Fortnite players now fight less and hide more: The decline of "sweats" or rise of "bush campers"?

Since the start of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4, the game has seen a huge influx of new players. The season was based on Marvel entirely, and hence, was very popular amongst the masses. Since then, Fortnite's player base has steadily been growing. However, with the growing player base, a brand new meta is on the rise.

A majority of the Fortnite community has always complained about how sweats ruin the gaming experience in public lobbies. But then again, most players in Fortnite prefer to hide more than fight it out.

The issue is not limited to the decline of sweats or the rise of campers, but it's way more complex than that. However, the root cause of this can be attributed to the fact that most new players don't know what to do in Fortnite. Shooting at other players is something that's common in every battle royale, but Fortnite has an additional element - building.

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Are the building mechanics a major reason for the rise of the camping meta?

Most new players still need to get used to building. Although the mechanism is not really complex, players need to practice a lot to get a hang of things. When it comes to sweats, these players can end up building castles in a matter of seconds. Any new player in Fortnite is bound to feel intimidated when they see this in action during a game.

Given the fact that the skill gap is high between a new player and a sweat, new players choose the next best option there is - camping. Now, camping is something that everyone knows how to do. All they need to do is sit at one place and wait for others to come by.

Fortnite has a lot of bushes and buildings spread out all over the map for players to hide and wait for an ambush. Although this strategy is very effective and it forces players into a 50-50 scenario all the time, it's not the best strategy to execute in Fortnite, especially if enjoyment is one of the criteria.

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What's the possible alternative to camping in Fortnite?

Players may not see campers in every game, but the numbers are definitely going up. And thanks to the campers, major gunfights are restricted to the final circles, where players have no other alternative but to fight it out.

The best alternative to camping at this point in time is to learn how to build in Fortnite. But then again, this raises the question of why one needs to practice playing a game they just want to have fun in.

The lack of a proper tutorial, or the fact that it's in Save The World, which is locked behind a paywall, is something that further makes learning the building mechanics difficult for players.

Having said that, building mechanics is what makes Fortnite stand apart from other battle royales. So, players would do well to get a hang of the building mechanics in the game, because as the saying goes, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."