Fans are disappointed that the Siphon mechanic isn't present in Fortnite Ranked despite it being in the previous competitive mode, Arena.
Fortnite Ranked Season Zero just hit servers a few days ago but has already been disabled as Epic Games looks into a crashing issue with the mode in both Battle Royale and Zero Build. Fortnite Ranked initially debuted in May, but Season Zero saw a Rank reset with update 25.10 patch going live this just yesterday, which also brought new items and reality augments to Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3.
Since Fortnite Ranked was introduced, fans have been constantly complaining about the lack of the Siphon mechanic in the new mode, which was a staple of Fortnite Arena – the previous competitive playlist that has since been retired. Siphon allows players to gain 50 health or shield upon eliminating an enemy; something which was to be heavily credited for my progression to Contender League.
Having that instant 50 extra health or shield was especially useful in large fights, or when you're being third-party attacked in-game. It's often the difference between life and death – and manually healing for that much can take up precious seconds which you don't have.
Although Siphon is a great mechanic which saved me and many other players in a pinch, it's something which I always thought was a bizarre addition to a competitive queue type. Despite Fortnite Arena not being a proper ranked mode, it was the only competitive queue type in the game prior to the new dedicated Fortnite Ranked.
If Siphon was present throughout the entire game then it would make sense that it was present in Fortnite Arena or Fortnite Ranked. But the fact that it isn't even in the standard game gives it even less reasoning to be in competitive queue types. When playing Fortnite Ranked, you're showcasing your skill in order to climb ranks and relying on a Siphon ability hardly qualifies for that metric.
Epic Games currently hasn't addressed fan discontent at the removal of Siphon in Fortnite Ranked, despite the constant uproar since the release of ranked mode. In my opinion, I hope the developer doesn't cave and sticks to its original decision to remove it. As much as I loved it, and as much as it helped me work my way up the ranks, it just doesn't have a place in a competitive playlist .
Returning Fortnite Ranked to its competitive roots of being based on skill rather than cheesy gimmicks like Siphon has been an excellent decision and made the game more enjoyable. If you're losing games now, you have no one to blame but yourself – I say take a good look in the mirror rather than endlessly complaining to Epic.
