Epic Games keeping the B.R.U.T.E. in competitive Fortnite

Well, the community won’t like this. In a new competitive update blog, Epic Games announced that they will not nerf or remove the B.R.U.T.E. from any playlist. Instead, they will be buffing the vehicle and keeping it in Arena, Fortnite‘s competitive playlist. Of course, they’ll be “monitoring” player feedback throughout this process.

As if the buff wasn’t enough, Epic also said they will investigate ways to enhance combat interactions while in the B.R.U.T.E. The one positive to come from this update is that Epic Games is patching some mobility bugs.

The B.R.U.T.E.’s new buff

Much to the community’s dismay, the B.R.U.T.E. isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With a new buff coming in, it’s highly unlikely Epic will nerf their new vehicle too severely for the remainder of Season X.

Coming with the v10.10 update (next Tuesday), the B.R.U.T.E. will have another mechanic to improve its gameplay. Now, the B.R.U.T.E. will equip a targeting laser that shows the direction of where your rockets will go. As a counter to this, the laser will release an audio signal if it’s being pointed at you from an enemy.

While this may seem like a joke, it is not. Here’s what Epic said in their official blog post.

In v10.10, we will add a targeting laser that will show the direction the B.R.U.T.E. is aiming its rockets while they are being charged. This laser will have directional audio to help indicate when it’s being pointed at you, even if you’re behind a structure.

So, coming early next week, get ready for an even stronger version of the B.R.U.T.E. Hopefully you have plenty of launchpads and Shockwave grenades.

The B.R.U.T.E is staying in competitive Fortnite

Although the B.R.U.T.E.’s buff is baffling, the fact that it is remaining in Arena is far more perplexing. Since the launch of Season X, this vehicle has wreaked havoc in Arena. Instead of a match of skill, the game becomes a race to find a B.R.U.T.E. the quickest.

The Mech is fine for public matches; it’s enjoyable enough since the standard playlists aren’t about competitiveness. However, Arena is meant for high skill players to battle it out using Fortnite mechanics. Using one of the B.R.U.T.E.’s many exploits to win a match isn’t what Arena should be about.

I’m confused as what there is to investigate with the BRUTE… have you not seen the hundreds of tweets from your biggest creators and best players showcasing how unbalanced it is???

— 1% Nicks (@Nicks) August 9, 2019

Nevertheless, Epic feels it should remain in Arena and future tournaments. Here’s what they said in the blog post.

The B.R.U.T.E. remains within the core game modes (Solo, Duos, and Squads), select Limited Time Modes, and in competitive Arena and Tournament play.

Like it or not, the B.R.U.T.E. is here to stay. Hopefully, a nerf or two can come in at some point during Season X. But for now, everyone needs to get used to having missiles fired at them by a hulking robot.

What do you think about the B.R.U.T.E.’s newest update? Let us know in the comments below. Keep up with Daily Esports for all Fortnite Season X coverage.