Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 – trailer, changes & what to expect from the update (2024)

FORTNITE'S latest chapter is finally upon us, bringing new guns, changes to the map and more.

Season 2, Chapter 3 "Splash Down" has a few surprises to look forward to – here's everything you need to know.

What are Fortnite Seasons and when did Chapter 2 Season 3 start?

Fortnite is run in chapters that are split into seasons, with each season lasting roughly ten weeks.

Every time a new season begins, the game's map changes slightly and new characters, cosmetic items and more are released to players.

You don't have to pay to upgrade to a new season.

Fortnite Season 2, Chapter 3 officially began on June 17, 2020.

How much will the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 Battle Pass cost?

Players can purchase a Battle Pass to unlock unique challenges and awards for their characters.

The full set of additional rewards for Chapter 2, Season 3 costs 950 V-Bucks – Fortnite's in-game currency.

You can cover that with the smallest available bundle of V-Bucks, which bags you 1,000 for £7.99 / $9.99.

If you want 25 Tiers of the Battle Pass included, you can always splash out a little more for the Battle Bundle.

That costs 2,800 V-Bucks, which you can buy for £19.99 / $24.99 with the conveniently packaged 2,500 (+300 free) V-Buck bundle.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 – what's changed?

According to Fortnite creator Epic Games, Season 3 adds some fun water-focussed elements to the map (hence the name, "Splash Down").

"The Island has flooded, there are new areas to explore, Marauders to take on and... sharks to ride?," according to Epic Games.

"Survive more than just the Storm. Adapt to the new flooded way of life on the Island."

Sharks and whirlpools are a new way to travel around the flooded map, and there are new NPCs called marauders to fight.

They drop valuable gear when defeated, but are tough to take down, so look out for them.

Season 3 also brings new vaults to enter and bosses to defeat, as well as new weapons to play with.

One of the biggest changes, though, is the ability to make your own umbrella so you can glide in style.

You can read a full roundup of the changes of the Epic Games website.

What is Fortnite, anyway?

FORTNITE is an online video game played by up to 250 million people across the world.

In it, 100 players compete on their own or with a small group of pals to grab weapons, gather resources and build defences, before fighting it out to be the last man (or team) standing.

Matches take about 20 minutes, and you can drop into a new game within seconds of your previous one finishing.

It's bright, it's cartoony and it's fiendishly compelling.

Skill is rewarded but luck also plays a huge role, meaning no two games are ever the same and everyone feels like they have a chance of winning.

Fortnite has alsomade its developer billions.

In Europe it's rated 12+, meaning it's suitable for those aged 12 and up.

The battle royale mode is free to play, but there is also a story-driven single player and co-op mode called Save The World that players have to pay for.

Pop culture crossover events are very common because of the game's huge audience.

These involve players being able to buy themed outfits for the movie, TV show or brand, as well as getting some themed activities in-game to do too.

These might be new places to explore, new challenges to complete to win themed accessories, or new game modes that are loosely related to the theme of whatever is being crossed over with.

Fortnite launches weapons-free Party Royale mode with concerts from deadmau5 and Steve Aoki

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