Fortnite has never been shy about throwing weird objectives into its seasonal storylines, but Chapter 7, Season 2 might have outdone itself. The latest batch of main story missions includes one that asks players to literally climb onto a teammate's shoulders to gather intel on their movements, and a surprising number of players are getting stuck on it.
The mission is tied to Hope and The Order storyline running through Chapter 7, Season 2, and on paper it sounds straightforward. In practice, it catches players off guard because the mechanic lives inside the Social Interactions menu, which most people have never touched.
Why this mission trips players up
Here's the thing: Fortnite has had social emotes and interaction systems for a while, but the Shoulder Ride option is buried deep enough that it genuinely surprises people when they first encounter it. The mission doesn't give you a map marker or a waypoint. There's no NPC to talk to. You just need to know the mechanic exists and then coordinate with a teammate to pull it off.
The key here is that you cannot complete this solo. The mission specifically requires you to be the one riding, not the one offering the ride. That means a teammate has to open their emote wheel, navigate to the Social Interactions page, and select Shoulder Ride themselves. Once they do, a glowing blue arrow appears above their head and they gesture toward their back. You approach and accept the prompt, and the quest registers as complete.
Playing with friends makes this significantly easier. Coordinating with randoms mid-match, while not impossible, adds a layer of friction that can make the whole thing feel more complicated than it actually is.
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This interaction only counts toward the mission when triggered on the main Chapter 7, Season 2 island map. Doing it in the lobby area will not register the quest completion, so make sure your team lands together before attempting it.
Social Interactions menu in Fortnite
The broader mission list this feeds into
The shoulder ride quest is one of several unconventional tasks woven into the Chapter 7, Season 2 storyline. Players working through the full mission chain are also being asked to decrypt recordings from The Imagined at holotables, track down The Foundation's lost helmet and cape, collect scattered Chaos Cubes, and interact with the Jam Track Player scattered across the island.
Taken together, these missions paint a picture of a season leaning hard into its lore. Fortnite has always used its battle pass quests to drip-feed narrative beats, but Chapter 7, Season 2 appears to be pushing players into cooperative interactions more deliberately than past seasons. The shoulder ride mission in particular feels designed to get squads communicating, even if the execution requires a bit of patience.
What this means for players working through the storyline
For anyone grinding through the main quest chain, the shoulder ride mission is a one-and-done unlock once you know the steps. The coordination barrier is real but manageable, and once your teammate triggers the interaction you can return the favor immediately so they can check it off their own list.
The broader Chapter 7, Season 2 mission structure continues to reward players who stick close to their squads and engage with the social systems that often get ignored. Keep an eye on the Epic Games newsroom for any official updates or new quest drops as the season progresses. For more on the full slate of Chapter 7, Season 2 objectives and other missions worth tackling, browse more guides to stay ahead of the quest chain. Make sure to check out more:
