Update July 28, 2017: Following the recent controversy over the lack of generosity with loot crates later in the game, Epic have gifted Fortnite players with a ‘Believer Gift’.
These gifts cost nothing and contain 15 Llamas for you to open, valuing at $15 in real money. One of PCGN’s staff have confirmed the gift and they’re very happy with the loot drops. They could even purchase more Llamas with Vbucks earned from the free ones.
Check our list of the best free PC games for more.
Now you just need to pray to the RNG gods and hope your Llamas are stuffed with the good stuff.
Update July 27, 2017:Fortnite has only been out in early access a little while but already some players have criticised how the game handles player progression. In particular, they’re targeting how the game hands out fewer Llamas – or loot crates if you haven’t played – once you get further in.
Many players felt like this was an attempt by Epic to squeeze more money from their playerbase. Epic say this isn’t the case, however – they’re listening to all feedback and they will be making changes down the line.
“Already our servers are gathering data on your play patterns and we are making sure we are always listening to what’s going on out in the wild,” Epic explain in a blog post. “One of the things we need help with, is our advancement and loot rates. There isn’t a secret cabal of llama hating Illuminati out there who are trying to ‘trick’ you into spending money on the game once you’ve played it for fifty hours.”
Epic say it’s just a case of the problem being much more complicated than many players perceive. Because it’s a complex game full of systems, different player types, and other factors, they first need to gather the data to make sure the changes they make are the right ones.
For now, you can check out the blog post linked above and see some tips on making the most from Fortnite.
Original Story July 25, 2017: Some people who have already paid to take part in Fortnite’s Early Access phase are starting to see monetising issues ahead of it going free-to-play in 2018. Obviously, Epic need to encourage spending, but they’re currently alienating their playerbase.
The problem is Llamas, which act as the game’s loot boxes. These smashable pinatas can only be bought with in-game currency, called Vbucks. You’re handed out Vbucks for completing missions – at least until you hit level ten.
After level ten, you have to grind dailies and do outpost defense missions to get Vbucks, unless you’re willing to spend actual money. This boils down to you only being able to earn a maximum of 50 Vbucks per day.
There are so many people discussing the issue on Fortnite’s subreddit that the mods have consolidated the chat into a single megathread. Nearly all of them say they love the game – they just disagree with the model.
Perhaps Epic will see the responses and adjust the game to suit. After all, that’s what Early Access is all about.