How to use the rifts in 'Fortnite' to teleport away from enemies

By: Business Insider

July 13, 2018 at 16:49 PM EDT

Enzait Films / YouTube channel Enzait

The changing of Battle Pass seasons in Fortnite: Battle Royale is a big deal, and the introduction of Season 5 on Thursday may be the most highly anticipated yet, thanks to a one-time event — featuring a rocket launch and "rifts" in the space-time continuum — that marked the end of Season 4 and predicted an entirely new game mechanic.

When the rocket embedded into the side of the mountain just northeast of Snobby Shores launched into the sky on June 30, a series of cracks in the sky seemed to act as portals, eventually swallowing up the rocket.

These cracks were immediately dubbed "rifts," and became a constant, mysterious presence on the island, causing beloved landmarks to disappear and occasionally spitting out foreign-looking objects — presumably from another universe — giving rise to the "Worlds Collide" theme.

When Season 5 went live Thursday, Fortnite players found that they could now interact with the rifts for the first time, offering a whole new mechanic to the otherwise consistent battle royale-style game.

Here's how to find and use the rifts in Fortnite:

Before you can teleport through a rift, you'll have to find one. In Epic Games' promotional photos and trailers, the rifts looked like this...Epic Games

...but in the game, they look like this. I saw this rift as I was being pursued by another player behind me, who had already gotten one good shot in, so I booked it toward the rift.Screenshot / Business Insider

The rifts seem to be scattered randomly across the map, and only stay in one place for a short amount of time before disappearing again, but I had great luck finding a few just to the southeast of Loot Lake.

They're pretty easy to spot, just because they shine so brightly from a distance.

As you can see in the screengrab above, they shine even brighter than the treasure chests.

In fact, as I got closer, I noticed a second one close by.Screenshot / Business Insider

It's not yet clear how many rifts are on the island at a time, but I found a handful without having to look too hard, so they must not be very rare yet.

But you can only use a rift once. They simply disappear after the first player enters.

As I got closer, the rift began to open up and a mesmerizing, multi-colored ring formed around it. The other player was still hot on my trail, so I jumped in, hoping for a quick escape.Screenshot / Business Insider

To enter the rift, you don't have to press any buttons, simply walk into it.

They also emit an unmistakable, spacey sound effect that gets louder as you get closer.

The next thing I knew, I was upside down, way up in the sky. Before I had a moment to realize what had happened, I materialized through another rift way in the sky above the island, directly above the spot where I had entered.Screenshot / Business Insider

I then proceeded to parachute back onto the island, in the same location where I had entered the rift. Luckily, my attacker had moved on, and wasn't waiting for me at the bottom.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider