Fortnite is launching a new cosmetic type, Sidekicks, that have permanent designs. If you want to change their appearance, you’ll have to buy a new one and start over.
Fortnite revolutionized the live-service structure with its nonstop collaborations and high-profile crossovers. Everyone from Art the Clown to Ninja has their own skin in the game, and that’s largely what keeps players so engaged.
To keep the ball rolling, entirely new types of cosmetics are introduced at a regular cadence. Earlier this year, for instance, we saw Kicks, allowing players to buy their way to unique footwear. Now, another new category has been announced.
Sidekicks are set to arrive in Fortnite on November 1, 2025, alongside the new Simpsons season. These are smaller NPCs that follow you around, reacting to the world as you play in any number of game types. However, in order to customize their appearance, you need to purchase them multiple times.
How Sidekicks work in Fortnite
The very first Sidekick launches on November 1, before a slew of other options join a week later. Once acquired, they’ll appear alongside your character in every mode except for Rocket Racing.
Upon making a purchase with V-Bucks, these Sidekicks can be customized to a degree. What makes them unique, though, is that once you’re happy with their look, it’s “permanently” locked in,” as a Fortnite blog explained.
Remember the Specialist Maya skin from the Chapter 2 Season 2 Battle Pass? Well, the customization works exactly like that — except there’s one key difference.
While you can still change “their name and accessories” at any time, the actual appearance of your new NPC Sidekick can’t be changed. So, say for instance you buy a dog as a Sidekick, you can only change its name or what the dog is wearing, you can’t change the physical appearance of said animal.
So what is there to do if you want to change something? Well, you have to purchase another version of the same Sidekick. That’s right, you can buy a seemingly endless number of the very same cosmetic in Fortnite.
It didn’t take long for the new cosmetics to be labelled as “next-level greed,” by some players on Reddit.
“Are you serious?” Another questioned on X (formerly Twitter). “Keep them.”
“Having us buy a Sidekick AGAIN every time just for the luxury of changing its fur color is not it,” another response stressed.
So word of warning for Fortnite fans, if you are keen to have a dog, fish, or even a dinosaur running alongside you as you build your 50-story hotels, just make sure you’re happy with how they look before you confirm anything. Their designs are permanent… unless you want to spend some more money.
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