Fortnite: "The Infinity Blade"
Posted: Monday December 17th, 2018
by Woody
GU Comics Let me see if I can break this down in an effective way without gnashing my teeth to powder.
Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, decided it was a good idea to add a ridiculously overpowered item into the game, just before a seasonal tournament that carried a $1million prize purse, the Winter Royale. I watched as the sword unhinged the game from it's regular trajectory. And with that departure some of the biggest names in the game's community struggled to find their footing. One such name was Fornite's "Golden Boy", Ninja. Unfortunately for Ninja the Sword seemed to only be part of his problems as he mewled endlessly about it, the planes (also just added), never catching a circle, never getting any heals, and getting "3rd partied".
Typically I enjoy Ninja's streams. He's funny, friendly, and talented; literally and figuratively colorful. But, let's unpack those complaints. The Infinity Blade is a single drop item that does 75 damage per swing (so it lays waste to players and structures alike), gives it's weilder 200 health and 200 armor, insta loots resources, and allows the player to jump estreme distances. It is wholely unbalancing. And as a result Epic has "vaulted" it, removed it from the game. The planes allow players to fly around the map, bump people off of structures, and basically avoid combat until the circle closes. On those two points I don't disagree with Ninja. They're broken. It's not what he qualified on. BUT... every player was in the exact same circumstance.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-12-15-epic-pulls-overpowered-infinity-blade-from-fortnite
Catching a circle, meaning dropping into the map in a location that remains relatively advantageous as the "storm" closes in on an area (forcing players into tighter quarters, and forcing combat). By not catching a circle you're spending most of your time running instead of being able to gear up for the end game. Not getting heals, well that's just a matter of pure luck. You open a chest you get what you get. If you're not getting heals, you're not repairing damage taken during combat. And getting 3rd partied is the most ridiculous argument a player can make in a game like this especially in a for-money tournament setting. 3rd partied just means someone else comes along while you're already engaged with another player, and they pick you off from the wings while you're preoccupied. Survival is the one and only win condition. There's no nobility here. 3rd partying people, especially as talented/dangerous as Ninja is a strategy. Whining about it is dumb.
So Ninja isn't actually why the Infinity Blade was vaulted. That damn thing needed to be locked away regardless. If Epic wants to continue claiming Fortnite is eSports ready, they need to learn when and how to test items before adding them to the game. Oh, and to not focus on the SuperStars when other players are clearly in charge of a tournament.
[ discuss ]
Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, decided it was a good idea to add a ridiculously overpowered item into the game, just before a seasonal tournament that carried a $1million prize purse, the Winter Royale. I watched as the sword unhinged the game from it's regular trajectory. And with that departure some of the biggest names in the game's community struggled to find their footing. One such name was Fornite's "Golden Boy", Ninja. Unfortunately for Ninja the Sword seemed to only be part of his problems as he mewled endlessly about it, the planes (also just added), never catching a circle, never getting any heals, and getting "3rd partied".
Typically I enjoy Ninja's streams. He's funny, friendly, and talented; literally and figuratively colorful. But, let's unpack those complaints. The Infinity Blade is a single drop item that does 75 damage per swing (so it lays waste to players and structures alike), gives it's weilder 200 health and 200 armor, insta loots resources, and allows the player to jump estreme distances. It is wholely unbalancing. And as a result Epic has "vaulted" it, removed it from the game. The planes allow players to fly around the map, bump people off of structures, and basically avoid combat until the circle closes. On those two points I don't disagree with Ninja. They're broken. It's not what he qualified on. BUT... every player was in the exact same circumstance.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-12-15-epic-pulls-overpowered-infinity-blade-from-fortnite
Catching a circle, meaning dropping into the map in a location that remains relatively advantageous as the "storm" closes in on an area (forcing players into tighter quarters, and forcing combat). By not catching a circle you're spending most of your time running instead of being able to gear up for the end game. Not getting heals, well that's just a matter of pure luck. You open a chest you get what you get. If you're not getting heals, you're not repairing damage taken during combat. And getting 3rd partied is the most ridiculous argument a player can make in a game like this especially in a for-money tournament setting. 3rd partied just means someone else comes along while you're already engaged with another player, and they pick you off from the wings while you're preoccupied. Survival is the one and only win condition. There's no nobility here. 3rd partying people, especially as talented/dangerous as Ninja is a strategy. Whining about it is dumb.
So Ninja isn't actually why the Infinity Blade was vaulted. That damn thing needed to be locked away regardless. If Epic wants to continue claiming Fortnite is eSports ready, they need to learn when and how to test items before adding them to the game. Oh, and to not focus on the SuperStars when other players are clearly in charge of a tournament.
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