Fortnite’s Popular No-Build Mode Is Here To Stay

Fortnite’s no build mode, introduced as a temporary feature in Chapter 3, Season 2, is so popular that it’s becoming a permanent mainstay in the free-to-play battle royale game.

Players were initially a bit confused when building was removed from the game, but Epic tied the whole thing into its new seasonal narrative as part of the clash between the Imagined Order and the Seven.

Now, Zero Build mode is here to stay with Solos, Duos, Trios and Quads. Players can hop into normal battle royale, replete with all the building you’ve gotten used to, or opt for no building. That’s pretty cool. The sweats will be happy because they can build to their hearts’ content, and casual players can avoid them in Zero Build mode.

I have mixed feelings. I’m not a very good builder, but I like having building as an option to get to high ledges or throw up a quick defensive barrier between me and enemy players. If you’re in a lobby with players who aren’t insanely good builders, you can still get wins and building can be advantageous even if you’re not superhuman at it.

But no-build is also fun, and takes the risk of extremely sweaty builders out of the equation, which is nice. At least now we can choose and go back and forth.

Now that there are so many new movement mechanics—sprinting, sliding, mantling and so forth—the game’s obstacles and map are still pretty easy to maneuver, so building to get around is less crucial. Players also get the recharging Overshield, which adds 50 shield points and makes TTK a bit higher now that building is gone.

Here’s the trailer:

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