Fortnite sharks: How to ride them and everything else you should know
Fortnite's Chapter 2 – Season 3 finally arrived earlier this week after three different delays, introducing the flooded island concept that leaked back in May. As anticipated, the flooded island includes sharks, but many players are caught off guard by them, unaware of what they do and how to use them. If you're preparing for a weekend spent playing the new season, here's what you should know first.
Where to find sharks
We've got good news and bad news. The good news is that sharks can be found in any of the bodies of water on the island. The bad news is that they're pretty rare and so you'll have to do quite a bit of hunting and swimming to actually locate one. Epic seemed to consider the needs of squads when arranging this, though, as multiple sharks are usually found close together.
Some players report more success finding sharks near the edges of the island, but this appears to be a budding game myth at this point — we've found sharks in many places on the map, including all the way from Sweaty Sands to The Fortilla. How do you spot them? Their back fins stick out of the water.
What do sharks do?
Sharks are not gentle giants in Fortnite — though they're not terribly tempermental, they will eventually lash out if provoked. Swimming too close to a shark may prompt it to take a quick bite, though they generally try to swim away first. If you swim after the shark and don't let up, the odds are high that it'll eventually turn around and attack you, causing substantial damage. Once a player is knocked in the water, sharks will leave them alone but will likely come after their partner during the attempted revive.
As well, sharks in the game react viciously to being attacked. If you shoot a shark, expect it to chase after you...even if you're on land. The sharks can't make it too far on land, but they can jump out of the water and travel a certain degree from the shoreline, meaning you're liable to take a bite even if you're on the beach.
Loot
They're called loot sharks for a reason, folks. Fortnite players who find and kill a shark will get some higher-tiered loot as a result, which may be a fast way to get a decent shotgun or rifle. Keep in mind, though, that killing sharks requires quite a bit of ammo and will also prompt them to attack, meaning you may not be the victor in these encounters.
What about riding sharks?
The most fun aspect of the new sharks is that they operate as a 'vehicle,' meaning yes, you can ride them. To do this, you don't jump on the sharks — that will just get you attacked. Instead, you need to find a fishing pole and toss it at the sharks in the same way you would while fishing for floppers. It may take a few seconds, but the shark will bite and then take off, causing the player to ski across the water.
Players are able to steer the sharks the same way they would a boat, and they can even be taken on land. Keep in mind, though, that sharks don't travel very far from the water — only up to around several meters — before dropping the fishing pole line and slowly waddling back to the nearest body of water. If you want to operate on land, you'll need to find a boat or, coming soon, a truck.