Fortnite players are preparing to fight in a war that they hope won’t happen

Every battle royale fan hates mech suits. Whether it’s the juggernaut suit in Call of Duty: Warzone or the BRUTE in Fortnite; extra fire power and health granting suits make an RNG-heavy genre more unfair. Now, some Fortnite players think Epic Games is bringing the BRUTE back.

The move, which hasn’t been confirmed by Epic Games, is dividing the fan base in two.

“Mechs will soon be added onto voting boards for a re-release,” said Fortnite content creator Flxwlessly in a post on r/FortniteBR. They believe the mech suits, which give players a suit of armor and the ability to fire a barrage of rockets, will be coming via the War Effort Donations Boards scattered across the Season 8 map.

These boards let players vote to have one of two vaulted items return to the game for the season. The current board includes the Boogie Bomb, a grenade that forces players in a small vicinity to dance, and the Combat Shotgun. The Combat Shotgun is winning with over 50% of the required funds currently submitted.

Boogie Bombs are the only hope against the Fortnite BRUTE

“[Boogie Bombs] are literally the only thing that can defend us from mechs,” said Fortnite player jackjam7 in a video post where they spend 5,000 gold voting for the Boogie Bomb. Boogie Bombs force players out of a mech, making them one of the most efficient ways to combat the BRUTE.

Some Fortnite leakers have found new artwork, sounds, and images of the BRUTE within the battle royale’s files. Epic Games had no comment about whether or not the BRUTE would be returning, but players are already convinced that it’s happening.

“My response to the seemingly rising opinion that mechs weren’t so bad and wanting to see them in the game again,” said one Redditor in a video post of the Mech destroying him repeatedly.

My response to the seemingly rising opinion that mechs weren’t so bad and wanting to see them in the game again.
byu/Leo9991 inFortNiteBR

Fortnite Mechs could be different this time around

While some players have encouraged others to do whatever it takes to prepare for the mech, others have said that the BRUTE will be nothing like the overpowered weapon it was when it first came out. It did receive a nerf that lowered the amount of shield and increased the time needed to regenerate shield, among other changes after it was originally released.

Fortnite Season 8 already includes a number of items that give players incredible mobility and close range firepower. The Shockwave Launcher, Sideways Scythe, Venom and Carnage Symbiotes (now removed) and Witches Broom have made for a chaotic final circle in most matches. The Mech would be another element in an already chaotic season.

Players are urging each other to vote against the BRUTE if it does come up in a future vote, but some have hypothesized that Epic won’t include the suit in a vote against another item. It would be brought back automatically if enough gold is donated, similarly to how turrets were brought back during a drive earlier in the season.

“It’s as if Epic knows we’d vote for whatever would be put against it” said one commentator.

We still have plenty of time left in Season 8 and players will do what they’ve always done when Epic throws a curve ball in their direction: Deal with it.