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• "Fortnite" players can activate two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to their Epic Games account.
• Enabling 2FA will also unlock a special dance emote, Boogiedown, for "Fortnite: Battle Royale." Players who paid for "Fortnite: Save the World" will receive even more bonuses.
• Signing into your account with two-factor authentication requires a special code in addition to a password. "Fortnite" players can choose to receive 2FA codes via email or use a separate authenticator app. 

With more than 80 million players logging onto "Fortnite" each month, old accounts with lots of cosmetics and V-Bucks stocked up are becoming ripe targets for hackers. Because of that, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) is the best way to make sure that your "Fortnite" account is safe — plus, players receive a free emote as an added bonus.

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your account with a time-sensitive code that's required when logging in with your password. To activate 2FA, you'll need to log into your account on the Epic Games website and go to the Account Settings page. If you click on password and security, you'll find the options for two-factor authentication.

Read more: The maker of 'Fortnite' is suing two YouTubers for trolling with cheats and sharing hacks

Once you activate 2FA on your Epic Games account, you can receive the authenticator code via email or a separate app — "Fortnite" works with the Google, Microsoft, LastPass, and Authy authenticator apps. Once you activate the code, you wont need to use the authenticator on the same device for 30 days.

You'll need the 2FA code whenever you sign into a new device, meaning that even if hackers or other people trying to access your Epic Games account know your password, they'll need to get the authenticator code from your personal email or smartphone app to sign-in to "Fortnite."

There's an added bonus for enabling 2FA: Players who turn it on will receive the dancing Boogiedown emote for "Fortnite: Battle Royale."

Those who have purchased "Fortnite: Save the World" will receive 50 armory slots, 10 backpack slots, and a legendary troll stash llama for enabling 2FA.

"Fortnite"/Epic Games

While pulling up your 2FA code every 30 days may take an extra minute, two-factor authentication will add a big boost in security to your Epic Games account and help prevent misuse.

With a free emote and Save the World bonuses as extra incentive, there's little reason not to enable 2FA, if only for the sake of security.

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Fortnite Crew FAQ

Co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games

2020 video game

Fortnite: Save the World is a cooperative hybrid-third-person shootertower defensesurvivalvideo game developed and published by Epic Games. The game was released as a paid-for early access title for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 25, 2017, with plans for a full free-to-play release announced in late 2018. Epic eventually opted to move the game to pay-to-play in June 2020. The retail versions of the game were published by Gearbox Software, while online distribution of the PC versions is handled by Epic's launcher.

Fortnite is set on contemporary Earth, where the sudden appearance of a worldwide storm causes 98% of the world's population to disappear, and zombie-like creatures rise to attack the remainder. Considered by Epic as a cross between Minecraft and Left 4 Dead, Fortnite has up to four players cooperating on various missions on different maps to collect resources, build fortifications around defensive objectives that are meant to help fight the storm and protect survivors, and construct weapons and traps to engage in combat with waves of these creatures that attempt to destroy the objectives. Players gain rewards through these missions to improve their hero characters, support teams, and arsenal of weapon and trap schematics to be able to take on more difficult missions.

The game is supported through microtransactions to purchase in-game loot boxes that can be used towards these upgrades. A standalone battle royale game version, Fortnite Battle Royale, was released for the same platforms in September 2017. Following the release, the player-versus-environment mode was officially distinguished as "Save the World".

Synopsis

One day, 98% of Earth's human population suddenly disappeared, and the remaining humans found the skies covered in dense clouds, creating chaotic storms that dropped husks: humanoid zombie-like creatures that attacked the living. The survivors found ways to construct "storm shields", a field that cleared the storm clouds from immediately overhead and reduced the attacks from husks, and used these to set up survivor bases across the globe. The player is a commander of one of these bases, charged with going out of the storm shield to find resources, survivors, and other allies to help expand their storm shield and find a way to return Earth to its normal state.

Gameplay

The "tower defense" aspect of the game revolves around the player character defending the storm shield against zombie like creatures.

Fortnite provides three distinct product gameplay modes: access to Fortnite Battle Royale and Fortnite Creative (which are available as a separate free-to-play titles) and the paid-for cooperative player-versus-environment "Save the World", which is unique to the main Fortnite game.

Quests and events

Fortnite: Save the World is described as a unique blend of sandbox survival co-op lite RPG tower defense game, and is an amalgamation of player progression, exploration, scavenging items, sharing scarce resources, crafting weapons, building fortified structures, and fighting waves of encroaching monsters.^[8]Tim Sweeney, Epic's founder, described the game as "Minecraft meets Left 4 Dead".^[9] The game plays in a third-person perspective and cycles between managing one's resources at a safe home base, and then going out on missions to complete quests as to collect resources and obtain rewards to advance the game's story.

Players can review their current story progress and quests, which can include daily, weekly, side, challenge, and event quests, which when completed provide in-game currency or resources.

Fortnite: Save the World offers themed-events with a unique progression line, new locations, and rewards based on those themes. The first such event was its Halloween event, "Fortnitemares", that offered Halloween-themed heroes, characters, weapons, and traps (usable outside of the event) by completing numerous objectives.^[10]

Map and missions

Missions are divided between four world locations, some available only after progressing far enough in the story, and special locations for timed events and for the Survive the Storm mode. Within a location are several possible mission areas that show the type of mission, the terrain it takes place on, its difficulty rating relative to the player's current power level, and whether the mission is currently under special "storm" conditions that throw random effects, like buffed husks or mini-bosses, into the mission but have potentially better rewards if completed. The player can select a special "play with others" option that automatically matches them with players at a similar power level and story progression on a random mission for added rewards.

During missions, players can make their fortifications from one of three base materials (wood, brick, and metal), and in a number of configurations, including floors/ceilings, walls, stairs, and ramps; players have the ability to edit these for more configurations, such as adding a door or window to a wall. Each fortification part can be upgraded with more resources of the same type to improve their durability, and when they are damaged, can be repaired by spending additional resources. Traps, which have a limited number of activation before they fall apart, can be placed on floors, walls, and ceilings, and arranged in means to make them more lethal or effective against husks. Traps may also include beneficial resources for players, such as healing pads, defender posts, and launch pads. Similarly, players can use a range of weapons but these have limited durability that drops as they are used or as a penalty if the player should be downed by husks and need to respawn without the help of allies. Players can construct new weapons, ammo, and traps from gathered resources, or find these from searching containers across the map. During missions, the game progresses through an accelerated day-night cycle; during the day, the husks are more passive and do not generally pose immediate threats, while during the night, bands of husks may spawn in and will aggressively seek out players.

Most missions take place on procedurally-generated landscapes. Most missions are based on locating sites representing the objectives on the map, build up fortifications around those locations, and then face off against several waves of husks that will try to destroy the objectives. During completion of these missions, players are generally given a "storm forecast" to know where husks will spawn in as to enhance fortification in that direction, though this direction can change in more difficult missions. Other missions are time-limited, requiring the players to locate and help a number of survivors, build out several radar towers, or clear out various encampment of husks scattered around the map before time runs out. These missions encourage the players to explore the map and farm for resources (either by searching objects or destroying them with an axe) used to build the fortifications, weapons, ammunition, and traps needed to defend or attack the husks. Players also frequently need to seek out bluglo, a special resource that does not carry over between maps to activate certain mission objectives. Some missions are considered a loss if the objective is destroyed or time runs out, while other missions allow the players to rework their fortifications and start their defense again if the objective is destroyed. Maps will frequently have optional objectives that are discovered through exploration, such as human survivors that need help. Completing these successfully earn immediate in-game rewards such as resources, weapons, and traps. Missions themselves may provide bonus objectives, such as by completing the mission within a certain in-game period, using a limited number of fortification pieces, or saving more survivors than the minimum necessary, which affects the qualify of rewards the players receive after the successful completion of the main mission.

One unique mission type is Storm Shield Defense (SSD) missions. In each of the four world locations, the player is allocated a map that remains persistent, representing the site where their base's storm shield generator is placed, and in the storm mode, the player must return to this map to expand the storm shield, requiring them to add a new objective to defend successfully to continue the story. At any time, the player can enter this map without starting the defense mission, and use their carried-over resources to build out the fortification and traps, or add resources to a special storage area for this map. Successfully completing SSD-missions unlocks "Endurance Mode" which allows players to test theirs skills and builds against an increasingly difficult and unending siege on their base.

