Fortnite’s Day of Doom LTM allows up to 32 players but only one of them matters

Halfway through September, as Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4 reached its mid-life crisis, Epic Games released the Day of Doom limited-time mode.

On paper, it sounds like a thrilling mix of cosmic good versus cosmic evil, with a sprinkle of superhero flair.

Having tried the game mode myself a dozen times since it came out, I can attest it’s certainly fun – but only if you’re playing for Doctor Doom.

If you’ve actually dived into this new LTM, you might feel stuck in a never-ending loop of villainous domination.

Day of Doom is where the Avengers go to die at the hands of scrawny henchmen

Dexerto/Epic Games

In Day of Doom, you’ve got 32 players divided into two teams: Doom’s Henchmen and the Avengers. It’s a classic setup – one side is overpowered, the other side is underprepared, and everyone’s stuck playing a game of cosmic dodgeball.

Doom’s Henchmen collect Arcane Artifacts, each of which gives them a bump in their already absurdly overpowered arsenal. This culminates in one henchman getting to play as Doom himself, with powers so over the top, that you’d think Epic Games had a bet on how quickly they could make the Avengers feel utterly useless.

And trust me, these heroes do try. They get some cool gear like Iron Man’s SMG and rifle, plus Captain America’s shield. But they’re also stuck with Shuri’s Black Panther claws, which barely make a dent, and War Machine’s Auto Turret, which shoots like a broken water gun.

Sure, Captain America’s shield is cool, but it won’t do much when Doom’s Chosen arrives with the power of a thousand suns. The Avengers’ load-outs are less “superhero toolkit” and more “hope this helps” kit.

Heroes do get one advantage: infinite respawns. Henchmen, on the other hand, have a limit – 150 respawns before they face a game over screen. But in 12 matches, I’ve yet to see the 32 henchmen even come close to hitting that limit.

Dexerto/Epic Games

Every game mode needs its villains, and Doom’s team certainly embodies that role with gusto. But the balance here feels like it was tipped by someone who really doesn’t want us to enjoy playing as the Avengers.

Doom’s Chosen is a literal walking juggernaut. He’s got a 1,000 HP bar and an arsenal of superpowers (which includes a literal beam) that puts every Avenger to shame.

Playing as Doom is, without a doubt, an absolute power trip. There’s a certain thrill in wreaking havoc with a barrage of superpowers and weapons that make everyone else feel like they’re fighting with pool noodles.

This one-sidedness has led me to believe this is a thematic commentary on the inevitability of this season’s title: Absolute Doom. Perhaps they’re even setting up the stage to fulfill everyone’s most dreaded theory – the fall of Captain Jones.

This assumption comes at the cost of balanced gameplay. And yeah, it’s fun to stomp around as Doctor Doom, but does the Day of Doom LTM really need to skew so heavily in favor of one side to make that happen?

In the end, the Day of Doom might be a spectacle, but it’s also a stark reminder that even the best game modes can suffer from an imbalance that turns what should be an epic clash of good versus evil into a one-sided steamroll.

Maybe it’s time for Epic to tweak the spawn rates, dial back the superpowers, or at the very least give the Avengers a few more tricks up their sleeves. Because right now, it feels less like a battle of heroes and villains and more like an endless parade of Doom.

While you’re here, you might want to check out the Isle of Doom spawn rate and see if Doom’s villainy is as overblown as it seems. There’s more to the story than just a one-sided game mode.