Arena FFA: comp Fortnite for ppl who suck at Fortnite

On April 26, the official Fortnite Twitter account teased the next Arena mode, which had fans excited. I was pumped to see what this new mode would be and assumed it had something to do with a rework of the core Arena system.

The Fortnite Arena system has always been flawed. There are no rewards for grinding to the top rank, the “Champion’s League” is far too broad with no levels to it, and there’s no de-ranking.

The next Arena mode is not
Far
Far
Away

— Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) April 26, 2021

I consider myself to be a sweaty pub-stomping champion Fortnite player. I’m not placing in tournaments, but I can embarrass the vast majority of kids I come across in pubs.

As things stand, there’s no reason for someone like me to play Arena, unless I want to experience Siphon – an overall great mechanic. Apart from that, there’s no reward for playing competitive Fortnite.

That’s why I was excited to see what Epic had for us with this new Arena Mode.

Sadly, I was far too optimistic. What I thought was going to be a top-down rework of Arena turned out to be nothing more than a pandering free-for-all test mode that caters to players who have never completed an edit course in their lives.

Source

Putting my high expectations aside for a moment; let’s talk about Arena FFA. This is a “competitive” mode in name only. I’ve had sweatier experiences in Creative Fill.

You start with 30 materials – three builds – which isn’t even enough to build a full box. You only get a material refresh after killing someone, so anyone who sprays your wall will get an automatic elimination.

Every time you respawn, your items fall into their default position. With only three builds, you can’t even protect yourself long enough to move your inventory around.

The mode seems specifically designed for Fortnite players who don’t like building and editing. Of course, building and editing are where the skill gap lies. Oh, wow, you beat someone in a bloom battle? Sick. You’re so good at the game. It’s laughable.