Fortnite Chapter 3 – The end of an error

It’s here, after a lacklustre season, Epic has decided to call it a day on the entire Chapter. Filled with chrome and chaos, it’s been, a bit dull.

But now, almost exactly a year since the last Chapter ended, we’re queueing up with a countdown to see what live event Epic have lined up.

So, what happened? Was it as fun as others? And what does Chapter 4 bring with it?

Live event

Chapter 3 was the shortest of all chapters, with only 4 seasons. It started out really fun, and even the war and paradise were excellent. What did it lead to?

Well…let’s remember that these events are a technical wonder. Millions of players are spawned into instances of a one-off event that’s happening live. Chapter 1 ended, with a big event. Chapter 2 ended, with a big event. Chapter 3 has now ended with a big event.

Instead of facing-down hordes of AI enemies or working on a cooperative strike of some kind. We were pulling the entire island back together.

Starting with in-game movies of The Herald chroming the whole place up and then…..boom! It was all gone. It was a little weak. All the action was in one clip, and then The Herald just exploded, destroyed the island and that was that.

We were left with 40+ minutes of running around a gradually-changing platform, chasing silly little quests to capture orbs. It was silly, it should have been 10 minutes and then some action.

Chapter 3 ended thematically with a bang, but in reality, it was a whimper. Very much in line with the final season. It was just a bit shit.

I can’t think of a better way to put it.

Let’s remember that Fortnite has been on a massive streak of success for years, a dip was inevitable and the end of a short chapter was very much the epitome of “could try harder” that my teachers so often added to my school reports.

In the context of other games, this event was great, a live event catering for millions of players all at once, for a one-off that nobody will experience again. However, in the context of Fortnite and all of its events, this was the weakest in recent memory. Long and disappointing, much like the final season in this chapter.

On the plus side, things can only get better, right?

Chapter 4

The final clip at the end of Chapter 3 was of a new island being pulled together from all different realities. And we witnessed some of the new characters coming into the season…….I exploded with glee when I saw Geralt of Rivia and Roach AND DOOM Slayer. Suddenly my waning interest was piqued yet again!

Less than 24 hours later, we’re dropping into Chapter 4, and it feels like a breath of fresh air.

Chapter 4 season one is everything that I think Chapter 3 wasn’t. New mechanics, new vehicles, and fun were added with new weapons and areas of the map.

The battle pass has DOOM Slayer in it! There’s a “coming soon” bit for Geralt.

Thematically there’s a bit more of a medieval touch to some of the areas (perfect for Geralt!), and then that’s juxtaposed with dirt bikes and pulling stunts on the go.

An added augment system really enhances the gameplay, too. Over time you get to pick a random “augment” which gives you new boosts or perks. Having an augment that means vehicles never run out of fuel, or instantly drop a new bow is very cool.

I got my first Victory Royale because my augment let me see where enemies were in the field whilst using an assault rifle. The poor bugger was hiding in a bush and I could just see a silhouette of them, took aim and claimed my crown.

Where Chapter 3 ended feeling stilted and bloated with bad ideas. Chapter 4 feels fresh and has fun coming at you from every turn.

Season 1

Let’s see where this season goes! I had enough VBucks from the last battle pass to get this one, so I’m working on my DOOM Slayer unlock asap. And you can be damn sure that I’ll be doing all I can to get all the Geralt gear asap.

Fortnite feels back on form, and bouncing around a map with a giant hammer, before popping tricks on a dirtbike around a citadel, are things you don’t generally get to do in a game. Chapter 4 is off to a really strong start, and I’m here for it!

I’ll update everyone once it progresses, and see if it changes for the better, or starts to go the way of the chrome…..

For even more opinion pieces like this Fortnite one and covering many other topics as well, click right here.