Fortnite has been reborn.
A near-endless number of leaks and teasers hinting at widespread changes for the battle royale culminated over the weekend with a special event. The End, as it was so aptly-named, marked the destruction of Battle Island on an unprecedented scale. Rather than simply obliterate a few choice locations on the map to be rebuilt anew in Season X’s successor, Epic Games decided to wipe the slate clean by having a black hole devour the entire game.
And so, after what’s sure to have felt like a lifetime for many fans (around 24 hours in reality), the title has returned to active service, though not as you know it. Proving the leaks true, Fortnite Chapter 2 is now live and represents a fresh start not just for the developer, but players, too.
Without further ado, see below for everything you need to know:
Drop Into A New World
- Choose your landing spot and explore an all-new island featuring 13 new locations.
New Water Gameplay
- Swimming, fishing, motorboats and more
Support Your Squad
- Heal your squad with the Bandage Bazooka, carry your fallen teammates to safety and celebrate with new group emotes.
Hideouts And Explosives
- Hide in haystacks and dumpsters to get the drop on your opponent or go in blazing by blowing up gas tanks and explosive barrels.
Upgraded Combat
- Get back to basics and battle enemies with a streamlined weapon arsenal. Upgrade weapons using resources at the upgrade bench.
More Fun, Less Grind
- Level through an all-new Battle Pass featuring a brand new XP system and medals you earn in a match.
A colossal number of changes to some of Fortnite‘s core gameplay features, then, and it’ll assuredly be fascinating to see how fans take to some of the mechanical changes. The revamped Battle Pass, in particular, promises to somewhat eliminate the grind that had come to be expected of each new season, a much-needed fix that had threatened to scare off potential new players.
Speaking of which, Fortnite Chapter 2 introduces a raft of matchmaking improvements and bots as a means of making the new-player experience that much smoother. For further details on that front, see here, otherwise, we’ll see you out in the new frontier!
