Fortnite is a free-to-play battle royale video game with many customizable skins. It was created by Epic Games in 2017. Epic Games is an American video game company based in Cary, North Carolina. Fortnite gained popularity quickly for being based solely on skill and not being a pay-to-win game. The only thing the user can pay for is different characters, skins for those characters, gliders, pickaxes, emotes, wraps, and the battle pass. If you purchase the battle pass, you can get skins, gliders, pickaxes, emotes, and wraps by leveling up. Each level the user archives gives them battle stars and these stars can be exchanged for different items within the pages of the battle pass. Users must purchase everything on page one in order to move onto page two and so on. These new cosmetics allow users to be their own characters in the game.
In terms of the character skins aspect of the game, there are over 1,600 skins available in Fortnite. Most skins are only available for a limited amount of time. This makes skins purchased in earlier seasons more rare for a player to have. Addyson O’Brien, a Pennridge student, was asked why she wears skins with vibrant colors. She stated, “Because it’s pretty. I don’t think about what’s going to happen in the game. I really like the skin and I don’t care if it messes me up in the game.” This demonstrates that some people just enjoy playing Fortnite for fun rather than focusing on winning.
The best skin to wear is always subjective and based on the taste or mood of the player. There are many different perspectives on the “best skin in Fortnite.” There are camouflage skins where you change your skin color to the terrain color and hide in plain sight. There is the intimidation tactic where you can wear a sweaty skin. This is a skin that is most often used by experienced players who take the game very seriously. Then there are the expensive skins that cost a considerable amount of money, which give you status within the game.
The most expensive skin in the game is the Double Helix skin which requires users to buy a Nintendo Switch and enter a code into Fortnite. This made the skin extremely rare as well because most people were not willing to spend that much money on cosmetic skin. The skin was recently sold for $10,000 and some are currently for sale for $13,000 making this the most expensive skin in the game.
A good way to hide from other players in Fortnite is to be camouflaged. Players can stay camouflaged by using a superhero skin and turning the skin completely one color which will help characters blend into their surroundings. The current Fortnite map is mostly light green, dark green, and white. Users are also able to change their skins color to all-black. This will help them blend in with darker environments within the map. This camouflage makes it harder to be found, thus creating less conflict for players and allow players to advance in the game. Shane Gokool, a Pennridge student, who plays 5-10 hours of Fortnite per week, was asked if he used any skins to camouflage. He commented, “Sometimes I use one of the tree skins like the Christmas Tree skin, and it kind of blends in with some of the trees in Fortnite.”
A way to deter other players in the game is to wear sweaty skins. These skins are usually smaller in size, relatively cheap, and have some customizability to them. As mentioned previously, they are a sign of experience. As wearing sweaty skins may intimidate mediocre players, it may also attract better players who are seeking greater competition. Competitive gamers often use skins to their advantage in Fortnight. Whether players are looking to blend in, stand out, show status or show off experience, skins can be a great way to be your own player.