Command and armory

The player has a roster of hero characters, defender characters, and support characters (called Survivors). Hero characters represent characters from one of four classes that the player can use while on a mission, as well as used to undertake resource-gathering missions making them unavailable to use until they return from the mission. Defender characters can be summoned to help with defense but only if there are less than four players on a mission. Support characters (called "Survivors", who must be rescued ingame) are used to form various non-playable squads that provide passive bonuses to the player's attack strength, building speed, armor, and health, with additional benefits if the player can match certain characterization attributes within a squad.

The player can spend commander upgrade skill points, earned by completing missions, and technology research points, earned over time, to unlock new base support skills, gadgets and tools. These can improve a player's base attributes, attributes that are shared with the other players while on missions, unlock higher levels of evolution for schematics and characters, open up new squad positions, or unlock general skills that players can use in the field. Collectively, the player's progress on the commander rating, their survivor squad composition, and their selected hero character make up the player's current "power level" which relates to what difficulty of missions the player should take and the game's matchmaking services.

The player has an itemization inventory of weapon and trap schematics, along with collected resources. The crafting schematics are used to construct weapons and traps when on the field. The player can spend different types of experience points and resources earned as mission rewards to level up and evolve schematics and characters. For weapons and traps, this generally boosts their effectiveness as well as unlocking additional attribute "perk" bonuses, while leveling up hero characters will increase stats and unlock special skills the character has while in the field. Schematics and characters are generally assigned a rarity, which determines how much they can be leveled and evolved. A player's inventory of schematics and characters is limited, but players can opt to slot anyone they do not need into a collection book to gain rewards when certain collection sets are completed; use one or more of these schematics or characters to transform them into a new random item, or simply retire them to gain back experience points and other resources to free up the inventory slots.^[11][12]

Locker, store and item shop

The player has access to a complete gallery of all Fortnite cosmetic items across all gameplay modes, featuring outfits, back bling, and harvesting tools. The player can spend real-world currency and/or different types of in-game currency, experience points and resources earned as mission rewards, from loot boxes (represented as llamapinatas), or other resources to level up and evolve schematics and characters.

Heroes in the player's locker have different power levels and abilities which can be increased either by upgrading them or by enhancing their support team with Survivor XP or Hero XP. The upgrades, however, are locked until certain quests are completed, such as the Storm Shield Defense missions.^[13] Heroes also come in different rarities, but unlike the Battle Royale counterpart, the rarity of a hero can be upgraded further using Hero XP and other account resources such as Epic or Legendary Flux that can be obtained either from the weekly shop, or by completing some missions.

Although most cosmetics earned in Fortnite: Battle Royale can be used in Fortnite: Save The World, there are some that cannot. These include all gliders, all contrails, and some backblings. Reactivity for some backblings may not work in Save The World either. Epic Games has sparked some controversy among players when a Save The World exclusive hero (Metal Team Leader) was made available in the Fortnite Battle Royale item shop as a skin. Some players felt ripped off by Epic Games' decision as they've already purchased the item in Save The World which was taunted to be rare.^[14]

Development

History

Conception

Fortnite was revealed at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards (VGA), with Epic's former design director Cliff Bleszinski introducing a trailer for the game.^[15] Donald Mustard, creative lead at Epic, said in 2017 that this announcement was "three weeks after we came up with the idea, before we even made the game".^[16] The title, which started out as an internal game jam project following the completion of Gears of War 3,^[17][18] represents a departure from the company's previous work.^[15] As Bleszinski explained during the Spike event, Epic wanted to "switch things up a little bit and do something different and fun" with Fortnite, describing it as "a world where you explore, you scavenge, you build and ultimately you survive."^[15] In an interview with Engadget, he also echoed these statements, claiming that the game would be different from the Gears of War series: "There's no dudebros in it...Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? But creatively for the team, Gears has been amazing for us. But it's fun to kind of stretch our wings and do something that's a little different from the usual."^[19] At the time of its creation, producer Roger Collum said that the game grew out of taking two popular genres: building games like Minecraft and Terraria, and shooting games like Gears of War to make something novel, comparing it to making peanut butter cups out of peanut butter and chocolate. When they showed this approach to other developers, they found that the concept was an idea that others had had but never worked towards any final product, and from that knew they had something with potential to build on.^[18]

As the game was at its very preliminary stages at the VGA reveal, the goal of this reveal was to seek public interest in the title and potential publishing partners as to decide on the game's release platforms and timeframe.^[20] During the July 2012 San Diego Comic Con, Epic announced that Fortnite would be an exclusive personal computer title, and the first one to be developed by Epic using their new Unreal 4 game engine, with a planned release in 2013.^[21][22] The game's development was originally started in the Unreal 3 engine, but as they progressed, they had seen the opportunity to work in several of the new feature sets and scripting language offered by Unreal 4 for Fortnite, while still running on most personal computers at that time. They further opted for personal computer exclusivity to avoid the difficulty of having to go through console certification, and as they planned to be constantly monitoring and tweaking the game, acting as a dungeon master, the personal computer approach would allow them to do this without restrictions normally set by console manufacturers.^[23] Bleszinski later clarified that they would not rule out release on other platforms as they developed the title.^[24]

Fortnite's development was spread among several of Epic's satellite studios,^[25] and was also co-developed by the Polish studio People Can Fly, which had worked with Epic previously on earlier games, and had been fully acquired by Epic sometime in 2012. People Can Fly were briefly renamed Epic Games Poland in 2013 as to align with Epic's other studios.^[26][27] By March 2014, there were about 90 developers working on the game.^[17] People Can Fly later returned to being an independent studio and their own name in 2015, but continued to help Epic with Fortnite's development.^[1][2]

Transition under Tencent

Fortnite's early development hit a number of roadblocks. First, Epic began using Fortnite as the testing ground for the new Unreal Engine 4, which slowed some development.^[28] A further factor was recognizing that to maintain interest in the game, it needed to have deep systems for player progression and itemization, similar to computer role-playing games. They reached out and brought in system designers from popular massively multiplayer online games, including Darren Sugg, to gain input on how to create these types of systems.^[18] A culminating issue in the slowdown was the investment from Tencent in Epic Games in 2012, which transitioned a number of high-level executives, including Bleszinski, out of the company.^[29] Epic had recognized they needed to prepare for offering games that followed the games as a service model. Tencent had excelled at this in China, and agreed to help Epic in exchange for significant ownership in Epic. Epic chose to use Fortnite as the spearhead for Epic's games-as-a-service model which created additional road bumps, according to Mustard.^[28] Further, with the transition of executives, new leadership was needed to take over for Fortnite's development team. Sugg, for example, had been discussing the various game systems in depth with Bleszinski, who otherwise was leading the design. With Bleszinski's departure, Sugg had to take over as lead design to try to continue the vision that Bleszinski's team had.^[18]Rod Fergusson, who had left Epic after Tencent's investment in 2012, stated that if he had stayed on with Epic, he would likely have cancelled Fortnite by this point.^[30]

At the same time, Epic made several decisions on gameplay that felt established the basis of Fortnite. Initially when players placed walls and other fortifications, they would have had players complete a mini-game to complete the construction. They found that the game was more successful when these fortifications built themselves, allowing players to create forts quickly, and kept this approach.^[18] They were also able to bring in various game modes that had been envisioned in Gears of War 3, but which then were limited by the game's engine. The dynamic nature of the game world due to players' fortifications and de-construction required them to come up with an artificial intelligencepathfinding solution for the enemies.^[18] Epic considered they were trying to build a toolkit for players to interact with as to create emergent gameplay solutions based on the situation of the missions, from which they can continue to expand upon with new items throughout the life of the game.^[18]

By November 2013, Epic confirmed that Fortnite would not release that year, nor offered a target released date, though affirmed the game was still in development by several of its studios.^[31] Epic Games Vice President of Publishing Mike Fischer said in 2015 that Epic recognized that they "announced this game too soon", and that its lengthy development period was due to "very good reasons."^[32]Fortnite was a feature in the May 2014 issue of Game Informer, revealing that the title would be released as a free-to-play game.^[33]

By 2014, Fortnite was at a "pretty functional prototype" with most of the Unreal 4 engine elements smoothed out, according to Mustard.^[28] Epic anticipated it would still take about three more years to complete, not only in polishing and balancing the game, but setting in place the necessary backend elements for the games-as-a-service model.^[28] To help support development and get player feedback, Epic used a series of closed alpha test periods. The game's first closed alpha, called Online Test 1, ran from December 2 to 19, 2014, while Online Test 2 ran from March 24 to April 14, 2015.^[34][35] Epic said the first alpha was designed to help it "make sure all of our basic systems are working" and establish "a baseline for how people play in order to make Fortnite better."^[34] After being demoed at WWDC 2015 on Mac, Fortnite entered closed beta testing in the fall of 2015.^[36] Approximately 50,000 players participated in these periods.^[28]

