Has the v10.20 Fortnite patch been enough to appease the competitive community?

Fortnite
28/08/2019
Jordan Ashley

Fortnite’s latest update is patch v10.20, it comes with an impressive Borderlands crossover but more importantly, those balancing changes that players have been crying out for. It is Epic’s second attempt at fixing the controversial B.R.U.T.E mechs, and they haven’t shied away from taking a sledgehammer to the robots. However, along with these fixes has come a major nerf to a key competitive mechanic.

v10.20 Fortnite patch new item

© Epic Games

With pro players entering their second consecutive collective panic attack over a change to the game, is Season 10 a write off already?

v10.20 Fortnite patch’s changes

Well, the nerfs and changes to the controversial B.R.U.T.E mechanic has been well received, the patch has been overshadowed by new problems. Turbo building in the game has almost been patched out of existence, if v10.20 has shown anything then it is that Epic can’t fix a problem without causing another one.

The mech nerfs themselves were pretty much what they need to be. They have made the mech pretty easy to counter and less useful overall. We will likely see the mech being essentially ignored in future as the B.R.U.T.E’s balance changes have made it a bit useless. It isn’t the strongest and won’t be viable compared with playing the traditional ways.

Turbo building is an important tool for competitive players in Fortnite. It is a type of play that almost all pro players use, giving them more control if you can skill to execute it properly. The time between placements during turbo buildings have been tripled from 0.05 second to 0.15 seconds.

What many players likely find baffling is why this change was made. Most of the adjustments in v10.20 Fortnite patch have been based on feedback from the current balance of the game rather than Epic wanting a change. No one was complaining about Turbo building.

Reaction from the competitive side of Fortnite

The reaction from competitive players is the typical hysteria that follows any changes to Fortnite. Some players are still unhappy with the changes to the mechs, or just mad that the mech had to be nerfed in the first place. Turbo building aside, the anger over the mechs needing this fix in the first place is overshadowing any positivity about the change having been made. Epic is directly fixing things that the competitive community complains about and fairly quickly at that. Maybe players need to start taking yes for an answer.

The turbo building has provoked some strong reactions. The changes to the game are easier put in the context of Epic’s statement about the ethos of Fortnite being geared to pleasing casual players as much as competitive players. While Fortnite is an immensely popular game with the casual crowd, streamers and pro players are nearly constantly at odds with this part of the game.

Specifically, calls for Epic to listen to their community seen a little short-sighted when the exact same patch changed exactly what the community wanted changing about their most recent mechanic.

Is v10.20 Fortnite patch enough to salvage the current state of Fortnite?

Competitive players have made it kind of clear that they don’t think it is. For everything that Epic gets right, they get something wrong.

However, the changes have actually addressed pretty much every problem pro players had with the game. It may have taken a while, but their criticism has been taken on board. The change to turbo building may be disappointing but it is a level nerf that puts everyone at a disadvantage rather than being unfair.

While players might dislike Epic’s habit of tinkering, they can’t exactly pretend that Epic doesn’t take their criticisms on board.

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