Fortnite Season 7: IO Tech Weapons, Vaulted Weapons, And Unvaulted Weapons

A new season of Fortnite means a new landscape of weapons to learn. Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 goes heavy on the sci-fi, so there are several new weapons to master, in addition to some previous weapons being vaulted or unvaulted. Among the most exciting new additions are IO and alien tech weapons, such as the Recon Scanner and the Kymera Ray Gun. In this guide, we'll walk you through the new list of weapons you'll find across Apollo. Put on your tinfoil hats and get in there with these Fortnite Season 7 vaulted and unvaulted weapons, then stay tuned as we break down all the brand-new weapons first arriving on the island.

IO Tech Weapons

To do battle with the aliens, the Imagined Order has brought its own new guns to Apollo. To find these new weapons, defeat IO guards wherever you find them. Most reliably, you can find them at Corny Complex, any new defensive outpost (look for the satellites), or near blue smoke where you'll also find UFOs. At the start of Season 7, three new weapons have come to the game under the banner of IO tech. This includes the Pulse Rifle, the Recon Scanner, and the Rail Gun.

The Pulse Rifle is a sci-fi AR-class weapon never before seen in the game. The Recon Scanner lets you scan the area for nearby chests and other loot. You can even ping enemies with it when in range, which will help you with a Week 7 Epic Quest. The Rail Gun, perhaps most impressively, charges up, then blasts right through structures, perfect for clearing out an enemy fortress in the final circle.

The aliens have brought their own new weapon too, in the Kymera Ray Gun, which alien NPCs will drop in invaded locations. Epic is teasing more weapons coming to the game in the weeks ahead, so look for those in future patch notes covered here on GameSpot.

Fortnite Season 7 Vaulted Weapons

One of the first questions many players seem to have when a new season of Fortnite launches is: What weapons have been vaulted? In Fortnite Season 7, the list of vaulted (no longer available) weapons isn't too long, but it might include something you got used to, so check to see what's absent.

• Infantry Rifle
• Revolver
• Bow (all types)
• Harpoon Gun
• Dual Pistols

The lack of a harpoon gun means there's no other way to fish than with a good old-fashioned pole--okay, or you can still blow up fishing spots with grenades if you're feeling dangerous. In addition to those, the Flopper fish, Stink fish, and Vendetta fish won't be found in the waters of the island, at least not right now. Keep in mind that Epic likes to vault and unvault additional items as a season goes on.

The Infantry Rifle was only around for a few weeks of Season 6 before it was vaulted once more, while the Revolver seems to come and go almost alternatingly across Fortnite seasons, so don't expect it to be gone for long.

Fortnite Season 7 Unvaulted Weapons

Epic would never remove a bunch of items and not replace them with others. The list of unvaulted weapons is actually even longer than the vaulted list, so players can enjoy access to more weapons at the start of Season 7. Here's the list:

• Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle
• Heavy Assault Rifle
• Suppressed SMG
• Pistol
• Hand Cannon

Snipers have returned after taking the entire Season 6 off, to either your dismay or excitement depending on how adept you find yourself to be aiming down the scope. While the Revolver and Dual Pistols depart, two other handguns--the Pistol and Hand Cannon-- return to replace them. Joining these weapons, other unvaulted items include the Launch Pad, which can be placed on any player-built flat surface to send you gliding across the map.

Nuts And Bolts Crafting

Sorry, Banjo fans. This is unrelated. Epic has brought back crafting weapons for Season 7, but put a very interesting twist on it thanks to Nuts and Bolts, the new crafting resource you can scavenge from roving UFOs, like those in invaded locations. With Nuts and Bolts, you can craft otherwise vaulted weapons, making your creations extremely rare. For example, you can turn an SMG into a Rapid Fire SMG or a Shotgun into a Lever Action Shotgun. To do this, enter the crafting and inventory menu just like you would in Season 6, but instead of Bones and Mechanical Parts, combine your scavenged Nuts and Bolts with your equipped weapons to build some of the season's rarest firearms.

If you want more Fortnite Season 7 coverage, find a general overview of what's new in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7, or get more specific with the Week 1 challenges, which run alongside the new Alien Artifacts that you'll want to find to customize Kymera, the Battle Pass alien skin.