Much to the shock of many fans, Fortnite's Season 2 update has temporarily removed the game's building mechanic entirely. This newest season follows the first season of the game's third chapter, which introduced several wackier elements to the title, including the Fortnite Avian Ambush challenge collection.

The massively popular battle royale game has been a staple in the gaming world since its release in 2017, making its mark through multiple unique mechanics and practices. Perhaps the most obvious system that sets Fortnite apart from other battle royale games like PUBG: Battlegrounds is its intuitive foraging/mining and building mechanic. By systematically cutting down trees, walls, and other in-game objects, players will collect different types of building materials such as wood, metal, and brick. Once players have sufficient supplies, they can instantly craft an assortment of walls, ramps, and other structures that can act as shelter or as an aid in getting across the battlefield. More experienced Fortnite players can use advanced strategies, many of these having to do with the building system, as the verticality and increased protection it can offer makes it a valuable tool in any competitive match.

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The building system is integral to the game in the eyes of many, which is why many gamers are shocked by its recent removal. According to Fortnite's, the building component of the title has been completely stripped away as part of a new Resistance storyline. In exchange, the game will be providing players with an Overshield similar to those found in games like Halo that will regenerate independent of health level. This change is only affecting unranked matches, with ranked-match and arena players still able to make use of the robust building mechanic.

Massive wooden structure build in Fortnite

Fortnite's updates usually add content, not remove them, so this one might seem a bit odd to some fans. This removal is particularly surprising since it's arguable that the building system is a core part of the experience. Before the Battle Royale mode was added, Fortnite was exclusively a co-op game about building defenses to protect against enemy NPCs - making the building system older than the game's most popular mode.

While many might be unhappy about this change, it could shake things up in an interesting way. Not being able to instantly craft protective barriers to ramps for escape could make aggressive play more rewarding, for example. Either way, the change is only temporary and not all-encompassing, so even those who are less than pleased about it will likely move on rather quickly.

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Fortnite is currently free-to-play on all platforms.

Source: Fortnite