After a few days of teasing, Epic Games has unveiled Fortnite's Avengers tie-in, just in time for the premiere of Avengers: Endgame. Last year, we had the popular Infinity Gauntlet mode, which granted players the ability to become the mighty Thanos himself. For the new Limited Time Mode, simply titled Endgame, this time it is squads-based with one faction being the heroes, and the other faction being Thanos and his Chitauri warriors. The patch notes are located here.

The Endgame LTM is split into two teams, similar to the 50v50 squads mode, though not as large and respawning is a big factor. Putting it simply, whenever you load the mode, you'll either be with the heroes or the villains. If you're with the heroes, your goal will be to prevent the Chitauri from getting their hands on the Infinity Stones, and destroy the alien invaders. Yes, these Stones will appear one by one on the map. If you are a child of Thanos, your goal will be to capture the Stones, and eventually eliminate all the opposing forces. Now, let's look into the specifics of each group.

The Heroes

As usual, you will start off in the bus. For this mode, heroes are granted triple health and shield. At the start, you're given an assault rifle, shotgun, and a treasure map. Upon locating the chest, you will be given access to a Mythic Avengers weapon - either Captain America's iconic shield, Thor's Stormbreaker axe from Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man's Repulsors, or Hawkeye's bow. There are other chests on the map as well, so you can have access to different Avengers items.

The Avengers weapons have their own special abilities. Captain America's shield can be used to block blasts, and can be thrown. Thor's Stormbreaker functions a bit like the Infinity Blade. You can use it to leap into the air and hit the ground with massive damage. Unlike the Blade, Stormbreaker can be thrown. Iron Man's gloves enable the player to fire repulsor beams. Also, it allows the player to hover into the air, similar to the jetpack. Finally, Hawkeye's bow shoot arrows of course. Perhaps unexpectedly, it can also be used like the grapple gun, allowing the user to cover a greater distance.

The heroes' goal is to eliminate all the Chitauri and Thanos. However, a wrinkle to this is the Infinity Stones. These gems will appear on the map for all to see. You are going to want to do your best to defend the Stones while eliminating Chitauri. The Stones make Thanos even more powerful, and grant health to the aliens. If the Stones are all collected, then respawning is disabled for the heroes. Prior to this, respawning is unlimited for the heroes, so you'll want to make the most of your lives.

Thanos and the Chitauri

With the Chitauri. each member instantly gains access to a blaster, a blaster that charges, and a jetpack. Chitauri cannot open chests or utilize treasure maps. The Chitauri's goal is to locate the Infinity Stones on the map. The first Chitauri player to snag a Stone will be transformed into Thanos himself. From there, the Chitauri's goal is to capture the rest of the Stones while staying alive.

Unlike the heroes, the Chitauri warriors do not have unlimited respawns. If Thanos is eliminated, a random Chitauri warrior will be given the mantle, and the cycle continues from there.

Battles quickly become frenetic as the game progresses, with blasts firing every which way. Much of the strategy one uses in the normal modes are going to be hard to apply here. The battles especially become fast-paced when heroes are trying to defend an Infinity Stone, and the Chitauri are bombarding the forts. The mode can feel like an uphill battle for the heroes, which makes sense since the Avengers themselves are already on an uphill battle going into Endgame.

The Endgame LTM is available now in Fortnite. Avengers-themed sets are coming to the shop, with the first being Black Widow, which is available today. You can acquire items, such as a Quinjet Glider, by completing Endgame challenges. Avengers: Endgame releases April 26th.