Fortnite’s current Chapter 7 is yet to draw to a close, with Season 4 scheduled to start on August 20.
It’ll be called Override, following in the footsteps of this chapter’s Pacific Break, Showdown, and Runners. It’s unlikely that any of those three existing seasons this chapter will go down in Fortnite history with each of them lacking uniqueness or memorable theming.
Showdown’s rivalries were fun enough and we don’t hate Runners’ sprites but one bang average mechanic isn’t really enough to define a whole season. Locations have felt disjointed and random and we’ve been subjected to a couple of underwhelming battle passes.
The game’s upcoming Override season, however, promises to be a turning point with its gaming legends theming seeing it collaborate with iconic IPs like Pac-Man, Sonic The Hedgehog, Mega Man, Kingdom Hearts, and more.
Beyond that though, we’re hoping that Chapter 8 will be a more holistic return to form with seasons that rank among the best in the game’s history. While we’re open to some new themes and settings, here are 11 mechanics we’d love to see return to make Chapter 8 one to remember.
11. Bounty Boards
Every match in Fortnite is different. You can be constantly caught up in skirmishes or you may not see a single soul until you’re down to the last 10; the latter doesn’t make for the most engaging of matches.
That’s the nature of the game, but certain mechanics in Fortnite’s past have gone some way to cutting down on that sense of uneventfulness. If you don’t stumble across an enemy player, Bounty Boards can help give you a heading. It’s nice to have a purpose or goal when there’s not all that much going on.
They also offered a nice tactical advantage if you were diabolical enough to take out a bounty when you’re down to the final two. The recent Showdown season’s rivalries worked to a similar effect, but Fortnite hasn’t quite been the same since Bounty Boards were removed.
10. Capture Points
Capture Points have cycled in and out of Fortnitein recent years, but there’s no good reason as to why they shouldn’t be a staple feature. They play perfectly into the balance of risk and reward and add tension right from the get-go.
It’s a thrill to land at a Capture Point which usually comes with fending off several other players or teams before then having to maintain your hold over the point long enough for the loot to drop.
Similarly, stumbling across an unclaimed Capture Point later in the match can prove to be just as exciting. Is it a trap? Will you alert nearby players? Any mechanics that invite chaos are welcomed, and Capture Points fit that bill.
9. Loot Island
Loot Island is an extension of Capture Points, usually appearing halfway through matches with its own Capture Point that would spawn legendary and mythic grade items.
The skirmishes on Loot Island were among the game’s best. The location would draw only the most aggressive of players, making it a high risk activity if you attempted to claim the Capture Point for yourself. The unique high-up location and surrounding rifts only added to the high-octane action.
Loot Island was a highlight of every match and deserves to be a Fortnitemainstay. I can live without the boss fight variations though.
8. Car Mods
Chapter 5 Season 3, Wrecked, is one of Fortnite’s most controversial. The Mad Max-esque season saw car modifiers introduced as players engaged in way more vehicular combat than usual, with cars able to be fitted with spiked bumpers, rams, and firearms. Like many players, I thought I hated the season … until it was over and I realised I missed its unique mechanics I’d grown to rely upon.
Car mods shouldn’t return in quite the same way as they did change the entire nature of the game, but limited opportunities to install a turret or spiked bumper wouldn’t go amiss, as long as there are, as I said, limitations on availability.
7. Dynamic Weather
Dynamic weather is surprisingly rare in Fortnite, although it has played a huge role in previous seasons. Tornadoes could launch you halfway across the map while lightning strikes would deal damage.
We’ve seen somewhat similar dynamic events in recent years with Fortnite’s mini The Simpsons season having it rain doughnuts, for example, but it would be nice to see dynamic weather feature a little more regularly than it does outside of the odd zero-gravity zone or whatever the latest gimmick is.
6. Upgrade / Mod Benches
There are still opportunities to upgrade your weapons in Fortnite but it’s become a little convoluted in recent years.
In the current Chapter 7 Season 3, Runners, you can improve your loot by acquiring and spending sprite dust which is collected similarly to XP. You have to visit a Sprite Shrine, though, to spend that sprite dust. It’s not a terrible mechanic but it’s just a bit convoluted when I wish Fortnite would just bring back both upgrade benches and mod benches.
Upgrade benches would be dotted around the map, allowing you to exchange gold to increase the grading of your weapon. Mod benches were typically found in vaults and would allow you to change the scope, magazine, and more. Both bench types were simple to use and well placed. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective.
5. Gold Carrying Over
This one may be a tad controversial, but I long for Fortnite to return to gold carrying over within a season. As it stands, gold now resets every match. Some players are a fan of this, feeling that it places everyone on a level playing field. Personally, I prefer the days of maxxing out my gold and always being able to afford upgrades, reboots, and hiring NPCs. If you work hard to acquire it, why shouldn’t you get to spend it?
4. Vaults
Vaults are much like Capture Points and Loot Island. They give you a goal beyond eliminating every other player on the island. When not all that much is happening, Vaults can be particularly engaging – especially as they often entailed taking out a few NPCs as well as fellow players who clearly had the same idea as you.
Vaults could lead to bumper drops of legendary loot and, oftentimes, those aforementioned mod benches. Any side activity that comes with high risk and high reward is, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, something that should stay in my eyes.
3. Tree Damage
This one’s simple. Chopping down a tree and seeing it eliminate an enemy player as it crashes to the ground is funny. Why would you remove that? Today’s video games industry is obsessed with realism and yet Fortniteremoved arguably its best piece of environmental interactivity. Bring it back.
2. Storm Forecasts
Storm forecasts solve that earlier issue I mentioned. Fortnite is less fun when you don’t actually encounter any other players which is why it’s important to always have other activities that can serve as a distraction during those quiet bouts of the match.
Attempting to obtain a storm forecast is a perfect example. The forecast tower would provide you with a destination before you’d be tasked with eliminating several NPCs. Your prize? A forecast of future storm circles. Not only would it kill some time but it would provide a brilliant tactical advantage later in the game. Another feature that should never have been vaulted.
1. Augments
If Fortnite is to bring back only one feature from this list, it should be augments. Yes, you can argue that sprites are modern day augments, but they just overcomplicate things a tad. Augments don’t particularly need a physical presence on the map, which sprites currently provide. Being able to select an option on the UI and randomly roll for a unique buff was just a pleasant little addition.
Sometimes you’d hit the jackpot, getting unlimited stamina or a mythic weapon drop – and sometimes you’d get something annoying or lacklustre, but that was part of the fun. You didn’t have to think too deeply about augments nor even engage with them if you preferred. They just added randomised little perks and adjustments to gameplay that I still miss years after they were taken away.
Featured Image Credit: Epic Games
