Summary
- According to a leak, a new glider-releasing mechanic in Fortnite will allow players to open/close their gliders at any point during free fall.
- Players will need to watch out for fall damage when using the glider-releasing mechanic.
- The community speculates if landing in water will negate fall damage with the new glider mechanic.
A Fortnite leaker has revealed that a revamp to the gliding mechanics is in the works, which could significantly impact the early stages of Battle Royale matches. In Fortnite, players will first have to wait in the Spawn Island before getting on the Battle Bus. Once every player has finished matchmaking, gamers are put on the Battle Bus and can then decide where they want to land according to its route. After jumping out of the bus, they can free fall up until a certain point and eventually open their glider, or if they're close enough to the ground, it'll automatically open.
In competitive game modes, nailing a landing is key. While it's not as crucial in casual games, it can still greatly impact if players make it past the early part of a Fortnite match. For example, if a player dives too close to a tall structure or landmark, such as a building or a mountain, their glider will automatically open much earlier compared to if they were to aim at the ground or any other landmark or body of water at ground level.
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Wensoing, a known Fortnite leaker among the community, has revealed that Epic Games is working on a glider-releasing mechanic. It seems that if this were to make it into the game, players would be able to open and close their glider at any point into their free fall. This means that they would no longer have to precisely aim their character to prevent the automatic glider from opening too soon. This way, players could guarantee a perfect landing spot in Fortnite and reach the ground much faster, as they would be able to remain in free fall for longer.
Fortnite Glider-Releasing Mechanic, Explained
- With the glider-releasing mechanic, players would be able to open the glider at any point after falling from the Battle Bus
Of course, it wouldn't make sense for players to be able to dive directly towards the ground without any consequences. According to Wensoing, gamers will need to watch out for fall damage, which makes it seem that there will probably be a safe distance, based on the free fall speed and the distance from the ground at the moment that the player decides to open the glider.
The community started thinking of all the possibilities if this were to become a reality and immediately questioned if landing in water would negate the fall damage, similar to other situations in-game. In Fortnite, if players jump from a cliff into the water, they won't suffer any damage at all, as it will break their fall. It would be interesting to see this Fortnite mechanic make it into play with glider-releasing.
Fortnite
- Released
- September 26, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
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- ESRB
- T for Teen - Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Epic Games
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms (except iOS/Mac)
- Cross Save
- Via Epic Account
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players (online)
- PC Release Date
- September 26, 2017
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- PS5 Release Date
- November 12, 2020
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- June 12, 2018
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- June 5, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-4 players (certain modes)
- X|S Optimized
- YES
