Fortnite Season 8 is chugging along nicely with about a month or so left until the end of the current cube-themed era of the game. Until then, though, Epic Games is making sure to introduce more content to tie players over until Season 9, such as the recently released Fortnite icy grappler item.

The Fortnite icy grappler is one of the additions this week in Season 8 to help the current Fortnite season fill out more content during November. This week, two additions help players enjoy the game, even though the major Fortnitemares event is now over. 

The release of the Fortnite icy grappler came alongside the 18.30 hotfix update for Fortnite Season 8 today. This new smaller update is a simple one meant to fix some issues with the game that Epic does not reveal in the announcement blog post for the patch. 

This is a much smaller hotfix update, not a content update one, so it is rather surprising that players now have a new weapon or two to enjoy alongside the release. That is a nice change of pace that helps a rather uneventful week be a bit more interesting than it would have been otherwise. 

With the conclusion of the Fortnitemares event that dominated the season for basically the past month or so, it is nice to see that Epic Games is trying to offset the feelings of missing that limited-time Halloween event by offering some items for players to use in battle royale from now on. Here’s what you need to know about these new items. 

For starters, there is the aforementioned Fortnite icy grappler weapon item that you can start using this week with this hotfix update. As the name implies, this is a colder version of the original grappler item, a fan favorite traversal weapon for easily getting around the map. 

The grappler is one of the most prolific traversal items in Fortnite, typically going in and out of the vault for the game on a seemingly regular basis. It is a welcome item since it allows the user to shoot ahead of a suction cup that will stick to a surface and pull the player almost instantly to that location. 

It is useful for escaping the storm, being wild in the middle of a fight, escaping a fight, and so on. As such, it is honestly surprising that Epic Games has not just made the item a permanent part of the battle royale game, especially how often it comes back. 

However, we are talking about the new Fortnite icy grappler variant of the item in this case. It is not just a slightly visually different version with frost all over it, but it changes the item’s utility. It functions mostly the same as it did before. 

You are still able to hold this Fortnite icy grappler, shoot out the suction cup, and it will stick to the surface or ground that you hit it with. It will also still launch you to that location that you shoot it at, but here is where the colder difference with this version of the item comes into play. 

While you are flying through the air, the Fortnite icy grappler will freeze the bottom of your feet, giving you a temporary sliding ability when you land wherever you aimed the item at. This will allow you to land and then continue on your way, sliding ahead.

This is great for escaping the storm even faster as it will give you a nice additional movement boost. Still, it will also be great for fights in being unpredictable in your movement and keeping your enemies on their toes. You can find it as exotic loot or exchange it for bars from Fabio Sparklemane. It is also not the only item that is available in this new hotfix update. 

Though this is not a brand new item, the Fortnite icy grappler is joined by the return of its predecessor: the original grappler. Once again, the grappler is back in battle royale and will be available for the foreseeable future. The icy grappler is cool and all, but the original might be more your style. 

If you do not like the more unpredictable nature of the icy grappler, you can find the original one in treasure chests and supply drops around the island. This will allow you to move in a more controlled way while also benefiting from leaping ahead across wide areas when necessary. 

It is worth noting that the Fortnite icy grappler and its original version are both not included in the competitive playlists, so do not expect to use them there. However, they are now available in the various unranked battle royale modes and likely Team Rumble, too, so you can start checking these items out right now. 

That is not all that is available in this update, either, as players will find that there are still cube monsters on the Season 8 island that can be found outside of The Sideways zones. They are not the only components of the Fortnitemares event that are still sticking around for a little longer. 

The Horde Rush limited-time mode and the various quests associated with it are remaining in Fortnite Season 8 until November 9 at around 6 a.m. PT, so players still have the chance to finish them off and get their rewards if they have not done so already.