Fortnite Combat Cache: How to recover one when it appears

Recovering a Fortnite Combat Cache
(Image credit: Epic Games)

The Fortnite Combat Cache was added to the battle royale for Season 2, along with several other mechanics that involve things spawning in at various points during the match. With Supply Drops currently vaulted in Fortnite, the Combat Cache is now one of the best sources for high rarity loot, and the quicker you can get to it the better your rewards will be – though there's only one available per match, and it quickly becomes hot property as it's revealed to all players at the same time. You'll need to find and recover one of these elusive canisters for an entry in the Fortnite quests for Week 3, which means they're becoming even more in demand as additional players find out about them. If you want to recover a Combat Cache in Fortnite, then here's everything you need to know.

How to recover a Combat Cache in Fortnite

(Image credit: Epic Games)

You'll need to be patient while waiting for a Fortnite Combat Cache to appear, as they don't spawn until the end of the second Storm Eye Shrinking phase. When you reach that point in a match, you'll hear an audio cue and a marker for the Combat Cache will be placed on your screen along with an icon on the map, which you can then choose to follow to its location. You'll also see a beam of light shining down on it, with the color indicating the rarity of the items you'll receive if you recover it – this starts out as Legendary, but gradually ticks down through Epic, then Rare etc the longer the Combat Cache remains unclaimed.

Therefore you have an incentive to recover a Combat Cache in Fortnite quickly to improve the quality of loot you receive, but the same applies for all other players too. If you get to a Combat Cache first and start recovering it then a progress bar will begin filling, at which point you should build some protective walls around it and be ready to defend your prize from others who are trying to steal it. Likewise, if you see the progress bar start filling around the icon before you arrive then another player is already recovering it, which means you'll need to fight your way in and interact with it so you can take over control before it's too late. If you want this action to count towards completing the quest, then you need to ensure you have control of the Combat Cache when it finally opens.

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Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 500 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.