Fortnite's supercharged XP event is an imperfect solution to Chapter 2's levelling grind
You shall not Battle Pass.
Fortnite Chapter 2 has come under fire from fans unhappy with its redesigned XP and levelling system - which, they say, will require far longer to unlock all 100 levels of its Battle Pass.
There's been a lot of coverage of this since the season started - and plenty of number-crunching from fans pointing to the extended amount of playtime required at current rates. But that's the thing - we only know current rates, and not what Epic Games might introduce next.
Which brings us to this weekend, and Fortnite's sudden announcement of a two-day "Supercharged XP" event. This unlocked a ~4x XP multiplayer which remained active until you boosted through around four Battle Pass levels.
Those who could play both Saturday and Sunday this weekend (sigh... thanks, EGX) could unlock two of these Supercharges, one on each day, and rocket through around eight levels total.
All of which meant this weekend was a great time to play Fortnite - though now we're back to normality, it suddenly feels like it's not.
I can see the attraction of a sudden XP event to get people flocking to Fortnite on a weekend - especially if they've not seen much progress on their Battle Pass so far. But this method only serves to decentivise play the rest of the time, and cater to those able play when the event is active.
Chapter 2's slogan is "more fun, less grind" - and while the former feels true, the latter is demonstrably not. Right now, fans are not sure whether they will be able to hit level 100 with the same amount of playtime they could in previous seasons - let alone it being less.
The above trailer includes footage of a player hitting level 127 in this season (you can now level above 100, although it's unclear if there is any reward for doing so). In this season's optional achievements list there is a further reward for hitting level 250. The achievement's name is "Rise & Grind". Both of these things seem like fantasy to players unsure if they'll hit 100 in time.
When will the next Supercharged XP event take place? Will the base XP rate be improved? These are things we have asked Epic Games today.