Fortnite Brute gives more players a shot at winning, Epic says

It seems some Fortnite fans are still brutalizing the Brute. Developer Epic Games released an update to Fortnite on Wednesday, hoping to address complaints about the recently introduced "mech," or robot, that some Fortniters say is way too powerful. But critics say that the changes aren't enough and that they won't be satisfied until the Brute goes bye-bye. Epic responded to calls to #RemoveTheMech, saying the mech is meant for players who may not have the skill to win a game. 

In a Thursday post titled "Fortnite and the Brute," Epic explained its philosophy for the battle royale game, saying that it's for players of all skill levels. Adding the giant robot in Fortnite season 10 gave players who were struggling a "shot at that first elimination or Victory Royale," Epic said. The developer said it's happy with the changes it made to the mech and that Brute eliminations make up a small number of the total eliminations in a match. 

However, Epic's response hasn't stopped some Fortnite players from continuing to call for the removal for the mech. One point brought up multiple times is that the Brute should be removed from competitive matches. With the Fortnite Champion Series starting Saturday, it's likely the mech will play a big role in the tournament. 

Wednesday's update to season 10 equipped the Brute with a targeting laser -- first touted last week -- that gives players a heads-up when the robot is preparing to fire at them with its devastating missile launcher. It also changed the Brute's spawn rates: The chance for the mech to spawn will now decline significantly throughout the match, meaning there'll be fewer robots for players to find. And Epic fixed various exploits that made the Brute move faster than intended. 

Still, some players remain unsatisfied, and they took to social media to air their thoughts about the update.

The v10.10 thread on Reddit contained hundreds of comments criticizing the decision to not "vault" the mech -- or remove it entirely. The top comment simply says, "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."

Twitter users had a similar sentiment. Prominent Fortnite players criticized Epic for adding new foes in v10.10 -- the zombie-like Fiends -- instead of getting rid of the Brute. 

Originally published on Aug. 14.
Update, Aug. 16: Adds Epic's response.