The Fornite world came to a standstill recently with the end of the game as we know it. After a cataclysmic event left the Fortnite universe empty, with nothing but a black hole and dead servers to stare at for a while, details began to leak about the major changes that would be coming to the game, and oh boy, are they big.
Let’s get this out of the way, first; Fortnite is back up. If you’ve been having major withdrawals since the game was officially shut down, the wait is finally over and you can hop online and squad up once again. This time, however, things are going to be very, very different, as there have been some huge additions to the game. The most notable is the brand new map that is just packed to the brim with new locations to discover and new secrets to find.
The island that we have all come to know and love is gone. We’ve watched locations come and go before, of course, but now the entire island has changed, and there are some very cool new spots to check out. Take a trip to the Steamy Stacks, a mysterious nuclear power plant with a strange purple glow. Or, perhaps, visit an old favorite, as Salty Springs and Retail Row have made a return. The coolest thing about the relaunch is that as soon as you sign into the game, you are immediately dropped into a solo match and a blank map to explore. Your first few (or several) matches are going to be spent exploring the new island and uncovering the different locations. Until then, you’ll simple be staring at a dark map covered in the fog-of-war.
Along with the new map, there are some new ways to traverse it. You can now swim in deep water, rather than simply trudging through shallow pools, or you can hop in a rocket-launcher-equipped boat to travel the lakes of rivers of the map. Boats seem to be very easy to find, with some locations, such as the Dirty Docks, having several for players to fight over. You can even find fishing rods and do a little bit of relaxing fishing to find weapons and other junk. Just remember, you are vulnerable while doing so.
One of the most interesting new gameplay features is the ability to hide in both foliage and objects in the environment. Large bushes are great for getting out of the fray, or setting up a trap for a pursuing enemy combatant, but you’ll also need to pay attention to your surroundings when in the game’s various cities. Players can now hide in dumpsters and certain barrels in order to set up an ambush, but be careful if there’s a player around who happens to be collecting materials. You don’t want to suddenly have your hiding place broken into.
Squads and Duos players are going to want to take note of a few new features, as well. Now you can actually carry a downed player in order to help them get out of danger quicker, allowing you better opportunities to revive your teammates and increase your chances of survival. There are also awesome new “synced” emotes that allow you to do neat things with a partner, like give each other a high-five.
Aside from in-match changes, there is a whole host of new changes and updates to the UI, Battle Pass, and more. Battle Pass unlocks are no longer based on Battle Stars. Instead, it is all based on your player level, which is increased through XP. Now, when in game, you will earn XP for a variety of different tasks, such as surviving for a certain period of time, getting kills, and even doing things as simple as checking an ammo box or chest. The bottom of the screen now has an XP bar for you to track your progress at all times, with level ups popping up on screen when they are achieved.
These are just a few of the major changes that have come to Fortnite, and already there are some really cool secrets around the map that hint at story details still to come. Keep an eye on future updates, and feel free to leave your comments about how you are liking the changes.
