Fortnite Shockwave Hammer disabled as unlimited jump glitch ruins matches
Epic Games have temporarily removed the controversial Shockwave Hammer from Fortnite after players discovered a glitch that allowed them to use the weapon infinite times without recharging.
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 came with a host of major changes designed to shake up the popular battle royale, from a new perk system called Augments to Oathbound chests full of rare loot.
One of the most interesting new arrivals was the Shockwave Hammer, a powerful melee weapon that’s perfect for smashing enemies away to buy some valuable time. It also comes with the useful ability to smash the user into the air to traverse the map quickly without taking fall damage.
However, Epic have made the decision to disable the Shockwave Hammer after players discovered an exploit that allows them to use the jump feature infinite times without a cooldown.
On January 9, the Fortnite Status Twitter account posted explaining that the Shockwave Hammer has been removed from all playlists while they work on a fix, which will be a relief to anyone who has run into a team using the glitch.
Thankfully, though, it seems that players won’t have to wait too long to start using the hammer again if the fix goes to plan.
“Our intent is to re-enable the Shockwave Hammer in the next game update when this issue has been resolved,” the devs added.
When working correctly, Shockwave Hammers allow players to jump five times in quick succession, covering large distances before being met with a cooldown. But players quickly found that smacking the hammer onto water on the first jump would allow them to continuously use the ability.
This led to many matches being ruined by squads, all armed with Shockwave Hammers, bouncing around the final circle to avoid incoming fire and dealing out damage to any enemies they happen to land on.
Luckily, Epic have taken action and Fortnite games have returned to a balanced state. There is no word just yet on when the next update that’s set to unvault the weapon will be arriving, but we wouldn’t expect the wait to last more than a few days.
For more on Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1, be sure to check out all of this week’s Quests, as well as how to find and use the Guardian Shield.
Image credit: Epic Games