Fortnite players call for “unfair” pay-to-win superhero skin to be nerfed

Fortnite players have discovered a major flaw with the customizable superhero skin, and now they want it nerfed or removed from the game entirely.

Epic Games’ popular battle royale has always offered some of the best downloadable skins in gaming, with recent additions including Master Chief from Halo, Michonne and Daryl from The Walking Dead, and of course The Mandalorian.

These skins – as well as the various other cosmetics like pickaxes and gliders – have always been included on the basis that they “grant no competitive advantage” in Fortnite, meaning they’re purely visual additions.

But the customizable superhero skin that was introduced in Season 4 has now been called out by fans for being ‘pay-to-win’, as turning the skin all-black means players can get an advantage by remaining hidden in shadows.

In a thread titled “So do you think the black superhero skins need a nerf?” on Reddit, user Pricytoaster highlighted the problem at hand with a simple screenshot.

The image was taken during a match where an opponent wearing the all-black superhero skin was hidden in the corner of a house. Because of the shadows, they were unable to be seen, giving them the perfect opportunity to sneakily take down other players.

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The thread in question has drawn hundreds of complaints from fellow Fortnite players who have experienced the same problem, and many of them have been calling for Epic to nerf the skin to keep the game fair for everyone.

“This is blatantly unfair and pay-to-win,” wrote one frustrated player. Another added: “Remove this immediately! Having the Superhero skins be all white or black ruins the fun of it, due to their camouflage potential.”

The issue is especially prevalent for those playing Fortnite on consoles, as they don’t have the option to turn off shadows in their graphics settings. All-white skins have also been a problem in snow-covered locations.

We’re assuming Epic will address this issue at some point, especially if players keep speaking out about it. Some have suggested that a different-colored outline could be applied to the skin, which would fit in with the superhero comic-book style.

“They should just give it a white outline or something simple like that,” wrote one Fortnite player, to which another responded, “That would be pretty cool actually. I honestly think it would make the skin better to look at.”

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Some fans had a more cynical view of why the skin hasn’t been changed yet, with one writing: “I think the main reason Epic is not nerfing the skin is because this black style makes them so much money.”

The superhero skin has attracted a lot of attention since players began complaining about it, so much so that Epic have now addressed the issue with a comment on Reddit confirming that the team is investigating.

“We’re looking at it,” they wrote. “Thanks everyone for raising it.”

We’ll have to wait and see whether Epic nerfs the customizable superhero skin, or lets players carry on using it to their advantage. It would be a shame for it to be removed completely, so we’re hoping it gets adjusted slightly instead.