Fortnite Teases The Return Of Hated B.R.U.T.E. Mechs

Get away from her, you b*tch. If you want to re-enact that iconic power loader scene from James Cameron's Aliens in Fortnite, now you can. B.R.U.T.E.s pack a punch, and for those who've stuck with the game for a while, even the mention of these menacing mechs is enough to make you put down your controllers.

Vehicles in Fortnite get a bit of a bad rep, and while those rumours of ballers returning never came true, the hated B.R.U.T.E mechs look like they're going to muscle their way into the cube-filled madness of Chapter 2 Season 8. 

What are Fortnite B.R.U.T.E.s? 

Introduced in the game-changing Chapter 1 Season X, B.R.U.T.E.S. are easily the most divisive mode of transport to grace the game. The two-person vehicle was deemed OP from the get-go, with strong armour and a rocket launcher that could blow enemy structures and enemies to kingdom come. 

Now, prominent dataminers like Shiina and HYPEX claim the B.R.U.T.E.s are back in a big way. According to Shiina, the code "FundingStation.Mech.FundedAmount" has been found in the backend. It doesn't take a genius to work out B.R.U.T.E.s will be tied to the new funding station mechanics. 

There's been a big war effort in Season 8, and with J.B. Chimpanski on a recruitment drive, it all makes a lot of sense. Season 8 is due to round off in December, so expect to see B.R.U.T.E.S. before the festive season - we just don't know when.

What's new with B.R.U.T.E.S.?

If you hated B.R.U.T.E.s the first time around, HYPEX teases that there will be some much-needed changes. Although we don't know how powerful B.R.U.T.E.s will be in terms of armour and firepower, there are a couple of new features. A neat trick is the mention of a "robotic vocal cords", which will presumably give you a Transformers-esque filter in voice chat. 

Elsewhere, B.R.U.T.E.s are more versatile than ever, with an added bonus that they'll apparently be able to float. As you can imagine, reception toward the return of B.R.U.T.E.s was a little frosty. Discussing their return, one critic wrote, "Bruh is everyone really hyped over these game breaking things coming back? I remember one match- four people in the circle left, and 3 of them had mechs. I jumped off the cliff right into the water."

Someone else said "Can't wait to see this on trending again" and shared a screenshot of a previous #removethemech hashtag. Another added, "'They’re good for killing sweats' - trust me, you’re gonna regret your decision to vote for it if it ends up winning." Love 'em or hate 'em, it sounds like these rocking robots are here to shake up your Fortnite experience in Season 8.