Fortnite Ride the Lightning: Where to find it

Fortnite Ride the Lightning
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite Ride the Lightning has joined the battle royale as part of the overall Metallica collaboration event, in the form of the iconic Explorer guitar regularly played by James Hetfield. Technically this is more of a traversal item than a traditional new Fortnite weapon, as triggering it will launch you into the air then propel you a reasonable distance – though when you crash back down to the island you'll deal damage to the area around your landing site, so it can deliver an attack of sorts. If you want to know more about it or where you can get hold of it, then here's where to find Ride the Lightning in Fortnite.

Where to find Ride the Lightning in Fortnite

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Ride the Lightning in Fortnite can be found at various fixed locations around the island, and I've marked all nineteen of them on the map above. When you first reach this item you need to follow the Search prompt to remove it from its stand, then you can pick it up to add it to your inventory. Naturally, if another player has been through before you and picked up that Ride the Lightning then it will no longer be available, but there are plenty of them to go around so try somewhere else for another change to find one.

How to hit an opponent or a vehicle with the Ride the Lightning item in Fortnite

Using Fortnite Ride the Lightning during a match

(Image credit: Epic Games)

When you trigger Fortnite Ride the Lightning, you'll initially be launched up into the air, then travel horizontally in two short bursts, before firing back down to the ground and damaging the area around your impact zone. This can be hard to aim accurately, so for best results you should use the first horizontal burst to move away from your target, the second burst to turn around and move back close to where you started, then look directly down at the area you want to hit.

If you're trying to complete the Fortnite quests to hit an opponent or a vehicle with the Ride the Lightning item, then the easiest way to do this is find a vehicle – or ideally park several of them together – then trigger it. Move away then back towards the vehicle(s) during the two bursts, then look down and try to land as close as possible. This can be repeated multiple times with the same vehicle(s), though Ride the Lightning does have a 25 second cooldown between uses.

© 12DOVE. Not to be reproduced without permission.

Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 600 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.