Despite Epic Games’ best efforts, Fortnite has been plagued by cheating since its launch in 2017, with multiple ones an issue in the game’s newest Chapter 3 update. From casual players, all the way up to pros at the Fortnite World Cup, cheats have been spotted in the battle royale game, frustrating the game’s loyal fanbase. Epic Games’ Easy Anti-Cheat technology introduced in Fortnite has helped combat hacking and cheating in the game and beyond, with Epic releasing the technology to developers as part of its Epic Online Services toolkit. While this anti-cheat technology helps combat hacking, new glitches and exploits which can be taken advantage of by players continue to appear in Fortnite, and the game’s newly released Chapter 3 is no exception.
While players using wallhacks and aimbot cheats are a relatively common occurrence, usually resulting in the players’ accounts being banned, other more subtle methods of cheating in Fortnite are pervasive too. Epic Games’ competitive integrity standards outline its plans for combatting creative cheating in Fortnite tournaments, but what can the everyday Fortnite player do to help combat cheating? Epic Games encourages players to report cheating and integrity issues to its support team. However, it can be difficult for cases of cheating to be proved, and players can easily file false reports against other players.
A Fortnite-focused YouTube channel with over 1.5 million subscribers, Coldside, recently outlined in a video exploits and cheats that had been identified in Fortnite’s Chapter 3. While some of the “cheats” are harmless tips, such as where to find a llama and loot on the new map, others require the player to take advantage of various glitches in Fortnite. The YouTuber repeatedly warns his audience that using some of these cheats may result in an account ban from Epic Games. In its Community Rules, Epic Games outlines cheating to include “exploiting bugs and glitches.” One common example of this is XP glitches in Creative maps. These glitches award players with, often unlimited, XP allowing them to level up exceptionally fast. For players who grind quests and challenges in the game to level up quickly, being overtaken by players taking advantage of XP glitches can be frustrating.
Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Introduced New Cheats
Soon after the start of Fortnite Chapter 3, players found new ways to take advantage of new items added to the game. Tents, a new item introduced in Fortnite‘s Chapter 3 update, can be used by players as a place to rest and regenerate health. Players can store up to three items in a tent and, as the storing of items isn’t limited to a specific match, players can return to their tent and retrieve their stored items in subsequent games. As a result, rather than Mythic weapons being rare and hard to come by, many players retrieve a Mythic weapon from their tent at the start of the game, resulting in dozens being available in any single game. As players can store up to three of these Mythic weapons in a single tent, their entire squad can start the game with these extremely powerful guns, much to the dismay of players who rely on floor loot and chests in the early game.
While these exploits and glitches clearly differ from using third-party tools such as aimbot, they fall into a gray area that may still be considered cheating by Epic Games, resulting in action against the account, with the harshest penalty being a permanent ban. Players should bear this in mind if they decide to take advantage of these exploits or glitches in their Fortnite games, as it can be difficult to get an account reinstated following a ban. Epic has also cracked down on Fortnite players evading cheating bans, banning any subsequent accounts created by a banned player. While some of these cheats and exploits may seem harmless, Epic Games has become increasingly vigilant, especially in competitive Fortnitetournaments, and players should remember to always abide by the Community Rules and Terms of Service to avoid penalization.
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