Fortnite was being developed alongside Paragon, which Epic announced in November 2015. As Paragon seemed to take Epic's focus, leaving little news about Fortnite, CEO Tim Sweeney said in March 2016 that they were still committed to Fortnite once Paragon was launched and established, given that much of the work on Fortnite would take time to get the right balance for gameplay. "We figure we should start with one major successful launch and do one at a time. Fortnite will be next."^[37]

Early access release and Battle Royale spinoff

By June 2017, Epic Games announced that Fortnite was now set for a 2018 release across Windows, macOS, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Leading up to this free-to-play release, the game was offered as a paid early access period starting on July 25, 2017 for all platforms; players who pre-ordered Founder's Packs were granted access to the game on July 21.^[38][39] The lengthy period since the game's alpha phases was ascribed to developing Fortnite as a games-as-a-service model, according to creative lead Donald Mustard. While the game had been in a playable state for the two years before this, Epic wanted to be able to develop ongoing content to players to keep them interested in the title, such as planning timed events with unique rewards, following the approach used by games like League of Legends and Warframe.^[38] Since the game had already been announced earlier in 2014 through Game Informer, Epic opted not to use their Electronic Entertainment Expo time or space in June 2017 to re-announce the game, fearing that coverage of it would be lost in the deluge of other gaming news coming out of the event. Instead, the Epic marketing team worked with Twitch and other game streamers to provide them early copies of the game to play and promote on their channels in the weeks leading up to their target release date of July 25, 2017. However, a few weeks before this date, Epic recognized that the game was still not ready for release; it was playable but not content complete. Rather than prolonging it further, Epic decided to release the game into paid early access on July 25, 2017, which would also allow them to get active feedback on the game as they progressed in development.^[40] At the time of the start of early access, Gearbox Software helped distribute the game on physical media.^[3]

With the popularity of Fortnite Battle Royale, which was first released in early access around September 2017 and gained considerable attention by early 2018, Epic split off a separate development team to focus on improvements for this mode.^[41] Epic said that their attention to Fortnite was causing some of their other games to see lower player populations, leading them to reduce development efforts on these games, particularly Paragon.^[42] By the end of January 2018, Epic announced it was shutting down Paragon by April of that year, providing refunds to all players.^[43] Players on a Fortnite-dedicated Reddit forum had expressed concerns that a similar fate could befall the Save the World mode of Fortnite, as externally, the Save the World mode has not received the same attention in providing updates and improvements compared to the Battle Royale mode since that mode's release.^[44] Epic's Ed Zobrist said that as of March 2018 that the retention rates for "Save the World" have been high, and have grown since the release of Fortnite Battle Royale,^[40] and the company has since improved communications with the player base, such as providing development road maps and known bug lists.^[45]

In October 2018, Epic announced that the game's free-to-play release would not happen until at least 2019, which was done in order to make sure that it would ready to accommodate large groups of new players.^[46] A significant patch for the game to be released in November 2018 aims to rework much of the game's metagame interfaces, providing some automation and helpful advice through newly introduced characters for hero outfitting, survivor squads, and other activities.^[47] A change in its loot box system was made in January 2019, which allowed players to know what items they would get from the "loot llamas" purchased via the in-game store, similar to an x-ray; contents of such loot llamas will be randomized on a daily basis.^[48]

Final release

On June 29, 2020, Epic announced that they had decided to end Save the World's early access period and make it a full release, but at the same time abandoning the original free-to-play plans and keeping the game a premium title. With this change, they were no longer able to continue to support common shared items between the Save the World and Battle Royale modes of Fortnite. With this, Epic planned to include Ventures, season-long events to give players new challenges in the Save the World mode alongside recurring annual events.^[49] Long-term players of the Save the World mode criticized Epic for this change; they had long seen the mode receive less care than Fortnite Battle Royale with many features that had been planned now dropped, and that the game's campaign that was to have had taken place over four major acts was effectively only 75% complete and appeared to be no longer a priority. A campaign hashtag "#SaveSaveTheWorld" grew among both these players as well as sympathetic Fortnite Battle Royale players to try to convince Epic to put more development resources into this mode.^[50]

Art and design

In their initial prototypes of the game, Epic had used creepier and darker designs for the husks and other enemies, and many of the elements of the settings were assets pulled from both Gears of War and Unreal series, which further created a dark, depressing environment.^[18] Bleszinski said that they found this to create an "exhaustive environment" that was too grim, and designed to take the design in a more cartoonish approach, while still remaining creepy, so that players would enjoy spending time in the game's world, without competing with games like DayZ.^[24] They used works from Pixar, Tim Burton, and Looney Tunes as inspiration for the designs.^[24][51]

Fortnite uses procedural generation to build out the maps for each mission. The game also includes an "AI director" that monitors how players are progressing, and alters the challenges of the monsters it sends out to the players based on that progression, easing off if players are having greater difficulty in surviving.^[52] At one point, the game had a team-based player versus player mode, where each side attempted to build up a base around a central target while trying to attack the opponent's target after breaking through their base. This did not make it into the final game.^[52]

Epic has cross-platform play between PC and PS4 and has stated plans to allow separate Fortnite cross-platform support for Xbox One and personal computer users, but cross-platform play between all three platforms has not been announced. However, for a few hours during one day in September 2017, players found they could cross-play between all three platforms. Epic later corrected this, calling it a "configuration error".^[53]

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)

Sales

On July 26, 2017, it was announced that Fortnite had sold over 500,000 digital pre-order copies.^[4] On August 18, 2017, Epic confirmed that Fortnite had surpassed over a million players.^[59]

Legal issues

Following the addition of x-ray loot boxes in February 2019, Epic Games was the subject of a class-action lawsuit claiming that its former model for loot boxes was predatory because they did not report the odds which rare items would appear in these boxes.^[60] Epic offered to settle the case in February 2021, in addition to retaining about $26 million to substantiated claims from members of the class particularly to minors affected by the case, by also crediting all players of Save the World with 1,000 V-bucks (about $8 equivalent), with Epic's lawyers stating "it’s the right thing to do and we feel strongly about random item loot boxes".^[61]

Notes

References

External links

ShadowPlay Highlights automatically captures kills, deaths, and key events in supported games, enabling you to review, edit, and share your best and most amusing moments with ease after a long day of gaming.

First released in August, gamers have already used ShadowPlay Highlights to capture millions of in-game events, many of which you’ll find trending on Reddit, and in ‘best of’ compilation videos on YouTube. Now, Fortnite Battle Royale players can get in on the action, with the release of a ShadowPlay Highlights patch on January 10th for the game’s entertaining PvP Battle Royale mode, which has over 30 million players.

To activate ShadowPlay Highlights in Fortnite Battle Royale you’ll need to update to the Fortnite ShadowPlay Highlights patch on January 10th, and have GeForce Experience 3.12 or higher, the Fortnite Game Ready driver, and a GeForce GTX graphics card.

Once everything’s ready, launch Fortnite, and select Battle Royale. GeForce Experience will ask if you want to enable ShadowPlay Highlights for Fortnite Battle Royale. After you click "Yes", kill, death, and Victory Royale Highlights will automatically be recorded without any further input.

At the end of your match, select the “Highlights” button on your lower right. This will showcase the Highlights captured, and from this screen you can select which Highlights to save to your Gallery, and which to share immediately to Facebook or YouTube.

If you’ve yet to install Fornite, you can get instant access to its free Battle Royale PvP mode by downloading the game client here. Once you’ve learned the ropes, be sure to send your best Highlights to us on Facebook and Twitter.

When you’re playing Epic Games titles or using our services, we want you to have fun. Part of that is staying safe and ensuring you have a secure account. Below, you’ll find a few ways you can increase security for your Fortnite account as well as a few tools you can use to help you stay safe when gaming. 

Protect Your Account: Two-Factor Authentication

Keep your password safe and prevent your account from being compromised. We’ve implemented Two-Factor Authentication (also known as 2FA or 2-step verification) to help you prevent unauthorized account access. As a reward for protecting your account by enabling 2FA, you’ll unlock the Boogiedown Emote in Fortnite Battle Royale as well as 50 Armory Slots, 10 Backpack Slots, and 1 Legendary Troll Stash Llama in Save the World.

For help with turning on 2FA, check out our how-to video or read our support article on how to enable 2FA.

Protect Your Account: Never Share Your Account Details

We’ve seen several instances of account theft and fraud related to websites that claim to provide you free V-Bucks, cosmetics, or the ability to share or buy accounts. Please never share your Epic account details with anyone. Groups claiming to provide special Fortnite deals when you enter your login credentials are fraudulent — and may steal your account. Also, please note that Epic will never ask you for your password. 

