Fortnite: Was crafting a mistake?

Crafting is the big theme for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6, but it seems that Epic is pulling back on the feature’s prominence.

In a recent update, Crafting parts were doubled in floor loot stacks for the second time, and cars now finally drop Mechanical Parts more frequently. However, Epic Games have also decided to increase weapon spawns from non-standard chest sources, like fishing spots and supply drops. These weapons spawns will favor Mechanical Weapons. To coincide with this, the Tactical Shotgun and Infantry Rifle are back in the loot pool.

Fortnite: Was crafting a mistake?

This improvement seems a little awkward. If parts are increased, then Makeshift weapons are more valuable. With the ease of getting classic Mechanical Weapons and more varieties of them like the Tactical Shotgun, does this mean Epic Games misfired with Crafting?

This reminds me of another feature that was slowly reeled back: the water level in Chapter 2 Season 3. The beginning of that season was divisive, to say the least. The weapon pool and environment were great, but the reliance on swimming and the omnipresence of Loot Sharks made for an almost chaotic experiment. The water level slowly receded as the season progressed, but I felt that this soured the then long awaited season finale event The Device.

Crafting was divisive for many players, too. Some players were frustrated at the rarity of crafting parts and how homogenized the weapon pool became because of it. Others reveled in the speed of upgrading, but that was also typically down to the luck of the drop. On the other hand, I’ve not heard anyone enjoy the waterlogged island at the start of C2S3.

In both cases, Epic Games set this up as their showstopper, but seemed to capitulate to player feedback after the negative reception.

I think that it’s just the nature of the Fortnite beast.

The weekly updates allow Epic Games to get experimental and keep the game fresh, for better or worse. Dramatic updates like map changes or crafting can entice players to return to the game, and after they’ve had their fun, Epic can scale back some of the more gimmicky features. It’s no easy task to please every player given Fortnite’s popularity.

Crafting gives more options to players, and that’s always a good thing. It’s even better when we have more traditional loot pools like we’re seeing now. After all, the best use for crafting is making some absurdly cool Bows.