Fortnite's Chapter 7 Season 2 April Fools' update (patch 40.10) introduced shoulder riding, a Social Interaction emote that lets one player hop onto another player's shoulders. Multiple players can stack on top of each other to form towering human pillars, and the whole thing pairs nicely with the big head mode that arrived in the same update. The emote is also tied to a weekly quest that asks you to gather intel on a teammate's movements while perched on their shoulders.
Quick answer: Open your emote wheel (B on keyboard / Down on the D-pad on controller), navigate to the Social Interactions tab, and select Shoulder Ride. A large blue arrow will appear above your head, inviting nearby players to jump on. To ride, walk up to a player displaying the arrow and press the Interact button (E on PC / Square or X on controller).
How to offer a Shoulder Ride
Step 1: Load into a Duos, Trios, or Squads match. Shoulder riding works with teammates and, technically, with other players, but coordinating with your own squad is far easier.
Step 2: Once you land on the island, open the emote wheel. On PC, the default key is B; on controller, it's Down on the D-pad.
Step 3: Switch to the Social Interactions tab on the far-right side of the wheel. The Shoulder Ride emote sits at the top. Select it, and a large blue downward-pointing arrow will appear over your character's head, signaling that you're ready to carry someone.
You don't need to buy or unlock the Shoulder Ride emote. It appears automatically in every player's emote library while the feature is active.
How to hop onto another player's shoulders
Look for a teammate (or any player) who has the blue arrow floating above their head. Walk up to them and press the Interact button — E on PC, or Square / X on controller. You can also simply jump onto their head to mount up. Once you're seated, the carrier will run around while you ride on top.
Players can stack beyond two. If someone is already riding on a carrier's shoulders, a third player can climb onto the rider, and so on. The result is an increasingly unstable tower of teammates that's equal parts hilarious and impractical.
Gameplay rules while shoulder riding
| Role | Can shoot weapons | Can open chests / ammo boxes | Can use items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier (bottom player) | No | No | No |
| Rider (top player) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The carrier is completely defenseless while hauling a teammate, so the rider is responsible for protecting both players. If the carrier wants to dump their passenger, they can press left-click on PC or RT / RB on the controller to toss them off. Shoulder riding also works while mounted on a Loot Llama, another addition from the same update.
Completing the "Ride on a player's shoulders to gather intel on their movements" quest
Chapter 7 Season 2 Week 3 includes a quest that requires you to ride on a player's shoulders and track their movements. The quest does not complete on the starting island before the Battle Bus launches, so don't waste time trying it in the pre-game lobby.
Step 1: Queue into a Duos or Squads match with at least one friend or teammate you can coordinate with.
Step 2: After landing on the island, have your teammate open their emote wheel and activate the Shoulder Ride emote. Hop onto their shoulders using the Interact button.
Step 3: Your teammate needs to run a short distance while you're riding. The quest progress bar will fill quickly — it only takes a brief jog to complete.
Step 4: Swap roles so your teammate can ride on your shoulders and finish their version of the quest as well.
Shoulder riding is a lightweight, fun mechanic that doesn't dramatically shift competitive balance — the carrier can't fight at all, and the stacked pair makes a conspicuous target. It does, however, offer a creative way to transport an AFK teammate or set up unexpected angles for the rider's shots. Whether it remains in the game beyond its initial April Fools' window depends on community reception, so enjoy the piggyback rides while they last.