Fortnite just brought its highly anticipated Chapter 2 Season 8 to the game. Fortnite fans have eagerly awaited the destruction of the harrowing mothership in the sky, brought down by Dr. Slone and the IO. Following the Operation Sky Fire event on Sunday, September 12, the game went into an extended period of downtime in order to bring about the massive game changes to the hyped season.

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Each new season of Fortnite brings with it map changes, new weapons, a brand new battle pass, and of course, a continuation of the battle royale storyline that has been going on since early 2018. With the mothership downed in the ocean just outside of the island, there are a whole bunch of exciting new things for you to discover around the Fortnite island. Let's check out some of the biggest changes in Chapter 2 Season 8.

The New Season Theme - Cubed

fortnite kevin the cube

With every new season of Fortnite comes an entirely new season that continues to push the battle royale's storyline forward. Chapter 2 Season 8's theme is called Cubed. For anyone that has been around the game since Chapter 1, Cubed refers to Kevin the Cube.

Well, Kevin is now joined by an entire island full of sentient purple cubes. However, this time around there is a giant blue cube that the community has named Blevin. And in case you missed it, there is even a glowing golden cube that might just become a major part of the story going forward.

Brand New Battle Pass

chapter 2 season 8 battle pass in fortnite

One of the major highlights of each new season is the brand new battle pass that comes along with it. Since Chapter 2 Season 7, Fortnite has opted for a "choose your own unlocks" path of progression. This new battle pass allows you to unlock content as you see fit.

There are a whole host of incredible skins, weapon wraps, and music for you to unlock as you make your way through the 100 or so stages, all centering around the Cubed theme. You earn battle stars with each level up which can then be used to unlock more goodies.

Doing The Monster Mash

monster fight in the sideways in fortnite

Aside from the horde of giant cubes rolling across the map, the other biggest change to this new season is the addition of The Sideways. The Sideways is a giant pustule-looking thing that glows orange and red and takes up residence in a new location each match.

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The Sideways houses all sorts of spooky cube monsters who are intent on stalking you in order to eliminate you. This otherworld is downright harrowing, featuring darkness, purple cube totems, and plenty of monsters who provide special items and weapons.

Sideways Weapons

sideways weapons in fortnite

So, what are the items and weapons you can acquire in The Sideways anomalies? The most unique things you can get are the Sideways weapons. The two Sideways weapons in the game right now are a rapid-fire type rifle and a minigun of sorts. Each one looks like it's formed from pieces of the cube and other dark matter material.

These weapons are unique not only in their looks, but in their function. Each one controls differently from any other weapon in the game right now. Also, these can be upgraded using dropped monster parts. You can even upgrade the gold versions to a mythic variety if you have enough components. There are special Sideways chests that spawn in the anomaly.

Quests And Punchcards

quests and punchcards in fortnite

Fortnite really puts an emphasis on storytelling through its battle royale mode, from live events to characters to environmental storytelling. One of the best ways it accomplishes this storytelling is through quests.

Quests in Fortnite are generally directly linked to specific story-centric characters and typically give you a big XP boost or a special item. In Season 8, you can party up to complete quests and punchcards as a group. This party-up quest mechanic helps to ensure everyone feels involved in the progression.

Supporting The War Efforts

support the war effort in fortnite

As if this season wasn't already chock full of creative new aspects, Epic Games went ahead and added a brand new feature called "Supporting the War Efforts." As the name implies, you and anyone playing in a given match can supply gold bars and certain stations to support the addition of a new item or mini POI (point of interest).

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Currently, in the game, you can donate your collected gold bars to have the map receive turret gun placements all around. While the cadence isn't set just yet, these war efforts will change throughout the season, and players can directly control what gets added.

Paint A Toona Fish

paint a toona fish in fortnite

Chapter 2 of Fortnite has added in even more customization, especially skins and characters. Season 8 might just be the pinnacle of customization options with the "Paint a Toona Fish" idea. Essentially, you can collect different colored paint jars littered all across the island.

Once you collect the required amount of each color, you can then change the full color of the Toona Fish skin. If that wasn't enough, and if you have the relevant secondary skin, you can use collected rainbow paint to set the color scheme for Toona Fish to that of the secondary skin. It's an ingenious system and really makes you feel like you are creating your own unique cartoon character to use in the game.

The Corrupted Zones - Crash Sites

slipstreams in corrupted zones in fortnite

There are typically map changes in Fortnite season changeovers, with some being a bit more substantial than others. However, in Season 8, there are all sorts of corrupted zones spread across the map. These corrupted zones came about during the Operation Sky Fire event when the mothership crashed. These orange, red, and purple-hued corrupted zones feel truly otherwordly and offer a ton of loot.

The best part of these crash site corrupted zones are the glowing purple alien ship slipstreams. If you played the game in Chapter 1 Season 9 and remember the futuristic slipstreams that helped you to zoom across parts of the map, then you probably also get the idea here. You can freely jump in and out of them for better mobility with your glider or umbrella deploying upon exit.

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