Fortnite’s Chapter 2 Remix season is less than a week away from completion. After Remix: The Finale — an in-game event that will feature performances from Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD — caps off the month-long season,Fortnitewill transition into Chapter 6 Season 1. The new season is set to bring a new theme, a new map, a new loot pool, and new movement mechanics to the game. Veering away from the new and back to the old, Chapter 6 Season 1 will also see the return of Fortnite OG.
Fortnite OG was the Chapter 1 equivalent of the currentRemix season. Last November, Epic Games brought back the originalFortnitemap and allowed players to play through some of the game’s most iconic seasons. This was a huge success forFortniteand saw millions of players return to the game, but some veteran fans were unhappy with the changes that Epic had made to modernize the gameplay experience. Luckily for those players, Epic recently teased that Fortnite OG will adhere more closely to the classic Chapter 1 experience this time around.
The Return of Double Pump Shotguns
In the build-up to Fortnite OG’s release, Epic has made it clear that it is taking player feedback from last year’s OG season into account.Fortnite OG will be a permanent mode, will feature every Chapter 1 season, and will bring back classic weapon models that were noticeably missing last year. One confirmed feature for the permanent OG mode that has players both excited and stunned is the return of the double-pump shotgun method.
The Original Double Pump Shotgun Controversy
Back in Chapter 1, the pump shotgun was a powerful weapon whose high damage output was kept in check by its slow fire rate. However, players in the community found a workaround to avoid the downtime between shots. By carrying two pump shotguns next to each other in their inventory, players could fire one shotgun, switch to the other shotgun, fire again, switch back to the original shotgun, and repeat in rapid succession. The unanticipated strategy allowed players to completely negate the pump animation between shots. This let anyone carrying two pump shotguns fire at a much higher rate and deal damage much faster than Epic had taken into account when balancing the weapon. This eventually resulted in the controversial decision tonerf double-pump shotguns.
The Significance of Double Pump Shotguns Returning
Epic bringing back double-pump shotguns in Fortnite OG is arguably a bigger surprise than the return of Fortnite OG itself. Epic was criticized for how heavily it nerfed powerful items like the frenzy auto shotgun andWar Machine’s hover jetsthis past year. It helped keep the game balanced for competitive players, but it took away any enjoyment using these items had in the first place. The decision to bring back double-pump shotguns for the Fortnite OG mode shows that — in order to appeal to veteran players — Epic is going against its established design philosophy.
Rather than focusing on balance, Fortnite OG will be prioritizing nostalgia. This seems like a controversy waiting to happen, but it has also given many Chapter 1 players exactly what they’ve been asking for — not only since the start of the last Fortnite OG season, but since the double-pump was nerfed back in 2018. While it will likely frustrate some newer or more competitive players, Epic seems to be banking on that portion of the playerbase sticking to the modern Battle Royale experience that will be offered on the newChapter 6 map. Splitting Battle Royale’s playerbase between the regular mode and OG has the potential to divide the player count and internal resources too thinly. However, it could also allow Epic to more finely tune the play experience for specific groups of players to give them what they want out of the game.
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WHERE TO PLAY
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