Summary
FortniteBattle Royale has endured a plethora of changes throughout the years. Beginning as a humble and fun time on a simplified map, and evolving into one of the biggest games of all time,Fortnitehas a great history, and a great set of maps to be remembered fondly or otherwise for their distinct styles and meta shake-ups.
Fortnite’s best maps provided players with an integral sense of fun that would rarely run dry, and the design of these maps would constantly twist and change to shape up into something exciting and fresh. WithFortnitecurrently in Chapter 5, it’s time to look at everyFortniteBattle Royale map and see just how they compete.
5Chapter 4
Cluttered And Difficult To Navigate
Chapter 4’s map was impressive on a technical level, providing players with new details and expansive areas that were not seen in previous chapters. However, the flaw of Chapter 4’s map was its own ambition, as too many invasive locations sprouted throughout Chapter 4 to make the map feel cluttered, hard to navigate, and difficult to fight within.
Whilst Mega City was visually stunning, it lackeda sense ofFortnite’s identity, as most of the city was indestructible, making it feel like a lacking neo-Tilted Towers. Perhaps the biggest point of interest was the jungle, which provided players with dire height advantages and disadvantages, as well as a punishing terrain for those in Zero Build.
4Chapter 5
Expansive And Spacious At The Cost Of Staying Too Safe
Chapter 5 is the most recent content ofFortnite, with the map still set to receive a few more updates before the dawn of a new map. With what has been played in Chapter 5 so far, it’s worth respecting, as there’s a lot about this map that works thanks to inspiration from previous designs. However, there lies a fault that some may have since Chapter 5 plays it all a bit too safe with standard POIs that don’tdraw much attention.
Chapter 5’s POIs are fairly spread apart, allowing 100 players to compete without feeling like their landing spot is overcrowded with competition. Thevariety of POIs is fun to loot up at, but there isn’t much risk in their locations, and Season 3’s desert storm continued that trend, but with a vehicular twist.
3Chapter 2
Friendly Design Held Back By Repetition
The first new map inFortnite’s history, Chapter 2 offered somethingnew and exciting for players. Yet, it didn’t take long for the Chapter 2 map to feel somewhat stale, as the constant rotation of matches would end towards the center due to the spider web-like map design. The center of the map was Chapter 2’s biggest downfall, as it felt like POIs were added in orbit of this location, keeping the center unchanged and untouched outside of visual tweaks.
Chapter 2 was fun for its cluster of POIs that seem to be thrust in abundance on the map, but it also suffered for some POIs that were just frustrating to be in. Areas like Coral Castle were so far out of the way that getting back to the main island was a chore.
2Chapter 3
Range Of Biomes And Constant New POIs
At first glance, players might find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer size of Chapter 3’s map. Yet, familiarity is key, and a few drops from the battle bus will have players discover a second home in Chapter 3. A wide range of different biomes makes the Chapter 3 map feel lived in, and the somewhat tightly woven POIs made for accessible and surprising gunfights just around the corner, leading to some morecompetitive and high-energy games.
Chapter 3 certainly had versatility to its design, with new POIs every season, as well as the return of some classics like Tilted Towers. The winding roads and high hills of Chapter 3’s map did make things difficult to traverse, especially if one was trapped within the Daily Bugle on Zero Build. The charm of Chapter 3’s map was the chaos of its POIs, allowing for unpredictable games, even if they could be a tad more stressful.
1Chapter 1
Nostalgic, Fresh, Accessible To All
It’s hard to beat a classic, and the ten seasons gifted toChapter 1 couldn’t be better. Chapter 1 was the best map ofFortnitefor a few reasons, and this is a notable fact consideringFortniteOG brought the map back with updated gameplay. Chapter 1 wasn’t just fun for the laid-back attitude that players had, as opposed to today’s overly competitive meta, but the map design itself warranted grand nostalgia.
Chapter 1 had a plethora of map changes, alterations, and additions to POIs that would be welcomed on the map by players. Each season added something new, and even the in-between had a level of excitement around new areas. Chapter 1 had a great balance of height zones and POIs to make for exciting battles on the ground, proving that sometimes it’s better to keep it simple.
