Recharging shields became a major mainstay of shooter games in the mid-2000s after the concept was popularized by the original Halo. It’s a convenient way to accommodate for a lack of cover, letting players run right into the thick of things without worrying about their heads getting new holes, at least right away. Fortnite has utilized shield systems of its own for a while now, but since they’re mixing things up for the new chapter, Epic has decided to crib this classic gaming staple. So, how does the Overshield work in Fortnite?
With the beginning of Chapter 3, Season 2 on Sunday, all forms of building have been temporarily disabled in Fortnite, which means you can’t construct your own cover on demand. In an effort to keep things relatively balanced, all players have received an Overshield, a recharging defensive shield that serves as a second line of defense on top of your regular shield and your health.
How Does Overshield Work in Fortnite
The Overshield is represented by a blue shield icon with a grey lightning bolt next to your regular health and shield bars. The Overshield has a value of 50, which means it can absorb 50 points of damage before it’s depleted, after which damage will start affecting your regular shield or health instead. When the Overshield is depleted, the icon will change to a shattered shield.
If you can avoid taking any damage for 6.5 seconds, the Overshield will begin recharging itself, with the icon becoming a full shield again and the lightning bolt turning white. Once it charges back up to 50, you’ll be protected again.
Bear in mind that the Overshield’s defenses work roughly the same as a regular shield’s, which means that certain damage types can bypass its defenses and target your health directly. These damage types include:
- Stink damage
- Fire damage
- Fall damage
- Storm damage
It should be noted, though, that while regular, Stink, and Fire damage will interrupt your Overshield’s recharge, Fall and Storm damage will not.
One last thing: if you don’t like using the Overshield, you can turn it off, at least on your personal Island instance. Simply press Tab on the main menu to open the Creative Inventory, click My Island and the Settings tab, and scroll down to Allow Overshield to turn it off or back on.
