The headline feature of newest Fortnite Bombardment update is the addition of a fully pilotable Star Destroyer. A portal spawns during the second zone, and the first player to enter gets rifted onto the ship. While the Star Destroyer follows a set path, the player has 90 seconds to fire its weapons at marked enemies below. After that, the ship despawns and the user is removed from the area. It’s strong but limited—players can’t steer it or dominate an entire match. Avoiding the blast zone is the best counter.
You can track its path on the map, as the ship moves in a straight line and is easily visible. Use that info to stay out of danger, even if it means moving through the storm briefly. Cars, spaceships, or TIE Fighters are useful for escaping its area, but the most helpful tool might be the newly unvaulted Rift-To-Go.
Rift-To-Go and Grapple Glove Return (Fortnite Bombardment Update)
The Rift-To-Go is back in the loot pool. It’s a single-use item with a two-stack carry limit. When used, it creates a rift and launches you into the air—perfect for escaping the Star Destroyer or resetting bad fights. That said, using it while weak can leave you exposed mid-air. Weapons like the A280 can easily beam rifted players before they land.
Alongside it is the Grapple Glove, Fortnite’s alternative to Spider-Man’s web shooters. It lets players swing between objects with intuitive controls, but comes with cooldown risks. If you land after using it, you trigger a cooldown—up to 15 seconds if multiple swings are used. Also, getting shot mid-swing disables the item, leaving you vulnerable. While great for fast travel, it doesn’t match the safety and speed of vehicles.
Junk Rift and Vaulted Sprites
The Junk Rift also makes a return. This throwable item summons an object from the sky, dealing around 100 damage. It’s more situational than reliable, mostly useful early game if enemies are hiding in structures. It’s unlikely to replace any meta loadout slot in Zero Build.
However, several key elements were vaulted in this patch. Water and air sprites, along with the Shogun X Island, are gone. That also means no more super shield medallion or mythic pistol, and—crucially—no more shock wave grenades from sprite turn-ins. This change makes shock waves once again random finds, returning to the mobility scarcity players faced at the start of the season.
How to Counter the Star Destroyer Bombardment
If you can’t get to the portal first, your only real option is to avoid the Star Destroyer entirely. Its fixed path means you can easily predict where it will strike, so rotating early is key. Try to leave second zone before the portal spawns and reposition far from its route. Vehicles are your best bet for quick escapes—especially cars or ships. If you’re caught without mobility, head for natural cover or enter buildings. While it can shoot through cars, it struggles with indoor players. You won’t be able to shoot back, but surviving the 90-second bombardment puts you back in control.
Live Event Countdown Near Leia Begins
Finally, a countdown timer for the end-of-season live event has appeared near Leia at Brutal Box Cars. The timer is set to conclude on June 7th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, suggesting the finale event will take place then. With mobility shifting again and the Star Destroyer shaking up mid-game fights, the coming week is expected to be chaotic—and worth watching closely.
