Fortnite v21.00 update adds Grapple Glove, balances weapons

Fortnite always has something new up its sleeve, and this week’s addition puts a fun new toy under your sleeve too. The battle royale v21.00 hotfix is out as of today, June 14, and its main addition is the Grapple Glove.

At first glance, you might think the Grapple Glove works just like the Grappler, Fortnite’s ‘suction cup stuck to a pistol’ that could fling the player towards surfaces. It’s a bit different though. As detailed on the Fortnite blog, the Grapple Glove can be fired “at a hard surface like a cliff, prop, or building,” propelling the player forward with a swing. These can be chained together, and by the time you hit your third successive swing, you’ll be going at max speed. It’s possible to chain these swings with slides too, giving you a window to swing again without losing your momentum — you can even keep your speed if you quickly swing again after messing up. On top of mobility, the Grapple Glove can also grab items and yank them over to you.

You can get the Grapple Glove by picking one up from a Grapple Glove Toolbox. Those are found at Grapple Stops across the island. Each Grapple Glove has a limited number of grapple charges, but for at least a while, you can feel like Spider-Man as you swing around the map. Expect to see plenty of players using it while wearing the new Spider-Man Zero skin. You can spot them in both regular and competitive playlists, but the Grapple Glove has fewer charges if you’re playing in competitive.

In addition to the Grapple Glove, the hotfix also brings balance changes to four existing weapons. The Two-Shot Shotgun got quite a buff, with increased pellet damage, minimum pellet count, accuracy, and max damage. The Hammer Assault Rifle has reduced recoil, while the Combat SMG has reduced damage. Finally, the Striker Burst Rifle has increased first-bullet recoil and less overall damage.