Parental Controls

Read all the details about setting up parental controls in Fortnite in our Fortnite parental controls guide. Fortnite offers a range of parental controls to help you manage what a player can see and do within Fortnite. In addition to the parental controls within Fortnite, you can set rules for what features a player can access on consoles, handhelds, phones, and computers. PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10, and iOS all have guides for activating parental controls.

Reporting Bad Behavior

It’s important that Fortnite players have a fun and friendly community to participate with, so we take bad behavior seriously. All our community policies can be found in our Code of Conduct. If you see someone breaking our Code of Conduct or behaving badly, you can report the player’s behavior using the Report Player option in Fortnite. For assistance with this, follow the steps in our guide on reporting bad player behavior.

We’d love to hear from you if you feel there’s something we can do to help make the Fortnite community more friendly and fun! You can send in suggestions to us on our official social channels, which you can find in the Community section of our Fortnite FAQ.

Don’t Buy, Sell, or Trade Fortnite Accounts

Fortnite accounts must be set up by yourself or a parent/guardian through the game or signing up through Epic. As tempting as it might be to purchase an account with highly-coveted items, buying, selling, or trading accounts violates our Terms of Service and presents a security risk for your personal information and accounts.

Avoid Scams for Free V-Bucks and Outfits

Across the internet, there are third parties trying to get your private information by tricking you into believing they will provide you with free items or V-Bucks. Use caution when participating in competitions and giveaways from third parties. Also, please note that Epic will never ask you to provide private information to compete in competitions. Epic only asks you to provide private information to claim prizes after you have won (via our secure partner).

Social Media Scams

We are aware of a number of Creators in the Support-A-Creator program making content designed to scam and defraud players, and we’re taking actions to both remove these Creators from the ecosystem and prevent similar scams in the future. 

Typically, these individuals create social media material that promises false special benefits to players in return for using a specific Support-A-Creator code. Another common scam involves Creative islands that promise rewards to players like free V-Bucks gift cards. The players that use these codes never receive the special benefits they were promised by the Creator.

Creators cannot provide Outfit or free V-Bucks rewards for using a Creator code. Making content aimed to scam and defraud players is a violation of Creators’ agreement with Epic Games. Penalties for these violations include removal from the Support-A-Creator program and cancellation of any pending or potential payments. 

We take violations of the Terms of Service and Code of Conduct seriously — and are looking at additional measures to prevent bad actors from abusing the program. To report scam content, please submit a Player Support ticket and add the hashtag #reportacreator. A screenshot of the Creator code and link to the content is required for us to investigate. A video is even better.

Voice Chat Controls

Voice chat allows you to speak to and hear from other players in Fortnite. Voice chat is enabled by default. If you don’t want other players to be able to chat with you, you can learn how to disable voice chat or temporarily mute yourself.

Lobby Controls

You can control your party and voice chat settings right from the Fortnite Lobby. If you need help, you can follow the steps in our guide about managing party and voice chat options in the Lobby.

The best place to learn about the Battle Pass is in-game by selecting Battle Pass:

How to purchase the Battle Pass

In Fortnite: Battle Royale, click the BATTLE PASS tab at the top of the screen and then click GET IT NOW!.

Choose the Battle Pass and then confirm the purchase.

Rewards

When you purchase the Battle Pass, you can earn various rewards by leveling up your Battle Pass. In Chapter 2 Season magoshare activation code, we introduced an updated Battle Pass mechanic: instead of receiving 1 reward per level as in previous seasons, you now earn Battle Stars which can be used to claim the rewards from the available Pages (10 pages total). Players must acquire, claim enough rewards, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, or reach the corresponding Battle Pass level to access the later Battle Pass Pages.

Rewards from a Battle Pass can only be earned in that season, and will not be available in later seasons.

The PREREQUISITEtag on some of the rewards means that you must first claim all other rewards on that particular page to claim this reward.

The REQUIRES BASE ITEM tag means that it's a style variant and in order to unlock it you need to obtain the main outfit first.

Note: You can level up the Battle Pass over level 100 if you purchase it but there are no rewards for any levels above 100. If you do not purchase the Battle Pass, you can not level over 100.

Level up the Battle Pass

You can level up your Battle Pass in a few ways:

• Gaining experience (XP) through earning medals during a match
• Completing challenges
• Leveling up your season level
• And other in-game actions

You can purchase levels by following these steps:

Note: Each level costs 150 V-Bucks.

• Click the Battle Pass tab at the top of the screen, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate.
• Click the Battle Pass level to be purchased up to.
• Click the Purchase # Rewards.
  • Note: This will take you to a new screen where you can adjust the number of rewards you wish to purchase.
• Click and holdPurchase to complete the purchase.
  • Note: If you do not have enough V-Bucks, the purchase button will state Get V-bucks, and you will have a chance to purchase more V-Bucks.

Note: No levels can be purchased after level 100.

You can only earn Battle Stars for the first 200 levels in the season.

• "Fortnite" players can activate two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security to their Epic Games account.
• Enabling 2FA will also unlock a special dance emote, Boogiedown, for "Fortnite: Battle Royale." Players who paid for "Fortnite: Save the World" will receive even more bonuses.
• Signing into your account with two-factor authentication requires a special code in addition to a password. "Fortnite" players can choose to receive 2FA codes via email or use a separate authenticator app. 

With more than 80 million players logging onto "Fortnite" each month, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, old accounts with lots of cosmetics and V-Bucks stocked up are becoming ripe targets for hackers. Because of that, enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) is the best way to make sure that your "Fortnite" account is safe — plus, players receive a free emote as an added bonus.

Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your account with a time-sensitive code that's required when logging in with your password. To activate 2FA, you'll need to log into your account on the Epic Games website and go to the Account Settings page. If you click on password and security, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, you'll find the options for two-factor authentication.

Read more: The maker of 'Fortnite' is suing two YouTubers for Soft Organizer Pro Crack with cheats and sharing hacks

Once you activate 2FA on your Epic Games account, you can receive the authenticator code via email or a separate app — "Fortnite" Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate with the Google, Microsoft, LastPass, and Authy authenticator apps. Once you activate the code, you wont need to use the authenticator on the same device for 30 days.

You'll need the 2FA code whenever you sign into a new device, meaning that even if hackers or other people trying to access your Epic Games account know your password, they'll need to get the authenticator code from your personal email or smartphone app to sign-in to "Fortnite."

There's an added bonus for enabling 2FA: Players who turn it on will receive the dancing Boogiedown emote for "Fortnite: Battle Royale."

Those who have purchased "Fortnite: Save the World" will receive 50 armory slots, 10 backpack slots, and a legendary troll stash llama for enabling 2FA.

"Fortnite"/Epic Games driver talent keygen

While pulling up your 2FA code every 30 native instruments kontakt 6 may take an extra minute, two-factor authentication will add a big boost in security to your Epic Games account and help prevent misuse.

With a free emote and Save the World bonuses as extra incentive, there's little reason not to enable 2FA, if only for the sake of security.

Battle Pass Included for the Full Season

Member of the Fortnite Crew? Congrats, you have full access to the current seasons’ Battle Pass, and you’ll continue to receive future Battle Passes with your subscription. Unlock 100 awesome Battle Pass rewards just by playing Fortnite.

1,000 Bonus V-Bucks Every Month

Each month you’ll receive 1,000 V-Bucks that you can put towards the hottest Outfits, Emotes and more. And with the included Battle Pass, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, you’ll be able to unlock even more V-Bucks!

Fortnite Crew FAQ

It's highly recommended that you spend some time enabling 2FA (two-factor authentication) for your Fortnite account.

Not only will this keep your account secure from potential fraudsters, you'll also be able to earn an exclusive emote for your trouble. Fortnite cups also require 2FA to be enabled in order to earn rewards like skins.

Here's how to enable 2FA in Fortnite, and what you'll get for doing so.

How to enable Fortnite 2FA

Epic Games has provided an in-depth process for enabling 2FA in Fortnite. You'll find a step-by-step breakdown below:

1. Go to the 'Account' page.
2. Click the 'Password and Security' tab.
3. Under the 'Two-factor Authentication' header, click the 2FA option you want to enable:
4. Third-party authenticator app: Use an Authenticator App as your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). When you sign in you’ll be required to use the security code provided by your Authenticator App.
5. SMS Authentication: Redshift for houdini 17.5 crack your phone as your Password Recovery Bundle 2020 Crack Authentication (2FA) when you sign in you’ll be required to use the security code Epic sends you via SMS message.
6. Enable email authentication: Use a security code sent to your email address as your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). The security code will be sent to the address associated with your account. You’ll need to use it in when you sign in.
7. If you opt to use an authenticator app for 2FA, these common authenticator apps can be found in your mobile device app store.
8. Verify that 2FA is enabled
9. Refresh your account page and confirm that the authentication method shows as being enabled by looking for the blue button that says 'On'

Please note that if you choose more than one authentication method, you will want to check the box that says "Make this my primary Two-Factor authentication method" on your preferred method of contact.

