Fortnite is a game that has been constantly growing and evolving, and there are a few specific mechanics it has taken on that show that growth well. At its heart, it is still the same addictive and satisfying battle royale game that it was in the beginning. Over the course of many seasons, it has been slowly refined into a much more interesting game than it used to be.
The eras of Fortnite are best remembered through their seasons. WIth every season comes a new battle pass, and that also often brings new mechanics or ideas. Some of these changes only remain for the duration of a season, while others cling to life for a bit longer before being phased out in a future patch. Other changes have proven to have a lot of longevity, with some being well-established and accepted parts of the game. Fortnite's beloved Zero Build mode showed that the game could even succeed without its signature building mechanic.
It seems that Fortnite is only improving more as time goes on. By the time the next season has begun, the developers could already be trying out another new mechanic designed to bring something new to the game once more. However, as the game stands now, there are a few additions that stand above the rest in terms of quality.
Adding Shops & NPCs To The Map Made Fortnite Feel More Alive
Originally, Fortnite's Battle Royale map was barren aside from the players themselves. To be fair, this did fit in with the idea of an isolated island where warriors fight until only one is left as the victor. However, the game still needed something extra, and in Chapter 2 Season 5, Fortnite changed the game for the better by adding NPCs to the island. This was a popular move even before Dwayne Johnson became a Fortnite character.
For the most part, NPCs act as shopkeepers on the island. Most of them have a small selection of weapons, items, and services that the player can buy with gold that can be easily collected during matches. Thankfully, the gold carries over from match to match, making the grind less stressful. In addition, every NPC has their own custom dialogue, and a few even react to specific costumes or events. NPCs are also frequently involved in missions, and some NPCs are even hostile, with rewards of XP and items for any player who can defeat them. As of late, guest characters such as Batman and Doctor strange have even been appearing on the island as NPCs, to the delight of many.
The island's colorful biomes were already plenty interesting, and the Fortnite's NPCs added even more flavor. They also created the tradition of theorizing Fortnite's next crossover characters as the roster adds more third-party characters. It helps that some of them carry rare weapons, giving the player a reward for collecting plenty of gold across the season. Of course, for some players, simply visiting their favorite NPCs on the island is enough of a reward in its own right.
Vehicles Made Traveling In Fortnite Much Easier
The island in Fortnite is huge, and it can take a while for the player to get from one place to another, especially when they're trying to outrun the storm. Fortunately, the developers seemed to realize this quickly, so partway through Season 4, vehicles were introduced to the game. Although this was only a small difference at first with Fortnite's unexpected first vehicle choice, soon vehicles would become a major part of the game.
The first vehicle introduced to Fortnite was a shopping cart, which was admittedly not particularly impressive. However, it opened the door for more impressive vehicles later on, like the grapple-sporting Baller. It wouldn't be until Chapter 2, Season 3 that proper cars would be introduced to the island, and they changed the game immediately. Moving from place to place in Fortnite is slow and treacherous, but vehicles made that much easier, especially after the release of the game's off-road tires mods. The vehicles didn't stop there, as the Invasion season saw drivable flying saucers, and the game even recently introduced a drivable version of Fortnite's iconic Battle Bus.
While some vehicles, such as the B.R.U.T.E. Mech granted players incredible firepower, vehicles are best used in Fortnite for their great traversal abilities. Cars and other vehicles have proven to be a godsend when it comes to moving across the island quickly, especially in the heat of a pitched Battle Royale. Adding vehicles to Battle Royale was an obvious plus, and although it was a while before Fortnite added them, it was a definite positive.
Fortnite's Reworked Battle Pass & Missions Improved Its Progression
Managing player level and experience should be an easy process, but Fortnite took a little while to get it right. For a time, the game even kept player level and battle pass progression completely separate, which did little for either system. However, the game has finally found a groove in terms of managing both missions and battle pass rewards, and it has made advancing through levels in Fortnite's latest season's battle pass more rewarding than before.
In the most recent version of Fortnite's battle pass, the player completes daily, weekly, and event missions in order to gain XP. Every time the player gains enough XP to gain a level, they earn 5 Battle Stars. The player can exchange their Battle Stars for the prizes on the Battle Pass, unlocking a new page or rewards with every ten levels they gain. Because this iteration of the Battle Pass is nonlinear, the player can focus on the rewards that they want. For example, if the player wants a specific skin, they just need to unlock the necessary page, then specifically unlock the skin and its prerequisites rather than spending stars on things they don't want.
Fortnite's current system is a bit unusual, but it's the best version of the battle pass that the game has seen to date, even with odd quests like dislodging a boulder in Fortnite by sliding. By letting players zero in on what they want, it's easier for them to set their own goals. In addition, the missions being designed in such a uniform way helps players to complete them and level up quickly.
Fortnite is one of the biggest games in the world, so it needs to keep improving and evolving to hold player interest. The game has been through many phases, and as seasons go by, it has become refined into a stronger, more intricate game that it was at launch. As it stands now, Fortnite owes a lot of its continued relevance to its significant improvements over the years.