Fortnite Battle Royale: Why the ‘Rift-To-Go’ could be a bad thing for the game

The ever-changing dynamic that is Fortnite Battle Royale will again receive a new item to its already extensive list. Announced in the ‘New Updates’ section was the ‘Rift-To-Go.’ Here is what we should expect to see from this device.

Have you ever been in a situation where you simply can’t get away from a team or the storm? How about being stuck in a building battle where it seems impossible to take high ground?

Well, all those problems can now be taken care of thanks to the coming introduction of what seems to be a portal rift. Early on Tuesday, Epic Games added a picture and short description of the coming ‘Rift-To-Go’ device.

The short description of the new item tells us as players everything we need to know.

"A rift you can carry in your pocket, Teleport above your current location and glide down."

From what I can tell from the picture and the description, it seems to me like it will be at least an epic variant and will drop at the about the same rate as the launch pads. As the developers have done before, the background color on the image usually helps to indicate which rarity it will be made up of.

In the case of an item like this, I would rather have it be gold than purple because it will provide such a dramatic advantage for players. Being able to throw a device the size of a Port-a-Fort, but to be shot into the air, is crazy powerful.

It will be even more powerful if you can throw the Rift-To-Go anywhere, even somewhere where there is something blocking the device overhead. For example, if the device still functions correctly even if it is thrown under a large tree.

This way, people will be able to box themselves in during a fight and use this handheld rift to teleport out of the battle. Hopefully, this isn’t the case and finding these new items won’t be like finding a Port-a-Fort or Bounce Pads which seem incredibly common.

Another reason I am skeptical of the introduction of this new item is because of its potential effects on the game as a whole. Adding in one shotgun won’t completely shake up the flow of the matches, but this absolutely can.

We have already seen that since the start of season five with more players surviving longer into games and managing to avoid fights more often. The rift has, like the jump rocks in season four, been a revolutionary change to Fortnite that has been nothing but positive.

But, is adding the Rift-To-Go a step too far by Epic Games?

Let’s hope it is not and it won’t change the way the game plays completely. I feel like this item will either be loved right away or hated. Whichever mindset the community across the board has after a day of use will determine its future.

It could turn out to be useless like the smoke grenades or it could end up being a fan favorite like the clinger grenades. We will simply have to wait and see what they’re like when they are released with the next update scheduled for Thursday morning.

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