Fortnite Chapter 2 is launching now

The Fortnite Chapter 2 reboot begins now.

Fortnite Chapter 2 has now launched. After being sucked into a black hole over the weekend, the game has returned – with a new season and a new map, or at least a totally redesigned one.

Streamers have already begun flooding in, with the hashtag #FirstDrop, and you can see the first in the main Fortnite Twitch link below. From what little we can tell so far, some of the game’s iconic locations have returned – but the map is very different. We spotted Salty Springs making its return, for example, but now it’s by the shoreline. There are new locations too, such as places called Frenzy Farms and Craggy Cliffs – which appear to be on the west and north side of the new island, respectively. There’s 13 in total.

Water-based gameplay is probably the most requested addition – which we’re surprised it took Epic this long to implement. Boats, swimming, and even fishing – which seems to get you health and XP – have all been added. There are new ways to support your squad too, such as a healing bazooka (!) and the ability to carry your downed teammates.

There are now new places to hide Assassin’s Creed-like, such as haystacks and dumpsters, and the game has finally added that most iconic of shooter items – the explosive barrel. Gas tanks, too, can be blown up.

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Supposedly the amount of weapons have been “streamlined”, with the ability to upgrade these weapons at the Upgrade Bench. Epic also promises “more fun, less grind” with a new XP system through the Season 11 Battle Pass.

If you missed all the excitement, over the weekend Fortnite was literally sucked into a black hole – and players were unable to access the game for a couple of days. Now it’s back with a completely altered map, and presumably will be just as big as its always been – if not bigger.