First Impressions on Fortnite’s Absolute Doom
It’s here! The new season of Fortnite! Chapter 5 Season 4…wow, we are getting up there. It’s almost quaint how this season has wrapped up. We’ve gone from the twisted cops and robbers of Season 1, the slightly cartoonish Greek Pantheon of Season 2, to the Max Max style Wasteland in Season 3, to now….life under DR. DOOM.
I’ve become a big Dr. Doom fan recently. He might be a supervillain, but he does get results. The train has returned and it is running on time. There’s less sand everywhere. Cars and the nonsense mods (which I really liked) have been done away with. Order has been restored, as it always (traditionally speaking) is under Dr. Doom. But the biggest things aren’t what Dr. Doom has fixed or taken away…it’s what he’s brought with him…
A GUIDE TO LATVERIA IN THE LOOP
DOOM’S COURTYARD
Doom’s Courtyard has replaced Classy Courts. Evidently Doom doesn’t like tennis. In classic Dr. Doom fashion, it’s primarily function is to be a monument to Dr. Doom, a symbol of both his greatness as a leader and his dominant hold on the land. It plays alright. Not quite as rowdy as Classy Courts could get at times, but there’s still some good loot and it aesthetically looks cool, which might the most important thing.
DOOMSTADT
The Latverian capital of Doomstadt, a true gem of Eastern Europe. It’s a shame no one visits. The capital of Doomstadt, guarded by Mysterio, who just sort of wanders around in the courtyard. The town is well structured and organized, with cameras to keep us in line. Some of Doom’s troops are wandering around to keep us safe. It’s a model community, an example of how life under Doom’s rule is defined by order and normalcy. In terms of gameplay, it’s a fun POI that has offered me some great loot and fun firefights. An excellent addition to the Island.
THE RAFT
There is no heaven without hell, no freedom with prisons. Doom knows and so he has given us The Raft, a high security (formerly) floating prison to contain the deviants who resist his rule. There is also evidence that some very dangerous mutants and criminals may been kept there and they may have escaped, but rest assured Doom will handle it…hopefully. Emma Frost has taken charge of the prison, setting herself up in one of the offices as a boss. She’s a decent boss and the area as a whole is very fun. The confined quarters of this iconic Marvel prison make for tense and engaging firefights that present a lot of ways to face your foes, or run away. I also like how it’s located far away from the other Latverian locales. It shows an attention to world planning by Doom. From a meta perspective, it also creates more engagement with new seasonal content across the map.
CASTLE DOOM!!!
Castle Doom is the true heart of Latverian culture, which revolves around Dr. Doom. Nestled deep within the castle lies one of Doom’s Doombots, a replica that is capable of acting in his stead. Of all the recent bosses in this chapter, this is one of the best. He flies, footdives (look it up) and throws magic and shit all day. The loot here is great and the environment and design of the castle is peak Fortnite. It mixes wide, aristocratic interior design with Gothic exterior verticality. It feels like a very coherent and realistic location, while also having a tendency towards playability and usable design. It’s one of the best POIs this chapter.
GAMEPLAY ADDITIONS
If I went into advanced detail about every single thing they added and how they affect the game, I could write a small pocketbook. But here are some key things:
Captain America’s Shield: It’s here, it really only does two things and both are kind of OP. You can block shots with it (useful) AND you can throw it, to absolutely devastating effect. It’s a weapon I don’t find essential, but when I have space for it, I always grab it. It’s usually better than at least one thing you have, early game.
Doom’s Arcane Gauntlets: There’s been a lot of cool boss weapons, but this is a step above. It’s not really OP, but it’s a must have on the Coolness scale. I would rather die with this than live using a shotgun. Nailing someone with a spell has been some of the most fun I’ve had with the game this season.
War Machine’s Arsenal: This is actually a set of three weapons and they all are game changers, especially when unified. There's War’s Machine’s Hoverjets , which, as the name implies, allows you to hover and is basically a jetpack. There’s the Auto-Turret, which auto-locks onto enemies and delivers a spray of machine gun fire. Then there’s the Arsenal itself, which fires missiles and machine gun fire at the same time and is absolutely devastating. Combine all three of these and you basically are playing a different game, one where you are War Machine.
New Weapons: Three new weapons take center stage in this season: the Monarch Pistol (a fancy desert eagle type pistol that does great damage and is overall very solid), the Soveriegn Shotgun (sturdy but somewhat derivative Semi-Auto shotgun) and the Striker Burst Rifle (exactly what it sounds like-it fires in bursts.)
New Boss Weapons: The boss weapons are just mythic variations on new weapons: Mysterio drops a Sovereign Shotgun, Emma Frost drops a Striker Burst Rifle and the Doombot drops a Monarch pistol, as well as the Arcane Gauntlets.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
I think following a controversial and somewhat tumultous season like “Wrecked”, this season was needed. It re-established the more common Fortnite conventions while still giving us some new content that is naturally engaging to a wide audience. Regardless of whether you love this new season, or just like it, it’s hard to ignore that it does a good job of threading the needle between “balanced correction” and “overcorrection.” The gameplay loop has returned to normal for the most part, but this season is still offering something new.
I’ve really enjoyed the season for the most part so far. It’s much more reminiscent of traditional Fortnite than last season, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think the new additions are pretty interesting and give this new season some juice conceptually, while still successfully returning to Fortnite’s roots in ways that will appeal to the most loyal parts of it’s fanbase. Whether it’s throwing around Captain America’s shield, blowing shit up with the War Machine Arsenal, fighting Dr. Doom’s Doombot or just running around the map sans cars, this season has something for all players. And to that I say “Salud.”
