Just as in most video games, Fortnite Battle Royale has had its fair share of weapons and items that may have been a tad bit too overpowered.
Since its release in September of 2017, Fortnite has seen its pool of weapons, items, and vehicles grow and change at a steady rate.
Once what was a simple game has turned into a complex collection of the most eccentric content, some of which has not been positively received by the community.
It’s hard to blame the developers, however, since it’s their job to add these weapons and items in order to test them out at a larger scale.
All that being said, we’ve decided to take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of the most overpowered weapons and items that have made an appearance in Fortnite.
Naturally, many of these overpowered items have been vaulted and no longer exist in the main default modes of the battle royale, although some of them are still available in the sandbox mode known as Playground.
#5 – Jetpack
After its initial announcement, it took Epic Games a very long time to add the Jetpack into Fortnite. Ironically, the item lasted about half that time before being vaulted.
The item allows players to whiz around in the sky and it turned even the most straightforward gunfights into a nightmare. It’s hard to find anyone who enjoyed having jetpacks in Fortnite.
#4 – Drum Gun
The AR/SMG hybrid monster that is the Drum Gun is arguably the second most overpowered non-explosive weapon that’s ever been in Fortnite (see below for #1).
Introduced in Season 4, the Drum Gun quickly became the replacement weapon for the nerfed Double Pump meta, as its ability to tear through structures and players was unparalleled during the time it was in the game.
#3 – Mounted Turret
The only item in this list not to have been vaulted (yet), the Mounted Turret has quickly established itself as one of the most overpowered items in the game’s history, despite having just been added within the last two weeks.
It’s extremely powerful in its damage and rate of fire, and the fact that players can carry and use multiple turrets to avoid the cooldown period makes it even more OP.
Since its release, Epic have nerfed it THREE times, and it still proves to be a nuisance for virtually everyone who comes across it.
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#2 – Guided Missile Launcher
Explosives can be a powerful tool in Fortnite, but none has ever been more powerful than the Guided Missile Launcher.
The original version of the Guided Missile allowed players to remotely direct lethal rockets at enemy players and teams, all while sitting comfortably behind cover without having to worry about getting shot back.
The item was removed from the game a month after release, nerfed, and brought back, only to still be too overpowered and was subsequently vaulted again.
Honorable Mentions
Before we get to the number one most overpowered weapon, there are a few items that did not make the list but were overpowered enough to still be mentioned.
This list includes the original Boogie Bomb pre-nerf, Remote Explosives (C4), the brand new Dynamite, and Double Pump meta (pre-patch).
#1 – Zapatron
Yes, an item that probably 99% of the Fortnite player-base has never heard of is the most overpowered weapon in the game’s history.
The Zapatron was a sniper rifle that shot electric blasts instead of bullets, and it was powerful enough to eliminate multiple players with a single shot at extremely long distances.
Here is the official in-game description of the item from the v1.63 patch notes:
The Zapotron can be used to fire electric blasts in short bursts, or charged up to release an enormous amount of damage! Fire sparingly, as Cell Ammo is extremely limited. This weapon is only available in Supply Drops.
This weapon was so OP that Epic removed it from the game on October 5, 2017, less than two weeks after the first version of the game was released.
We have disabled the Zapatron. We feel like it doesn’t fit well in the current state of Battle Royale. This is something we may revisit.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) October 5, 2017