Fortnite v8.51 Patch Notes Unleash The Shadow Bomb

As expected, Fortnite has received its weekly patch, and we're getting a new type of grenade today. Unlike most of the grenades in the game, this new one – dubbed the Shadow Bomb – isn't intended to damage or otherwise disable your opponents. Instead, it gives the user a buff, and you can probably figure out what those buffs are just by the name alone.

When used, the Shadow Bomb surrounds you in darkness and makes you invisible to enemies for six seconds. The invisibility effect gets weaker as you reach the end of that six second duration, so eagle-eyed enemies might be able to figure out where you are before you're fully visible.

Even if they can see you before the effect is completely lifted, they'll probably have a hard time hitting you. The Shadow Bomb increases your movement speed when used, and it also gives you the ability to both double jump and wall jump. With these new abilities, the Shadow Bomb can be used to quickly get into a flanking position behind enemy lines, as you can see in the preview video above.

Shadow Bombs have a maximum stack size of six and are uncommon rarity, so you'll find them pretty much everywhere loot can spawn, be it in floor loot, chests, supply drops, or llamas. Just keep in mind that you won't be able to shoot, loot, or build while under the effects of a Shadow Bomb, which makes sense since shooting enemies while invisible seems like it would be quite overpowered.

Aside from the addition of the Shadow Bomb, it's a pretty quiet week for Fortnite. There are only a few bug fixes and tweaks for battle royale, though it is worth mentioning that Creative mode is getting a collection of Diner prefabs and galleries. You can read the full patch notes for version 8.51 over on the official Fortnite website.