Late last year, Epic Games introduced a gameplay mechanic into
Fortnite that allowed players to redeploy their Glider at any time as long as they were in mid-air and greater than 10 meters up.
The controversial mechanic was met with mixed response. While it allowed players to move across the map, some players argued that it removed any fear of fall damage from building too high up from the ground. In the end,
Epic decided to disable the feature after a two-week test period.
After some re-examination, it seems the developer is ready to bring it back, with a few small changes.
"The goal with the item is to provide mobility and utility, but in a form that can be balanced and iterated upon," Epic explained.
"By implementing glider redeploy as an item we can iterate on multiple different levels (i.e. redeploy height, movement speed, drop chance, charge count), including inventory slot tension."
With today's update v7.20, Glider redeployment returns, but with the following functionality. For starters, the glider redeploy will now take up an inventory slot if you choose to equip it. It can be found from normal loot sources, including floor loot, chests, vending machines, and supply llamas.
Additionally, the Glider Redeploy will come with a set number of chargers that are removed each time you use the functionality. When all chargers have been exhausted, the item will disappear. Using Launch Pads, Rift-to-Go, and LTM respawns will not consume a charge.
As for Soaring 50s and other large team modes, you will be automatically granted with a Glider item containing 50 charges. Dropping from the Battle Bus counts as being put into Skydiving mod so you will not consume a charge of the item.
In addition to Glider Redeployment, today's update v7.20
also makes a much-welcomed change to wall-placement.