Fortnite Chapter 2 has finally been unveiled, and it has made drastic, sweeping changes to the battle royale game including the switch to a completely new map, new boating and water mechanics, and some welcome changes to the way the game’s progression is designed. Fortnite Chapter 2 comes at the end of one of the biggest moment’s in gaming history, when Epic Games seemingly pulled the plug on the Fortnite universe and left players staring at a black hole that had sucked in everything they knew and loved about the title.
While everyone knew that Epic Games wouldn’t actually throw away one of the world’s most influential games on a whim, how the game returned was the subject of much speculation. Epic Games completely redefined the way to launch new content in gaming and managed to take servers down to prepare them for the huge changes while creating positive buzz for Fortnite, an unheard of combination in today’s climate, where fans expect constant access to the games they love and frequent, near-seamless updates.
Fortnite Chapter 2 has its fair share of updates that fans are exploring today, as Epic Games decided against sharing the finer details of the new world, instead letting players discover it for themselves. The obvious changes are the ones that people are discussing most, though, starting with the new Fortnite map for Chapter 2 – a mountainous region that seems to prioritize a bit more vertical gameplay while also featuring many new points of interest, including a lighthouse, Power Plant, and Weeping Woods. While map additions are always exciting, these are especially prominent for a game like Fortnite, which has become renowned for using virtually every part of its map for seasonal content and story updates.
Another major change comes in an increased focus on acquatic gameplay. Players will now be able to use boats, while also swimming and fishing. This allows for a bit more variety in map design, too, as the map now features small water inlets as well. Epic Games also introduced brand new Fortnite guns for fans to experiment with while navigating the new environment. Finally, Epic Games has clearly placed a priority on the player grind for progression, making changes to Battle Pass levels and adding new methods to boost in-game XP gains. While the focus on less grinding will take time to see if it works, it’s another exciting addition to Fortnite Chapter 2 that will have fans diving deep into the new content to understand fully.
Fortnite Chapter 2 is, quite simply, unprecedented. It’s hard to contextualize without seeing how it unfolds since Epic Games is currently rolling out something that other games could only dream of. Depending on the success of Fortnite Chapter 2 and the game’s drastic re-design, however, fans may see more live service titles once again take cues from Fortnite and approach massive updates in the same way.
