Fortnite Players Can Now Fish For Items On The Ground

Fortnite's 11th season ushered in Chapter 2, a major update to the game that added an entirely new map, including far more robust bodies of water that can be used for boating and swimming. One of the new items added to the game complements that upgrade: the fishing pole. Until now, players could only use the fishing pole to fish for items in the water, but Epic has changed that with new ground-fishing capabilities.

Fishing in Fortnite is more than recreation — it enables players to find loot, including weapons, ammo, building materials, and healing items, from any nearby body of water. Though you aren't likely to pull out a Legendary — or even an Epic — weapon, there's a good chance the lake can save you when you're low on resources.

At some point in the relatively recent past, Epic pushed out an update that adds support for fishing on land. Using a fishing pole, players can now grab items located on the ground and reel them into their location. This could prove very useful during certain situations, enabling players to grab a nearby weapon or bandages without stepping out into the open, for example.

It's unclear when the new ability went live -- Epic isn't sharing patch notes on its updates post-Chapter 2, so many little changes are left for the players to find. The new fishing option was recently shared on the FortniteBR subreddit.

The fishing pole item can be found in barrels located all over the new battle royale island, including inside of lakeside houses, beach cottages, open semi-trucks, and even lying loose on the ground. The downside, of course, is that the item takes up a slot in one's backpack, reducing the number of heals and firearms that can be carried.