Fortnite kicks off the year 2026 with an explosive collaboration by bringing the South Park universe to its island. This crossover, which began in January, features the Stick of Truth, an extremely powerful mythical item with the unique ability to alter storm behavior. The partnership, set to last about a month, offers a free pass for players to complete, along with themed skins available for purchase in the game’s shop. The staff is the main attraction of this season, promising to turn the tide in matches where it appears, but finding it requires patience and a bit of luck.
Unlike other legendary items, there is no fixed location for the Stick of Truth to appear in each match. Its appearance is completely random, functioning similarly to the wandering bosses that already roam the map. Therefore, it’s no use going on a targeted hunt for it. The game, however, signals when the artifact is available: a notorious Rift Anomaly appears on the map, alerting all players that the reward is ready to be found. Once someone picks up the staff, a new alert informs that it is no longer available, which serves as a warning to keep an eye on the player who now has a significant advantage.
How the staff’s power works
The big play of the Stick of Truth lies in its unique ability to alter the storm. With it, the player can adjust the position, shape, or even the closing speed of the safe zone, creating areas of protection for their squad and pressuring opposing teams. However, this powerful tool comes with a major caveat: it can only be used once per match. Thus, the activation moment must be tactical and well-calculated to extract the maximum benefit. Only one staff is available per match, meaning that when it appears, there is usually a fierce competition to get it—unless you are lucky enough to eliminate the player who picked it up first.
Spawn issues and future prospects
Many players on social media have reported that the chance for the Stick of Truth to appear seems relatively low, with some even suggesting the possibility of a bug preventing its spawn as planned. Epic Games has not yet officially commented on the matter, but the expectation is that the appearance rate may be adjusted in the coming weeks to become more common. In the meantime, the tip is to watch for the visual alert of the Rift Anomaly and prepare for a confrontation. This collaboration marks the official debut of South Park in Epic’s battle royale, bringing an element of strategic chaos that could define the most contested matches of this early 2026 in Fortnite.
