If you grabbed a Water Sprite and noticed it never tops up your shields while you stand in water, you are not doing anything wrong. The ability is currently bugged, and Epic Games has stepped in with a temporary change so the Sprite still does something useful in the meantime.
Quick answer: The Water Sprite’s “replenish shields in water” power is broken right now. As a stopgap, Epic has replaced it with Earth Sprite’s ability, giving you a chance to find extra rare items when you open chests. You do not need to do anything to switch it on.
What the Water Sprite normally does
The Water Sprite is a rare companion that recharges your shields while you are standing in water. Its strength grows each time you level it up, moving from a small trickle to a steady refill per tick. You normally find it near rivers and beaches, and it costs 100 to summon.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Rare |
| Sprite Chest drop chance | 12.83% |
| Summon cost | 100 |
| Where to find it | Near rivers and beaches |
| Base ability | Replenish shields while standing in water |
| Shield per tick by level | 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 |
Why the Water Sprite isn’t healing you
The shield refill simply is not firing while you stand in water. Epic has confirmed it is working on a fix and, in the meantime, has swapped the broken effect for Earth Sprite’s perk so the Sprite keeps providing value. With the swap in place, your Water Sprite now gives you a chance to find additional rare items when you open chests instead of restoring shields.
This change is applied on Epic’s side, so every Water Sprite behaves this way until the patch lands. You will not see a shield bar tick up in water during this period, and that is expected.
Can’t pick up the Special rarity Water Sprite
There is a separate problem affecting the Special rarity versions of the Water Sprite. Some players cannot pick them up at all. Epic is investigating reports of this and says it will be addressed in an upcoming patch. The Special variants include the Gold, Gummy, and Galaxy Water Sprite.
| Variant | Rarity | Drop chance |
|---|---|---|
| Water Sprite | Rare | 12.83% |
| Gold Water Sprite | Special | 0.7% |
| Gummy Water Sprite | Special | 0.28% |
| Galaxy Water Sprite | Special | 0.28% |
What to do for now
There is no manual setting to flip and no reinstall that restores the water-healing effect, because the issue is on Epic’s end. The most practical move is to lean into the temporary chest perk and rely on standard shield items, such as Shield Potions, while you are near water.
If you specifically want the Earth Sprite behavior anyway, the Water Sprite currently delivers it, so opening more chests gives you better odds at extra rare loot. Once the fix ships, the Water Sprite should return to refilling your shields in water as designed.
Note: No official date for the corrective patch has been confirmed, so treat the chest-perk swap as the active behavior until Epic updates it.
