Epic Games has returned with another move, and this time they have done it in a very bizarre way through Fortnite‘s peculiar secrets. The storm circle, which originally was luring everyone into a fight, has arrived like a gigantic number 7. It’s no rumor; storm has once more “7” shaped according to the most reliable leaker HYPEX. Besides, deciphering the reason for this is stirring the community.
This isn’t the first one, however, as the trusted sources reveal the same storm in 7 shape was previously active but was turned off and now it’s back again. The difference is that the condition is it won’t be always visible. Player lemuphinx claims the storm shows off its unique shape between 6 am and 7 am PST. What was I saying? Right; the current season is dubbed Pacific Break, and PST is Pacific Standard Time. Thus it is the 7th hour of DST as well as the 7th hour of PST, being just same with Epic teasing with numbers and time zones and vice versa.
It is logical to talk about the timing in light of the chapter transition. We are currently in Chapter 6 and soon Chapter 7 will come. So, the storm being in the shape of 7 right at that hour? It cannot be accidental. It is like Epic is giving a hint about the next chapter without actually saying anything. And let’s not be naive; everyone knows the return of The Seven is inevitable. The faction has been intertwined with the storyline for a long time now. Consequently, a 7-shaped storm is like a signal for something significant.
Still, not everyone can be so lucky to experience this beautiful change in the storm. Player AstroTJP complained about the fact that they were only getting the usual matches with the radio stations on, and not the great storm. ShadowHuge even stated that at one time it was switched off again. So it seems Epic has been experimenting with this feature and it has become very rare to see it in-game; it is being switched on and off.
Professional players are already thinking about what this would mean for the game. Ghodakiya_Ankur has pointed out that the ‘7’ pattern usually causes storm rotations to be more compact and zone pressure to be quicker. Hence, if you are someone who plays in tournaments, it could have an impact on your strategy during the last part of the match. Tighter storms mean less area for hiding and more disturbances, which sounds rather intense.
Conversely, the casual gamers are just confused and making jokes about the situation. GamehagEN amusingly tweeted, “Now make it a ‘6’ shaped,” which is a completely fair point since we are still in Chapter 6. And blockxs said it looks like a lucky charm, which is partly true. But then there are people like darkw0kedexter who are more focused on the current shotgun meta being “terrible” and the fact that every fight becomes a third-party situation. The storm shape is cool and all but maybe resolve the gameplay issues first, Epic?
This storm’s timing has also coincidentally been in line with the speculation of Carti skin being added to the game. whisp_cr7 was literally begging HYPEX in the comments to “TELL US ABOUT THE CARTI SKIN PLEASE”. To sum up, between the 7-shaped storm and new celebrity skins, Chapter 7 is already going to be quite wild.
What is mainly funny is the fracturing of the community around this issue. While some people hail it as the best thing ever, others express themselves through fishy_ortiz’s words “I was asleep last time so now I can play it”. There are also those who are skeptical about the storm, with SevenCabell asking “Is this real hypex be honest?” and ColbySteffens reiterating the same question. It is indeed so; when there is such craziness in Fortnite one must check twice whether it is a reality or a hoax.
Storm mechanics in battle royale games have always been super simple- it was a circle that just kept getting smaller. But now with shapes? That’s a milestone. If by any chance, Epic decides to change the storm’s shapes; it could lead to a total transformation of the endgame scenario. Just the thought of a star-shaped storm or something equally wild is a lot of fun. If you consider it the impact of gameplay is really huge.
Of course, this is Fortnite and already there are conspiracy theories blooming. For some reason, a couple of players think it is the number 67, with PragmaticPrisma saying “because we’re in chapter 6 and 67,” even though that doesn’t seem to make any sense.
