Fortnite devs briefly vault Earthbending after rocky Avatar event launch

Rocky start to the Avatar collaboration.

Peely using Earthbending mythic item in Fortnite.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

Fortnite’s latest collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender started from rock bottom this weekend after developers were forced to vault the Mythic Earthbending items in the game for a short while due to an “unknown issue,” leaving players speculating on the cause.

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The Earthbending Mythic was “vaulted” (removed from the game) temporarily on April 12 according to Fortnite content creator iFireMonkey on X (formerly Twitter). While there is no official word from developers on why the Earthbending Mythic was vaulted for a few hours, players on the game’s subreddit speculated on various reasons such as the Mythic ability’s on-hit accuracy. “[The] projectile literally never ‘hit’ when it landed on the enemy: Maybe once in a lifetime,” one player said. Another player said the Earthbending ability “covered up your visibility” making it harder to aim. 

A player in a banana outfit uses the Earthbending ability in Fortnite.
Peely uses the Earthbending Mythic in Fortnite. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Mythic items provide unique elemental powers to their wielder. These strengths could potentially enhance your chances of earning a victory royale. The Earthbending Mythic, in particular, gives you the ability to create rock walls that block incoming damage and provide rechargeable five large rocks that deal 85 damage on their impact with the enemy.

Others don’t feel the event has landed well, saying that abilities and features outside of gunplay are too strong. “Nothing against the [Avatar] show but I am not liking the gameplay change with this collaboration. Guns are useless. See you all in two weeks,” they said.

Previously, Fortnite fans were infuriated with the developers when they added these Mythic items and disabled the Olympian Powers items in the game which were the core of the season’s theme. However, the developers confirmed that the elemental items will not be used in tournaments and the Olympian powers will remain available competitively.

The Avatar Elements event wraps up on May 3, so there’s plenty of time to get amongst the action and learn how to bend all four elements.

Author
Image of Rijit Banerjee
Rijit Banerjee
Staff Writer
Staff Writer at Dot Esports. You'll find him grinding platinum trophies and breaking the meta with his "fun" picks in the ranked queue when he's not reading his favourite Fantasy books. Previously wrote for GG Recon, ESTNN, and many more. Contact: rijit@dotesports.com