What Exactly is Storm Surge in Fortnite?

Fortnite is without a doubt one of the most popular games within the world of online gaming. The pace, variety, and progression of the game draws its users in and allows them to continue to level up and improve their gaming skills. The Storm is a well-known aspect of Fortnite; a misty toxic-like substance, moving players around to new circles in the arena and depleting their health if caught inside. However, what exactly is a Storm Surge?

Storm Surge is a newer aspect of the game which activates only if there are too many players left in the final round. It deals damage to players who have not dealt enough damage, themselves, to other players throughout the match. The mechanism was introduced in 2018, in patch v6.31 of Fortnite, and is incredibly rare. 

If you have played Fortnite, you will understand exactly how vital your health is in the final rounds of a game. Therefore, you are going to want to avoid Storm Surge at all costs. Today I will explain to you exactly how it works, when it shows up and how to avoid it altogether. As I mentioned above, the mechanism is rare and so regular Fortnite players will probably never encounter it. With that being said, this newer mechanism of Fortnite is complex and users of the game will want to understand exactly what it is and how it works.

What exactly is Storm Surge in Fortnite?

Storm Surge is a mechanism in Fortnite that deals damage to the players who have dealt the least damage themselves and kicks in during the final rounds of a game. Storm Surge will only activate if there are too many players left still standing. 

In regular Fortnite Battle Royale matches, the surge is rarely activated and so these players will most likely never encounter the mechanism. However, for competitive Fortnite players, Storm Surge is much more likely and has contributed to the elimination of players on several occasions. 

Epic Games introduced Storm Surge as a way of encouraging people to play more forcefully. Before the mechanism was created, players would box up inside their builds in final zones which meant too many players were able to survive. This created server issues which made the game less fun and prolonged teams and individuals from the Victory Royales. 

Therefore, Storm Surge has been activated as a way of motivating the players within the arena to deal as much damage as possible and to ensure fewer people can survive throughout the final zones. This allows the game to continue being fast-paced and progressive for its users. 

Interestingly, Storm Surge created some controversy among the world of Fortnite players. This is due to the intensity of damage it deals with players, meaning people who fall victim to it are likely to be eliminated from the game. 

With competitive Fortnite players, this new mechanism has meant they need to be on their A-game with their play. Nobody playing this game seriously will want their elimination to be from a mechanism instead of a fair fight with another player. More on the controversy here from YouTuber Kevinsmak. 

How does Storm Surge work in Fortnite?

Storm Surge in Fortnite works by totaling the damage dealt by all players and averaging the amount. It will then deal damage to any players who dealt below the average threshold, giving 25 damage every five seconds. 

Within each zone of the game, there are a set number of players allowed. If there are too many players over this amount, Storm Surge will kick in until enough players have been eliminated to reach the cap for that particular zone. Storm Surge will then stop its attack. 

Before the mechanism kicks in, players will see a warning pop up on their screens. This indicates that Storm Surge will activate once they are in the next zone. After they see the warning, players have one minute and thirty seconds to deal enough damage to get themselves above the threshold. 

If players fail to do this before the zone closes, Storm Surge will deal damage to them, as mentioned above. Players can heal in-between hits, yet the timings are so small that it is unlikely they can avoid elimination. Furthermore, if you are a player who has been activated with Storm Surge, other players on the server can also see this. Meaning you will become an easier target for other players to home in on. 

Once Storm Surge is activated, players will see a message pop up on their screens saying, ‘Storm Surge active’. The Surge will start dealing damage to all players within that zone who are below the threshold. Storm Surge will stop once the number of players has reached the capped amount for that zone. Once enough players have been eliminated. 

Storm Surge Fortnite zones

Each game starts with 100 players. There are nine phases of the game. This means that nine circles within the map are the safe zones for players. The circles will continue to get smaller the further into the game you get. Phase nine is the final zone. However, players may retrieve Victory Royale before phase nine. Players are herded into each phase of the arena by the Storm. 

Storm Surge zones however are different. In competitive games, they happen every second phase. For example, phase zero and phase one allows 100 players. Although, once you get to phase two and phase three, the number of players allowed is 70. If the players are in phase two, and more than 70 players are still standing, then Storm Surge will activate. 

Players who have dealt the least damage will see the warning pop up on their screens. They now have one minute thirty to deal enough damage to bring themselves above the threshold before entering phase three of the game. If there are still over 70 players by the time phase three has been entered, then Storm Surge activates dealing damage and causing eliminations.

The same process works also for phases four and five. By this time the amount of players allowed is 50. If there are more than 50 players left once phase four has been entered, then the whole thing repeats until there are the correct amount of players left once phase five has begun. 

The last and final Storm Surge zone will be activated in phase six if over 30 players are remaining. Players again have a set amount of time before entering phase seven to deal damage. Storm Surge will then activate, eliminating players in phase seven until 30 players remain. 

Ultimately there are three zones where Storm Surge will activate in any one game. 

Here is a recap: 

Phase three – first zone of Storm Surge

Active until 70 players are left. 

Phase five – second zone of Storm Surge

Active until 50 players are left. 

Phase seven – third and final zone of Storm Surge 

Active until 30 players are left.

Warnings of Storm Surge are sent to players one phase before the activation to allow them the time to deal more damage and play more aggressively. Gaming channel, GameLeap Fortnite pro guides, released a video on their YouTube channel explaining this in more detail. 

How can you avoid Storm Surge in Fortnite?

Avoiding Storm Surge in Fortnite is a case of playing the game in a determined way. Once a server begins, players need to start by dealing as much damage as possible to one another. This will help reduce the risk of Storm Surge. If the players eliminate each other first, there will be no need for Storm Surge to activate. 

Tactics include gathering as many weapons as possible in the first phase and then dealing damage to any players you can. The better the weapons you collect, the higher the damage they will do as well. This way you can increase your amount with as much little effort as possible, allowing you the time to protect yourself and your team. 

Playing in a game with a Storm Surge means its players need to strategize and plan their gameplay more. Gathering weapons such as snipers can be extremely useful in these scenarios as they allow you to deal a substantial amount of damage from a safe distance. 

Furthermore, if players have been tagged by the Surge, they still have an opportunity to increase their dealt damage. Even when they are being hit by the Surge, if they can deal enough damage in-between hits, the Surge will leave them alone. This means players can return to the usual way of elimination; through armed combat.

Each game of Fortnite is unique. Knowing Storm Surge will allow you to understand new strategies and goals of the game. You will be playing different users each round, and so this information will help you to have the upper hand if you ever are to encounter a Storm Surge scenario in Fortnite.