Fortnite's broken Deku Smash ability is gone, for now

Fortnite My Hero Academia
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite has disabled the Deku Smash ability in an attempt to resolve an issue.

As per the announcement via the tweet below, earlier today on December 21, the Deku Smash ability was taken out of Fortnite with immediate effect. Currently, there's no word on what issue exactly Epic Games is hoping to resolve by taking out the ability from the battle royale game.

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Right now, Epic also hasn't given a projected time for when they expect the Deku Smash ability to be reactivated. If you're curious about what's going on with the ability, and Fortnite at large, we'd recommend keeping on an eye on the Fortnite Status Twitter account for updates straight from the development team.

This will no doubt be a blow to Fortnite players who loved using Deku Smash, which was summarily declared overpowered last week when it was added to the game. The ability works as a barrage of ranged projectiles, homing in on a certain point to deal huge damage to buildings, vehicles, and players alike. Considering you can just happen upon the Deku Smash ability in any old chest, it's easy to see why it was quickly declared OP.

Deku and the rest of the My Hero Academia characters just joined Fortnite less than a week ago. You can currently purchase Deku, Bakugo, Uraraka, and All Might (in his two forms) in the game's item store, and if you're willing to pony up the cash for a bundle containing all four, you'll get other MHA-themed cosmetic items like Back Bling and a glider.

Check out our full Fortnite My Hero Academia quests guide for a step-by-step walkthrough of how to accomplish each objective. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.