As Fortnite was approaching its fourth season, the players were intensely focused on the changes that occurred as a result of a massive comet fall. But what nobody expected was that, just a few days after the new season announced an altered map and more secrets to discover, the game would also receive a new mode connected to the largest movie on the planet. On May 8 an event Avengers: Infinity War crossover was launched, which allows players to grab the Infinity Gauntlet and become the supervillain of Marvel Thanos, with its incredible destructive powers.
It was not It's just a brilliant marketing ploy for both the game and the movies, it was also very fun. For skilled players Thanos was an emotion to play, while for everyone else added an element of horror to the experience. Unfortunately, that experience did not last long. This week the limited-time event ended, and although it was ephemeral, the crossover Avengers showed one of the Fortnite & # 39; s most important aspects: its ability to attract players through a variety of skill levels.
How Thanos helped Fortnite beginner to gain confidence
I arrived late to madness Fortnite . It was the comet who did it for me. I have never been particularly interested in competitive multiplayer games, and the idea of a Hunger Games style battle was not very attractive. But seeing the community of Fortnite meeting with curiosity and excitement during season 4 revealed made me pay more attention, and finally I finally gave in and started playing. Fortunately for me, the Thanos mode came out almost immediately after entering the game.
First, a confession: in my short time as a player Fortnite I have not won a match yet. I just have deaths; Once I was third, but it was only because I found a good hiding place under a tree. In short, I'm bad at the game, but I still find the central cycle lasting as long as possible incredibly exciting. Therefore, it probably should not be surprising that, although I played the mode enough, I never managed to get my hands on the Infinity Gauntlet. What is surprising is that it almost did not matter: I had fun playing the game anyway. Not only that, it really made me better in the game. Thanos helped me out of my shell.
Like many new players, my go-to strategy Fornite has been, well, hiding. I have never been a good shooter, and I have not grasped the mechanics of construction, so the best survival strategy for me has been to find a really good place away from others, and wait for other players to die. It has taken me quite far in some games, but I will never win that way. (It can also be very boring to camp in a bush for 15 minutes at a time.) But when Thanos is out there, this strategy feels even less viable.
One of the advantages that Thanos has, and part of the reason why he (seems) so fun to play, is that he can cover a lot of ground quickly. With a jump you can climb great distances, which makes it almost impossible to escape from it. But even if you do not meet with Thanos, this ability always lurks in your mind: even when I was in a seemingly deserted place, I never really felt alone because the great evil purple could jump right in front of me at any moment. This changed my way of thinking; since I did not feel comfortable hiding so much, I actually started to explore some of the most populated areas on the map of Fortnite and even got some deaths while doing it. [19659008] So, although I'm sad that the Avengers crossover is over, I'm glad it existed. I have found myself playing with much more confidence since I returned to the standard royale battle mode. I'm still not what you'd call good at Fortnite but my game is more ambitious and I'm still learning new things while trying different tactics. Someday I could even win. And everything is thanks to a crazy killer. – by Andrew Webster
Fortnite's Thanos mode made experienced players reconsider their strategies
I played a good amount of Fortnite – although Epic stopped the counter by telling players how many hours I have timed for technical reasons that I can not explain, I am pretty sure I have included more than 200 at this point. I love the game's addictive loop, its online culture and fan base, and the dizzying developer update cycle that keeps the core experience fresh, fun and varied almost every week. Having played almost all the limited-time game modes since the launch, I can say that what surprised me the most about the crossover Event Infinity War was that it was the most polished so far.
What could have been a deceptive marketing gimmick was instead one of the most stimulating experiences Fortnite has ever offered. He succeeded in forcing even competent and skilled players to reconsider almost all the strategies they normally employ. You could not go safe because you needed the right booty to fight Thanos, and leaving you too close to an enemy that successfully transformed into the villain of Marvel meant that you could be his first victim when he returned to Earth. The building did not help much against the supervillain either, and still you needed materials to repel the human opponents in the last stage. The mode played totally different from the standard Fortnite and it was wonderful to learn the practical aspects of how to win.
After my first games, I discovered that the standard cycle of looting, fighting and movement was not fully maintained. The poisonous storm that takes players into ever narrower spaces moved quickly in this mode, forcing you to be closer and closer to Thanos and other players competing for the opportunity to steal your gauntlet. Making things more complicated, I quickly learned that if you became a Thanos early or even closer to the middle of a game, you had very little chance of surviving as there were too many players looking for the glove. I played with trying to immediately parachute on the Infinity Gauntlet, but that was not very successful and I abandoned that plan quickly.
I decided to play conservatively and loot everything I could, but I stayed away from Thanos himself until the last 30 or 40 people were left. Then he would try to find a moment when his health would fall and he would try a fatal blow. I could only play like the purple Titan a few times, and each one was immensely satisfying. My first try as Thanos, I scored nine deaths before I was knocked down by a team of cooperating opponents, but independently, I really felt like I was the most powerful person on the map while wearing the glove. Thanos's combination of ability to jump astronomically, devastating blows and formidable lightning strike made interesting combat scenarios. No method was considered adequate all the time, and it was quite impressive how balanced Thanos felt in the midst of all the weapons and environmental factors in the sandbox Fortnite . (Supposedly, Epic made Thanos less powerful in a one-day patch to address concerns that he was defeated.)
Surprisingly, the two Thanos mode games that I won happened when I was not the main character. One of them involved an unfortunate and poorly positioned opponent who died as Thanos in the storm, much to my surprise. The other involved hiding in a bush and landing some rockets of choice at the feet of Thanos, securing a victory I did not anticipate when I first confronted him as my final opponent. Both times he felt hard won: rewarding patience, stealth, calculated and skillful fighting, and a dose of good luck in ways that felt very different from the standard game modes.
Although I would like to have more opportunities to play as a character, I think the gameplay was a perfect example of how versatile the Epic toolset is with Fortnite . There are numerous game modes that can be extracted from the learnings in the Thanos mode, and I can see how future playlists in the style of a juggernaut or even a capture of the flag contest could make good use of the augmented skills. I also secretly hope that Epic's dealings with Disney and Marvel mean that the mode could return one day, however improbable. I would still love to secure a victory like Thanos himself. – by Nick Statt