The storm of Fortnite closing in on players is all about building five star hotels with free WiFi, as verticality becomes the name of the game. Apex Legends’ Ring highlights the importance of proper team composition and using hero abilities to gain the best advantage on foes. Call of Duty: Warzone brings the frenetic close-quarters combat the series is known for to a microcosmic scale. Aside from whichever battle royale is the latest craze, each encroaching circle has different properties that affect each match in various ways.
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Fortnite’s Storm
Where PUBG started a genre of games, Fortnite perfected it. For the longest time Fornite was and still is one of the top dogs in BR, commanding several million players monthly and spawning an entire esports scene as a result of its massive popularity. Battle royale games wouldn’t have had such mainstream acclaim without it. And ironically now, the game is considered a more niche battle royale compared to the base concept. Fortnite is the only mainstream battle royale game that utilizes the construction of structures as a pivotal aspect of gameplay. It’s a wholly unique mechanic among other battle royale games that shapes how Fortnite is played, compared to other shooters.
Building also becomes integral to surviving Fortnite’s Storm circle at the end of the game. Players need to make sure they have enough materials towards the end of the game to not only protect themselves, but in some cases to out-build their opponents. On average, each Fortnite match lasts around 20 minutes give or take, with the last few circles continually closing until the circle is gone completely. Storm damage multiplies over time, so staying inside the safe zone is incredibly important. As the circle slowly closes in on players, whoever can build to higher ground first has the advantage in most cases. The games that last the longest typically go on because of squads building their tallest towers until the circle comes very close to disappearing entirely.
Apex Legends’ Ring
Apex Legends on the other hand comes closer to traditional battle royale gameplay, but with the hero abilities as its signature twist on the genre. For a while, Apex was billed as the Fortnite-killer until the first wave of popularity eventually tapered off. Still, Apex Legends remains one of the go-to mainstream battle royale games to enjoy. It’s comparatively smaller player count between Fortnite and Warzone, with a total player count of 60 compared to 100 and 150 respectively. Enemy contact can sometimes be brief or sparse, but when squads do encounter opponents is where Apex shines the most.
That’s part of what makes the circle so dangerous in Apex Legends, as a lingering anxiety looms over players as squads approach the circle. Some squads will land in the hot loot drop zones and will need to fight off several other squads almost immediately. Others may land in lower populated areas and not meet another squad for ten minutes. But each character has their own unique abilities that adds another layer of complexity on Apex Legends’ gunplay. That in turn affects team composition, where squads can set themselves up to be well-rounded, damage dealers, or movement-based. That variety can be used to counter certain characters in a way that doesn’t feel unbalanced or unfair, but does create counterplay for certain legends. Final circle battles in Apex often become very strategy-focused for that reason.
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Call of Duty: Warzone’s Gas
Of course, the Call of Duty series wanted to capitalize on its momentum from Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale, so Warzone was introduced in March. After numerous leaks of a battle royale coming to Modern Warfare, the free-to-play standalone Warzone came out to great praise and became the latest battle royale craze. Innovative additions like the Gulag respawn mechanic and Contracts objectives distinguished Warzone’s identity as something truly unique and special. Keeping all of the trappings of Modern Warfare and melding it with some unique mechanics, Warzone is more than just a Call of Duty skinned battle royale game.
Warzone’s gas used to be the slowest of the bunch when it came to battle royale circle timing. Warzone has since been updated to account for the slow pacing of games, making changes to initial circle closure times so that there’s less stagnant beginnings. Gas was also tweaked to move slower, allowing players the freedom to either outrun the circle or utilize it sparingly for tactical advantage. Overall, the experience is vastly improved, as it gives more leeway to squads for utilizing the circle as an element of strategy. Teamwork is the most important aspect of Warzone, as there’s no distinct mechanic like building or rechargeable abilities that provide an immediate advantage.
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Each Circle Compared
Altogether these mainstream battle royale games have their defining differences between one another each battle royale focuses on its mechanical strengths to make the final battles intense in their own way. Fortnite’s unique verticality and base-building mechanics make for very dynamic encounters with just a hint of resource management. Apex Legends utilizes unique supers and character abilities for situational usage that can give squads the upper hand. Call of Duty Warzone tweaks its circle to accentuate the best aspects of Call of Duty multiplayer and incorporates them into the battle royale.
Warzone’s circle is designed to initially close fast, and then slow its pace once the circle condenses. Players need to strategically use the circle’s constraints to their advantage moreso than Apex or Fortnite. Fortnite’s circle mostly acts as a hazard rather than a tool, since players tend to focus more on positioning and building anyway.
Apex is similar in that regard, but kind of finds a middle ground between Warzone and Fortnite. Apex’s Ring can be used as a strategic tool, but isn’t entirely necessary for a victory when team composition is vastly more impactful on a squad’s success. Each battle royale plays to its strengths relatively well, and while Apex Legends does find a relative middle ground, both Fornite and Warzone integrate the circle into their gameplay in unique ways.
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