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 is here and with it comes a new Battle Pass! This season has introduced EvoChrome weapons, Chrome Splash locations and the ability to phase through walls. There are also new vault locations and map changes. The Paradise quests are this season's storyline challenges, including destorying Chrome objects to collect Chrome anomalies. Make sure to check out the upcoming The Herald skin too! Meanwhile, learn how to get XP fast, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, earn the Victory Umbrella and Victory Crowns.

Exlusive Boogie Down emote

Once you've activated 2FA in Fortnite, load back into the game and you will receive the Boogie Down emote. This is your reward for securing your account, and is the only way you can get this emote currently, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate.

Why you should enable Fortnite two-factor authentication

There are a number of reasons to enable 2FA in Fortnite, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate. The main one is to keep your account secure from fraudsters. Having an extra step when signing into your account makes it harder for someone to access, which is recommended if you have any payment methods linked. V-Bucks scams are unfortunately fairly common, so adding this extra layer of security will mean you'll be less likely to be hacked.

If you're looking to compete in Fortnite cup events, you will also need 2FA enabled, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate. This is so that you can earn the rewards associated with each event. For example, the recent Obi-Wan Cup allowed players to earn the Obi-Wan skin for competing. This was only possible if you had 2FA enabled.

Finally, having two-factor active on your account will allow you to gift items in the Item Shop. You can purchase and gift everything from skins to V-Bucks and send them to your pals.

That's how to enable 2FA on your Fortnite account, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate. For more on the game, check out our guide on Fortnite's current map, so that you can make sure you've unlocked all named locations.

ShadowPlay Highlights automatically captures kills, deaths, and key events in supported games, enabling you to review, edit, and share your best and most amusing moments with ease after a long day Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate gaming.

First released in August, gamers have already used ShadowPlay Highlights to capture millions of in-game events, many of which you’ll find trending on Reddit, and in ‘best of’ compilation videos on YouTube. Now, Fortnite Battle Royale players can get in on the action, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, with the release of a ShadowPlay Highlights patch on January 10th for the game’s entertaining PvP Battle Royale mode, which has over 30 million players.

To activate ShadowPlay Highlights in Fortnite Battle Royale you’ll need to update to the Fortnite ShadowPlay Highlights patch on January 10th, and have GeForce Experience 3.12 or higher, the Fortnite Game Ready driver, and a GeForce GTX graphics card.

Once everything’s ready, launch Fortnite, and select Battle Royale. GeForce Experience will ask if you want to enable ShadowPlay Highlights for Fortnite Battle Royale. After you click "Yes", kill, death, and Victory Royale Highlights will automatically be recorded without any further input.

At the end of your match, select the “Highlights” button on your lower right. This will showcase the Highlights captured, and from this screen you can select which Highlights to save to your Gallery, Fortnite Battle Royale Free Activate, and which to share immediately to Facebook or YouTube.

If you’ve yet to install Fornite, you can get instant access to its free Battle Royale PvP mode by downloading the game client here. Once you’ve learned the ropes, be sure to send your best Highlights to us on Facebook and Twitter.

Service Stability Issues

Ongoing Optimizations

60 FPS on Console

West Coast (US) / Brazilian Servers

Matchmaking Improvements

Art

Gameplay

• Improved building controls on console
• Team Communication outside of voice chat
• Ability to re-queue from the death screen
• Ability to preemptively hold down the search button while xara web designer serial key a searchable object
• Display of how much ammo is loaded into a gun on the weapon widget
• Larger map w/ zoom

Quickbar Improvements

Social

Limited Time Modes

• Blitz Mode (shorter matches!)
• Drop into the first circle
• Generally less time between circles
• Team sizes in between 50v50 and squads
• 50v50 v2
  • Closer to the 50v50 Trailer experience
  • Split to start
  • Converge on Battle
  • Bus for each team
  • See all your squadmates on the map
  • More supply drops

Custom Matches

Audio

Battle Pass Season 3

It's highly recommended that you spend some time enabling 2FA (two-factor authentication) for your Fortnite account.

Not only will this keep your account secure from potential fraudsters, you'll also be able to earn an exclusive emote for your trouble. Fortnite cups also require 2FA to be enabled in order to earn rewards like skins.

Here's how to enable 2FA in Fortnite, and what you'll get for doing so.

How to enable Fortnite 2FA

Epic Games has provided an in-depth process for enabling 2FA in Fortnite. You'll find a step-by-step breakdown below:

1. Go to the 'Account' page.
2. Click the 'Password and Security' tab.
3. Under the 'Two-factor Authentication' header, click the 2FA option you want to enable:
4. Third-party authenticator app: Use an Authenticator App as your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). When you sign in you’ll be required to use the security code provided by your Authenticator App.
5. SMS Authentication: Use your phone as your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) when you sign in you’ll be required to use the security code Epic sends you via SMS message.
6. Enable email authentication: Use a security code sent to your email address as your Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). The security code will be sent to the address associated with your account. You’ll need to use it in when you sign in.
7. If you opt to use an authenticator app for 2FA, these common authenticator apps can be found in your mobile device app store.
8. Verify that 2FA is enabled
9. Refresh your account page and confirm that the authentication method shows as being enabled by looking for the blue button that says 'On'

Please note that if you choose more than one authentication method, you will want to check the box that says "Make this my primary Two-Factor authentication method" on your preferred method of contact.

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 is here and with it comes a new Battle Pass! This season has introduced EvoChrome weapons, Chrome Splash locations and the ability to phase through walls. There are also new vault locations and map changes. The Paradise quests are this season's storyline challenges, including destorying Chrome objects to collect Chrome anomalies. Make sure to check out the upcoming The Herald skin too! Meanwhile, learn how to get XP fast, earn the Victory Umbrella and Victory Crowns.

Exlusive Boogie Down emote

Once you've activated 2FA in Fortnite, load back into the game and you will receive the Boogie Down emote. This is your reward for securing your account, and is the only way you can get this emote currently.

Why you should enable Fortnite two-factor authentication

There are a number of reasons to enable 2FA in Fortnite. The main one is to keep your account secure from fraudsters. Having an extra step when signing into your account makes it harder for someone to access, which is recommended if you have any payment methods linked. V-Bucks scams are unfortunately fairly common, so adding this extra layer of security will mean you'll be less likely to be hacked.

If you're looking to compete in Fortnite cup events, you will also need 2FA enabled. This is so that you can earn the rewards associated with each event. For example, the recent Obi-Wan Cup allowed players to earn the Obi-Wan skin for competing. This was only possible if you had 2FA enabled.

Finally, having two-factor active on your account will allow you to gift items in the Item Shop. You can purchase and gift everything from skins to V-Bucks and send them to your pals.

That's how to enable 2FA on your Fortnite account. For more on the game, check out our guide on Fortnite's current map, so that you can make sure you've unlocked all named locations.

This article explains how to download Fortnite on the original Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch Lite. It also explains how to create and link an Epic Games account and how to add Nintendo Switch friends to Fortnite.

How to Download Fortnite on Nintendo Switch

Epic Games' popular battle royale video game Fortnite is completely free to play on the Nintendo Switch. Like all digital Switch titles, it must be claimed and downloaded from the first-party eShop app. Here’s how to download and install Fortnite on Nintendo's hybrid home console.

1. Turn on your Nintendo Switch and log in to your Nintendo account.

   If you have multiple accounts on your Switch, make sure you’re logged into the one you want to play Fortnite on.

2. To open the Nintendo eShop, tap on its orange icon or select it and press A.

3. Highlight Search from the left menu and type "Fortnite."

   As you type, the on-screen keyboard displays word prompts above the letter keys. You can tap these to auto-complete words without having to type them out completely, but it still might be easier if you use a USB keyboard and mouse with your Switch.

4. Tap Search or press the + button on your Nintendo Switch controller.

5. TapFortnite when it appears.

6. Tap Free Download or highlight the icon and press A.

   Fortnite is a "freemium" (a.k.a free-to-play) video game, meaning you don’t have to buy it to play it. This is why the button says "Free Download" instead of the usual "Proceed to Purchase."

7. You're shown a confirmation screen. Select Free Download.

8. Select Close to exit the Nintendo Switch eShop or select Continue Shopping to keep it open and view other video game listings.

