In Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 (Showdown), players unlocked two major rivalry milestones: the Dark Voyager Rift Anomaly event and The Foundation’s Rift Rifle, an Exotic Vector 7 DMR that doubles as a mobility tool. Both are only available in Battle Royale matches and are best suited to intermediate and high‑MMR players who can handle contested POIs and mid‑to‑late game hotspots.
| Weapon | Rarity | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Baron’s Double Down Pistol | Mythic | High DPS sidearm |
| Thorne’s Vampiric Blade | Mythic | Lifesteal melee |
| Explosive Repeater Rifle | Legendary | Mid‑range explosive rifle |
| Modular Gatekeeper Shotgun | Legendary | Close‑range burst shotgun |
| Havoc Suppressed Assault Rifle | Legendary | Versatile AR |
| Chains of Hades | Epic | Aggressive melee |
| Grapple Blade | Epic | Mobility + melee |
| The Kneecapper | Epic | Melee club/bat |
| Typhoon Blade | Epic | Dash‑heavy melee |
The Dark Voyager Rift Anomaly is a storm‑based event where Dark Voyager drones swarm a marked area on the map; if you wipe the drones and stabilize the rift in time, it drops one of nine vaulted high‑tier weapons, including Mythic pistols, melee blades, and strong Legendary rifles and shotguns. The Foundation’s Rift Rifle is a one‑per‑match Exotic you earn by hiring The Foundation (Reforged) at New Sanctuary and getting three eliminations while he’s on your team, rewarding players who can control that POI and snowball early fights.
Quick steps – Dark Voyager Rift Anomaly
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Play a Battle Royale match in Chapter 7 Season 2.
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Watch for a Rift Anomaly icon and Dark Voyager drones appearing around a storm circle.
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Rotate to the marked anomaly location shown on your map/HUD.
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Clear every Dark Voyager drone around the rift before the current storm phase ends.
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Loot the drop when the rift collapses to claim one of nine vaulted weapons (Mythic or Legendary/Epic).
Quick steps – The Foundation’s Rift Rifle
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Land at the New Sanctuary POI where The Foundation (Reforged) NPC patrols.
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Make sure you have at least 750 Gold, then interact with him and select “Hire.”
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With The Foundation following you, secure 3 eliminations before he dies or despawns.
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After the third elimination, he drops The Foundation’s Rift Rifle, an Exotic Vector 7 DMR that can fire normally or be charged to spawn a rift at impact.
How the Dark Voyager Rift Anomaly Works and All Rewards
The Dark Voyager Rift Anomaly is a roaming storm‑based event tied to the Showdown rivalry storyline between Team Ice King and Team Foundation in Chapter 7 Season 2. When Team Ice King unlocked this milestone, a new anomaly variant went live where Dark Voyager’s drones swarm a golden rift, and players can stabilize it for exclusive loot.
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A Rift Anomaly icon on your HUD and minimap once it spawns.
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A cluster of Dark Voyager drones flying around a rift in the sky over the marked area.
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Drones that must all be destroyed before the current storm phase ends; if the circle advances, the event despawns.
Once you clear the drones, the rift collapses and drops one item from a fixed pool of vaulted high‑tier weapons.
Tips to actually secure the anomaly
The short answer is: treat the anomaly like a late‑game airdrop that shoots back.
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Play from cover: Use natural rocks, buildings, or deployable cover so you don’t get beamed by drones and third parties.
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Bring hitscan rifles or LMGs: Drones are easier to clear quickly with accurate ARs or SMGs rather than slow shotguns.
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Expect company: Rift Anomalies are visible to the whole lobby, so assume at least one other duo or squad is rotating in.
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Time it with circle: If the zone is about to close, it’s often better to rotate than to force a last‑second attempt and die to storm or third parties.
Player Insight: In stacked public lobbies, using the anomaly as bait can be just as valuable as the reward. Let another team start the drone clear, then third‑party from high ground, clean them up, and steal the dropped weapon.
How to Get the Foundation’s Rift Rifle in Chapter 7 Season 2
The Foundation’s Rift Rifle is an Exotic Vector 7 DMR added as part of the Showdown event, and there is only one copy per Battle Royale match. Instead of dropping from a boss, it’s a trust reward from The Foundation (Reforged) NPC at New Sanctuary.
Exact unlock steps each match
You need to repeat this process every game you want the rifle:
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Drop at New Sanctuary, a named POI introduced for the Showdown season.
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Find The Foundation (Reforged) NPC patrolling the area.
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Have at least 750 Gold in your inventory.
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Interact with him and choose the option to hire him as a follower.
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With The Foundation hired and alive, secure 3 player eliminations. They don’t need to be his final blows; he just has to be on your team.
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After your third elim, The Foundation drops The Foundation’s Rift Rifle on the ground for you to pick up.
Since NPCs can only be hired by one player per match, you must get there before any other team with enough gold to lock him in. If you’re short on gold, community guides recommend routing through nearby chests, safes, or gold‑heavy side spots before rotating into New Sanctuary.
What the Foundation’s Rift Rifle Actually Does
The Foundation’s Rift Rifle is an Exotic variant of the Vector 7 DMR with a built‑in rift ability.
Mechanically, it works like this:
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Tap‑fire: Shoots like a normal Vector 7 DMR, dealing high mid‑to‑long range damage with DMR recoil and pacing.
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Charged shot: Holding fire charges the weapon; when fully charged and released, the bullet spawns a rift at its impact point.
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One per match: Only a single Foundation’s Rift Rifle can exist in a lobby, reinforcing its “milestone reward” status.
That rift behaves like other rift devices in Fortnite: you and other players can use it to redeploy into the sky, making it a powerful rotation and repositioning tool. It’s less of an instant panic button than classic Rift‑To‑Go items because you need time to charge the shot, but it’s excellent for planned rotations into late circles or taking high ground.
Where the Rift Rifle fits into your loadout
It lets you run “DMR + mobility” in a single slot.
You’ll feel the benefits most in:
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Ranked or high‑MMR lobbies where planned rotations and high ground matter.
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Trio/squad stacks, where one player can be the designated “macro caller” holding the Rift Rifle for team rotates.
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Loadouts where you’d usually have to choose between a DMR and a dedicated mobility item.
The trade‑offs:
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You gain: a strong ranged weapon plus shared team mobility.
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You lose: the instant, reactive escape of Overdrive Grenades or Seven Power Gloves, and a free slot that could be another weapon or utility.
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It’s best for: players who play ahead of the zone and value controlled, pre‑planned movement over last‑second panic options.
Is It Better to Chase Rift Anomalies or the Rift Rifle?
If you can’t realistically go for both in a single match, it helps to think about your lobby and playstyle.
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Go for Dark Voyager Rift Anomalies if you love high‑risk, high‑reward mid‑game fights and want raw power spikes from Mythic and Legendary weapons.
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Go for The Foundation’s Rift Rifle if you’re comfortable contesting New Sanctuary early, have the gold to hire consistently, and want a macro weapon that carries both damage and rotations into late game.
You can also split duties in squads: one aggressive fragger plays toward anomalies for Mythic blades or shotguns, while your IGL or support player focuses on securing the Rift Rifle for safe endgame rotates.
