Fortnite UFOs: How to find UFO locations, fly spaceships and eliminate Trespassers explained
How to take to the skies with the out of this world vehicle.
Fortnite UFOs are a new addition to Season 7, and go hand-in-hand with the alien theme.
A new vehicle type, these spaceships can hover high above the ground, abduct objects and players, and fire projectiles onto the ground.
This page explains where to find UFOs in Fortnite and how to fly a spaceship once you've found them.
On this page:
Note this particular challenge is no longer able to be completed. What's new? Chapter 4 Season 2 has arrived! New additions include the Grind Rails and Kinetic Blades, along with the new Battle Pass, character collection and Eren Jaeger skin. It's a good idea to know how to get XP fast in Fortnite.
Fortnite UFO locations: Where to find spaceships in Fortnite
Fortnite's new vehicle type, the UFO, can be found hovering above certain places across the island.
This changes from match-to-match, but you can tell exactly where they are from the very start by looking at the map, and finding which named locations are in purple, with a shimmering effect:
In our experience, three named locations will be highlighted. When you visit, you'll see UFOs in the air, circling around.
From our matches so far, three UFOs will appear in the sky - meaning there should be nine UFOs per match.
Of course, as the match goes on, it's possible you may find them crash landed on the map - this is from players who have hijacked them, flown away, then parked them before moving on (or, most likely, been knocked out after a firefight).
So you might be wondering - how do you get your hands on a UFO in the first place?
How to hijack and fly a UFO in Fortnite
The easiest way to hijack a UFO in Fortnite is let them abduct you.
If you watch UFOs from a distance, you'll notice they'll regularly lower and pick up objects and random players. The aim is to join in, where you'll be in the perfect position to knock out the pilot, named Trespassers.
If you stand somewhat underneath the UFO, they should slowly make their way over, and fire a tractor beam. If you shoot at them at this point, there's a good chance they will retaliate with a projectile - which will cause 30 damage and send you flying across the map. So - best to come in peace.
Once you have been abducted, the ship will begin flying you away from the named location. As they do, you are free to use any of your weapons or items - so equip a gun.
Aim for the pilot with a weapon - which is the purple cockpit just above where the tractor beam comes from - and keep firing.
If successful, you should knock them out, and the ship should come crashing down.
How to eliminate Trespassers in Fortnite
It's also possible to just damage the ship to bring it down. If that's the case, the Trespasser won't hesitate to attack you.
You'll quickly have a firefight on your hands - but in our experience, they aren't too different from regular NPCs which patrol the map, and should be easy to take on.
It will depend on whether or not you have the right weaponry at hand, or if there are other players in the vicinity attacking you as well. But in either case, it can be useful to engage in combat with them if you want one of the season's new weapons - a ray gun with unlimited ammo, which drops from the Trespasser when defeated.
Whichever way you bring the UFO down, it's then yours to pilot.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 is here! It brings a free Lego Insider skin and redemption codes with it, along with a new Victory Umbrella. We've also got pages on new features like Medallions, Weapon Mods, and how to complete a Train Heist. Meanwhile, learn what the best weapons are in the current season, how to get XP fast, and what the best PC settings are to help earn a Victory Crown.
Fortnite UFO controls and features explained
Once you're in a UFO, the controls are a little overwhelming at first. In short, they are split across the screen in the left side, and the bottom right.
They work as follows:
- Use the triggers to ascent and descend.
- Press Circle (or B on Xbox) to boost through the air.
- Press L1 (or LB on Xbox) to use a tractor beam. Press the left trigger to drop down close enough, and when a crosshair appears over an object, you can then lift it up (and press again to drop).
- Press R1 (or RB on Xbox) to fire a projectile. These take a few seconds to warm up, but have a decent splash radius to knock enemies flying - and deal them 30 damage each time.
- Once you are done, press the Square (or X on Xbox) button to leave the UFO.
The size of the UFO makes you an easy target, but if you can boost and fire a projectile quickly, you can keep any foes on their toes. The projectile is particularly useful, as once you manage to land one and send an enemy flying, you can keep chaining attacks to seriously disorient them - provided you can track where they fly off to each time, of course.
Even if you aren't interested in using them for combat, UFOs are great to get for exploring the various map changes quickly!