   You don’t need to keep your Nintendo Switch fully powered on downloading Fortnite after purchasing it within the eShop. The game continues to download when the console is placed in Sleep Mode.

9. A Fortnite icon appears on the Nintendo Switch Home screen immediately. It flickers slightly, and a download progress bar appears along its bottom while it's downloading and installing.

   A video game download may pause if you use an app or another game that requires an internet connection. If you’re thinking of playing while you wait, make sure you only play offline.

10. The game fully downloads once the image appears solid and the progress bar disappears.

    While waiting for the game to download, create and link your Epic Game account, following the steps below.

How to Create and Link an Epic Games Account

With Fortnite downloaded, you’re almost ready to play. There are still a few more things to do before you can dive right in, though. First, you need to create and/or link your Epic Games account to your Nintendo Switch.

An Epic Games account is required to play, and it's used to save all game progress and user data to the cloud and sync it across devices. This means you can use your same Fortnite progress and friends list on mobile, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 4.

The 10 Best Nintendo Switch Kids' Games of 2022

1. On your computer, open your preferred web browser and go to EpicGames.

   If you already have an Epic Games account, sign into it on the Epic Games website and proceed to Step 7. 

2. Select Sign In.

3. Select Sign Up.

4. Fill in the required fields and select Create Account.

   It's a good idea to make your Display Name the same or similar to your username on your Nintendo Switch and other consoles so your friends can recognize you.

5. You're sent an email to the address you used in the form. Select the link in this email to confirm the address and activate your Epic Games account.

6. Once you select the link in the email, the Epic Games website opens up in a new browser tab and you’re automatically logged in.

7. From the left menu, select Connected Accounts.

8. Select Connect under all of the video game networks you wish to play Fortnite on with the same account.

   If multiple people use your computer and Nintendo Switch, make sure you’re connecting the correct accounts.

9. With your Epic Games account set up and connected to your Nintendo account, you can now open Fortnite on your Nintendo Switch.

10. Tap the Fortnite icon on your Nintendo Switch Home screen to open the game.

11. The game loads after a minute or two, and eventually you're shown a welcome screen. Press A to continue.

    Fortnite is infamous for taking a long time to load, so don’t worry if you think it’s taking too long.

12. You should receive a user agreement. Make sure to read it, then press Y to accept.

13. You may be shown a news screen with information on the latest game updates. Feel free to read these posts or press B to begin the game.

14. When the game finishes loading, it automatically imports your Epic Games data into the Nintendo Switch version of Fortnite. Because you already linked your accounts on the Epic Games website, you don’t need to log into your Epic Games account on your Switch.

How to Add Nintendo Switch Friends to Fortnite

To play with your Nintendo Switch friends in Fortnite, you need to add their Epic Games accounts to your Epic Games friends list within the game.

Here’s how to import your Nintendo Switch friends within Fortnite:

1. With the Fortnite game open, press the – button on the left side of your controller.

2. Press Y.

3. Highlight the button next to Enter Epic Name or Email and press A.

4. Enter your friend’s Epic Games username or their associated email address.

5. Press + or OK.

6. A friend request is sent. Once your friend approves it, they appear in your Fortnite friends list.

   Your Epic Games/Fortnite friends list is completely separate from your Nintendo Switch friends list.

The 10 Best Nintendo Switch Accessories

Supported Fortnite Switch Control Options

Due to the number of actions required during a game of Fortnite, it’s impossible to play with just one Joy-Con on the Nintendo Switch.

The following play style controls are supported in Fortnite on Nintendo Switch consoles:

• Two Joy-Cons within a Joy-Con Grip.
• Two Joy-Cons connected to the Switch console and played in handheld mode.
• Two separated Joy-Cons, with one in each hand.
• One Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Thanks for letting us know!

Co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games

2020 video game

Fortnite: Save the World is a cooperative hybrid-third-person shootertower defensesurvivalvideo game developed and published by Epic Games. The game was released as a paid-for early access title for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 25, 2017, with plans for a full free-to-play release announced in late 2018. Epic eventually opted to move the game to pay-to-play in June 2020. The retail versions of the game were published by Gearbox Software, while online distribution of the PC versions is handled by Epic's launcher.

Fortnite is set on contemporary Earth, where the sudden appearance of a worldwide storm causes 98% of the world's population to disappear, and zombie-like creatures rise to attack the remainder. Considered by Epic as a cross between Minecraft and Left 4 Dead, Fortnite has up to four players cooperating on various missions on different maps to collect resources, build fortifications around defensive objectives that are meant to help fight the storm and protect survivors, and construct weapons and traps to engage in combat with waves of these creatures that attempt to destroy the objectives. Players gain rewards through these missions to improve their hero characters, support teams, and arsenal of weapon and trap schematics to be able to take on more difficult missions.

The game is supported through microtransactions to purchase in-game loot boxes that can be used towards these upgrades. A standalone battle royale game version, Fortnite Battle Royale, was released for the same platforms in September 2017. Following the release, the player-versus-environment mode was officially distinguished as "Save the World".

Synopsis

One day, 98% of Earth's human population suddenly disappeared, and the remaining humans found the skies covered in dense clouds, creating chaotic storms that dropped husks: humanoid zombie-like creatures that attacked the living. The survivors found ways to construct "storm shields", a field that cleared the storm clouds from immediately overhead and reduced the attacks from husks, and used these to set up survivor bases across the globe. The player is a commander of one of these bases, charged with going out of the storm shield to find resources, survivors, and other allies to help expand their storm shield and find a way to return Earth to its normal state.

Gameplay

The "tower defense" aspect of the game revolves around the player character defending the storm shield against zombie like creatures.

Fortnite provides three distinct product gameplay modes: access to Fortnite Battle Royale and Fortnite Creative (which are available as a separate free-to-play titles) and the paid-for cooperative player-versus-environment "Save the World", which is unique to the main Fortnite game.

Quests and events

Fortnite: Save the World is described as a unique blend of sandbox survival co-op lite RPG tower defense game, and is an amalgamation of player progression, exploration, scavenging items, sharing scarce resources, crafting weapons, building fortified structures, and fighting waves of encroaching monsters.^[8]Tim Sweeney, Epic's founder, described the game as "Minecraft meets Left 4 Dead".^[9] The game plays in a third-person perspective and cycles between managing one's resources at a safe home base, and then going out on missions to complete quests as to collect resources and obtain rewards to advance the game's story.

Players can review their current story progress and quests, which can include daily, weekly, side, challenge, and event quests, which when completed provide in-game currency or resources.

Fortnite: Save the World offers themed-events with a unique progression line, new locations, and rewards based on those themes. The first such event was its Halloween event, "Fortnitemares", that offered Halloween-themed heroes, characters, weapons, and traps (usable outside of the event) by completing numerous objectives.^[10]

Map and missions

Missions are divided between four world locations, some available only after progressing far enough in the story, and special locations for timed events and for the Survive the Storm mode. Within a location are several possible mission areas that show the type of mission, the terrain it takes place on, its difficulty rating relative to the player's current power level, and whether the mission is currently under special "storm" conditions that throw random effects, like buffed husks or mini-bosses, into the mission but have potentially better rewards if completed. The player can select a special "play with others" option that automatically matches them with players at a similar power level and story progression on a random mission for added rewards.

During missions, players can make their fortifications from one of three base materials (wood, brick, and metal), and in a number of configurations, including floors/ceilings, walls, stairs, and ramps; players have the ability to edit these for more configurations, such as adding a door or window to a wall. Each fortification part can be upgraded with more resources of the same type to improve their durability, and when they are damaged, can be repaired by spending additional resources. Traps, which have a limited number of activation before they fall apart, can be placed on floors, walls, and ceilings, and arranged in means to make them more lethal or effective against husks. Traps may also include beneficial resources for players, such as healing pads, defender posts, and launch pads. Similarly, players can use a range of weapons but these have limited durability that drops as they are used or as a penalty if the player should be downed by husks and need to respawn without the help of allies. Players can construct new weapons, ammo, and traps from gathered resources, or find these from searching containers across the map. During missions, the game progresses through an accelerated day-night cycle; during the day, the husks are more passive and do not generally pose immediate threats, while during the night, bands of husks may spawn in and will aggressively seek out players.

