Fortnite released the v29.20 patch a few days back, bringing good and bad news about the in-game cosmetics. As seen with previous updates, Epic Games has removed rarity backgrounds, forcing players to sort out their owned skins manually. Fans are highly disappointed while also being rather confused about the state of it all.
Fans have been posting their concerns and frustrations on X and they’re discussing the massive changes with fellow Fortnite fans on Reddit. Players are also facing more bugs with the redesigned UI which some claim is missing several core features and looks far more bland, frustrating fans.
Epic Games Releases an Evolved Fortnite Shop, Frustrating Fans
Fortnite‘s in-game items are classified into rarity tiers ranging from common items to Rare, Epic, and Exotic. Since the latest patch update, however, Epic Games has brought in a significant update to the in-game Shop which has led to the removal of colors and tags from the items.
Epic Games announced the changes in an official blog, explaining that the in-game shop has “evolved significantly to support multiple types of cosmetics and items across games“. This was the reason given by Epic Games as they revealed that they’re “retiring the old Battle Royale-inspired system of colors and tags for cosmetic quality“.
Different Series of cosmetics — such as the Icon Series or Gaming Legends Series — will still be there to help you find your favorite stuff!
The overall Shop refresh timer was also mentioned in the blog as it was recently removed and the changes mean the rotation time is now synced to each “player’s unique time zone.”
Beginning in late May 2024, we will also add the planned date that every individual item will rotate out of the Shop to the item’s description page.
Long-time Fortnite fans are understandably frustrated about figuring out which skin to buy going forward.
Fans Frustrated About Facing the Forced Changes
Fortnite fans who are used to collecting items based on their rarity will now have to come up with other ways to purchase items that are worth the value. With no rarity background to any of the items, some fans are already worried about making the right purchase or stopping purchases going forward.
It could take a lot of time for fans to try and sort through the cosmetic items and pick the worthy ones.
Great now I’ll have to spend hours trying to find a skin just by looking at their icon and not based on rarity 😭
— Yuki (@hey_itzyuki) April 9, 2024
Replying to a fan on X who posted about the high chance fans could end up paying a lot more for an item than it’s worth, Fortnite‘s official X account stressed the fact that the approach to pricing things will not change.
Hey – the change to remove color labeling from Shop items doesn’t change our approach or the way we price things. We just wanna simplify the appearance of Fortnite (Locker, Shop, etc) and remove outdated Battle Royale-inspired systems.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 9, 2024
The fan replied stating the UI looks far worse than before, with the locker looking bland, and that the Fortnite community being vocal about the changes should be heard by Epic Games.
The decision making lately as a company hasn't been in the best interest of players. You're over simplifying to much. The UI is terrible, this rarity change is also unnecessary. You guys need to listen to community feedback, the player base has plenty of valid arguments against…
— Happy Power (@HappyPower) April 9, 2024
It’s highly likely now that Epic Games only has a few days before fans get impatient and stop in-game purchases altogether until things are back to normal as before.
What are your thoughts on the recent changes to Fortnite? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
