Season 8 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is now live.
Epic Games has released the patch notes for this new content update, headlined by the additions of pirate cannons, new locations, and a new 50v50 limited time mode.
Anchors aweigh! Downtime for Season 8 begins now. ⚓
Dive into the Patch Notes to learn the ropes of what’s on the horizon! https://t.co/1fslbzsKWC pic.twitter.com/s4CxJrVHOW
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) February 28, 2019
With Season 8 clearly having a pirate theme, Epic has added pirate cannons as usable weapons scattered all over the map. Players can fire cannonballs that will plow through a number of objects before stopping with a bang, dealing 100 damage to enemies hit directly as well as 50 damage and knockback to anyone esle nearby. Alternatively, players can also climb into the cannon themselves to be launched a great distance.
A volcano has also emerged through the map with the arrival of the update, spawning new locations such as Sunny Steps and Lazy Lagoon. With the emergence of the volcano, lava and volcanic vents have also appeared throughout the map.
Lava will deal 1 damage per touch to players and cause them to bounce off the surface, while volcanic vents will boost players and vehicles into the sky in a gust of hot air.
Two new limited time modes have also been added for Season 8, the 50v50 mode and Close Encounters.
The 50v50 mode, as its name implies, will pit two teams of 50 players against each other with each team having their own battle bus at the start of the match.
Both buses will be approaching the map from opposite directions, with the friendly bus having a blue outline and the enemy having a red one on the minimap. The map will also feature a dotted line, which indicates the “battle lines” between the two teams. Players will more likely run into enemies once they cross the lines. Farming materials have been increased by 25% over the default amount, with Chests & Ammo Crates spawning more often than usual and carrying more ammo, as well.
Meanwhile, the Close Encounters mode will have players get into close quarters combat using jetpacks and shotguns. Players will start off with a jetpack in their inventory and can only equip the various types of shotguns in the game. The Storm also moves in more quickly than normal in the mid to late game in this mode.
Party Assist has also been added for Season 8, which lets players complete Daily or Weekly challenges with the assistance of their party.
The Sneaky Snowman, Chiller Grenade, X-4 Stormwing, Shopping Cart, and All Terrain Kart have all been vaulted as well.
Check here for the full patch notes.