Most missions take place on procedurally-generated landscapes. Most missions are based on locating sites representing the objectives on the map, build up fortifications around those locations, and then face off against several waves of husks that will try to destroy the objectives. During completion of these missions, players are generally given a "storm forecast" to know where husks will spawn in as to enhance fortification in that direction, though this direction can change in more difficult missions. Other missions are time-limited, requiring the players to locate and help a number of survivors, build out several radar towers, or clear out various encampment of husks scattered around the map before time runs out. These missions encourage the players to explore the map and farm for resources (either by searching objects or destroying them with an axe) used to build the fortifications, weapons, ammunition, and traps needed to defend or attack the husks. Players also frequently need to seek out bluglo, a special resource that does not carry over between maps to activate certain mission objectives. Some missions are considered a loss if the objective is destroyed or time runs out, while other missions allow the players to rework their fortifications and start their defense again if the objective is destroyed. Maps will frequently have optional objectives that are discovered through exploration, such as human survivors that need help. Completing these successfully earn immediate in-game rewards such as resources, weapons, and traps. Missions themselves may provide bonus objectives, such as by completing the mission within a certain in-game period, using a limited number of fortification pieces, or saving more survivors than the minimum necessary, which affects the qualify of rewards the players receive after the successful completion of the main mission.

One unique mission type is Storm Shield Defense (SSD) missions. In each of the four world locations, the player is allocated a map that remains persistent, representing the site where their base's storm shield generator is placed, and in the storm mode, the player must return to this map to expand the storm shield, requiring them to add a new objective to defend successfully to continue the story. At any time, the player can enter this map without starting the defense mission, and use their carried-over resources to build out the fortification and traps, or add resources to a special storage area for this map. Successfully completing SSD-missions unlocks "Endurance Mode" which allows players to test theirs skills and builds against an increasingly difficult and unending siege on their base.

Command and armory

The player has a roster of hero characters, defender characters, and support characters (called Survivors). Hero characters represent characters from one of four classes that the player can use while on a mission, as well as used to undertake resource-gathering missions making them unavailable to use until they return from the mission. Defender characters can be summoned to help with defense but only if there are less than four players on a mission. Support characters (called "Survivors", who must be rescued ingame) are used to form various non-playable squads that provide passive bonuses to the player's attack strength, building speed, armor, and health, with additional benefits if the player can match certain characterization attributes within a squad.

The player can spend commander upgrade skill points, earned by completing missions, and technology research points, earned over time, to unlock new base support skills, gadgets and tools. These can improve a player's base attributes, attributes that are shared with the other players while on missions, unlock higher levels of evolution for schematics and characters, open up new squad positions, or unlock general skills that players can use in the field. Collectively, the player's progress on the commander rating, their survivor squad composition, and their selected hero character make up the player's current "power level" which relates to what difficulty of missions the player should take and the game's matchmaking services.

The player has an itemization inventory of weapon and trap schematics, along with collected resources. The crafting schematics are used to construct weapons and traps when on the field. The player can spend different types of experience points and resources earned as mission rewards to level up and evolve schematics and characters. For weapons and traps, this generally boosts their effectiveness as well as unlocking additional attribute "perk" bonuses, while leveling up hero characters will increase stats and unlock special skills the character has while in the field. Schematics and characters are generally assigned a rarity, which determines how much they can be leveled and evolved. A player's inventory of schematics and characters is limited, but players can opt to slot anyone they do not need into a collection book to gain rewards when certain collection sets are completed; use one or more of these schematics or characters to transform them into a new random item, or simply retire them to gain back experience points and other resources to free up the inventory slots.^[11][12]

Locker, store and item shop

The player has access to a complete gallery of all Fortnite cosmetic items across all gameplay modes, featuring outfits, back bling, and harvesting tools. The player can spend real-world currency and/or different types of in-game currency, experience points and resources earned as mission rewards, from loot boxes (represented as llamapinatas), or other resources to level up and evolve schematics and characters.

Heroes in the player's locker have different power levels and abilities which can be increased either by upgrading them or by enhancing their support team with Survivor XP or Hero XP. The upgrades, however, are locked until certain quests are completed, such as the Storm Shield Defense missions.^[13] Heroes also come in different rarities, but unlike the Battle Royale counterpart, the rarity of a hero can be upgraded further using Hero XP and other account resources such as Epic or Legendary Flux that can be obtained either from the weekly shop, or by completing some missions.

Although most cosmetics earned in Fortnite: Battle Royale can be used in Fortnite: Save The World, there are some that cannot. These include all gliders, all contrails, and some backblings. Reactivity for some backblings may not work in Save The World either. Epic Games has sparked some controversy among players when a Save The World exclusive hero (Metal Team Leader) was made available in the Fortnite Battle Royale item shop as a skin. Some players felt ripped off by Epic Games' decision as they've already purchased the item in Save The World which was taunted to be rare.^[14]

Development

History

Conception

Fortnite was revealed at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards (VGA), with Epic's former design director Cliff Bleszinski introducing a trailer for the game.^[15] Donald Mustard, creative lead at Epic, said in 2017 that this announcement was "three weeks after we came up with the idea, before we even made the game".^[16] The title, which started out as an internal game jam project following the completion of Gears of War 3,^[17][18] represents a departure from the company's previous work.^[15] As Bleszinski explained during the Spike event, Epic wanted to "switch things up a little bit and do something different and fun" with Fortnite, describing it as "a world where you explore, you scavenge, you build and ultimately you survive."^[15] In an interview with Engadget, he also echoed these statements, claiming that the game would be different from the Gears of War series: "There's no dudebros in it...Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? But creatively for the team, Gears has been amazing for us. But it's fun to kind of stretch our wings and do something that's a little different from the usual."^[19] At the time of its creation, producer Roger Collum said that the game grew out of taking two popular genres: building games like Minecraft and Terraria, and shooting games like Gears of War to make something novel, comparing it to making peanut butter cups out of peanut butter and chocolate. When they showed this approach to other developers, they found that the concept was an idea that others had had but never worked towards any final product, and from that knew they had something with potential to build on.^[18]

As the game was at its very preliminary stages at the VGA reveal, the goal of this reveal was to seek public interest in the title and potential publishing partners as to decide on the game's release platforms and timeframe.^[20] During the July 2012 San Diego Comic Con, Epic announced that Fortnite would be an exclusive personal computer title, and the first one to be developed by Epic using their new Unreal 4 game engine, with a planned release in 2013.^[21][22] The game's development was originally started in the Unreal 3 engine, but as they progressed, they had seen the opportunity to work in several of the new feature sets and scripting language offered by Unreal 4 for Fortnite, while still running on most personal computers at that time. They further opted for personal computer exclusivity to avoid the difficulty of having to go through console certification, and as they planned to be constantly monitoring and tweaking the game, acting as a dungeon master, the personal computer approach would allow them to do this without restrictions normally set by console manufacturers.^[23] Bleszinski later clarified that they would not rule out release on other platforms as they developed the title.^[24]

Fortnite's development was spread among several of Epic's satellite studios,^[25] and was also co-developed by the Polish studio People Can Fly, which had worked with Epic previously on earlier games, and had been fully acquired by Epic sometime in 2012. People Can Fly were briefly renamed Epic Games Poland in 2013 as to align with Epic's other studios.^[26][27] By March 2014, there were about 90 developers working on the game.^[17] People Can Fly later returned to being an independent studio and their own name in 2015, but continued to help Epic with Fortnite's development.^[1][2]

Transition under Tencent

Fortnite's early development hit a number of roadblocks. First, Epic began using Fortnite as the testing ground for the new Unreal Engine 4, which slowed some development.^[28] A further factor was recognizing that to maintain interest in the game, it needed to have deep systems for player progression and itemization, similar to computer role-playing games. They reached out and brought in system designers from popular massively multiplayer online games, including Darren Sugg, to gain input on how to create these types of systems.^[18] A culminating issue in the slowdown was the investment from Tencent in Epic Games in 2012, which transitioned a number of high-level executives, including Bleszinski, out of the company.^[29] Epic had recognized they needed to prepare for offering games that followed the games as a service model. Tencent had excelled at this in China, and agreed to help Epic in exchange for significant ownership in Epic. Epic chose to use Fortnite as the spearhead for Epic's games-as-a-service model which created additional road bumps, according to Mustard.^[28] Further, with the transition of executives, new leadership was needed to take over for Fortnite's development team. Sugg, for example, had been discussing the various game systems in depth with Bleszinski, who otherwise was leading the design. With Bleszinski's departure, Sugg had to take over as lead design to try to continue the vision that Bleszinski's team had.^[18]Rod Fergusson, who had left Epic after Tencent's investment in 2012, stated that if he had stayed on with Epic, he would likely have cancelled Fortnite by this point.^[30]

