Fortnite developers Epic Games have removed Storm Shield Bases from the game’s Plankerton, Canny Valley, and Twine maps without warning. The change was first highlighted in this Reddit thread, but had not been added to the 1.4 patch notes by Epic until after the changes went live.
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In an update to the early access patch notes, Epic Games’ executive producer Zak Phelps says “we messed up in missing a HUGE part of our patch notes” and apologises for the mistake. He says the reason behind the missing bases came as a result of a decision to alter the three maps to improve balance at higher difficulties.
Phelps goes on to say that “map changes require us to reset any base you have built” and that “we have to do this to avoid issues with built bases conflicting with the map changes.” Phelps confirms that all building materials and traps involved in building bases on these maps has been refunded, although acknowledges that “the time it took to create your base can’t be replaced.”
Finally, Phelps says “As we move through Early Access we will be modifying the game and making changes to improve the experience, at times this will mean changes that require refunds to core systems like the skill tree, research tree, and storm shields. We are never going to reset your overall progression.”
Phelps’ post seems to suggest that this could be an ongoing issue as the game progresses through its early access phase, so it might be a wise idea not to invest too much time in building your Storm Shield Bases until after Fortnite’s full release, which is expected in early 2018.
We’ve reached out to Epic Games for comment.