Highlights

  • Epic Games has vaulted Earthbending in Fortnite after just introducing it, with reasons still unclear.
  • Earthbending was likely deemed too powerful due to its ability to rip through buildings, leading to its removal.
  • It's likely Earthbending will return as it is needed to complete Avatar-themed quests to unlock various cosmetics, including an Appa glider.

UPDATE 4/13: After a short time within the vault, Earthbending has returned to the game. The major issue with being able to glitch inside a player-made structure has been patched, though the normal functionality seems to be exactly as it was.

Original story follows.

After launching the Avatar: The Last Airbender collaboration in Fortnite just recently, Epic Games has already vaulted Earthbending without any sense as to if or when it will be returning. After numerous teases and leaks, the anticipated Avatar: The Last Airbender mini-event has finally arrived in Fortnite. Over the next few weeks, fans can complete quests with a small event battle pass to unlock all sorts of themed cosmetics, including skins for the Airbender Aang in both his regular and Avatar State forms.

From a gameplay perspective, the Avatar: The Last Airbender event in Fortnite also brought with it new mechanics in the form of bending scrolls. Based on the franchise, players can come across 4 different types of elements during matches, with each one offering benefits such as healing with Waterbending, increasing mobility through Airbending, or unleashing destructive power as a Firebender. Earthbending offers players both offensive and defensive capabilities, able to not only toss chunks of earth but to put up walls to defend an area. As it turns out, it seems Epic has deemed Earthbending too powerful and has vaulted the recently added item.

aang standard style next to avatar state style
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Notable Fortnite leaker Shiina has posted that the Earthbending scroll has been suddenly been vaulted from Fortnite, less than a day after it was introduced. While the other 3 scrolls can still be found and utilized by players, Earthbending has disappeared entirely, leaving many wondering what happened. Comments on Shiina's post seem to be mixed, with some indicating it was hard to use or felt underwhelming, while others lamented the fact that it's not terribly surprising based on how it performed.

Why Did Fortnite Remove Earthbending?

While fans wait for an official explanation from Epic, many have begun to speculate as to why the item has now joined the ranks of Fortnite's Olympian powers in the vault. Some players have discovered that the higher tier versions, including the mythic level rarity of Earthbending may have some broken elements to it. Not only can it rip through player-made buildings and structures, but if used when close enough to a wall or structure, earth can be pulled up from inside of it and thrown, easily killing players without having to first break down the wall. That's likely part of the reason why Epic has removed it.

As it stands, Earthbending will likely return at some point due in large part to the fact that it will be necessary for the Earth Chakra quests that go live on April 15. Either that, or Epic will have to modify the quests in some way to address the missing element entirely. As part of the Elements Quest players can undertake, the goal is to finish each set as they release to "unblock" each chakra. However, for many fans, the big reward for unlocking all six chakras is the special Appa Glider that is unlocked for Fortnite players.