In case you missed it amidst all the Dragon Ball Z business going down in Fortnite right now, Epic and Bungie just kicked off a smaller Destiny 2/Fortnite crossover event that actually extends to both games. In Destiny 2, new armors inspired by Fortnite characters are available now. Over in Fortnite, Destiny skins for Zavala, Ikora, and the Exo Stranger are in the store for 1,500 V-bucks each.
Fortnite also has a new custom game mode that recreates Destiny 2’s Zone Control Crucible mode on one of its most iconic maps, Javelin-4, though you’d be forgiven for not realizing the mode exists. I had a tough time finding it on Fortnite’s extensive grid of game modes, but keep scrolling and you’ll eventually see it under the “Epic’s Picks” section.
Turns out it was hard to find because the mode wasn’t actually made by Epic. The studio commissioned YouTube creator team PWR to develop the map in Creative mode with Fortnite’s existing tools and assets. Considering the limitations, the recreation is impressive. I haven’t played Destiny’s PvP mode in years, and even I quickly recognized Javelin-4’s art direction and unique layout.
Players choose between three loadouts inspired by Destiny’s classes—Titans get assault rifles and shotguns, Warlocks get a long-range rifle, and Hunters get revolvers and sticky bombs. Unfortunately, you won’t actually look the Destiny part unless you buy one of the skins. I appreciate the lengths that PWR went to mimicking the Crucible format. All three classes have ultimate abilities inspired by real Destiny moves. True to my actual Destiny skill, I landed exactly zero Golden Gun shots during my stint as a Hunter.
Fortnite’s take on Crucible is so faithful that it even feels true to the parts of it I remember not liking. The TTK is long enough that there’s almost no chance of turning around a 1v2 situation, so it’s crucial to stick together and fight as a team. My random teammates were more interested in lone-wolfing it, so we lost a lot. Fortnite Crucible also emulates Destiny’s lack of skill-based matchmaking, which is completely acceptable for a side mode in Fortnite, but recently made waves in the Destiny community when Bungie admitted (opens in new tab) that over half of Control matches are over “before a single shot is fired.”
Thankfully that wasn’t the case in my Fortnite matches. The few games I played were a mix of close calls and sweeps, but they were all too long. Maybe PWR tuned it this way to better match the Destiny counterpart, but 10 minutes is a bit sluggish for a simple mode with one map.
My only other complaint is that there’s no reward path for unlocking all the cool Destiny cosmetics by playing Zone Control. You do get XP at least, but the mode’s designation as a Creative map instead of an official Epic production seems to be a limiting factor. This whole Fortnite/Destiny thing is just a side promotion after all—back on the actual Fortnite map, players are still busy blasting each other with Kamehamehas, shooting Darth Vader in the face, and looting Indiana Jones’ treasure.
Had Epic put its full weight behind a Destiny crossover, it would’ve been cool to actually use some of Destiny 2’s coolest legendary weapons or even ride a Sparrow across the map. I’ll have to settle for my $8 Sparrow glider that my $15 Zavala rides like a surfboard.
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