Fortnite’s 14 Days of Summer event includes daily challenges for rewards. A recent challenge for day 13 of 14 involves searching for a tiny rubber duck in a corner of the game’s map. Yesterday, developer Epic announced they’ll be adjusting the challenge because it’s too hard.
For the challenge, clues on a loading screen direct players to a bathtub in Paradise Palms, where they can find a small rubber duck. Finding and searching the duck earns players a unique lobby soundtrack.
But it seems like the challenge is more difficult for players than Epic expected. Yesterday, the developer tweeted, “This challenge is harder to complete than we intended. We’re working towards a fix in a couple days.”
Searching the duck is tricky for several reasons. Since the challenge is new, a lot of players are trying to get it. Many players have found themselves in busy battles to be the first to reach the duck. These fights are made more tense by the fact that it appears only one person can get the duck per match. If you’re not the first to touch down and grab the duck, you have to try again in another match.
“There was a mosh pit of people there when I got it and I was like the fifth to arrive,” one player said on Reddit. Another wrote, “I tried three solo matches just now, and each time, it was roughly a dozen people murdering each other. And only the third time did I actually see the ducky and then realise that it disappears once the first person searches it, rendering it unobtainable for everybody else.”
Others complained (or bragged) about players breaking the bathtub, which makes the duck disappear without anyone getting it.
Some players advise trying for the duck in one of the team-based or limited-time modes, such as Team Rumble or Surfing. These modes have less players, giving those who still need to complete the challenge a better chance.
I played solos today, and in my first match, the duck was gone before I got to the bathtub. In my second match, I got it right away. It’s possible the fervor is dying down now that the challenge has been around for a little while, or that I just got lucky.
Epic hasn’t said how the challenge will be changed, but players are expressing mixed opinions about it needing a change at all. Some appreciate that only one person can get the duck, because it makes the challenge actually feel challenging. Others find it frustrating or unfair.
Personally, I found racing for the duck exciting, but I was lucky enough to get it on my second try. If I’d had to try over and over, I might feel differently. We’ll see what tweaks Epic makes to the duck in the coming days.
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