Ugh. Those were dark times for the players as Epic Games was forced to remove the Surfboard Mythic from the Training Grounds of Fortnite. Player response is, needless to say, a mixed bag of everything. The spike removal was first seen by @FN_Assist, and, honestly, the reaction was one of everything. From some who said they never knew it existed; to those outright angry in that they never got to try it; to people confused about the removal in the first place. Is that pure Fortnite anarchy, wouldn’t you say?
So, what’s all the fuss with Surfboard Mythic? For those who missed it (and seems to be pretty much everybody), it was kind of a Silver Surfer mobility weapon: just allow you to run around the map as if surfing in zero-gravity. And yes, it looked ridiculous, and rightly so. Training Grounds was a mode basically meant to be the respawn-based playground for Fortnite that will probably replace Team Rumble – a place to test new weapons, practice mechanics, buff up your skills, and lose those cool Mythics without anyone’s notice.
The responses to the first tweet are bitterly confusing yet incited frustration. @liambarnett620 said, “I haven’t even tried it!!!! 😭” and to which @FreshBiskit rejoiced, “Don’t tell us. Gamers were having fun and Epic thought it was broken. Sounds about right. 😢.” And honestly? It probably is! Fortnite would just as quickly take the fun out of anything once players start really having too much fun with it (Ever heard of the Infinity Blade? Yeah…).
Another question worthy of consideration: why was it removed? There is no official statement from Epic so far, but the players have taken the liberty to theorize: some players feel like it was overpowered; some believe it was bugged; others are just totally convinced Epic is trolling us here. @BSK37270312 said that Training Grounds gave “a LOT of XP,” so maybe the Surfboard was taking away from that challenge of leveling. Who knows? What we DO know is people are asking for return rights for this item already, especially in Creative mode. @redxemsaiyn said: “they need to put the new mythical in creative 💔” and honestly? Mood.
Meanwhile, some people seem to have just discovered the existence of Training Grounds for the first time. @DanBranYT granted a baptism confessional: “Didn’t even know this was in the game,” to which I say: same, dude. Fortnite rolls out new updates faster than most of us can keep track, so it ISN’T a big shock that a handful of folks have missed notifications about the new mode. But for those who HAVE been following it, Surfboard’s sudden disappearance almost reads like a tragedy. @tollywoodboii said it best: “No way still need more training on that Surfboard.”
Real mysteries remain too: Is it still in Battle Royale? Some replies, like that of @DeadpoolCentral, keep asking if it’s available in regular BR though nothing has so far been confirmed. If it’s gone from Training Grounds, it’s probably getting tweaked or just gone for good and the latter option would have players that never waxed up significant salt. @251_SILV3RBACK strapped on the layman’s perspective: “God can’t even try the new stuff before it gets removed!”
To conclude, where do we stand now? We stand waiting to see whether indeed the Surfboard will get a tweak and have a return – or just for laughs. Or it might go back in the vault forever; joining the many forgotten Mythics. Whatever will stand undefined is an Ultimate Fortnite situation-a scenario full of unpredictable chaos that ends up baffling more than enlightening the player.
Till that day, it is all wait and watch, and hope Epic will shower us with some generosity. Or maybe, y’know, they’ll just send us a surfboard.
