Skip to main content

Fortnite adds mechs to Battle Royale, and competitive players are not happy

The new season of Fortnite has officially launched, and the battle royale mode has received a mech vehicle that’s sure to cause headaches for unsuspecting players. Not only will you have to deal with the driver, but also a passenger armed with powerful missiles.

First off, what Epic Games is dubbing “the B.R.U.T.E. vehicle” is available in battle royale mode. The driver controls the movement of the vehicle, while the passenger is responsible for taking out targets using a missile launcher and shotgun. It’s designed for two people to use simultaneously, but you can also operate it on your own if you’re comfortable swapping between the two positions on the fly. The missile launcher is particularly devastating, shooting a salvo of 10 missiles at once, and you can use an overshield to temporarily protect against incoming attacks.

As the driver, you actually aren’t completely defenseless, though. You can step on enemies and structures below you, instantly harvesting materials from things you destroy. You can also use a dash maneuver and a “super jump,” so you won’t be a sitting duck for players hoping to get a few easy explosive kills.

Fortnite - Season X Overview Trailer

The mech has already been met with its detractors, however, who have called the suit overpowered and believe it threatens the balance of the game. Reddit threads have popped up, bemoaning the decision to include both the shotgun and the missile launcher, and for offering the vehicle in competitive modes. Knowing Epic Games, changes could come quickly to appease those who are upset, perhaps at least in terms of removing them from competitive play. Others even suggested only putting it in a limited-time mode.

Several weapons have been vaulted for Season X, as well. These include the Baller, Quad Crasher, Flint Knock Pistol, Shadow Bomb, Semi-Auto Sniper, Tactical Assault Rifle, Mounted Turret, and Air Strike. We certainly hope you weren’t relying on one or two of those to carry yourself to victory.

The fabric of space and time itself has also been disrupted on the island. New “Rift Zones” are available, offering access to areas that were previously lost. Epic Games hinted that the world could continue to change by the day, so you are encouraged to play continuously in order to see everything that’s hidden.

Season X includes more than 100 rewards in its Battle Pass, which still costs 950 V-Bucks. Once you reach the 100 tier, you will get the Ultimate Knight Outfit, and Epic Games is also giving you the ability to gift the Battle Pass to a friend until August 15. You’ll need a good teammate to use the B.R.U.T.E. effectively, after all!

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Fortnite performance guide: best settings, fps boost, and more
Fortnite man.

Fortnite continues to be one of the most popular games in the world, with a strong competitive scene, and like any competitive game, players want every possible advantage they can get. One of the best ways to improve your chances of winning is to tweak the game's settings so it runs at higher frame rates, lowering your input lag and helping you to react faster.

Fortnite is a slightly more demanding esport than some of its older rivals, but that just means there's more scope for performance improvements if you select the right settings. Here are the most important performance-enhancing tweaks you can make to Fortnite.

Read more
Where to find Vendetta Flopper in Lego Fortnite
Characters fishing in LEGO Fortnite.

The fishing update to Lego Fortnite added, you guessed it, the ability to fish once you've made yourself a rod. Of course, since fish didn't exist in the game before this, an entire school of undersea life needed to be created. Every fish you can catch has a different benefit, from restoring a bunch of health when you eat it to giving you some kind of buff. The rarest and most useful fish is certainly the Vendetta Flopper, making it the most coveted catch in the game. While fishing is still heavily dependent on luck, you won't even have a chance at this fish unless you know where to cast your line.
Where to find the Vendetta Flopper

Before you even attempt to attempt this legendary catch, make sure you're ready with an Epic fishing rod and Epic Bait Bucket to give yourself the best chance at a rare catch. The nest step is to only cast into the glowing purple zones that indicate the presence of rare fish. Fishing in any other part of the water won't yield the Vendetta Flopper we're after.

Read more
Fortnite is getting a Disney universe made by Epic Games
Concept art for Disney's Fortnite experience.

Epic Games is partnering with Disney to create “an all-new games and entertainment universe” that’s compatible with Fortnite.

Announced Wednesday afternoon — at the same time as it was announced that ESPN would be available as a standalone subscription in 2025 —  this partnership follows a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games by Disney. They companies now plan to work together over several years to create this experience connected to Fortnite, which Disney says will “offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.”

Read more