Fortnite is one of the few games to transition from video game to full blown phenomenon, part of this is due to the devs’ willingness to re-invent the game continuously. Most updates and season changes see big differences sweep the maps, but the current season has flooded the map and sneakily removed the Golden Mushrooms introduced previously.

The new maps bring new challenges and mini-quests to pursue each time, and this one is no exception. Through all of this though, the core gameplay of Fortnite holds true. The game is still, at its heart, a battle royale with crafting, and its weapons reflect that. The actual roster of weapons remains a host of powerful guns that rotate to keep balance. This means some weapons get vaulted, or taken out of the game temporarily, for various reasons.

Not long ago, several players observed something interesting in a gameplay reveal trailer for Fortnite’s new Black Manta content. Specifically, they saw a player get killed and drop the Heavy Assault Rifle, a weapon that was vaulted last June. This led to people thinking the weapon would leave the vault, and it seems they were right. The full list of weapons currently in the Fortnite vault is constantly changing, and weapons get removed as often as put in. For anyone interested, here is current full list of vaulted Fortnite weaponry:

  • Auto-Sniper Rifle Boom Bow Burst SMG Combat Shotgun Crossbow Double Barrel Shotgun Drum Gun Drum Shotgun Dual Pistols Flint-Knock Pistol Hand Cannon Heavy Shotgun Heavy Sniper Rifle Infantry Rifle Pump Shotgun Light Machine Gun Revolver Scoped Revolver Semi-Auto Sniper Six Shooter Storm Scout Sniper Rifle Submachine Gun Tactical Assault Rifle Thermal Assault Rifle Tactical SMG Zapotron

It’s not surprising that the update to the Heavy Assault Rifle’s vaulted status was spotted ahead of time. Although it was just a blink and miss it moment, Fortnite players have gotten good at spotting small details and predicting upcoming changes. Before the reveal, when it was first leaked that Black Manta was coming to Fortnite, the leak was held as easily reliable. Even with such big twists, the Fortnite community has gotten good at rolling with whatever comes.

Only time will tell if the unvaulting of the Heavy Assault Rifle is permanent. The devs of Fortnite will have to see how much people love it vs. how powerful it is. Its re-vaulting would not be too surprising, as Fortnite has vaulted fan favorite weapons en-masse before. More likely it has returned with some tweaks, but nothing too extravagant.

No matter what weapons are in the vault, there are always new things to be tried around the map while they last. Right now, some players are less concerned with the weapons in the vault and more with Aquaman’s Trident.

Fortnite is available on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are in development.