The Fortnite 17.30 update has officially dropped! From brand new weapons to unique happenings around Fortnite Island, there’s a lot to go over as to what to expect.

The Fortnite 17.30 update just arrived a couple of days ago and with it, a whole slew of new stuff tinker around and play with. Before the patch notes were released, news from a Fortnite data miner by the name of Shiina has uncovered the potential of Fortnite getting Suicide Squad content. Besides that though, Epic Games announced the update shortly after that and has scheduled when a server downtime will be happening. As always, every update in Fortnite brings yet more fresh content to Season 7. We’ve always seen aliens abducting players, a couple of crossovers, and to top it all off, players will have the chance to see a well-known pop star “live”! So just what can players expect in the latest update besides new skins in the Fortnite Item Shop? 

Introducing the Grab-itron

We all that alien abduction has become a common occurrence in Fortnite ever since they’ve landed. As from plucking players from the ground to their UFO ship, they’ve been doing a bit of testing on them as well. This has led to the players who were lucky enough to be experimented on by the aliens to have some sort of beneficial powers during the entirety of their match. Besides that though, they’ve been hard at work in developing technology that can be used for fight purposes in Fortnite Island. With this, they have introduced the latest weapon: the Grab-itron. This latest invention of theirs allows players to harness the power that of a UFO tractor beam in a smaller form factor. The handy little portable device packs a powerful punch for those who are lucky enough to find it in treasure chests around the map. Seeing as this is a weapon that can only be used in matches, this means that it cannot be purchased from Fortnite accounts for sale or the Fortnite Item Shop. 

The Grab-itron has similar functionalities to the Saucers that beckon here and there around the map. The Grab-itron can pull objects that can range from rocks, cars, and the like. Simply put, it can grab a hold of pretty much every kind of object in the game. Players can use the Grab-itron to throw those objects at opponents. As for the damage this weapon can deal, according to Epic Games, it depends on how large the object is, the launch speed of the projectile, and what it’s made out of.

Believe it or not, the Grab-itron can also be used for defensive purposes. A prime example would be a player holding an object in front of themselves and use it as a shield that can protect them from gunfire. Besides through chests, the Grab-itron can be found onboard the Mothership and on the top of Abductors. However, one thing to point out when it comes to this silly yet powerful weapon is that it’s not available in competitive modes. This is a huge bummer considering how much it would be to just yeet a vehicle onto an enemy, but all things considered, players who don’t play Fortnite’s competitive mode are sure to have a lot of fun trying out the Grab-itron.

Goodbye Slurpy Swamp

The Alien army is now starting to abduct certain locations on the map. As if people weren’t enough, the Mothership has targeted the Slurpy Swamp as their first location. The Mothership’s tractor beam is slowly lifting the chunks of land up towards it, so players can expect that the complete abduction will be set in stages throughout the week. This resulted in the Slurly Swamp becoming somewhat of a low-gravity zone. There are a couple of extra IO Chests and Launch Pads that are spawning within the zone. Other locations are expected to meet a similar fate akin to Slurpy Swamp such as Corny Complex and Coral Castle shortly.

The Ariana Grande Concert

As many already know, there’s an Ariana Grande concert that’s scheduled for August. According to Epic Games, they’re already laying out the foundations of the concert itself. Players can now purchase the Ariana Grande Outfit along with her Back Bling in the Fortnite Item Shop. Participants of the concert will also have the chance to earn a free glider to commemorate the event. 

In A Nutshell

The Fortnite 17.30 patch notes are certainly a tad meatier in terms of new stuff to expect compared to the other updates. Besides the new Ariana Grande skin coming to the Fortnite Item Shop, it’s apparent to the players that the alien abductions are slowly building up to a climax. What with the Slurpy Swamp slated to be completely abducted, players can expect a couple of more locations within the map to suffer the same fate as well. What do you think of the 17.30 update in Fortnite? Let us know down below.