'Fortnite' 8.30 Update Steals an 'Apex Legends' Feature With Reboot Vans 

Yet another Apex Legends feature will soon be added to Fortnite: Battle Royale in the form of Reboot Vans. These were originally discovered by fans in March shortly after Season 8 first began, appearing in fixed locations whenever players viewed Replays. Epic Games made them official by Monday morning, teasing the “Reboot Van” in the in-game news feed. These could be a real game-changer, but based on the way everyone plays Fortnite, they might not make a lot of sense.

The version 8.30 update is expected to drop on Wednesday, so the Reboot Vans will probably come with it. In-game, the teaser says, “Let’s try this again!” with the following description: “Revive eliminated squadmates at a Reboot Van!”

Certain leaks last month indicated that this Reboot Van system would function just like the Respawn system in Apex Legends. In that battle royale game, downed allies drop a banner that players can pick up and use at Respawn Beacons. (Fortnite also previously copied the Apex Legends ping system to an extent.)

Based on the developer’s update video (at the top of this article) Fortnite will use a similar banner-to-beacon system like in Apex Legends. Eliminated players drop a Reboot Card that can then be loaded into the rear of a Reboot Van. Those players will then respawn on top of the van.

The Reboot Cards don’t take any item slots, instead appearing alongside building materials, so there’s never any reason to leave a Reboot Card on the ground.

Unlike in Apex Legends, however, where this respawn mechanic has been available since the very beginning in a battle royale that’s exclusively teams of three, the Fortnite version will take a lot of getting used to for most players. Most Fortnite players immediately leave the match after they’re fully eliminated, and it’s more than likely they’ll continue to do so even after this update hits.

Especially if you’re playing with strangers, what’s the point of sticking around in a match when you’re just spectating? Even with the addition of Reboot Vans, there’s no guarantee that allies will actually use them. So many players will probably prefer to leave and start a new match so they can keep playing immediately.

At the competitive level, Reboot Vans will no doubt become an absolute game-changer for Duos and Squad game modes, but for more casual players, it probably won’t impact the overall experience all that much until the average player grows accustomed to the mechanic.

Fortnite: Battle Royale should get Reboot Vans in this week’s version 8.30 update, expected Wednesday.