Fortnites new Flippin Sexy emote is giving players an unfair advantage

Related Articles

Enter the Upside Down world of Stranger Things with the new SFX

July 13, 2022

Fable reboot appoints a new narrative lead

July 10, 2022

Overwatch 2 beta update will address Mercys controversial changes

July 9, 2022

Fornite (opens in new tab)’s Flipping Sexy emote is getting an unusual workout online that’s either going to see it become a bane of the game, or get it patched to hell. 

This is what it’s meant to do: 

New emote in store: Flippin’ Sexy #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/sMGpMeXv36March 5, 2018

See more

That looks harmless enough. Except people have discovered that not only can you use it to hide, or take cover behind things that wouldn’t otherwise protect you; you can also cancel the animation instantly by shooting, turning it into a sort of acrobatic dodge that catches people off guard.

• Fortnite tips (opens in new tab)
• Fortnite Battle Pass Challenges guide (opens in new tab)
• Fortnite Tier 100 Challenge guide (opens in new tab)

This is what it looks like (opens in new tab) when you use it to hide: 

As you can see, people who have the emote – which was on sale March 5 last time – have been having a field day abusing its potential. For those that have it, and know how to use it, there’s a clear advantage in certain situations. A small dip in the ground suddenly becomes viable cover with a well timed flip.

Even as a basic dodge it can make all the difference between life and death: 

#fortnite #flippinsexy #dodge https://t.co/1nWoHSrG2j pic.twitter.com/G6hNYMwjEqMarch 5, 2018

See more

Because you can cancel the flip to shoot instantly, you can use it to move in an unpredictable way, confusing your opponents and effectively no-scope them while they’re trying to work out what the hell is going on: 

There’s a whole video of that here from MunkyTroopa, who seems capable of building his entire fighting style around the move. 

What’s going to be really interesting here is what happens when the emote comes back around on the store? At the moment, its use has been limited by its availability. Now people know what you can do with it, the next time it appears could see the game flooded with backflipping chaos. 

There are two choices: either Epic steer into the skid like PUBG (opens in new tab) did with the frying pan (which was only meant to whack grenades) or Destiny 2’s hilariously OP Prometheus Lens (opens in new tab), and give everyone access to the same fun. Or it needs balancing – restricting the animation to prevent no-scopes, or adding a cooldown when you’re vulnerable before you can move again. 

Looking for more Fortnite? Here’s how Fortnite’s spectator cam messes with your brain to make you like your enemies.