Robert, and the rest of the world quickly got excited about Battle Royale, I only hesitated.
So went my first attempt: I actually spent an afternoon with the game in spring 2018, but I found it too stressful.
No sooner had I landed than someone with a shotgun was jumping around me like a Duracell bunny on speed, shot me down, and I was back in the lobby.
I also watched streams of guys building obscure pyramids at record speed, headshotting someone from 300 meters away, and having reflexes like a top ice hockey goalie.
For that crap, I was definitely too old.
But even then, I understood why so many were crazy about the game: Fortnite has a pull effect.
Each round is a bit different. Every time I died, I thought: If only I had played a bit differently, I would have had a chance.
But something else scared me off: I already noticed how absorbing Fortnite is. The afternoon passed, and I barely knew what I had actually done. It was like that five years prior with League of Legends.
My new attempt at Christmas: Now at Christmas, I played Fortnite again, and Epic actually got me. I knew that crazy new modes would come with the Christmas event “14 Days of Fortnite”.
I actually wanted to try the new mode “Blind Flying” for an article.
This mode is based on Call of Duty “Hardcore” and hides almost all HUD elements – you can’t even see properly who is on your team.
However, the mode is clearly intended for fixed teams with voice chat and experienced Fortnite veterans. As a newbie, I had no chance at all and logged out disappointed after one game.
The mode excited me so much: Out of curiosity, I tried the mode next to “Blind Flying,” and it kept me busy for 3 hours.
The new mode that excited me is now active for a few days at Christmas and is called “Team Scare”:
- You don’t play solo here, but with teams in 32vs32
- The map is divided, and there is a longer quiet phase in every match until it starts and you encounter opponents
- There is more ammo than usual, more resources, and more loot
- You can also wonderfully farm PvE opponents, the “Don’t call them Zombies” zombies, who drop loot, are dumber than straw and you can really farm a lot on them
Initially, the mode was available for Halloween – as part of the “14 Days of Fortnite,” it is back now.
This is why I am excited about the new mode: For me, it’s the ideal mode because you can prepare for minutes until the first enemy contact and farm good equipment on the zombies.
Since you are not fighting alone, but moving in a crowd, I can also come into or out of fights as a beginner without feeling like a fool every time because I get shot down with a shotgun in the first loot phase.
In “Team Scare”, it’s also not that important to know exactly every spot where a chest, a plane, or a quadram waits.
Moreover, Fortnite now offers a lot of variety with balloons, vehicles, and numerous different weapons. In addition, the challenges and constant rewards from the new Battle Pass somehow trigger my loot and collector instinct.
I must admit: Even though I resisted for a long time, I can make friends with this Fortnite. And maybe they’ll make Fortnite: Save the World cool with all the money, that people spend on skins.
