Fortnite Spirit Locator: how to get and use it

The Spirit Locator is a niche item, but frankly useful if you're hunting for the spirits you're missing. It reveals the location of a Spirit Chest that only you can see - and that's its whole appeal. Requirement: reach mastery rank 5 on 17 distinct spirits. Not insurmountable, especially if you know the shortcuts.

How to unlock the Spirit Locator

The Spirit Locator can't be dropped on the map and can't be bought anywhere. It's part of the rewards from the progression system tied to collected spirits. The exact requirement: reach mastery level 5 on 17 different spirits.

Two points not to miss:

• You must extract the spirit at max level to validate its mastery rank. Finish the match without extracting it, and it doesn't count.
• Quack Snacks grant +1 level instantly for 1,500 gold - a significant time saver if you want to grind the 17 ranks faster.

Once the 17 spirits are validated, three Spirit Locators are added to your inventory. They stay there until you use them. No other player can steal them from you between matches.

How to use the Spirit Locator

Activation is done via the gadget wheel. Here are the steps in order:

• In-game, hold Triangle to open the gadget wheel.
• Select the Spirit Locator on the left side of the wheel - it temporarily replaces your Pickaxe.
• Hold R2: a 3-second countdown starts.
• After 3 seconds, a Spirit Chest is revealed on the map. The location is only visible to you.

Follow the on-screen marker. The chest appears as a blue chest topped with a hologram of the spirit it contains. This hologram is valuable info: it tells you upfront which spirit is inside, letting you decide whether it's worth the detour.

To open it, re-equip your Pickaxe and hit the ground area at the indicated spot. The spirit is yours.

What to keep in mind before activating it

The Spirit Locator is consumed as soon as you use it. No refund if you get eliminated right after, and that's actually the critical point: if you die after revealing a chest but before opening it, you lose both the Spirit Locator and the spirit inside. In other words, don't activate this gadget in the middle of a tight fight.

Important note

The revealed spirit can be any one - including a water spirit if you're out of luck. The Locator doesn't filter, it locates. That's the fundamental difference with the Lucky Locator, another gadget announced for later in the season which, unlike this one, guarantees a spirit missing from your collection. If your goal is to complete the Codex, the Lucky Locator will clearly be more effective - but it's not yet available at the time this article was written.