Fortnite leak suggests three new mechanics in development

According to a recent Fortnite leak, Epic Games is actively working on three new mechanics. There is no timeline in place, but based on the information provided by leaker/data miner @Loolo_WRLD on X, they could be used in future seasons. The information was also re-shared by @SamLeakss, who is well-known within the community for sharing updates on Rocket Racing and Rocket League.

The mechanics in question are Swinging, Prone, and Car Hijacking. While the ability to swing has existed in-game via mobility items over the years, it's a seasonal mechanic at best; it comes and goes.

Prone and Car Hijacking, on the other hand, are new. They have not been featured in-game and could change certain dynamics related to gameplay if implemented.

Note: The information provided is based on Fortnite leaks and should be taken with a pinch of salt as it is subject to change.

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Fortnite leak sheds light on three new potential mechanics: Swinging, Prone, and Car Hijacking

Starting with the first of these new rumored Fortnite mechanics, Swinging, as mentioned, has been part of the game for a while. It was first introduced in Chapter 3 Season 1 during the collaboration with Spider-Man. Players could use Spider-Man's Web Shooters to move effortlessly across the landscape.

Many even hailed the animation and the mechanics, stating it was better than anything that could be seen in Marvel's Avengers. While this is debatable between fandoms, the fact remains that Swinging was a much-loved feature in Fortnite. As such, to see it brought back a fully fleshed-out mechanic (which is not dependent on items) would be a breath of fresh air.

Next up is Prone. It's not revolutionary by any means, and most combat-oriented games allow players to make their characters go Prone and even crawl. Helldivers 2 makes great use of this mechanic. Players can crawl under sentry turrets while they unleash a torrent of bullets and even dive into a Prone position to avoid incoming fire.

If this mechanic is introduced to Fortnite, players would potentially be able to go Prone and stay hidden behind structures/objects while under fire. It would especially come in handy while using snipers and other long-range weapons.

Perhaps going Prone could offer an accuracy bonus to weapons, in the same way that Crouch reduces the crosshair spread, enabling more accurate shots.

Last on the list is Car Hijacking. This feature has been in development for quite some time. Information about it was first brought to light towards the end of 2023. It was believed that this mechanic would come into play during Chapter 5 Season 3 (Wrecked). Since the seasonal theme revolved around vehicles and the apocalypse, Car Hijacking would have fit it well. Sadly, it was never implemented.

There was information on how it would function as well. Players would be able to hijack others' cars, and the ability to do so had a cooldown. The ability itself could also be canceled mid-use. A hijacking could also fail if the driver took a sharp turn or if the car was going too fast. While we don't see too many vehicle-to-vehicle combat scenarios in-game, this would have changed the meta a lot.

This mechanic would also fit well in the rumored Vehicle Royale mode.

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When could these new mechanics be featured in-game?

Without a timeline in place, it is hard to say when these mechanics could or would be implemented. It also should be noted that Epic Games tends to scrap mechanics mid-development for reasons best known to them. As such, none of them could even be implemented in the near future.

This would be a loss to the community, given how unique these mechanics are and how they could shape gameplay, but there's nothing to do. With Epic Games constantly changing aspects of gameplay from season to season, perhaps having less is more in certain ways.

With new movement mechanics being introduced at the start of Chapter 6 Season 1, we shouldn't expect more anytime soon.

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Read more Fortnite articles here:

• Fortnite leaks hint at upcoming content for the next update v33.30 on January 31, 2025
• Fortnite leaks hint at a new gameplay feature for Chapter 6 Season 2
• Fortnite leaks suggest a start date of Chapter 6 Season 3
• Fortnite leaks shed light on Chapter 6 Season 2