Fortnite's newest season is officially underway, having wrapped Chapter 2, Season 7 on September 12 in a one-time event, crashing players into the new threats awaiting them in Season 8. The alien invasion may have ended, but its effect on the map and players is far from over. Fortnite's Chapter 2, Season 8 is set to bring mysterious, out-of-this-world changes for players to engage with in a dire mission to save the island from certain peril.
In the whacky Fortnite story so far, the island has gone through a number of twists and turns. Most recently, in Fortnite Season 7, Dr. Slone led the Imaginative Order (IO) in a fight against the alien hordes, culminating in an invasion of the alien Mothership that had been increasingly looming over players. However, during the Invasion event, Dr. Slone betrayed the IO, but players were ultimately victorious, sending the Mothership crashing down.
Now, the Mothership's remains are scattered across the Fortnite map, causing things to go sideways as a more dangerous power takes hold. Agent J.B. Chimpanski released a statement through Epic Games about what players can expect, breaking down new weapons and more coming to the first-person shooter as a result of the mysterious cubes that have taken over. Now, Fortnite players are going to need to work together and use every tool in their arsenal in order to save the island.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Narrative
The storyline for Fortnite Season 8 is a straightforward fight for survival, the island turned into a veritable war effort helmed by J.B. Chimpanski. The trailer for Fortnite Season 8: Cubed shows a map riddled with sections of the Mothership, a group of survivors investigating a mysterious cube. It alights with a strange, purple power, summoning an army of Cube Monsters. It's then revealed the whole island is covered in these Cubes, which had served as the mysterious force powering the Mothership - and now they've been set free.
Not much is known about the Fortnite cubes, but J.B. Chimpanski notes that "they have no face, no speech, but they're sentient and have six sides of malice." Indeed, they seem to have the ability to attack, as the Fortnite Season 8 trailer shows a cube intentionally tipping over to land on an investigating Maya, with lethal results. The cubes' presence on the island is also causing strange corruptions across the map, opening portals to a place called The Sideways. The Sideways is filled with monsters to fight, and the low gravity in these areas doesn't allow for building, something seasoned Fortnite players should note.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Weapons & Items
The new season of Fortnite is bringing in a host of new weapons for players to enjoy. Most unique are Fortnite's sideways rifle and sideways minigun weapons, which seem to be made of a type of meteorite and powered by the same energy that eminates from the cubes. Sideways weapons can only be obtained by opening sideways chests, found in areas corrupted by the cubes. Players wielding sideways weapons can overcharge their weapons to deal extra damage to enemies. It's also possible to use parts from fallen cube monsters to upgrade the sideways weapons. Currently, it's unclear if cube parts can be used to transform non-sideways weapons, such as shotguns or pistols, into sideways versions.
The nuts and bolts feature for traditional weapons does remain in Fortnite, allowing players to perform upgrades; examples given in J.B. Chimpanski's report include transforming a lever action shotgun into a pressurized charge shotgun or an assault rifle into a suppressed assault rifle. Additionally, Fortnite is bringing back a couple weapons, notably the automatic sniper rifle and harpoon guns. A quick moment in the battle pass trailer also shows a character wielding dual crossbows, indicating those could make a return as well, though Epic Games has not confirmed this yet.
Fortnite Season 8 is also introducing Shadow Stones, strange items that cause players to become shadow-like for a short period of time after consumption. There are also now Shadow Floppers, fish who have eaten Shadow Stones and will grant players the same effect. According to an unconfirmed leak, the newest Fortnite season will also bring Port-a-Portals as well as Venom and Carnage symbiotes to the battlefield. Similarly, it's rumored Chug Splash will release a new chili-themed flavor in Fortnite Season 8, which will reportedly make players runs faster on consumption.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Characters
Not much is known about Fortnite's new character Torin, save that she is a monster hunter. According to J.B. Chimpanski, she has been investigating Shadow Stones and their effect on players. Hopefully, as the season progresses, Torin will be able to glean some information from these stones that will help players defeat the cubes once and for all.
Fortnite is also introducing a black and white Toona Fish that players can paint, creating their own unique skin within the game. Throughout Season 8, players will be able to collect color bottles and different shades of ink and use those items to color in Toona Fish. This colorless character is only unlockable with the purchase of a Fortnite Season 8 battle pass.
In J.B. Chimpanski's missive to players, he references a Dark Jonesy and Charlotte. While it's unclear if Dark Jonesy is a different character than the Agent Jonesy players are familiar with, Charlotte is part of Fortnite Season 8's new skins, joining the ranks of pink unicorn Fabio Sparklemane, humanoid chimpanzee J.B. Chimpanski, and several more. Footage from the Season 8 battle pass trailer shows a Carnage creature roaming Fortnite, hinting that the Spider-Man universe may have crossed into the Fortnite multiverse. Additionally, artwork for Fortnite Season 8 shows the shadow of a feminine figure who will likely be revealed later in the season.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Gameplay
Though the heart of gameplay remains the same in Fortnite, several aspects have been tweaked to encourage teamwork on the island. For example, players are now tasked with donating gold bars they collect to various construction sites throughout the map. This will build up turret stations designed to fight against the cubes, though it's unclear at this time if players will be able to use these deadly machines against one another in combat. Reportedly, future teamwork events will include deciding new weapons to develop, unvault, and more.
Fortnite Season 8 is also introducing Punch Cards, a list of missions residents on the island have for players to complete. These NPCs will task characters with investigating the IO, go undercover at the Kevolution facility, and more. Completing these Fortnite quests will result in earning significant XP and bars for players to use. As is typical for the game, many of the season quests are most easily completed with multiple players, so Fortnite encourages its users to party up with friends and help stop the Cubes from destroying the island.
Source: Epic Games