The battle for the Fortnite Island has taken an explosive turn as players have been thrust right into the middle of an explosive war against The Imagined Order – a confrontation which has already seen some game changing mechanics being both introduced and removed at the same time. Epic Games released the highly anticipated update on March 20th, 2022 and immediately removed the building feature that has been a staple in the popular Battle Royale title for years. Previously, players have had the ability to create defenses – walls, ceilings, and floors – to protect themselves against enemy fire and strategically mount a counter offence in order to achieve victory. While some were left wondering if this mechanic was gone indefinitely, that might not be the case as it appears to be tied directly to the storyline with Doctor Slone triggering it during the introduction trailer; feedback has been extremely positive.
Alongside yet another exciting roster of collaborative characters unlockable through the Battle Pass including Doctor Strange and The Prowler – the latter being the uncle of Miles Morales – Epic Games has added two additional traversal mechanics into the game which will undoubtedly assist players with maneuvering around the Island and protecting them in a build-less world. Tactical Sprint allows for players to gain a boost of speed for a short amount of time before needing to cooldown for a moment and used again; players cannot use weapons during this sequence. Mantle provides players with the means to climb over objects including buildings and rooftops despite lacking the ability to build stairs which were originally required to reach higher levels. Both of these gameplay elements have changed the way that Fortnite will be played in the months ahead as it adds more strategy to the game.
Players are not alone in the fight as Funding Stations have returned to deliver an arsenal of armaments to the Island including an Armoured Battle Bus outfitted with Chonker’s Tires, a Cow Catcher located on the front, and Light and Heavy Turrets mounted on the roof. These exhilarating vehicles have been strategically placed in Resistance occupied territories and provide an unwavering defense against those dreaded IO Titan Tanks which pack quite the punch; equipped with an exorbitant amount of Health at its disposal – capable of wrecking havoc on environments almost instantaneously. Players can lay down Cow Catchers as protective blockades and plant Remote Explosives to eliminate destructive forces.
Epic Games has also implemented several map changes and unique POI locations (Points of Interest) to the Island including the behemoth IO Blimps which tower intimidatingly above the battlefield and offer an incredible bird’s-eye view of the action. Players can zipline up to the flight deck and encounter tough opposition from IO Guards and Huntmaster Saber – a powerful NPC Mythic boss that currently patrols the upper part of Command Cavern POI and attacks players on sight. Chapter 3 – Season 2 is projected to conclude on June 3rd, 2022 – 75 day duration – and went under the radar in terms of marketing and teasers from Epic Games across social media this time around due to the conflict taking place between Russia and Ukraine; the studio will be donating ALL PROCEEDS made through Item Shop purchases and Fortnite Crew subscriptions until April 3rd, 2022 to humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine.
Fortnite is available now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One X, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, Windows PC, and Android devices – iOS compatibility is available through the GeForce Now subscription service.