Epic Games added X-4 Stormwing planes to "Fortnite Battle Royale" in the v7.00 patch. This five-player plane was the first aerial vehicle in the game, and besides five seats, it also had a turret that was capable of dealing massive damage to both players and structures. In addition, planes could use the boost to destroy buildings, and players would get a glider redeploy after leaving the vehicle.
Adding planes to this popular video game turned out to be a bad move for Epic Games. A lot of players have complained about this addition, which resulted in numerous nerfs to it. However, even after all these nerfs, the community wasn't happy and wanted planes removed from the game. The "Fortnite" developer vaulted the vehicle at the start of Season 8, but it appears that it could soon return to the game.
Planes could come back soon
Many "Fortnite Battle Royale" players agree that X-4 Stormwing planes were overpowered and that they were a big reason why so many players third-partied. It was extremely easy to get into a fight with planes and to destroy the enemy's buildings, even during a build battle.
The plane allowed players to move around the island very quickly, which was a nice addition. However, its turret and building-destroying ability made it incredibly strong.
Data miners have recently discovered some interesting game files which indicate that the X-4 Stormwing plane could make its return to "Fortnite Battle Royale" at some point. Even after vaulting planes, Epic Games hasn't removed its files from the game data. However, data miners found additional files that were added, and one of these files will be used for low plane fuel.
The original X-4 Stormwing did not have fuel and players were able to use it infinitely. Reddit user kspaar found files called "Ferret_Warning_FuelLow" and "Ferret_Warning_FuelOut" in the game data, indicating that planes will return to the game and use fuel as its resource.
It is important to note that "Ferret" is the name for the plane in the game files.
Regular modes or LTM?
It is currently unknown whether Epic Games plans to bring planes back to the regular modes or limited-time game modes. Considering that the developer had received negative feedback for planes in Season 7, it will be surprising if they are brought back to the regular modes. However, it appears that these planes will be different when they come back, which is why they could be added to solo, duos, and squads playlists.