Fortnite players slam Epic for “dumb nerf” on spawn rates in Chapter 5 Season 4

Fortnite has just rolled out the balance changes for Chapter 5 Season 4 and players are unhappy with how things have turned out in the game.

Fortnite players were greeted with a new meta shortly after Chapter 5, Season 4, started due to the introduction of new Marvel weapons and items. With that in mind, the biggest complaint on day one was Captain America’s Shield which deals a huge chunk of damage with auto-aim.

Combine the shield with War Machine’s Auto Turret and War Machine’s Hover Jets, and even more chaos ensues in the Battle Royale as you mow down enemies left and right. While Epic has rolled out some balance changes, players have gathered in a Reddit thread to voice their frustrations about the recent nerfs affecting spawn rates of some weapons and items.

One user wrote: “Nerfing items by decreasing their drop rate is the dumbest s*** I’ve ever seen. F*** whoever at Epic for thinking it’s the right way to do it.” They went on to explain that they’ve died “so many times” because the enemy had a jetpack while all they had were shockwaves.

Since that’s the case, the enemy could “engage or disengage” the fight “whenever they please,” while they don’t “have the luxury to do the same” since they had “no mobility at all due to spawn rate nerf.” Many other players flocking to the comments agreed with this take.

While this isn’t the first time, one user mentioned that “obviously reducing the drop rate of an OP item in a BR game is a very bad idea.” 

They continued: “You nerf quality, not the quantity. And people like me who already have a solid tons-of-avenger-chests route will still get all the stuff they need, while more chill players will stuck without any of the new items. Jeez.”

“It’s the same problem we had towards the end of season 1 with sniper rifles. It makes the game so much more RNG dependent,” commented another user.

Meanwhile, a different user said: “Exactly, having fewer shields and jetpacks available each round doesn’t protect us from having to deal with them. It just puts us even more at the mercy of those who do find them.”

“That’s such a dumb nerf because for those that are lucky and get the items, their game is boosted by a lot,” one chimed in. Fortnite is known to issue balance changes occasionally throughout the season, and if you need a refresher on what’s changed, check out the game’s recent patch notes.