How to Get the Unstable Element in Fortnite (Chapter 7 Season 3)

The Unstable Element looks like a glowing blue and purple slab, and the first time you pick one up it seems to do nothing at all. It is not a weapon, it does not heal you, and pressing fire gets you no reaction. What it actually is, is a key. Carry one to the right door inside a Teleporter Tunnel and you can crack open a sealed vault stuffed with high-tier loot.

Quick answer: Enter any Teleporter Tunnel on the map, travel back and forth between teleporters a few times, and an Unstable Element will spawn on the ground in front of you. Pick it up, walk to the blue vault door near the Port-A-Potty inside the tunnel, and hold interact to open it.

What the Unstable Element does

The Unstable Element is an Epic-rarity item that functions exactly like a vault keycard. Its only job is to unlock the sealed vault door found inside Teleporter Tunnels, which reveals a rare relic chest (the blue loot chest). Open that chest and you can pull weapons, Gold Bars, a Sprite, ammo, and other strong gear early in a match.

Two things to remember up front. The item does not stack, so you can only carry one at a time even if two spawn in front of you. And it takes up a full inventory slot, so you need a free space for it to appear.

Teleporter Tunnel locations in Chapter 7 Season 3

You can only earn an Unstable Element inside a Teleporter Tunnel, and the current island has five of them. Land near one of these to start the process.

Tunnel	Location
Tunnel 1	North East of The Battlewoods
Tunnel 2	North of Frosted Flats
Tunnel 3	North West of Shaken Sanctuary
Tunnel 4	West of Sinister Strip
Tunnel 5	North of Calamari Canyon

How to get the Unstable Element

Drop into or run toward one of the five Teleporter Tunnels listed above. Each tunnel runs along a long pipe and has a teleporter at either end.

Make sure you have at least one free inventory slot. The Unstable Element will not spawn if your inventory is completely full, since it needs room to drop in.

Step onto a teleporter and travel to the connected tunnel. Then turn around and travel back. Repeat this back-and-forth hop a few times.

After several teleports, an Unstable Element will appear on the ground right where you pop out. Walk over it and pick it up. If two appear, only take one.

Note: You cannot buy the Unstable Element from an NPC. Riding the teleporters is the only way to make one spawn.

How to use the Unstable Element to open the vault

With the Unstable Element in your inventory, move along the tunnel pipe and look for a blue vault door. These doors sit next to a Port-A-Potty, which is the easiest visual marker to spot.

Walk up to the door. With the item on you, an “Open Vault” prompt will appear on screen. Without an Unstable Element, that prompt never shows.

Hold the interact button. On PC that is F, Square on PlayStation, and X on Xbox. The Unstable Element is consumed and disappears from your inventory as the door slides open.

Open the relic chest inside to claim your loot. Hauls can include items like a Stinger SMG, Gold Bars, a Sprite, a Shield Potion, and more. You only get one use per Unstable Element, so pick your vault carefully.

Expect company while you do this. Teleporter Tunnels are popular spots, and other players will often be chasing the same vault, so it pays to grab a weapon or two before you start hopping between teleporters.