Fortnite’s new Expert mode promised a bot-free challenge, but major leakers say lobbies are still filled with AI opponents.
Fortnite OG mode has been slammed for feeling lifeless in 2025, with matches often featuring fewer than ten real players.
Bots, originally added to shorten queues, became a crutch as OG’s player base thinned, drawing backlash from those craving real competition.
On July 29, Epic launched Expert mode to address this. The new mode has all the weapons, points of interest, and, according to leakers, bots from the original.
Expert mode lobbies still show signs of bots
Despite the clear promise, top leakers like Shiina and AllyJax claim OG Expert lobbies are still crawling with bots.
“Epic have made it to where OG Expert has 10 maximum REAL players,” AllyJax posted. “No I am not kidding.”
Originally, bots were meant to ease in new players and reduce wait times. But for sweaty lobbies, they’re a dealbreaker, and Expert was supposed to be the fix.
Others shared footage of players standing still mid-fight. “Pretty sure these are bots,” one caption read.
AllyJax expressed both disbelief and frustration. “Me and a friend were just having a goddamn blast on this mode… what the hell is Epic’s problem man?”
“I wish I was joking. I truly do.” They added, “Fortnite’s own tweet makes it really seem like it’s NOT meant to have bots at all.”
AllyJax speculated it might be an oversight, not an intentional change, given that “internally it looks the same way.”
Fans have echoed that confusion: “Tf is the point of the mode then?” one asked. “Wasn’t the reason for Expert mode to be a no bot mode?”
Others blame Epic’s broader strategy. “The devs are too busy managing 20+ game modes at this point. There’s just too much going on.”
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