The v7.20 content update is here with some very interesting changes. Mobility is reduced even further and a new item has been added to the game. Pop-up cups are back and some important items have been sent to the vault. These changes come with a lot of players wondering how they are going to adjust to these items. Epic had no downtime for the patch, however, it is turning out to be a very crucial one.
Snowmen
Snowmen are the latest addition to the Fortnite world. At first glance, this item seems silly and kind of worthless. Snowmen take four seconds to put on and only stay on while moving. This means while in the snowman outfit players cannot shoot or build. Offering just 100 health, it isn’t the greatest addition to a player’s loadout. What the snowman is great for is 200 IQ plays.
Snowmen come with lots of additional features that players can utilize in unique situations. With the ability to throw a snowman, players can toss four and equip one, standing in line with the rest. This leaves the enemy shooting to guess what snowman has the player in it. Since the snowman offers 100 hp, players do not have to move right away like a bush would.
Snowmen are also useful when thrown onto friendly players. This comes in handy when a teammate is shot and cannot move or build fast enough. A quick toss grants the player with a quick 100 health, giving them enough time to retreat.
Finally, snowmen are useful for jumping off buildings. Players can throw the snowman on the ground and jump on top of it, negating fall damage. The landing is tricky, but doing it right rewards the player with no damage.
Vaulted Items
The major change in this patch is the Grappler getting vaulted. The Grappler allows players to freely move around the map and onto builds. Without it, mobility is cut down a lot in terms of building. With the Grappler now gone, players must build up to their opponent or rift to get on top of them. Both of these options are not ideal as it is easy to counter both of these moves. In scrims, players take advantage of the Grappler by moving rapidly across builds to not engage opponents. This change is going to change the competitive meta for sure, but the impact will not be too severe.
Another vaulted item is the Quad Launcher. The Quad was a handy item in a game since it melted builds. With four rockets in the chamber, it allows for very quick damage to player built structures. With it now gone, it is up to the Grenade Launcher to pick up some slack. The Quad is handy for accuracy, but the Grenade Launcher does a lot of damage to structures. The RPG is not a good replacement since it takes time to reload and gives enemies too much time to rebuild.
Port-a-fortress’ are also in the vault, but were not as useful as the other two items. Players haven’t noticed and the change has not impacted gameplay.
Pop-up Cups
Pop-up cups are back after a few test periods and continue to be the favorite playlist. For competitive players, these cups offer a much better system for gameplay. 500 capped materials, 50 health/shield per kill and pro players matched up with one another are very attractive. This game format offers strategy based gameplay as players rise through the point system to secure a spot with the pros. In public games, players have a lot more material and are matched with a wider range of skill level. This is too easy for professionals and higher level gamers who want to further improve their skills. Pop-up cups are only back for a week, which leaves room to wonder if Epic will change the format week by week. For now, players are very happy they are back and give high level gamers something to look forward to each day.
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