What is 'thirsting' in Fortnite and why isn't it good?

Thirsting in Fortnite has always been a point of contention in the Fortnite community. It's definitely something that annoys many players alongside getting third partied for example. Thirsting is a part of the game though, alongside anything else. It's not a ban-worthy offense, it's not a hack, or even a specific mechanic in the game.

Fortnite, along with any other battle royale game, will always have thirsting, and it will always annoy anyone on the receiving end. But just because someone can doesn't mean they should, and here's why.

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What is 'thirsting' in Fortnite and why isn't it good?

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(Image Credit: Epic Games)

The basic root of thirsting, of course, is being thirsty for someone or something. Thirsty for water, thirsty for victory, it doesn't matter which one, it all has the same essential meaning. In the case of Fortnite, thirsting means to thirst after kills or stats in the game. It can happen in all degrees within the game but the general core of it is to kill a downed player at all costs.

Of course in Fortnite, as long as there are teammates, players will go down and can be revived. Someone who puts their own team or their own life at jeopardy in order to kill a downed player for stats or a sense of victory is someone who is considered to be thirsting players.

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Why is thirsting bad in Fortnite?

On the surface, thirsting is a selfish way to play the game. Once a player is down, they are essentially out of the fight. Going out of the way to kill that player, even when it means getting killed along the way, is pointless and can hurt everyone's chances. Experienced players can contain themselves when killing a downed player would mean losing the game. The extra kill stat usually isn't worth it.

Thirsting can also happen in Fortnite when it comes to mechanics like the storm. If a player is attacking a player in the storm, even when conflict could be avoided, that's considered thirsting. Both players will likely die because one of them wanted an extra kill.

There are times where thirsting isn't necessarily bad in Fortnite. The main reason would be to regain some lost resources. If a player is low on resources and ammo, killing a downed player might actually save them from elimination. Another reason would be to prevent that downed player from being an extra pair of eyes for their teammates. Thirsting them would get rid of those eyes and stop them from being revived.

Like anything in Fortnite, thirsting is something that can hurt or help based on how a player does it. If it won't jeopardize the team, thirsting a player isn't automatically bad. However, most of the time, thirsting can cause tunnel vision and it can make players to give up good positions.

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Disclaimer: This article contains opinion from the author.