Epic Games
All aboard the brand new reboot van!
- This week's "Fortnite" update will add so-called reboot vans - special vehicles that let players revive their fallen teammates.
- Reboot vans will arrive with patch 8.30, expected to drop on April 11th.
- Players will now drop a reboot card when they're eliminated in battle royale. Their squadmates can bring the card to a reboot van to bring them back to life.
- Fans have been requesting something like this for months - the ability of players to respawn is one of the most popular features in "Apex Legends," the newest upstart rival to "Fortnite."
'Fortnite' players are finally getting a highly requested feature - the game's next update will let players bring their teammates back to life during battle royale matches.
The new respawn system in "Fortnite" adds a new item to squad matches, called reboot cards. Players will drop a reboot card when they're eliminated in squad-based battle royale games; teammates can bring the card to a reboot van to bring some or all players back into the game.
When the reboot van is activated, it will notify other players in the area, so trying to revive your teammates comes with the risk that enemies will find you. Players who respawn from the reboot van wont have any items either, so the squad will have to share items or go back to looting to make sure their teammate stays alive the second time around. Once the reboot van is used successfully, it will be inactive for a few minutes before another team can use it.
These new "Fortnite" reboot vans closely mirror the respawn system in "Apex Legends," the increasingly popular battle royale game released by Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment in February. "Apex Legends" lets players collect their teammate's banner and bring them back to life at a respawn beacon in a very similar fashion.
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The option to revive teammates makes the battle royale genre a bit more forgiving. Without reboot vans, a player who was eliminated in the early phases of the battle royale could be stuck watching their squadmates play out the rest of the match for 15 or 20 minutes with no way to help.
"Fortnite" will introduce the reboot van system with patch 8.30, which should arrive on Thursday, April 11th. It's unclear if the reboot vans will be included in the upcoming "Fortnite World Cup." Epic Games is promising a $40 million prize pool for the event, but competitive game modes use slightly different rulesets than standard battle royale matches.