Despite the introduction of exciting new features in the latest season, Fortnite enthusiasts are increasingly annoyed by a persistent issue. Chapter 5 Season 2 saw the arrival of divine Olympian bosses to battle against, along with freshly updated medallions, novel armaments, and an array of rewards that come with the new Battle Pass.
With the unveiling of an iceberg on the island’s map, anticipation is building for the forthcoming Fortnite event, which promises to shake things up. Expectations include significant map alterations, fresh cosmetic options, and complimentary rewards, as the much-talked-about Avatar partnership becomes part of the game.
This could potentially lead to a boost in the quality of the gameplay experience. Still, for this to manifest, Epic Games must address a specific concern that has long irritated the Fortnite community.
Rethinking Combat Tactics
Every player has a battle strategy and a set of weapons they prefer to claim victory in Fortnite. However, recently a single style of gameplay has emerged as the dominant strategy, which has led to a monotonous competitive environment over the past several months.
Various social media platforms were brimming with complaints on this topic for weeks, but we chose to use this post from u/vSnowSky on Reddit as a clear example:
“The whole match turning into a sniper gala is so tiring. It’s truly making things dull in ZB with everyone embracing the sniper approach. I’m indifferent to whether it’s overpowered—my performance is fine—but the repetitive strategy this creates is mind-numbing. It’s been the same for an excruciating four months. And frankly, the decreased spawning rate hardly made a difference.”
The game is certainly seeing a phase where sniper rifles have become the weapon of choice. This isn’t inherently problematic as there’s often a weapon that becomes a crowd favorite. However, it’s the extensive duration of the sniper’s dominance that has been grating on the nerves of Fortnite players.
Following an announcement from the @FortniteStatus account on X (the platform once known as Twitter) regarding update v29.10, it was revealed that “Snipers will appear less frequently and are no longer available as Uncommon or Rare items.” Many had high hopes that this change would curb the widespread presence of these weapons in the game, but it appears to have fallen short of expectations. Now, sniper rifles that are found tend to be of the higher-tier Epic or Legendary variety!
This was highlighted by u/Educational_Book_225’s remark: “The reduced spawn rate is laughably insufficient. It seems everyone who’s aiming to acquire a sniper can still find one by the endgame, with fewer competitors left. The only change is that they’re now likely to wield either a purple or a gold one.”
To introduce a fresh dynamic to the game perhaps another modification is required to balance the power of sniper rifles. But the question remains, which weapon will emerge to define the new meta? For predictions and breakdowns, have a look at our updated Fortnite weapons guide.
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