One of the most controversial things to come out of the Season 9 update is the Slipstreams. An innovative way to get around the Fortnite island, Slipstreams are scattered across the map in various named locations. While they are fun to glide through, they are causing serious problems.
Since Fortnite added Rifts in Season 5, they’ve been experimenting with different transportation methods. The Slipstreams are giant metal tubes that, once accessed, can zoom you around one specific area.
Though there’s nothing inherently wrong with this addition, they come with some issues. After they were released in Season 9, it was apparent Epic Games would need to put out some kind of fix.
The problem with the Slipstreams
Most of the time, there are few problems with the Slipstreams. There is a frustrating mechanic that doesn’t allow you to build through the tube’s airflow, but other than that they are sound. However, it’s not their mechanics that are the problem.
Recently, if you’ve made it to the late-game of a Fortnite match, you might have encountered this problem. Sometimes, the final few zones will circle around one of the locations with the Slipstreams. Of course, this makes it incredibly difficult to build up or get any kind of high ground.
For one, you are unable to build through the tube’s airflow, limiting your building. Also, if you end up getting caught in a Slipstream, you may find yourself getting shot out of the zone. If the circle is in its final stages and centered around a Slipstream, it’s almost impossible to move around.
This is a real issue for all playlists, but especially competitive. In Arena or online qualifiers, the zone often comes down to the last stage. If it happens to be near a Slipstream, things can go disastrously wrong.
Epic Games responds to player feedback
After seeing so many complaints about this problem, it was only a matter of time before Epic Games responded. While not a full-fledged reply, it at least shows they are aware of the issue.
Here’s what Epic Games employee Looney said about the matter on Reddit:
We are aware of the impact that the Slipstreams have on late game circles and are currently investigating solutions.
Not exactly the answer fans were hoping for, but it’s a start. However, it is a little hard to believe they didn’t see this problem when testing Slipstreams before Season 9 launched. Whether they believed it wasn’t significant enough or an oversight, we should see a fix in the next couple of weeks.
Until then, both casual and competitive players alike will have to hope they don’t get a final circle around Mega Mall or Neo Tilted.
Have you experienced this problem yet? Let us know in the comments below. Keep up with Daily Esports for all Fortnite news and updates.Â
