What Is Siphon? Fortnite's New Game Mechanic Explained

One of "Fortnite's" strengths is how it's constantly evolving to keep gameplay fresh for new and returning players. In this case, its latest update reintroduces the "Siphon" mechanic. However, not everyone will know what that is because it's been a long time since it was last in "Fortnite."

Siphon was first introduced to "Fortnite" as a limited-time game mode back in 2018. Epic Games reintroduced it as a temporary mechanic during a few other updates, including v7.40 and v8.20 updates. Originally, Siphon removed all healing and shield items. Instead, it based defenses and healing on the amount of damage you dealt and what kind of enemies you killed. The higher the damage, the higher the recovery power. However, the Siphon mechanic was previously only applicable in the Siphon game mode. This time, Siphon is available in the Battle Royale regular mode as a reality augment.

Here's what else you should know about Siphon in the latest "Fortnite" update.

The official "Fortnite" blog lists five reality augments in Fortnite v23.20. Two of these augments are Shotgun Striker and Rarity Check, which feature Siphon abilities. Shotgun Striker gives the player Siphon when they land a shot on their opponent. Meanwhile, Rarity Check gives Siphon if the player eliminates another with a common or uncommon weapon, which could encourage players to experiment with the game's most powerful weapons.

"Fortnite" fans generally know that Siphon means shield or healing power in exchange for damage. According to Dot Esports, Siphoning heals between 25 and 50 health points per elimination depending on the game mode, and it converts those to shield points if your health is already full. 

"Fortnite" YouTuber Tabor Hill points out that players will need to grind for these five augments to fully get a feel for them. If you haven't revisited "Fortnite" in a while, it means that you need to grind through multiple games before you can take advantage of all the perks — or at least the Siphon abilities included in Shotgun Striker and Rarity Check. Hill advises playing Team Rumble where you will get to unlock all the augments and test them out. Meanwhile, you could be eliminated when playing a solo game of "Fortnite" before you get them.