Known officially as Loot Sharks, these are creatures with many purposes. Part loot source, part vehicle and part threat, they are hard to find and pin down.
Unsurprisingly, they are the subject of challenges, so learning how best to find them and catch them will come in handy.
Note this particular challenge is no longer able to be completed.
What’s new? Chapter 3 Season 3 has arrived! New additions include Reality Seeds and Saplings and riding animals, along with the new Battle Pass, characters collection and map changes.
It’s a good idea to know how to get XP fast in Fortnite.
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Looking for more from the new season? The new map features several additions - such as the Fortilla whirlpool, Homely Hills Gnomes - while our Season 3 Battle Pass skins and Aquaman skin pages showcase all the new rewards.
Thankfully, you’ll know when you see one, with a telltale fin sticking out of the water. This isn’t to be confused with the splashing of fishes or the new addition of whirlpools - especially as sharks will move at quite a pace.
If you are struggling, try sticking to some of the more island-like locations - The Fortilla for example - where, anecdotally, we found more of. We also found more in ‘standard’ Battle Royale modes as opposed to Team Rumble, though that might have been luck on our part.
Alternatively, non-player characters on the map - such as Henchmen - will fire at sharks on sight. This is useful as you’ll see the shark’s health bar from a distance, saving you some trouble finding them - and helping you lower their health at the same time.
Not only should you stay out of the water, but even on land you need to keep an eye on their position. Sharks will regularly leap out of the sea at you, thrash around on the shore or pier and damage you, before returning back to the water once more.
A head-on attack can reduce your health significantly, so you always want to watch where they are.
They can also destroy some buildings, so you won’t even be safe indoors.
Once defeated, they’ll leave loot behind. This can include some of the more rarer weapon types in the game.
If you need new weapons or ammo mid-fight, the good news is they are fairly relentless, so you won’t lose them easily.
This is particularly useful if you are looking for a fishing rod…
You’ll find Fishing Rods as an uncommon drop in Chests, and also in barrels at the end of some piers at the edges of locations.
Once you have one, throw out a line at the Shark.
It should grab it soon enough, and once done, you’ll ride it as if it was a jetski.
You are in full control of a Shark when riding it - allowing you to boost, jump and move in whichever direction you like. You can even aim and fire your weapon by zooming in.
There are much easier vehicles to find in Fortnite, so consider this a neat Easter Egg rather than a recommended strategy. That said, it can come in useful for some types of challenges…
Fortnite Chapter 4 Chapter 1 is here, complete with a new augments system, the coming arrival of Geralt and the Ageless Champion to beat! We’ve also got a present list for Winterfest and Cozy Lodge and pizza slice locations.
Meanwhile, learn how to get XP fast, earn the Victory Umbrella, find character locations and earn a Victory Crown.
With the ability to ride a Shark, you can then move it to another place on the map.
For example, we found two Sharks within The Fortilla during a match, and had time to ride one north to Sweaty Sands, release it then fire upon it for the challenge.
This won’t be possible everywhere due to the layout of the map and where the circle will end up, but if you’re struggling to complete this (or other Shark-related challenges) then it might be worth ignoring the intended location, doing other things, and if you manage to find a Shark on your travels and have the time to ride it, know you can complete it that way.
Looking for more from the new season? There are other challenges - such as Catty Corner Vault - while our Season 3 Battle Pass skins page showcases all the new rewards.
