'Fortnite' adds reboot vans to let you revive fallen teammates
The latest new twist in "Fortnite" lets you bring a teammate, who had been eliminated, back into the action.
When playing the hugely popular online survival video game – you aim to be the last player standing à la "The Hunger Games" – you can revive a squad member or partner, when playing as a duo, if they are killed in action.
Should a player be eliminated in the game, they will drop a reboot card, which remains active for 90 seconds, during which time a teammate can collect it. They then take the card to one of several "reboot vans" positioned across the game map. That will bring the teammate back into the action.
The feature, described in the game's latest version update notes Tuesday, is new to "Fortnite," but it's familiar to players of "Apex Legends," a newer rival in the popular battle royal game category. "Apex Legends" launched the feature two months ago, letting players take a downed teammate's banner to a beacon to have them respawn.
Word about the reboot vans coming to "Fortnite" leaked about two months ago, says tech site The Verge. "The feature is a direct copy of arguably the best feature of ... 'Apex Legends'."
When a player respawns in "Apex Legends," however, they have no weapons and will need to hurry to restock before getting killed again. In "Fortnite," players will have a pistol, some ammo and some resources to help them defend themselves.
"The rise of EA and Respawn's 'Apex Legends' suddenly means Epic Games is under intense pressure to keep 'Fortnite' fresh," wrote Engadget.
This isn't the first time "Fortnite" publisher Epic Games has tipped its hat to Respawn and "Apex Legends," which hit 50 million players within its first month.
In February, "Fortnite" also got a nonverbal communications system similar to the one in "Apex Legends," which lets players highlight objectives without voice chat.
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