Fortnite removes “jetpack”, vaulting War Machine Hover Jets

Epic Games shook up Fortnite’s meta in a drastic way by removing War Machine’s Hover Jets.

War Machine’s Hover Jets allowed players to fly in the air. The jet pack was one of the best items in Chapter 5: Season 4, as players soared above enemies and could either heal or rain down bullets from above.

The jet pack was especially problematic when paired with Iron Man’s combat kit or Captain America’s Shield.

Epic Games responded with a nerf because using all three equipment items in tandem made it nearly impossible to eliminate enemies in the air, as they used the shield as cover and the combat kit to shoot safely from a safe distance.

The development team responded by unvaulting Shuri’s Black Panther Claws and vaulting War Machine’s Hover Jets.

Epic Games

In addition, Fortnite swapped the Kickstart Quest from ‘Collect War Machine’s Arsenal’ to ‘Eliminate opponents with assault rifles’ and auto-completing the Story Quest to ‘Deal damage while hovering.’

Fortnite content creator Tabor Hill explained why the jet pack needed to be addressed.

“I felt like if you wanted to win a game this season, you absolutely needed a jet pack, Tabor said. “If you got into a top five without a jetpack and everyone else had one, chances are you would lose.”

In its absence, players must find a new equipment item to help close the distance on enemies or escape gunfights. The new Chainsaw checks every box as it deals massive damage up close and can be ridden on the ground.

We also expect Shuri’s Black Panther Claws to be a worthy alternative. Epic previously buffed the melee weapon by increasing the sprint speed and allowing players to pounce on enemies at longer ranges.

In saying that, we don’t expect either alternative to reach the same heights. Not having jet packs reduces the battle royale’s skill gap, as using War Machine’s Hover Jets correctly to out-maneuver enemies separated high-skilled players from the rest of the pack.

For more on adjusting after this update, check out our guide on the best weapons this season.