Fortnite x Overwatch Update: Weapons, Rewards & Zero Build Guide

Epic Games did not simply slap Overwatch skins on a battle pass and call it a crossover. The Fortnite Overwatch crossover: officially titled "Answer the Call": landed on May 14, 2026 as part of update v40.40, and it rewired how Zero Build works at a mechanical level. New weapons, new map POIs, a completely reworked mobility system, and somewhere between twelve and fifteen free cosmetics if you can be bothered to log in.

This is the final major update before Chapter 7 Season 2 wraps on June 5. Epic is treating it as the conclusion of the Showdown Rivalries arc, with Team Foundation and Team Ice King racing toward rival milestones that unlock more Overwatch content as the season closes out. Four skins are in the shop: Tracer, Mercy, Genji, and D.Va. All come with matching pickaxes, back blings, and LEGO styles, because apparently the Duplo audience needed Genji too.

The update is live in Battle Royale, Zero Build, Reload, and Blitz simultaneously. You do not need to own anything to experience the new mechanics: they apply to everyone whether they paid for skins or not.

There is also an Overwatch Fortnite Porsche Cayenne EV bundle with custom decals and wheels, in case you wanted to prove that no vehicle is safe from crossover creep.

New Weapons

Two Fortnite Overwatch weapons have entered the loot pool. They are not subtle. They are not balanced. They are, however, mechanically interesting enough to justify the hype for once.

The Dragonblade Mythic tied to Genji was also referenced in pre-release leaks. Whether it surfaces later in the act remains unconfirmed. Treat it as a rumor until Epic says otherwise.

Overwatch Loot Boxes: standard chests reskinned to look like the Overwatch variety: spawn near the new Overwatch-themed map additions. They are not the predatory gambling kind. Just chests. The naming is doing more work than the item warrants.

Zero Build Changed Everything

Epic is calling this the largest Zero Build overhaul since the mode launched. That assessment is accurate. The Fortnite Zero Build overhaul in v40.40 introduces seven distinct mechanical changes simultaneously, and most of them are permanent for the rest of the season while the feedback period runs.

Pocket Items

The build button is gone. In its place: Pocket Items: unlimited-use utility tools with cooldowns. Every player spawns with one. The three options at launch are Shockwave Grenades, Med Mist Grenades, and Shield Bubbles. You can swap your Pocket Item at Vending Machines around the map. The slot replaces nothing in your weapon inventory; it sits where building used to live.

Fall Damage Removed

Lethal fall damage is gone from all unranked matches. A fatal-height fall now triggers a Splat animation: your health drops to 1 HP, all shields and overshield are stripped, and you are left very alive and very vulnerable. Combined with the Caduceus Staff, this enables some genuinely stupid vertical plays.

Unlimited Sprint and Redeploy

Sprint is now unlimited when your pickaxe is active. Glider redeploy is also available at all times, cancellable mid-air. Both are unconditional. Neither requires an item or perk. Zero Build is now functionally a movement game with shooting in it.

These changes are experimental for Act III. Epic has stated that player feedback during this period will determine what stays in Zero Build going forward. If you despise something, the feedback button in the menu is not decoration.

New POIs

Several factories and gas stations across the Chapter 7 Season 2 map have been replaced or augmented with Overwatch-themed mini POIs. These spawn Overwatch Loot Boxes and, once the Team Foundation milestone is reached, Fortnite King's Row Payload event activates at King's Row Tower.

At King's Row Tower, a Payload spawns each match after the Showdown milestone unlocks. Escort it home, receive Overwatch loot. The mechanic mirrors Overwatch's payload game mode closely enough that anyone familiar with the source material will feel at home. Everyone else will walk past it without understanding what is happening, which is fine.

An Overwatch Dropship is also set to appear on the island as a team milestone reward: expected to function as a high-value loot drop location. Exact timing is tied to Rivalry wins across both teams.

Everything Free and How to Get It

There are two separate reward tracks: the Answer the Call Quest Line and the Daily Login Drops. Both run until the end of the season. The daily login track ends May 28 specifically, so how to get free Fortnite Overwatch rewards before that deadline deserves separate attention.

Log into the lobby: not into a match, just the lobby: on seven separate days before May 28. The game tracks it automatically. If you start no later than May 22, seven consecutive days will cover you. The rewards in order:

You can also claim the Horizon Wrap for free from the Epic Games Store item page directly: no quest required. Go get it now rather than forgetting.

Four characters, each with their own quest set. Mercy's quests are live now. Tracer's Fortnite Overwatch Answer the Call quests unlock May 19. D.Va and Genji follow in five-day intervals. Each quest gives 5,000 XP. Completing each character's full set unlocks a bonus cosmetic.

Completing all quest sets earns Reinhardt's Rocket Hammer Pickaxe: the highest-tier free reward in the collaboration. The quests themselves are standard fare: eliminations, health restoration, surviving at full health, and playing with squadmates. Run a few bot lobbies if you want to clear them fast without the inconvenience of other human beings.

Note The Overwatch Mercy Spray is a Team Foundation milestone reward, not a quest reward. Supporting Team Foundation in Rivalry matches is how it unlocks. Team Ice King gets the Overwatch logo spray instead: different art, same effort required.

Team Foundation vs Team Ice King

The Overwatch heroes sided with Team Foundation, which is either narrative or marketing depending on your level of cynicism. Both teams have three new Act III milestones tied to Rivalry wins, and the rewards unlock progressively as each team's cumulative wins accumulate across all players.

Both teams share the middle and final milestones but differ in their first objective. The Fortnite Showdown Rivalries Act 3 content includes the Payload arriving at King's Row, additional Overwatch caches appearing on the map, and expanded Overwatch-themed events yet to be detailed. The season ends June 5. There is a live event countdown coming in-game before then, alongside a few more collaborations: Ratatouille and a Fortnite SD Kid icon skin were mentioned as upcoming.

The Fortnite Overwatch skins price is whatever Epic has decided V-Bucks are worth this week. All four heroes: Tracer, Mercy, Genji, and D.Va: are available individually or as a bundle. Each comes with matching pickaxes, back blings, and LEGO styles. Buying them individually if you only want one character costs more than it should, because bundles are designed to make individual purchases feel irrational. This is not a new observation.