Also known as “life leech” in some games
As we head into the season of augmentation, there are even more game-altering perks coming to Fortnite as the chapter rages on. One of the more interesting additions is the “Siphon” mechanic, which allows users to leech (heal) life/shields from opponents. Let’s dig into how you can acquire Siphon, as well as some tips for using it effectively.
What does the Siphon mechanic in Fortnite do?
Originally debuting in 2018, Siphon was a gimmick of sorts that healed (life/shield) players for getting kills, which was the sole way to heal. Once the mode vanished the mechanic did as well, but Epic Games is keen to constantly unvault everything from full-on modes to weapons: so it makes sense that they’re bringing it back in 2023.
You can acquire Siphon in the following ways:
- With the Rarity Check augment
- With the Shotgun Striker augment
Rarity Check will Siphon health if you eliminate a player with a common (grey) or uncommon (green) weapon. It’s an interesting risk/reward tradeoff that allows you to show off your skills with weaker weapons in exchange for guaranteed health for winning skirmishes consistently.
Shotgun Striker is a bit more straightforward, and allows Epic to shuffle a shotgun meta into the game within reason. All you need to do to proc Shotgun Striker is use a shotgun while the augmentation is active, and you’ll Siphon health.
Here are some tips and best practices for using Siphon in Fortnite
- Rarity Check can be a very useful early-game augmentation, especially as you slowly build up your arsenal beyond common and uncommon weapons. And in the mid-to-late game, you can still hold a weapon of either rarity just to get a quick heal off.
- All you need to proc Rarity Check is the final blow. If you’re playing in a squad, you can finish other players off for the Siphon proc. Or if you’re playing solo, you can size up enemies and potentially drop down in rarity to get a free heal.
- Siphon heals health and shields, so try and make use of it if you’re not at full shield.
- Like you would act if you had a knack for any specific weapon type, keep an eye out for Shotgun Striker if you’re an ace with them. Aggressively mulligan (more on that in a moment) for Shotgun Striker.
- It’s important to remember that if you really want either of these augmentations, you can re-roll (shuffle) your choices once for free every game; with a gold cost associated beyond that first re-roll.
- Randomly getting augmentations isn’t something you need to stress about too much, just be ready to adapt your playstyle when a particularly advantageous one does pop up
