Fortnite’s respawn system will likely include ‘Second Chance’ cards

Another leak adds more fuel to the fires of speculation around Fortnite’s respawn system, and it further suggests that the implementation will look a lot like Apex Legends. After the Second Chance van locations turned up in replay mode, dataminers have found an item called a Second Chance card buried in the game files.

The item, dug up by lucas7yoshi on Twitter, appears identical to a model from Save the World, but the file name ties it to the newly-discovered Second Chance vans. The design of the card also roughly matches the icon on the side of the vans. Apex Legends lets you pick up banners from fallen teammates and take them to respawn locations to bring your friends back into the fight, and it appears that these cards will work the same way.

Mysterious vans have shown up in the game’s Replay Mode since Season 8 began. It’s likely that they’re acting as placeholders for a mechanic that’s not yet ready to be widely rolled out, but that means that we can get a closer look.

You can’t drive the vehicles, but it looks like they’ll be found in set locations around the map. They don’t look dissimilar to the game’s iconic Battle Bus, with similar struts across the vans’ wheels, although there are a few details that set them apart. Most notable is the giant hologram that sits on the roof, but there’s also a logo on the side and a series of buttons to be found towards the back of the van.

That logo looks pretty similar to the banners that players can pick up in Apex Legends, which allow players to revive fallen teammates. My guess is that allies will be able to pick up Epic’s takes on the situation from their fallen friends, and make a dash for a van.

From there, heading towards the back of the van and plugging in that banner will likely respawn a new version of your pal from the hologram on top of the van. Character model and skin will likely be intact, but the holographic element would suggest you won’t have access to your weapons.

If that’s the case, then this’ll be incredibly similar to the system that Apex Legends introduced to the genre when it launched earlier this month. Epic quickly made it clear that it was keeping a close eye on its new competitor, suggesting that it was looking into a respawn mechanic. The developer has already borrowed from Apex with Fortnite’s new ping system, and while this was all on the cards, I’m surprised at how quick – and how brazen – the turnaround has been.