One month after introducing the Shockwave Hammer in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1, Epic Games has been forced to disable the fan-favorite item in all playlists following the discovery of an exploit that allowed players to bounce around the map infinitely. The company announced it was removed from Fortnite via Twitter on Sunday, promising the Shockwave Hammer will be re-enabled in the next game update, which is expected to land on January 17.
Due to an issue, we have temporarily disabled the Shockwave Hammer in all playlists.
Our intent is to re-enable the Shockwave Hammer in the next game update when this issue has been resolved. pic.twitter.com/I2Ap8XCbZ7
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) January 9, 2023
As disappointing as it is to lose access to arguably the most fun Fortnite item ever, yanking it out of the game for a bit is definitely the right move. The glitch, which seemed to be replicated by using the Shockwave Hammer in the water, was becoming more and more frequent in recent days. The hammer typically has four uses that refill over time, making it a fantastic choice for quick repositioning or surprise attacks – especially considering how challenging it is to hit someone using it. But having infinite bounces meant that players who chose to exploit it were making life a living hell for other folks in the match who couldn’t defend themselves very well against the chaos.
Of course, this already isn’t the first time Epic has removed an item like the Shockwave Hammer from Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1. The Deku Smash item, which was introduced during a My Hero Academia event, was removed two weeks ago due to an unknown issue, and the company hasn’t indicated for certain whether it will be making a return any time soon, if ever.
