Fortnite‘s island is a dynamic place where players are likely to find all kinds of loot and wacky characters. Players who need someone to watch their back can turn to certain NPCs, who offer their services for a price. In the past, NPC followers were little more than a distraction, but a new command feature is reportedly under development at Epic Games.
According to popular data miner HYPEX, Epic has begun working on an NPC command feature that lets the player give orders to a character that’s following them. It will work like an emote wheel, with different sections being devoted to different commands. Fortnite already uses this circle menu for other things like emotes, so it makes sense that commands could use a similar function.
It’s unclear what the commands will be yet, but they will likely include orders that tell the character to hold position, go to a specific location, or fire on incoming enemies. If it works properly, this could really increase the value of hiring an NPC in the game. Players in solo matches will be able to execute new strategies and unlock vaults more easily with this feature.
An interesting suggestion from the community includes the option for an NPC character to fire on an enemy that you’ve pinged. Hopefully, another option lets the player command the NPC to emote, allowing the character to join the player in a moment of celebration.
Currently, there’s no timing or confirmation on the feature, but HYPEX has generally been correct about features coming to the game in the past.
