Fortnite Just Killed A Fan-Favourite NPC In-Game
Fortnite players are dressed in black for a solemn day on the map. Although the whole premise of Epic Games' battle royale bloodbath is to eliminate rival players and be the last player/team standing, death is never permanent thanks to everything resetting with each new match - or so we thought.
Only recently, death came to Fortnite in the Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point crossover comic, with both Fishstick and the Eternal Voyager being killed by DC's writers. Thankfully, the massacre didn't stick in main Fortnite canon, meaning our favourite fish is still running his restaurant in Craggy Cliffs. In a shock twist, Fortnite has actually killed a fan-favourite NPC in-game.
Which NPC was killed in Fortnite?
Posting on Twitter, multiple players are mourning the loss of Bushranger. While this nature-loving bush monster (is that what he is?) has been a part of Fortnite since Chapter 2 Season 1, it's been a relatively short journey that's ended in tragedy.
While you could usually find Bushranger near Risky Reels, it looks like he's been caught in the crossfire of our war with the IO and Kymera. Heading to Bushranger's usual spot now, you'll instead be greeted by a grave that presumably marks his resting place. RIP Bushranger, we hardly knew ye.
Others sobbed into their controllers with the news that Bushranger has kicked the bucket. Responding to HYPEX's confirmation that Bushranger won't be giving us a cheery wave anymore, one player wrote, "Bro wtf is wrong with this game". Another added, "It appears a fellow fighter has fallen today... please stay a while for bushranger would like your company", while a third said, "I will scour the Earth until I find the guy who did this".
Someone had a more hopeful theory on what's next as they concluded, "We all know how epic likes its references and collabs so i think that he will become a tree a actual birch tree that will grow over the last seasons of the chapter". Here's hoping there's an Avatar-themed ending on the cards for Bushranger.
Will more Fortnite NPCs be killed soon?
What makes Bushranger's death even more harrowing is his character description. The Fortnite Character Collection Book explained how Bushranger doesn't know how he ended up on the map but "until he can find his way home, he's happy to live of the land and off the beaten path". Unlike some hostile NPCs, Bushranger was always happy to see us, and was great for giving some free foraged items.
We should probably remember that Fortnite is no stranger to bringing the Grim Reaper to the map. Peely was once turned into a banana smoothie, Beef Boss and Tomatohead were killed by Midas, and it looks like Raz was killed in the Spire explosion.
It's unclear why Epic chose now to kill Bushranger, but as we head into this season's endgame, it presumably has something to do with Season 7's conclusion and what comes next. While we head off to remember our good times with Bushranger, there's a lovely idea that we're currently in the past and Bushranger will be reborn as the Tree of Life from Chapter 1.
Whether this is the start of a Fortnite slaughterfest remains to be seen, but for now, all bets are off and no one's safe. Watch your back, Fishstick.
