Fortnite is holding a big summer bash this year with lots of new skins to purchase, limited-time game modes, and free cosmetics to be earned. As with most events, it also means more XP to collect through limited-time challenges so you can further level up your seasonal battle pass. There’s just been one sticking point. Everything is locked behind Creative game modes.
You’re probably aware of the base Fortnite experience by now. A whole bunch of players drop on an island with only one life and nothing on their backs other than a pickaxe. It’s a fight to see who’s the last person standing. There are a few other permanent game modes these days like Team Rumble deathmatch which has also been subjected to controversial changes recently.
Creative modes, on the other hand, are limited-time events mostly created by fans who build their own maps and game rules. Epic then features them in the playlist selection screen so matchmaking becomes possible. Some people are big fans of the experience, likening them to the days of Halo 3. Others aren’t so fond, complaining about a lack of balance.
There are currently two sets of challenges for the summer event. One involves Bio’s Zone Wars Trio which spawns a field of 15 players into a room where they can choose one of five teams, capped at three each. They’re then thrown into a room with a bunch of legendary, epic, and rare weapons and gear, giving everyone a brief chance to put their loadout together. From there things get ugly. You have about 20-30 seconds to get out of the spawn area and into the real map before the storm closes in and pushes you out. The problem? The map is a completely empty slate. Players build the map themselves as they go. If you aren’t into building, tough luck. These challenges (listed below) are going to be a slog for you.
- Assist teammates with 50 eliminations.
- Gain 500 health or shields.
- Get 10 headshot eliminations.
- Deal 1,000 damage.
Keep in mind that there are no respawns and the match lasts for five rounds. You spawn with full shields and health. Even someone like myself who has claimed multiple Victory Royales this season, has had zero chance whatsoever to heal or put on more shields in the few matches I’ve played. Not only are there only one or two shield potion spawns per team, but you actually have to find time to heal with nothing but wood walls between you and your enemies.
This morning, the second game mode for the event went live: Pro 100. Whereas Zone Wars Trio is a sweat-fest, Pro 100 is the exact opposite. Nothing matters, no one can win. Two teams of eight butt heads endlessly, trying to complete challenges and quit the game as soon as they can. There’s no real reason to play. No score limit. No time limit. Just kill. The mode’s challenges include:
- Buy ten weapons from the vending machines.
- Revive 20 teammates.
- Deal 1,000 damage with a rocket launcher.
Reviving 20 teammates is the problem. The deathmatch is sheer chaos and before too long, everyone has rocket launchers and is dying left and right. Unless you’re playing with friends, or are spawn camping (killing opposing players as soon as they respawn) by getting ahead early on, you’re going to have a rough time completing this one. And that doesn’t take into account the fact that each team has infinite lives. Reviving someone is slower than just letting them die and spawn again.
From what we’ve seen so far of the Cosmic Summer Event, there’s no real reason to play outside of completing challenges. The game modes don’t matter and everyone just wants the challenges completed. Rather than being a fun side activity they feel almost like a punishment as you slog through game modes that don’t matter and are completely unbalanced.
It’s yet another weak addition to an already rough season. Team Rumble has changed dramatically, leaving many dedicated players by the wayside; Epic has injected alien abductions into the battle royale mode, disrupting the normal flow of the match every single time you play; and to top it off, this summer’s event feels like even more mindless grinding that no one really wants to do.
