Looking back at Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6: The good and the bad

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6, Primal, had some firsts for the series that shook up gameplay in a major way. Not all of those decisions were for the better, and now that Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 is officially on its way, let’s take a look back at what Epic Games got right and wrong in Chapter 2 Season 6.

Looking back at Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6: The good and the bad

What they got right

1- Crafting

Crafting was one of the biggest changes to the game this season. The mechanic started off fairly weak, but over the weeks Epic buffed the crafting system by increasing parts and adjusting the balance of weapons. The early games are more consistent and made players rely on skill rather than loot, since most starting loot was made of Makeshift weapons. Epic knew when the novelty would run out, and starting putting more traditional weapons in the loot pool towards the end of the season.

2- Bows

Range is king in Battle Royale. Whether it’s PUBG, Warzone or even our beloved Fortnite, snipers and marksman rifles dominate the final circles. C2S6 notably vaulted snipers in favor of bows, and after the buff, bows filled the sniper role without missing a beat. Not to mention, the four Epic bows had all sorts of great effects that could let you pull off some shenanigans.

3- Bars

Bars were first introduced in Chapter 2 Season 5, which had a bounty hunter theme. The gold bars system is staying through Season 7, and it was such a smart decision to keep them in the game. They were great back then, and they were great in Season 6.

4- Good crossover balance

It’s apparent that Fortnite will only feature more and more crossovers with properties. Some (like myself) fear the game will be taken over by advertising more so than it already has been. Chapter 2 Season 4 did this wrong, with an entire Marvel themed season that was unavoidable. The crossovers in Season 6 were front and center, but also out of the way enough that you didn’t have to participate if you didn’t want to. Coupled with the bevy of great original skins like Agent Jones, the way Season 6 handled its crossovers is how I want to see Epic Games do this going forward.

What they got wrong

1- Primal Shotgun

Ah, the Primal Shotgun. In the early days of C2S6, you either had this puppy or you lost. This thing was so powerful it overshadowed even the venerated Pump Shotgun, spoiling that weapon’s triumphant return. The Pump was even buffed this time around, which just drives the point home that the Primal Shotgun was absolutely broken before it was nerfed twice.

2- Switch optimization 

The Nintendo Switch version of Fortnite got a performance mode update, which should have made the game look and perform better on the hybrid console’s weaker specs. While frames are more consistent, it feels lower than it was before the update.