Fortnite’s War Machine Hover Jets have a surprising counter

A screenshot featuring the Striker AR in Fortnite.epic games

If you’re struggling against Fortnite players who are constantly abusing the War Machine’s Hover Jets, you’ll want to take a look at this weapon to counter them.

Ever since Fortnite’s War Machine Arsenal Mythics and Captain America’s Shield made it to the Battle Royale in Chapter 5, Season 4, players are again met with a devastating meta. 

Though out of all these new additions, the War Machine Hover Jets has been labeled as the necessary item to “stand a chance” until the endgame. 

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With a nerf to spawn rates, however, not only does it get even more challenging to get your hands on this item, but going against someone who has it can be highly frustrating. While that’s the case, some players have shared the best counters to shut down anyone using the jetpack in a Reddit thread.

Modded Striker AR in FortniteEpic Games
A modded Striker AR in Fortnite.

One player explained that most enemies “fly around in the jetpack till it’s out of fuel, then they don’t know what to do.”

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When that happens, equip yourself with a good AR, as it’ll out-damage whatever they’re going to do. Once the opportunity arises, you’ll have the chance to “beam them out of the air.” In Chapter 5 Season 4, there are a few kinds of AR you can use, and they’re also quite common to find.

The AR is also a surprisingly good counter for Captain America’s Shield, as it allows you to break their guard by spamming.

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Aside from using the AR, another user suggested, “Dodge them until they run out of juice, then run up on them. Don’t allow yourself to get trapped in low and exposed areas. High ground with an SUV to hide behind works well.”

Agreeing with this, a different user claimed they’ve had “plenty of success baiting them to burn their fuel” with the Doom Gauntlets and a car. As soon as they run out of fuel, the player would go all in on them with the gauntlets.

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“Also, a car will allow you to maintain range while they’re in the air. You can pop out of the car and shoot at them while they’re burning their fuel,” they added.

Seeing how things are always changing in the Battle Royale due to new items and weapons, players will always have to adapt and find new strategies if they want to secure a Victory Royale.