Fortnite Season X is now a few weeks old, and it may be receiving more criticism than any Fortnite season that has come before it. Usually, there are a lot of little reasons why Fortnite fans hit back at the changes Epic makes to the game. This time around, there is just one, and it's a big one. The introduction of the B.R.U.T.E., a giant mech that lays waste to everything in sight. If a player manages to find and commandeer one, any other players in the immediate vicinity might as well turn tail and run.

The mechs have missiles, a shotgun, and can also stomp their opponents into elimination. Plus, on top of all that, the structures and trees the B.R.U.T.E.s lay waste to are added to the controlling player's harvested materials. As you can imagine, that makes anyone piloting one of these behemoths pretty formidable. On the flip side, it makes anyone on the map without one become nothing more than fodder.

RELATED: Streamer Racks Up 3 Mech Kills With His Monitor Off

The Fortnite community is never shy about voicing its opinion, especially when it doesn't like something. Major players and streamers have been calling for the mechs to be nerfed, but Epic isn't listening. Well, it is, but it is choosing to ignore the pleas. Rather than reduce the number of missiles the B.R.U.T.E.s can fire, or take its ridiculously high 1000 HP down a touch, it added visual and audible warnings to let players know they're about to be blown to bits.

via VideoGamer.com

On the surface, this blatant ignoring of fans and players by Epic can seem pretty petty. It's like the developers continue to rake in literally billions of dollars via Fortnite, so they're going to continue doing whatever they like as players keep playing regardless. That's actually not the case at all, and the introduction of the B.R.U.T.E. and the refusal to nerf it is Epic trying to do the greater good, sort of. It admitted that via some official comments last week.

RELATED: Epic Won't Be Nerfing Its Mechs So That New Players Can Get More Eliminations

Epic's statement explains that its mission is to bring together all players of varying skill levels so that everyone can enjoy the game. That's apparently why the B.R.U.T.E. was introduced. "The B.R.U.T.E. was added at the start of Season X with this mission in mind. Since then, we have seen players who had previously struggled with getting eliminations acquiring more," Epic went on to say.

via IGN

This isn't the first time Epic has blatantly made changes to Fortnite in order to appease the masses, and angered the hardcore players and the pros in the process. Earlier this year, an update to the game rolled back some previous changes, getting rid of health and shield buffs for scoring an elimination. Streamers such as Ninja and TimTheTatMan protested by playing and streaming UNO together for the night instead. Entertaining at the time, but they all came crawling back the following day.

RELATED: Ninja Was So Upset About Fortnite's Changes That He Started Streaming UNO

Those of us who play Fortnite religiously might not like the mechs, but pros and streamers need to realize that they are very much in the minority. Fortnite isn't making those aforementioned billions off of their backs, it owes almost all of that revenue to the kinds of players the B.R.U.T.E.s were created for. Without those players, Fortnite wouldn't be the worldwide, mainstream hit that it has become.

With that in mind, it probably means that mechs are here to stay. Especially with no big Fortnite tournaments on the horizon. The World Cup means more people are seeing and playing Fortnite than ever before, making the timing of the B.R.U.T.E.'s introduction far from coincidental. A player who is giving Fortnite a try for the first time after hearing about or seeing some of the World Cup might find a mech, rack up some kills, and think they could have a real chance of competing in the next big Fortnite tournament. A few rounds like that and Epic has a brand new, returning customer. That being said, by the time the next big Fortnite tournament rolls around, you can rest assured that some new overpowered thing will replace the mechs.

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