According to leaker/data miner Wensoing, Hurdling is set to be added back to Fortnite in Chapter 5 Season 1. While that may be a long time from now, it's better late than never. Considering that most players barely got a chance to use it after it was introduced in-game, this is welcoming news. However, since this is not an official announcement made by Epic Games, it should be taken with a pinch of salt.
That aside, the fact that Hurdling is likely making a return after a year is a clear indication that Epic Games has been working on the gameplay mechanic, refining it to make it more streamlined and get rid of the bugs that hampered its performance last time around.
Hurdling is set to return at the start of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1
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According to leaker/data miner Wensoing, when Hurdling is added back to the game, it will not be set to trigger automatically by default like it did in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1. It will come with a toggle on and off option. When toggled to manual mode, players will have to press the jump button before being able to Hurdle over small obstacles such as fences or walls.
In theory, this will give you more control over the mechanic to a large extent and allow you to trigger it exactly when needed. In addition to this change, Epic Games is seemingly going one step ahead and adding in a few safety features to go alongside the mechanic.
According to leakers/data miner NotJulesDev, Hurdling will be automatically disabled if the result of the Hurdle causes players to take fall damage. This failsafe will kick in to prevent you from jumping over obstacles that lead to a pitfall. However, given how diverse the map is, it's left to be seen if this safety feature works as intended every time.
All said and done, it will be good to have this gameplay mechanic back in Fortnite on a permanent basis. It will add to the overall mobility in the game and let players move around the map more fluidly. Hopefully, this time around, you will not be sent flying into the stratosphere after attempting to Hurdle over an obstacle, and the mechanic will not be disabled after a week.