Why Fortnite OG map should be a permanent game mode

Fortnite Season OG is here, bringing back the nostalgia players experienced while playing this game for the first time. Naturally, the community feels the OG map should be introduced as a permanent game mode, so here's why this might happen.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season OG is relatively short compared to all the other seasons. With every weekly update this season, players will see iconic POIs, landmarks, weapons, and vehicles returning to the game from Chapter 1. For new players who couldn't enjoy the game during Chapter 1, this season ensures you get to do so. Additionally, the zero-build mode was not introduced back in Chapter 1, but in Fortnite OG you can play according to your preference.

Several elements that were not originally a part of Chapter 1 are present in the Fortnite OG season. Similarly, iconic items and locations that became fan favorites over the years returned as a treat for the community.

I've played every day during the OG Season, and it was definitely a trip down memory lane. Teaming up with my close friends and returning to perhaps the best map of all time took me back to the good old days of 2017. But I missed the small things like Reality Augments, Bosses, Vaults, fancy Vehicles, and of course, the NPCs, which allowed players to get better loot easily and rotate around the map quicker.

I also loved the old POIs, weapons, vehicles, and items in the OG Season. Whether I was landing at Tilted Towers, Frosted Heights, Risky Reels, Pleasant Park, or Loot Lake, there was always an element of competitiveness that could not be replaced, as several players land at these popular hot-drop locations to get the best loot, which makes it easier to get eliminations at these POIs.

Meanwhile, items like the Grapple Glove, Shockwave Grenade, Boogie Bomb, Grappler, Port-A-Fort, Ballers, and Canons are some of the things I wish were available in every season. These items either offer mobility to traverse around the map quickly or allow you to defend against multiple players at once.

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During other chapters, I often found myself having an excuse to drop the game (I've never used this gun before, I don't know how this item works, why do I need gold bars, what happened to supply drops, and is that an actual katana?). However, this season, these excuses transformed into a simple sentiment: "Oh we can do better than that, let's play one last match." As always, one match became two, and two was too few to test out 'world-class' tactics with my friends.

The methodical madness of leaping down from an X-4 Stormwing and using a Grappler to latch onto the roof of a house with only a Pump Shotgun in hand cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. There is no greater feeling than taking on multiple opponents at once and using Boogie Bombs to make them dance before eliminating them with precise headshots. Sure, I may not have won every match I played this season, but I've never felt such excitement to get back in-game after being eliminated by other players. It was almost like a frenzied fever, urging us to keep going until we seized the day with a hard-earned sweet victory royale.

The OG Season did not have elements like Epic Chests, Augments, Mythic and Exotic Weapons, or collaboration Skins in Battle Pass. Instead, it integrated the best aspects from every season, including movement mechanics like sprinting and sliding, rotational tools like ziplines and rifts, and of course, the fateful return of the cute Gnomes around the map. The only thing missing is lore-based quests that give players insight into what's happening with popular characters like Agent Jones, Doctor Slone, the Seven, and more.

Fortnite was apparently becoming a 'dead game,' with all the changes, crossovers, collaborations, concerts, and complex storylines. Every season had something new to offer, but not enough to be etched in memory. To me, it almost felt like evolution for the sake of newness, entirely devoid of purpose and richness. However, the introduction of Zero-Build and returning to the roots with the OG Season brought to mind the phoenix metaphor (i.e. burning out then rising from the ashes), breathing new life to one of the last vestiges of an aging genre. Battle Royale was a revolutionary change in the gaming world, and some might argue it has had its time, but how can you not appreciate something groundbreaking and out-of-the-box that reinvigorates the flame that once burned brightest?

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There's also the matter of popularity versus freshness. If Epic were to introduce a brand new map in Chapter 5, the focus for every player would be to explore the new island. That said, the popularity of the OG map is beyond comparison. After its return, the all-time player count record was broken, and a new record was set which is likely not to be touched any time soon. 

From a general standpoint, it would be futile for players to latch on to something memorable simply because it was great, and not move ahead with what comes after. If the OG map and the Chapter 5 map were to exist simultaneously as two different game modes, that would create an actual rift in the community - with the majority leaning towards playing something they know and like. On the other hand, adding the old map in Creative mode would freeze the experience in time.

The hopeful and naive child in me would love for the OG map to stay, but the reality is nothing lasts forever, and therein lies its beauty. To bid adieu to the OG Season quote one of my favorite authors of all time, Jack Kerouac: "It is good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."

Looking for more Pro Game Guides Fortnite content? Check out our guides on How long will OG Fortnite last? or How to get Reboot Rally Rewards in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season OG!