What is a Sideways Weapon in Fortnite?

Fortnite’s Chapter 2, Season 8 introduces a plethora of new in-game features for the player to learn and make use of, including all-new weapons to sic on opponents. Here’s what the new Sideways Weapons are, and where to find them.

Sideways Weapons stand out from the game’s normal weapons for several reasons. First off, they lack magazines, feeding ammo directly from the player’s ammo stash. They can also be upgraded anywhere on the map, as long as the player has enough fragments to use. Finally, Sideways Weapons can infinitely fire until they overheat, with some kind of bonus occurring the closer the weapon is to overheating.

What is a Sideways Weapon in Fortnite?

Sideways Weapons can only be found in Sideways Zones. When in a zone, players can find and open special chests, and there’s a chance that the player can pull out a Sideways Weapon. The only way to increase rarity is through upgrading, with Mythic being the highest ranking. Players can also scavenge Sideways Weapons from eliminated players.

In Season 8, there are three Sideways Weapons the player can currently find in-game:

• Sideways Rifle
• Sideways Minigun
• Sideways Scythe

The Sideways Rifle uses Medium Ammo and is great for long-range engagements. Reminiscent of the Kymera Rifle in the prior season, its low recoil and high damage is great for picking off enemies on the horizon. The closer the weapon is to overheating, the higher the damage becomes.

The Sideways Minigun uses Light Ammo and is an absolute beast for tearing down structures. Like the regular Minigun, the weapon must rev up before firing, and has a cooldown if it’s held down for too long. The hotter the weapon is, the higher the fire rate becomes. Be careful that this weapon doesn’t eat up all the light ammo.

The Sideways Scythe is a melee weapon, and a 1-v-1 power fantasy. Similar to the controversial Infinity Blade from Chapter 1’s Season 7, this weapon grants buffs to the player while giving them a wide variety of moves to pull off when equipped, like a long jump and a four-swipe combo. The scythe can be put away when the player wants to switch to a gun, and can be taken out at any time so long as it's in the inventory. 

Remember that while these weapons are great, it’s easy to lose track of ammo. It’s also horrible when enemies pounce on the player while the weapon is cooling down, so keep a rifle or SMG on hand for when things get tense.

Sideways Weapons can now be found in Fortnite.