Fortnite gets balloons today, and you can pop them with bullets
They're not heal-ium items.
If you thought the major changes to Fortnite's gameplay were over - sorry to burst your bubble, but there's more on the way. Balloons, to be precise.
Thanks to the details provided in today's patch notes, we now know exactly how these items work. Unsurprisingly, players can use these items to float above the competition - but they only last for a limited time at max build height.
You get 20 balloons when you pick up the item, and players can deploy up to six at a time when floating. Players have the ability to let go of balloons when in mid-air, which I suppose you can use to control your height. Start worrying when you get down to two.
Fortnite has also released a video showing the balloons in action. It seems like they can be popped with bullets, and even used to re-enact E.T. by transforming shopping trolleys into gliders.
It will be interesting to see exactly how these function in the game. With epic rarity, they're not the most common item, so shouldn't pop up too frequently. I also wonder whether using them will make you something of a sitting duck - as they appear to rise quite slowly, and you can't shoot while using them. At least now that glider re-deployment has been added to the battle royale mode, players won't have to worry about falling to their deaths. Unless you fall in the sweet spot before your glider opens, perhaps.
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The patch notes also reveal a number of unpopular items have been vaulted. Guided missiles, which many felt were overpowered, are gone - as has the semi-auto sniper, and the annoyingly weak dual pistols.
Meanwhile, explosives seem to be getting a buff, as 25 per cent of explosive damage will "now penetrate through structures and environment". This doesn't seem to have gone down particularly well with players, who already feel explosives are too strong in the game. I guess you could say it's bombed.
If you fancy playing some Fortnite on the weekend, there's something strange happening this Sunday you may want to tune in for. At 6pm UK time, the Fortnitemares event is due to end with a special in-game event - although exactly what this is remains a mystery. At a guess, it's probably to do with "Kevin" the cube, who has been troubling the Fortnite island for several months. Most recently the cube split into several chunks to reveal a giant beam of light and raise zombies (sorry - cube monsters) from the ground.
Is Kevin about to go out with a bang? We'll have to find out this Sunday. Get the popcorn emotes ready.