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Fortnite Reload: looting and damage now help bring your teammates back

Reload’s 42.40 update lets surviving teammates cut reboot timers by opening containers and dealing damage. Here is what each action saves in Duos and Squads.

CS
ClutchScope editorial
Published 25 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Fact-checked 25 Oct 2026 · Times stated with their timezone
Fictional battle-royale scene · AI illustration
Fictional battle-royale scene · AI illustration
AI clay-style illustration of a Fortnite-inspired gold chest and floating blue reboot symbol among small wooden builds
Original AI illustration by ClutchScope; a conceptual Fortnite Reload scene, not a gameplay screenshot or an official depiction of the reboot interface.
In this article
  1. What cuts the reboot timer
  2. Duos and Squads reward team wipes differently
  3. The starting wait also went up

Opening a chest can now help bring a teammate back in Fortnite Reload. Epic’s 42.40 update, published on 15 October 2026, added looting and damage as ways to shorten teammates’ reboot timers in Duos and Squads. Downs, eliminations and team wipes still reduce the wait too.

That changes what a surviving player can contribute between fights. An ammo box is no longer just a resupply: opening it takes a second off the reboot timer. A rare chest takes four seconds off. You do not have to secure an elimination for your actions to help.

What cuts the reboot timer

Epic’s Reload update notes give the following reductions for the new actions:

  • Ammo containers and similar small boxes, including Produce Boxes: 1 second.
  • Chests: 2 seconds.
  • Rare chests: 4 seconds.
  • Damage dealt: 1 second for every 30 points.

The damage rule gives a surviving teammate a contribution short of a down. Dealing 90 damage meets three 30-point increments, worth three seconds under the published rule. Opening a normal chest is worth two seconds without needing a fight.

These reductions are described for Duos and Squads, not Solo Reload.

Duos and Squads reward team wipes differently

Epic says the existing reductions for downs and eliminations are unchanged:

Action Duos Squads
Down an opponent 2 seconds 2 seconds
Eliminate an opponent 3 seconds 4 seconds
Wipe a team 5 seconds 10 seconds

A squad wipe therefore carries a larger listed reduction than a duo wipe. The notes list these as separate action values, but do not explain how every overlapping elimination and wipe trigger stacks; adding all three rows into a guaranteed total would go beyond the published detail.

The starting wait also went up

The extra ways to save time came with longer starting reboot timers. Epic describes an increase of 15 seconds per game-stage phase, and its Squads table consistently shows that increase: the listed waits changed from 30–40 seconds to 45–55 seconds, depending on the phase.

The Duos table is less clear. Its old row has seven entries while the new row has six, and they do not all line up with the stated 15-second increase. Until Epic clarifies that row, it is better to use the actual in-match countdown than a reconstructed phase-by-phase chart.