What will Season 3 bring for the Fortnite community? By Max Kleeman and Zaid Nurmamodo.
After what has seemed like an eternity, Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2, is finally coming to a close this week on Wednesday, June 17th. The highly anticipated launch for Season 3, that had initially been set for April 2020, has been pushed back after a string of delays. With the worldwide pandemic and recent social injustices, the End of Season event ‘The Device’ is now expected to take place today, with Season 3 expected to launch in just two days. We’ve collected information from reliable leaks to give us an insight into what Season 3 may look like, how ‘The Device’ links in with the storyline and what the changes in Season 3 mean for the future of competitive Fortnite.
Live events in Fortnite are events that occur within the game that connects to the main storyline of Fortnite. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how these events work, it’s actually quite simple. Each season has a different storyline and theme, each of which are usually built off of previous storylines. Towards the very end of a season, subtle map changes and little Easter eggs would give hints as to what we can expect from the new season. The live events often attract millions of players to see the storyline play out in real time, as the storyline helps transition us from one season to the next. The end of season live event for Chapter 2 Season 2 is called: ‘The Device’. From the leaks so far, we can expect Midas to put on a suit and attempt to use ‘The Device’ to control the storm. This, however, is expected to go wrong as it only makes the storm more uncontrollable. The storm is expected to surge across the map, pouring down heavy amounts of rain that will ultimately flood the map, and change the landscape of the map for Season 3.
Season 3 should bring us; loads of different points of interests, new guns, new vehicles, exciting in-game features and an awesome new battle pass. If our assumptions are correct, some parts of the map will be flooded, and some may even be entirely submerged under water. One rumor suggests that all the buildings in the current Fortnite map that have a “No Sweat Insurance” sign outside, will be floating above water in the next season. We may see new vehicles in the game as well! We have seen a variety of different vehicles in the past, ranging from Shopping Carts to Hoverboards — each of which are all vastly different from one another. A rideable shark is rumored to be a new vehicle for Season 3, and while this may seem far-fetched Epic has a track record for adding crazy vehicles, so be on the lookout for this one! We can also expect to see loads of new guns added in the new season. One item that we may be getting is a flare gun. If you remember, last June — Fortnite posted a short video clip of a stranded Jonesy on a deserted island, shooting a flare gun. Leaks suggest that in this short video, not only is the flare gun a possible new addition — but the island that Jonesy is standing on is rumored to be a point of interest that will replace ‘The Rig’ (cue dramatic music for effect).
With the FNCS invitational in the rear-view mirror now, competitive Fortnite players and fans are now looking towards the future. On May 25th, the Fortnite Competitive Twitter account (@FNCompetitive) announced that Season 3 will begin with Solo FNCS, while Cash Cups return in the Trios format. This means that the Arena mode will be both Solo and Trio for Season 3. Looking ahead to Season 4, FNCS will return to the Trios format, similar to the Season X format, so get ready.
While the delays to the launch of Season 3 have been frustrating and disappointing for fans, it does not come as a surprise — given all that is happening in the world right now. In a statement that was posted on their website, Epic Games stated “Recent events are a heavy reminder of ongoing injustices in society, from the denial of basic human rights to the impact of racism both overt and subtle against people of color.” Other companies such as Sony and Activision have also announced delays in some of their own products so that they don’t take attention away from the important protests regarding racial inequality around the world.
Due to Epic delaying the launch of Season 3 for the third time — a great way in potentially compensating players is by offering an XP bonus format for the end of Season 2. There have been complaints amongst the community that it has become far too difficult to gain XP and reach Level 100. Because of this, and the constant delays — we think a supercharged XP event for the duration of Season 2 should definitely happen, or at least be considered. The next few weeks should bring loads of attention to the game and the new season, which will no doubt come with its ups and downs for the Fortnite community. Let’s just hope it’s a happy one.
