Fortnite: Plasma Cannon draws a line between casual and competitive

We’re just over the halfway point of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7, and there have been quite a few contentions when it comes to weapon pools across casual and competitive playlists. The new Plasma Cannon is another wacky, powerful weapon that will assuredly be banned in competitive like the Rail Gun- wait, it’s not even competitive playlists at all?

Fortnite: Plasma Cannon draws a line between casual and competitive

Usually, glitches are to blame for certain items and weapons being disabled in competitive, like the recent Inflate-a-Bull. Other times, weapons that are too powerful get nerfed. There’s something to be said about a weapon’s power level when a weapon is taken out completely, like the Rail Gun. In the Plasma Cannon’s case, it’s not even getting the chance to be banned. It’s just not enabled in competitive from the onset.

The Rail Gun proved to be too powerful for competitive, allowing a quick and efficient way to take down enemy structures. The Plasma Cannon is even better than this, firing as sphere that obliterates structures along its path.

It’s evident that Epic Games learned their lesson with powerhouse weapons, as the Plasma Cannon can only be found at Legendary rarity. It can also be crafted using a Legendary Pistol and an Alien Nanite. Being exclusive to casual playlists like the Rail Gun, the Plasma Cannon gives players a chance to fight back against strong builders.

Fortnite is known for its signature mechanic: building. It’s one of the hardest mechanics to master in the game, and often seen by players to separate the pros from the scrubs. There’s tons of strategy when it comes to building to the point where in high level play, building is more important than shooting.

That’s just a part of competitive Fortnite, and Epic Game’s decision to remove weapons like the Rail Gun and now not even giving the Plasma Cannon a chance for chaos in these game modes proves it.

Players who are better at building have the advantage. If a strategy is too powerful, it warps the game around it, where players who wish to succeed will only employ that. In casual playlists, counter-play solutions like the Plasma Cannon may be necessary to balance the game.