Fortnite just underwent a huge overhaul in Chapter 2 Season 6, doing away with the majority of the game’s weapons and introducing a new crafting system that feels like a Minecraft crossover. Fortnite has gone back to the dark ages, with beasts roaming the map and players needing to use animal bones and pieces of machinery to craft new weapons.
The combination of a distinct lack of Sniper Rifles and the ability to craft a Pump Shotgun has certainly altered the meta, and our Fortnite best weapons tier list got completely shaken up. However, pro players have quickly found that the best weapon of all may be where you least expect it.
Yes, it’s a chicken. Much like in Legend of Zelda games where you can hold a Cuccoo over your head to float when you jump, Fortnite has incorporated the ability to grab chickens to increase your air movement. However, it’s when this is combined with other elements in-game that the chickens get really broken.
While your jump is more of a float – making you an easier target – the movement it provides when you carry a chicken onto a Launch Pad is simply unparalleled. As pro Fortnite player Benjy ‘Benjyfishy’ Fish shows in this clip, the strategy can be employed at any of the new Guardian Towers, which each have a bony launch pad on their sprawling masses.
Not only does holding the chicken increase the distance Benjyfishy travels, it also eliminates any fall damage he takes. As one of the biggest streamers, his influence has spread this strategy like wildfire.
However, chickens aren’t just useful when you’re around a Guardian Tower. As professional Fortnite player Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf proves in the clip below, getting your teammate to drive into you when you’re in midair with a chicken can have a similar effect.
While the former Fortnite World Cup winner launched his chicken at his feet to eliminate any fall damage, this may not have been necessary as Benjyfishy managed to land safely with chicken intact. However, the strat allowed him to come at an enemy squad from an unexpected angle and take them out with a few well-placed hits from his shotgun.
So next time you see a chicken in your Fortnite matches, maybe think twice before killing it. While those Animal Bones may be useful for crafting, the chicken itself may prove much more useful. We’re yet to see this strat used in any of the biggest esports tournaments just yet, but we suspect it may well crop up before too long.