Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 keeps adding items that look like junk until you figure out what they actually do. The Unstable Element falls squarely into that category. It's a blue, tesseract-style slab of Epic rarity that functions as a keycard for the Teleporter Tunnel vaults scattered across the island. Find one, carry it to the right door, and you unlock a Relic Chest packed with some of the rarest loot available in a match.
How do you get the Unstable Element in Fortnite?
The process is straightforward but easy to miss on your first run. You don't loot it from a chest or buy it from an NPC. The only way to get an Unstable Element is to travel between Teleporter Tunnels during a Battle Royale match.
Unstable Element in inventory
Here's how it works step by step:
- Find any Teleporter Tunnel on the island (locations listed below).
- Enter the tunnel and use the teleporter to travel to a different tunnel exit.
- As you pop out of the teleporter at the destination, an Unstable Element will randomly spawn in front of you.
- Pick it up by swapping it into an inventory slot. It takes up one slot like any other item.
The spawn is random, so not every teleport trip guarantees one. If you come out empty-handed, jump back through to another tunnel and try again.
Where are all five Teleporter Tunnel locations?
Chapter 7 Season 3's island has 5 Teleporter Tunnels total. Knowing all of them lets you chain teleports quickly and increases your chances of getting an Unstable Element without wasting time.
After testing routes across multiple matches, landing near Tunnel 2 or Tunnel 4 tends to work well early in a match since both sit away from the most contested drop zones, giving you time to teleport without getting third-partied mid-animation.
All 5 tunnel locations mapped
Where do you use the Unstable Element?
Once the Unstable Element is sitting in your inventory, stay inside the tunnel system. As you move along the tunnel pipe, keep an eye out for a blue door positioned next to a Port-A-Potty. Walk up to that door and an Open Vault interaction prompt will appear on screen.
Activate the interaction the same way you'd open a loot chest. The door swings open to reveal a Relic Chest inside.
What loot can you get from the Relic Chest?
The Relic Chest inside the tunnel vault is a blue rare chest variant, and it delivers accordingly. Confirmed drops from vault runs include:
- Seven Sliders (mobility item)
- Stinger SMG
- Gold Bars
- Earth Sprite
- Shield Potion
The exact contents vary per match, but the chest consistently delivers rare-tier loot or better. If you're trying to build out a Sprite loadout mid-match, the Relic Chest is one of the more reliable ways to grab a Sprite companion without fighting over a boss drop. Speaking of Sprites, if you're chasing specific companions, check out the guide on how to get the Zero Point Sprite since it's one of the rarest finds in the season.
Quick tips for getting the most out of Unstable Elements
- Land near a tunnel early. The item spawns randomly, so the faster you start teleporting, the more attempts you get before the storm forces you out.
- Don't hoard two. Carrying a second Unstable Element wastes an inventory slot since you can only use one vault door per visit.
- Check if vaults are open first. If you drop into a match late or see other players exiting a tunnel, the vault may already be cleared. Teleport to a different tunnel to check its door.
- Pair vault loot with Sprite farming. The Relic Chest can drop Sprites directly, making tunnel runs a solid complement to dedicated Sprite farming routes.
For everything else happening in Chapter 7 Season 3, the full Fortnite guides collection has you covered on quests, bosses, and seasonal mechanics.