Fortnite players dropped into season 6 of the video game on Thursday, September 27. The update, themed around Halloween and titled 'Darkness Rises,' brings map and storyline changes along with an all-new Battle Pass.
Epic Games uploaded a new trailer for the season 6 Battle Pass to its social media accounts on September 27, giving players a first look at what it offers.
Battle Pass price and rewards
The Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, which works out to $9.99 in the United States and £7.99 in the United Kingdom. It offers more than 100 rewards across 100 levels, including new skins and cosmetic changes.
In a blog post, Epic Games described the update: "New Season, new Battle Pass. 100 levels, over 100 new rewards. Available in-game right now for 950 V-Bucks." The post continued, "Season 6 arrives in Battle Royale and brings new goodies with it! Uncover what's in the new Battle Pass, explore an updated island with Pets, and become one with the shadows with a new consumable. Join in on the Cram Session mini-event in Save the World and learn more about a new enemy that has appeared from the Storm."
What is a Fortnite Battle Pass?
Fortnite rewards players with weapon upgrades and outfits for completing challenges, but its rarest loot comes from the optional, paid Battle Pass, which unlocks better-quality items at each season's reward tiers. None of the items affect gameplay, since they are purely cosmetic.
Battle Passes are bought with V-Bucks, the game's in-game credit purchased with real money. One season's pass costs 950 V-Bucks, and 1,000 V-Bucks costs £7.99, or $9.99. Players can also buy each of the season's 100 reward tiers individually for 150 V-Bucks apiece to unlock them immediately, though doing that for every tier would cost around £120, or $150.
New skins for season 6
According to Forbes, a number of new skins are now available for season 6, most tied to the Halloween theme. Two skins glimpsed in a teaser image on Epic Games's social media accounts have been confirmed in the new season: a cowgirl skin called Calamity, a likely nod to the 19th-century frontierswoman Calamity Jane, and a DJ-themed skin with a robotic llama helmet called DJ Yonder.
Another expected favorite is the Dire skin, which transforms into a snarling werewolf, similar to the shape-shifting Ragnarok skin from season 5. Other available skins include the tomato-headed, black-clad Nightshade, the Dusk skin, the horse-riding Giddy-Up skin, and the Fable skin, which resembles a stereotypical Little Red Riding Hood.
New rewards including Pets
Alongside the new skins, season 6 introduces several other rewards. The most notable addition is Pets, reportedly named Scales, Camo and Bonesy. Described as "passive companions," they give players no competitive advantage but can tag along during matches.
Other new rewards include three pickaxes, five emotes, four back blings, four gliders and 14 sprays. Gamespot has compiled a full visual list of all the new Battle Pass skins and rewards.
About Fortnite
Fortnite is a free-to-play action-shooter that currently has a player base of around 125 million people. It was both developed and published by Epic Games.
The game was released in July 2017, and its battle royale mode, which pits 100 players against each other and mixes shooter gameplay with survival and fortress-building elements, followed in September 2017. Fortnite came to Android in August 2018 and is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS and iOS.
Alongside the new season, Fortnite players also received news that Sony has agreed to allow cross-console play with other platforms, beginning with a Fortnite open beta on PlayStation 4 that launched on September 26.
