'Fortnite' Community Coordinator Reveals Why Bouncers Were Vaulted
Epic Games’ Fortnite community coordinator shared an explanation for why the Bouncer trap item [...]
Epic Games' Fortnite community coordinator shared an explanation for why the Bouncer trap item was vaulted at the start of Season 6.
Included in the list of items that Epic Games said would be vaulted in Season 6, the removal of the Bouncer was one of the more controversial changes in the sixth season. The trap allowed players to step on it and go flying in different directions while negating fall damage upon impact with the ground, thus allowing for creative tactics when some verticality is needed. With the item removed, players had Grapplers and other items to fill the void, but none that provided the exact same function that the Bouncer did.
Following the removal of the Bouncer, the debate has raged on whether or not the item was overpowered to begin with, whether it needed to stay, or whether there were simply more player-propelling items in the game than necessary. Asking on Twitter what tool, feature, or mechanic players would want added to Fortnite, Epic Games' community coordinator Sean "MrPopoTFS" Hamilton received a response from a player who said that they wanted Bouncers back. Hamilton replied to the comment with an appreciation for their thoughts and explained that the Bouncers were removed "due to the influx of mobility items" with a teaser indicating that more high-mobility items are on the way.
What i really think the game need is to bring the bouncers back! It would make a more balanced style between build-fighting, engage/disengage or just the possibility to avoid getting 3rd partied after a huge build fight, only to get shot down by a bot from a bush
— FluffyCottonTail (@VonEklund) October 2, 2018
I appreciate the thought out feedback as to why you'd like them back. 1st, understand that anything that is Vaulted always has the potential to come back. 2nd, we removed Bouncers due to the influx of recent mobility items as well as more that we have planned for the future. :)
— Sean Hamilton (@MrPopoTFS) October 2, 2018
Compared to other items that gave players some options to move vertically, the Bouncer gave the lowest height advantage as a recent comparison video showed, but it did have the benefit of giving players a more reliable trajectory and negating the fall damage. The Grappler allows for precise movements as well and far outperforms the Bouncer in terms of height that players can traverse, but it doesn't negate fall damage unless players use it at the last second to pull away from the ground.
The Bouncer being vaulted doesn't mean that it's permanently gone, though Epic Games does seem to have plans for more options in the future.
