Search Fortnite floating lightning bolts - Find them all with our complete location guide

One Fortnite season 5 week 1 challenges is to search Fortnite floating lightning bolts. But what are the Fortnite floating lightning bolts and where are they? To answer that you need to look up and build so, so fast. 

Much like the old letters, the Fortnite lightning bolts are scattered around the map, in the air - find them, search them and you're done. It's just that these are much, much higher, which means you're more exposed, and for many of them you'll be high enough to take fall damage if anyone shoots out your ramps. So get up fast, but get down even faster. 

We've found 17 but you only need seven Fortnite floating lightning bolts to complete the challenge.   

All Fortnite floating lightning bolts locations

  • Middle of Retail Row
  • Middle of Tilted Towers
  • Motel
  • Middle of Greasy Grove 
  • Hill west of Tomato Town
  • Jetty West of Loot Lake
  • Middle of Dusty Divot
  • Hill west of Wailing Woods
  • North east in Wailing Woods
  • Depot near Flush Factory
  • Mountain east of Snobby Shores
  • Bridge South of Shifty Shafts
  • Mountains East of Haunted Hills
  • Watchtower near Lonely Lodge
  • Lucky Landing
  • Salty Springs, west side 
  • Waterfall, north edge of the map, North west of Lucky Landings G2

If you're aiming for any of those locations you'll likely see one of the Fortnite floating lightning bolts as you glide in - they're dimly visible from a distance but get brighter as you approach. Here's how to find them in more detail. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Retail Row 

Head to retail and you'll see the Fortnite lightning bolt over the street more or less in the middle. It's low enough that you can build up to it from ground level so hit a nearby building roof, gather all the resources you can as you work through it and grab the bolt. There's little risk of fall damage here.

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Tilted Towers

This is probably one of the more dangerous Fortnite floating lightning bolts to get. Not only is it in Tilted, which is a challenge at the best of times but its high enough up to kill you if you fall. However, it's not far that central building you see near by. If you can get to it from there it's only a couple of tiles out. You're still vulnerable to falling though if someone shoots your gantry out so be quick. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Motel

The motel Fortnite floating lightning bolt is a fairly safe and easy one to get. It's right in the middle of the car park and only about 3-4 levels up so you can build a ramp to it with little fear of taking any fall damage. It's just all the usual guns and bullet death you have to worry about.

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Greasy Grove 

The Greasy Grove Fortnite lightning bolt is another easyish one - it's not too high and easy to reach. Land, smash a couple of things up to build a ramp, grab and and go. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Tomato Town, west

You'll find a Fortnite lightning bolt to just to the west of Tomato Town, by this little hill. You can build out to it easily from the edge of the hill but you will be in a position to take fall damage if anyone shoots your walkway... away.  

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Loot Lake

The Loot Lake Fortnite lightning bolt is another relatively easy grab. It's not too high so it's just a case of building a few ramps up from the north most jetty. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Dusty Divot

The Fortnite lightning bolt in Dusty Divot is a bit of a pain. While the area has changed significantly for season 5 it's still a bit of a death trap to get through. The lightning bolt is placed right in the centre as well so you either have to fly in and try and get enough materials among all the initial fighting, or run in later if the storm will let you. At least it's not death high. Which is an official measurement I'm using now. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: hill west of Wailing Woods

West of Wailing Woods you'll find a little hill with an RV on and a nice easy Lightning bolt. It's not very high and it's not too near any likely sources or carnage, so build a quick tower to get it and move on before anyone tries to ruin anything. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Wailing Woods, north

You'll find a Fortnite lightning bolt actually inside Wailing Woods, which is a bit of problem because of all the trees. It's near the north, north east edge of the forest so you could up and over from outside, putting yourself at risk of having it all shot out. Or you could build up from inside which means trying to look up through the tree canopy. Best option? Go somewhere else...

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Depot near Flush Factory

Head to the building near Flush Factory where the dance floor is and you'll find a nice low Fortnite Lightning bolt to pick up in the middle of the street. This is a nice simple one to get if Flush is one of the last places the bus reaches, although maybe not one to get of it's an early drop off. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Snobby Shores mountain

This Fortnite Lightning bolt is a bit of a trap as it's both dangerously high up and easy to reach. If you can land on the mountain near by then it's only a couple of platforms out to reach it. Just be careful because if anyone shoots them out from under you, you are so dead. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Orange bridge south of Shifty Shafts

I'm going to go with medium difficulty for this: it's annoying but not hard to reach and at a height where you'll take fall damage but probably survive. Find the orange bridge just south, south east of Shifty and there's lightning bolt level with it; just not actually on the bridge. In fact it's infuriatingly placed because there's not really an obvious win - building out to reach it from either side, or from the bridge itself are all equally a bit crap so make a call and get out there. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: between the mountains east of Haunted Hills 

This is tricky one to get and probably not one you should chose to go for unless you like punishing yourself. Honestly, what have you done to deserve a Fortnite lightning bolt floating halfway between two mountains? If you most go for it then pick one of the mountains and build a ramp up from one of the lower ledges - that way you can leg it to a safer height once you got it and maybe minimise fall damage if your platforms get shot away. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Watchtower near Lonely Lodge

There is such a high risk of dying horribly in a knee crunching, screaming all the way down kind of style here that I'm taking no responsibility for anything if you go after this Fortnite lightning bolt. It's high, it's exposed and you'd have to be mad to try and build all the way up to it. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Lucky Landing, north east

Head to Lucky Landing and the tower slight outside to the north east and you'll see a Fortnite lightning bolt level with the building's roof. It's near a small hill so your call if you build out from there or the tower. It's high enough to stuff plenty of fall damage in your pockets though, so take care. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Salty Springs

As long as Salty Springs isn't too busy then the Fortnite lightning bolt you can find there is a pretty easy get. It's right between two houses more or less in the centre, making it's easy to reach with little building. Bonus points for not having a drop that'll kill you. 

Fortnite floating lightning bolts location: Waterfall, north coast

Of all the Fortnite lightning bolts you can get this feels like the one most tempting fate, as it juts out over the ocean. It's on the far north coast where the big river leaves the island and becomes one with the sea. Which is exactly what you don't want to be doing, so if you must go for this one don't hang about. 

Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.