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Fortnite's Zero Build Mode Has Completely Reinvigorated the Game

2K View2022-08-17

While I've always had a lot of respect for Fortnite and the way that Epic Games has managed to build it into this massive, globe-spanning success that pulls in characters and ideas from all sorts of other popular franchises, I've always had one big problem with the game: I really, really suck at it. Like I'm super bad.

Though it's far from my only weakness, a big point that I struggled with was the way that Fortnite implements building and structures on top of its fast-paced battle royale gameplay. For a thirty-something raised on the original boomer shooters, I was never able to wrap my mind around tossing up walls to shield me in the middle of intense firefights. And due to that weakness, every time I loaded up Fortnite, I'd inevitably get frustrated, quit, and uninstall it for a few months until the next round of hype from new characters or a major update.

All of that is to explain how I hadn't really touched Fortnite in 2022 until the last couple of weeks, and that's how I completely missed what is almost certainly the biggest change in the game's history and a reason for anyone who once wrote it off to give it another chance: zero build mode.

Back in March with the launch of Chapter 3 Season 2, Epic Games announced that it was removing building from Fortnite. I do recall reading about this, but at the time it seemed clear to everyone that this was a limited-time gimmick that would eventually be reversed. After all, even back then Epic noted that building was going to remain in the game's competitive modes.

But then something funny happened: A lot of players liked zero build mode. They liked it a lot. In fact, it proved to be so popular that players and streamers who had long left the game started returning in droves. I don't think this is a common scenario, but in this case removing one of the elements that made Fortnite stand out from other battle royale games proved to be a powerful shot in the arm that gave it new life.

Since this shocking change, Fortnite has since moved into Chapter 3 Season 3 and Epic has added building back into its regular battle royale mode. But Epic has also introduced a seemingly permanent zero build battle royale mode, so those who prefer to play the simpler way can do so.

For less skilled players like myself, this is a dream come true. Zero build mode is faster—in a very literal sense, as a sprint button has been added and base speed has been adjusted up—and much easier for the average shooter fan to get into and begin building their skills without having to juggle a bunch of resources and the complexities of box fights and build battles.

Don't get me wrong; it's not like having a mode with no building has suddenly made me a Fortnite superstar. In my first game back, I still took a Kamehamaha to the face from someone sporting one of the newly-added Dragon Ball skins, ending my three-kill run at an embarrassing rank of forty-nine out of one hundred. So yeah, I could stand to improve.

But without having to worry about building, I feel like I've been able to focus a lot more of my energy while playing toward paying more attention to the basics, learning how to play better on the fundamental levels of spotting opponents, shooting them down, and dodging their shots. I'm not going pro any time soon, but maybe with some time devoted to zero build, I'll become comfortable enough with the core Fortnite gameplay that I'll try build mode again.

Or maybe I'll just stick to zero build mode, where I can enjoy the flashy, cartoon antics of Fortnite's ever-growing cast of pop-culture icons without having to worry about how mediocre I am.

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