Fortnite Chapter 7 Review: First Impressions & Big Changes

Fortnite Chapter 7

Fortnite Chapter 7

Chapter 7 has officially landed. While the cel-shaded Simpsons mini-season was its own kind of chaotic fun, I’m welcoming the more traditional Fortnite map back with open arms.

The new season kicked off with an EPIC live event (yes, the pun is intended) that delivered something we’ve been missing for a while: interactivity and pop-culture overload.

We had K-Pop Demon Hunters, Kill Bill, Godzilla, and giant Homer Simpson, and somehow, it all worked. After the LIVE EVENT, I braced myself for 12+ hours of downtime. Imagine my surprise when we were back up in the estimated 7! That may have been a first, actually being operational within the published maintenance window. Love that for us!

Battle Pass (Spoiler: I’m Sitting This One Out)

For the first time in a long time, I’m skipping the Battle Pass. This has less to do with Fortnite, and more a reflection on my own habits.

I’ve got a locker full of skins and emotes I barely use, and the Chapter 7 pass doesn’t offer anything I can see myself running full-time. If I’m being honest, I rotate between maybe five skins total. No need to add more digital clutter. And speaking of clutter....

UI Changes: The New Emote Wheel

Fortnite "simplified" the emote wheel. I'm not a fan. Sure its cleaner, but I miss the quick access to:

• Locker emotes

• Favorite emotes

• Traversal emotes

• Then everything else

It makes the 8-slot wheel feel limiting. I don't see myself searching for the rest in the new "view all menu" that dumps emotes, sprays and gestures in one library. I'm going to play with it more to see if I can save a filtered view, but my initial impression is this is a change I could have done without.

Team Health Bar Relocation

The squad health bar moved from top-left to bottom-left.

Is it game-changing? No.

Was it necessary? Also no.

Hit Marker Throwback

The hit marker got a nostalgic update that feels pulled straight from early Call of Duty. Not terrible. Not essential.

New Knocked Down Animation

One of the biggest changes is the new knockdown mechanic. You now tuck, roll, flop, and tumble like a rag doll. It’s hilarious and maybe a little strategic. If you get knocked from a distance, you can sometimes roll out of the finishing shot and buy time for your teammates to revive you, or make it to a reboot van and revive yourself. I'm not saying it's skill, but it's a high IQ play if you can pull it off.

New Drop Experience: Surf's Up

The Battle Bus driver is officially on vacation, and instead of dropping in, we’re surfing in on massive waves.

It’s fun, but:

• You lose the ability to drop anywhere on the map immediately

• First drop spots become way sweatier

• You have to time your jump for max distance
  

Tip: Catch air at the top of the wave right before the launch to get higher lift and reach further inland.

Drivable Reboot Vans: Game-changing or Nah?

This one is HUGE. Reboot vans are now:

• Drivable

• Destroyable

• Refuelable gas guzzlers

• Not nearly as fast as regular vehicles
  

But the strategy potential? Amazing!

You can:

• Throw a downed teammate inside and revive on the move

• Drive a player’s card to a safer location before rebooting

• Even reboot yourself if you’re knocked and can crawl to a van
  

I haven’t pulled off the self-reboot yet. All the stars have to be aligned for this to happen. You need to be close enough to a van to start the process before you become a card, and you run the risk of being fully eliminated by an opposing team before the revive happens. I haven't pulled it off yet, but I'll be sure to clip it if I do.

Self Revives

Call of Duty players are familiar with this concept. Fortnite now has a few self revives. You can obtain them from care package drops or defeating a boss. Fortunately, they do not take up an inventory slot. Unfortunately, the animation to revive seems too long. At least I have not been able to successfully pull off a self revive, but its only day 2! Bottom line, if an opposing team is going to push for the finishing elim, you're probably not going to pull off the self revive unless they are "sniper distance" away, or you have teammates providing cover fire.

YOU Become the Boss

Defeating a boss now grants you a medallion that:

• Can’t be dropped

• Reveals your position

• Takes up an inventory slot

• Gives +25 health and +25 shield

Is it worth it? Depends on your play style.

I’ve played as all three bosses. They’re fun, but I’m not chasing them every match. And beware: teams LOVE ambushing boss fights this season.

Gold: Resets & Sharing

The good news: You can now drop gold and pool together with teammates for things like buying reboot cards or hiring an NPC.

The bad news: Gold resets every match. I already miss having "max" gold and bragging about being "Fortnite rich" The OK news: Its pretty easy to accumulate gold during the matches. Eliminations grant gold (did that always happen?), you'll find gold in chests, and you'll receive a MASSIVE amount from the supply drop boards. I haven't found myself lacking gold when I needed it. However, it is now another element of the game I need to be intentional about.

Loot Pool Highlights

Fortnite has always done a pretty good job of rotating through their massive loot pool. Here are the items that stood out for me

1. Enforcer AR: Its solid and reliable as I am primarily a mid range fighter

2. Dead Eye AR: This is my favorite in game. It BEAMS. The precision is unmatched!

3. Snipers are Back: Great if that's your thing! You are guaranteed to get one from the balloons.

4. Iron Pump Shotgun: Absolutely dangerous. Nuff said!

5. Wing Suits: Interesting for mobility. Slow animation and easily shot out of the air. Shockwaves are still my go to for getting out of sticky situations and I'll save the wing suits for rotations when not under fire.

So… How’s Chapter 7 Overall?

It's too early to give it a definitive ranking, but Chapter 7 is off to a strong start.

Will it replace Blitz mode as my main? Probably not. But that says more about how much I love Blitz than anything about the new season.

I didn’t feel that early-season fatigue I’ve been feeling in recent Zero Build seasons which means I’ll probably be getting a lot more games in.

After all, I do need to defend my title as the Self-Proclaimed Reboot Queen of Fortnite Island.

Your Turn!

What do you think of Fortnite Chapter 7 so far?

• Do you miss the Battle Bus?

• Are Blitz or Reloaded still your favorites?

• What’s in your current loadout?

• Have you self-revived yet?

Drop your thoughts in the comments or catch me on the Island!

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