Fortnite's No-Build Battle Royale Sticks Around In New Zero Build Mode

Epic Games has finally quelled the rumors surrounding "Fortnite," the multi-billion dollar free-to-play battle royale game that has captured the hearts and minds of gamers old and young alike. Rumors and data leaks have been a point of contention since last week's "Fortnite" Chapter 3, Season 2 update, when Epic Games removed the controversial-albeit foundational building feature. It previously allowed players to construct their way out of trouble when things looked grim; anyone could plop down a wall as a quick fortification, or even place a set of stairs to climb their way to safety.

That feature has since been turned off in the standard (non-competitive) public matchmaking mode, and players have argued over whether or not it would be turned back on, or if it should be turned back on at all. Yesterday, reputable unofficial news source Fortnite News reported that Epic Games was set to reintroduce build mode in the "Fortnite" public matchmaking service today, but that has not turned out to be the case. Instead, Epic Games has given a name to its new mode, called "Zero Build" mode.

If you haven't been following any of the recent "Fortnite" news, Epic Games has completely reinvented the way that "Fortnite" is played, all in the span of a single update. Only two weeks ago, players in public matchmaking sessions could harvest materials and turn them into buildings on the map. With the introduction of "Zero Build" mode, there is no longer any point in standing in one spot and harvesting materials at all. This necessitated the second biggest change to "Fortnite," aside from the loss of build mode: a new rechargeable "Overshield" protective layer and vastly sped up player movement.

Previously, players couldn't sprint or powerslide their way across the map, but now that they can and Epic has expanded the map's size to accommodate them. The map itself needed to become more detailed to compensate for that expansion in size, and now there are all kinds of new things to see. The map features zeppelins, siege cannons, zip lines, tanks, and plenty of new locations to check out — such as the Synapse Station located on the southwest corner of the map. All of this is accessible via "Zero Build" mode, which takes the place of what used to be the "Fortnite" public matchmaking mode. For now, this is the new way to play "Fortnite," but builders can still find their favorite custom match types in the game mode menu.