Fortnite's short-lived jetpacks and shotguns mode is back

We included Fortnite's Close Encounters LTM in our list of the best and worst of Fortnite's limited time modes, but I'm not completely certain about which side it was meant for. "Players would fly through their air, shotguns in hand and jetpacks on backs, taking players out in the skies," which sounds like a blast—except that once people figured out how to literally place themselves above the fray, it all fell apart. Epic pulled the plug, and that was that. Until today. 

MrPopoTFS, also known as Epic community coordinator Sean Hamilton, explained on Reddit what the developers have done to address the "sky base" problem—"Sky bases" being the extremely high towers players could build that put them beyond the reach of jetpacks and short-range shotguns, the only weapons that were available in the mode.   

"We've also added the Grappler to this LTM and decreased the burn rate of jet fuel by 50%," he wrote. "The extra jet fuel and grappler should help deal with those bases high in the sky."

The Close Encounters LTM is live now. Epic hasn't said when it will wrap up, but hopefully it will run at least a little longer than last time.

Want more Fortnite? We've got you covered.

— What's new with the latest Fortnite season
— The best Fortnite creative codes
— The optimal Fortnite settings
— Our favorite Fortnite skins
— The best Fortnite toys 

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in Survival & Crafting
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
minecraft diamond level sword
Minecraft's never going free-to-play because as it stands it's 'the best deal in the world'
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
A dried ghast, a ghastling, and a friendly ghast all smiling
The latest Minecraft Live uncovered the tragic truth of the Nether's most bothersome mob, which has unlocked new levels of guilt
Latest in News
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened