Fortnite World Cup’s week one meta was dominated by shotguns and build-edit fights

The meta of the first week of the Fortnite World Cup Solo Open Qualifiers was dominated more by build-edit plays and shotguns than by The Baller.

The main strategies used in last weekend’s World Cup Qualifiers, especially in the late game, revolved around good positioning and structure control more than aggressive build fights. Fans who were expecting late-game circles with 10 players using The Baller for protection were wrong, and the vehicle wasn’t as contested as most people expected, including ourselves.

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Players used two loadouts more often than others, depending on their playstyle. Aggressive players went for Pump Shotguns combined with Submachine Guns so they could use build-edits to trap opponents in a one-by-one next to them, deal loads of damage with the Shotgun, and finish them off with an SMG if needed. Several chose to carry a Rift-to-Go for the late game, and some carried Boogie Bombs to force opponents out of The Baller when they found one.

Players who preferred a conservative and defensive approach also had a Shotgun to fight aggressive players, but they mostly carried an Assault Rifle instead of an SMG to take down opponents from a distance. They looked for high ground more often than aggressive players to be able to safely spray opponents down and be protected from short-range guns. Very few players used Heavy Snipers in the late game, but they’ve proven to be useful to take down structures in one shot and surprise an opponent hiding in one of them.

Late-game builds were common to both aggressive and defensive players, though. Collectively, they formed several rows and floors of one-by-ones reinforced with pyramids on both the ceiling and floor. That way, players who were moving too high up made sure their structures would resist shots from opponents below without causing them to fall down.

The first week of solo competition in the Fortnite World Cup Open Qualifiers showed players with sharp decisions and accurate gameplay through build-edits, short-range combats, and high ground control. Next week’s competition will show us if this remains true in a duos gameplay or if the meta will be completely twisted by the upcoming v8.40 update.