LazarBeam reveals new Fortnite Marvel skins are "pay to win"

Lannan Eacott, A.K.A LazarBeam, is a popular YouTuber that likes to focus on Fortnite from time to time for his content. Given the rather different nature of Fortnite’s latest season, the content-creator has posted a couple of videos on the new Marvel characters, joking that the skins are a “pay to win” feature.

Some of the Marvel skins give players unique abilities. (Picture: Fortnite)

Mocking the statement that “these cosmetic items grant no competitive advantage whatsoever”, LazarBeam sets out to disprove Epic Games’ claim. Although it’s true that the models only change the visuals of the game, the YouTuber finds a few ways to make Marvel skins work to his advantage.

The first way to take advantage of the new skins is through Mystique’s unique emote. The ‘Shapeshifter’ emote allows the user to transform into the last enemy defeated by the X-Men character, and it doesn’t just apply to players. 

By defeating a Stark Robot outside a Quinjet landing site, LazarBeam disguises himself as one of the robotic enemies and blends in. Then, when an unsuspecting player arrives, the YouTuber eliminates him on sight. Of course, the disguise won’t last forever, but it’s enough to get the drop on an enemy in very specific circumstances.

(Picture: LazarBeam)

Next up, LazarBeam turns his attention to the Silver Surfer skin which costs roughly $20 in the item shop. Given the character’s metallic nature, the YouTuber blends in with the silver Doctor Doom statue found in Doom’s Domain. This tactic proves so effective that several players pass him by, without spotting LazarBeam just sitting there, and the user even makes it to the last 5 alive in the match.

• Read more: Fortnite players are coming together to honour the Black Panther memorial

Finally, the YouTuber decides to take on a similar tactic, using the Groot skin to blend in with a tree. Unbelievably, this strategy actually has similar results for LazarBeam, who proves successfully that an advantage can be found through purchasing the Battle Pass - just not a very good one.