Fortnite's cube monsters: kiss them, you cowards

Loot-spilling cube monsters (yeah, the cube was zombies) arrived with the Fortnitemares update this week, and hoo-boy, a lot of players are mad. The hungry NPCs infinitely spawn near cube monoliths Players can not farm without gambling, and gambling has become more difficult.

Dissenting players argue that cube monsters, glider redeployment, and faster late-game storm circles have changed the meta completely, erasing comfortable, practiced strategies. They are bewildering, upsetting changes-the cube monsters in particular-but even more upsetting is that the monsters are getting shelved for the Fall Skirmish Grand Finals this weekend at Twitchcon. The cube monsters abscence is tragic because they represent the exact kind of constant, bewildering changes that makes battle such an interesting genre to play and the only reason it's fun to watch.

Epic may have removed cube monsters due to issues in technical testing, but it's still a lot of blame here. Game development is not easy, especially with Fortnite's near weekly updates, but with two seasons of the year. Remember this low-gravity field fiasco from the Summer Skirmish?

Here's the gist on what's going on in the grand finale: no monsters, no port-a-forts or fortresses, and no shockwave grenades. The latter additions have been caused in the late game, so their removal is not surprising, but the cube monsters' removal, no matter how necessary, will the vindicate the loudest monster naysayers out there, the most dogged get-off- my-lawners of Fortnite. My form excitement for the finals has since totally deflated.

Look at traditional sports or esports and it's easy to agree with them. Footballers do not have to worry about streakers becoming fair play or about the floor turning into lava. Football goal is not battle royale. CS: GO is not battle royal. Call of Duty is not beat-OK, scratch that one. Point is, royal battle should be celebrated and reward adaptive, resourceful play. It's a game of wits first, and a game of skillfully pointing and clicking on second. On-the-spot ingenuity is what players are tested on, and the resulting surprise plays are what make it so interesting to watch.

As it stands, Fortnite's competitive matches are as predictable and boring as they come. Players spend the early game in the forefront of the game. Once the storm forces everyone to say hello, players will build up a snaking tunnels to continue avoiding conflict, trying to pick off opponents via fast window edits. It's a massive, indecipherable game of peek-a-boo.

Above: Pro games get crowded near the end.

You will typically see more or more players still alive when the circle reaches the size of a football field (no wonder late-game lag has been an issue). Pull up someone who knows how to be a friend Fortnite and they will ask you for money. Cube monsters may be the solution to the turtling epidemic, but they will certainly change the dreadfully boring endgame and make mid-game more than a tree-hating competition.

Twitch streams, cube monsters distract from focused material and makes it easier to track other players early on. Monsters spawn more frequently as matches progress, pulling players away from bashing trees and rocks and cars, forcing them either to relocate or fight back. In both instances, they are likely to run through other players, or by encroaching on their territory or making their position known to the world.

My educated guess: less farming and more conflict in mid-game Could lead to a smaller crowded endgame Players might want to be more conservative, but with monsters spawning in, one would be very difficult. And hell, the chaos just makes for a more exciting viewing experience. I'm looking forward to a faster, more mobile endgame.

But I still do not understand why longtime Fortnite players, pro or not, so afraid of change. Embrace the cube monsters, you cowards. Embrace them, because Epic ounce takes care of late-lag game (please do that), you might get left behind.