At the same time, Epic made several decisions on gameplay that felt established the basis of Fortnite. Initially when players placed walls and other fortifications, they would have had players complete a mini-game to complete the construction. They found that the game was more successful when these fortifications built themselves, allowing players to create forts quickly, and kept this approach.^[18] They were also able to bring in various game modes that had been envisioned in Gears of War 3, but which then were limited by the game's engine. The dynamic nature of the game world due to players' fortifications and de-construction required them to come up with an artificial intelligencepathfinding solution for the enemies.^[18] Epic considered they were trying to build a toolkit for players to interact with as to create emergent gameplay solutions based on the situation of the missions, from which they can continue to expand upon with new items throughout the life of the game.^[18]

By November 2013, Epic confirmed that Fortnite would not release that year, nor offered a target released date, though affirmed the game was still in development by several of its studios.^[31] Epic Games Vice President of Publishing Mike Fischer said in 2015 that Epic recognized that they "announced this game too soon", and that its lengthy development period was due to "very good reasons."^[32]Fortnite was a feature in the May 2014 issue of Game Informer, revealing that the title would be released as a free-to-play game.^[33]

By 2014, Fortnite was at a "pretty functional prototype" with most of the Unreal 4 engine elements smoothed out, according to Mustard.^[28] Epic anticipated it would still take about three more years to complete, not only in polishing and balancing the game, but setting in place the necessary backend elements for the games-as-a-service model.^[28] To help support development and get player feedback, Epic used a series of closed alpha test periods. The game's first closed alpha, called Online Test 1, ran from December 2 to 19, 2014, while Online Test 2 ran from March 24 to April 14, 2015.^[34][35] Epic said the first alpha was designed to help it "make sure all of our basic systems are working" and establish "a baseline for how people play in order to make Fortnite better."^[34] After being demoed at WWDC 2015 on Mac, Fortnite entered closed beta testing in the fall of 2015.^[36] Approximately 50,000 players participated in these periods.^[28]

Fortnite was being developed alongside Paragon, which Epic announced in November 2015. As Paragon seemed to take Epic's focus, leaving little news about Fortnite, CEO Tim Sweeney said in March 2016 that they were still committed to Fortnite once Paragon was launched and established, given that much of the work on Fortnite would take time to get the right balance for gameplay. "We figure we should start with one major successful launch and do one at a time. Fortnite will be next."^[37]

Early access release and Battle Royale spinoff

By June 2017, Epic Games announced that Fortnite was now set for a 2018 release across Windows, macOS, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Leading up to this free-to-play release, the game was offered as a paid early access period starting on July 25, 2017 for all platforms; players who pre-ordered Founder's Packs were granted access to the game on July 21.^[38][39] The lengthy period since the game's alpha phases was ascribed to developing Fortnite as a games-as-a-service model, according to creative lead Donald Mustard. While the game had been in a playable state for the two years before this, Epic wanted to be able to develop ongoing content to players to keep them interested in the title, such as planning timed events with unique rewards, following the approach used by games like League of Legends and Warframe.^[38] Since the game had already been announced earlier in 2014 through Game Informer, Epic opted not to use their Electronic Entertainment Expo time or space in June 2017 to re-announce the game, fearing that coverage of it would be lost in the deluge of other gaming news coming out of the event. Instead, the Epic marketing team worked with Twitch and other game streamers to provide them early copies of the game to play and promote on their channels in the weeks leading up to their target release date of July 25, 2017. However, a few weeks before this date, Epic recognized that the game was still not ready for release; it was playable but not content complete. Rather than prolonging it further, Epic decided to release the game into paid early access on July 25, 2017, which would also allow them to get active feedback on the game as they progressed in development.^[40] At the time of the start of early access, Gearbox Software helped distribute the game on physical media.^[3]

With the popularity of Fortnite Battle Royale, which was first released in early access around September 2017 and gained considerable attention by early 2018, Epic split off a separate development team to focus on improvements for this mode.^[41] Epic said that their attention to Fortnite was causing some of their other games to see lower player populations, leading them to reduce development efforts on these games, particularly Paragon.^[42] By the end of January 2018, Epic announced it was shutting down Paragon by April of that year, providing refunds to all players.^[43] Players on a Fortnite-dedicated Reddit forum had expressed concerns that a similar fate could befall the Save the World mode of Fortnite, as externally, the Save the World mode has not received the same attention in providing updates and improvements compared to the Battle Royale mode since that mode's release.^[44] Epic's Ed Zobrist said that as of March 2018 that the retention rates for "Save the World" have been high, and have grown since the release of Fortnite Battle Royale,^[40] and the company has since improved communications with the player base, such as providing development road maps and known bug lists.^[45]

In October 2018, Epic announced that the game's free-to-play release would not happen until at least 2019, which was done in order to make sure that it would ready to accommodate large groups of new players.^[46] A significant patch for the game to be released in November 2018 aims to rework much of the game's metagame interfaces, providing some automation and helpful advice through newly introduced characters for hero outfitting, survivor squads, and other activities.^[47] A change in its loot box system was made in January 2019, which allowed players to know what items they would get from the "loot llamas" purchased via the in-game store, similar to an x-ray; contents of such loot llamas will be randomized on a daily basis.^[48]

Final release

On June 29, 2020, Epic announced that they had decided to end Save the World's early access period and make it a full release, but at the same time abandoning the original free-to-play plans and keeping the game a premium title. With this change, they were no longer able to continue to support common shared items between the Save the World and Battle Royale modes of Fortnite. With this, Epic planned to include Ventures, season-long events to give players new challenges in the Save the World mode alongside recurring annual events.^[49] Long-term players of the Save the World mode criticized Epic for this change; they had long seen the mode receive less care than Fortnite Battle Royale with many features that had been planned now dropped, and that the game's campaign that was to have had taken place over four major acts was effectively only 75% complete and appeared to be no longer a priority. A campaign hashtag "#SaveSaveTheWorld" grew among both these players as well as sympathetic Fortnite Battle Royale players to try to convince Epic to put more development resources into this mode.^[50]

Art and design

In their initial prototypes of the game, Epic had used creepier and darker designs for the husks and other enemies, and many of the elements of the settings were assets pulled from both Gears of War and Unreal series, which further created a dark, depressing environment.^[18] Bleszinski said that they found this to create an "exhaustive environment" that was too grim, and designed to take the design in a more cartoonish approach, while still remaining creepy, so that players would enjoy spending time in the game's world, without competing with games like DayZ.^[24] They used works from Pixar, Tim Burton, and Looney Tunes as inspiration for the designs.^[24][51]

Fortnite uses procedural generation to build out the maps for each mission. The game also includes an "AI director" that monitors how players are progressing, and alters the challenges of the monsters it sends out to the players based on that progression, easing off if players are having greater difficulty in surviving.^[52] At one point, the game had a team-based player versus player mode, where each side attempted to build up a base around a central target while trying to attack the opponent's target after breaking through their base. This did not make it into the final game.^[52]

Epic has cross-platform play between PC and PS4 and has stated plans to allow separate Fortnite cross-platform support for Xbox One and personal computer users, but cross-platform play between all three platforms has not been announced. However, for a few hours during one day in September 2017, players found they could cross-play between all three platforms. Epic later corrected this, calling it a "configuration error".^[53]

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)

Sales

On July 26, 2017, it was announced that Fortnite had sold over 500,000 digital pre-order copies.^[4] On August 18, 2017, Epic confirmed that Fortnite had surpassed over a million players.^[59]

Legal issues

Following the addition of x-ray loot boxes in February 2019, Epic Games was the subject of a class-action lawsuit claiming that its former model for loot boxes was predatory because they did not report the odds which rare items would appear in these boxes.^[60] Epic offered to settle the case in February 2021, in addition to retaining about $26 million to substantiated claims from members of the class particularly to minors affected by the case, by also crediting all players of Save the World with 1,000 V-bucks (about $8 equivalent), with Epic's lawyers stating "it’s the right thing to do and we feel strongly about random item loot boxes".^[61]

Notes

References

External links

The best place to learn about the Battle Pass is in-game by selecting Battle Pass:

How to purchase the Battle Pass

In Fortnite: Battle Royale, click the BATTLE PASS tab at the top of the screen and then click GET IT NOW!.

Choose the Battle Pass and then confirm the purchase.

Rewards

When you purchase the Battle Pass, you can earn various rewards by leveling up your Battle Pass. In Chapter 2 Season 7, we introduced an updated Battle Pass mechanic: instead of receiving 1 reward per level as in previous seasons, you now earn Battle Stars which can be used to claim the rewards from the available Pages (10 pages total). Players must acquire, claim enough rewards, or reach the corresponding Battle Pass level to access the later Battle Pass Pages.

Rewards from a Battle Pass can only be earned in that season, and will not be available in later seasons.

The PREREQUISITEtag on some of the rewards means that you must first claim all other rewards on that particular page to claim this reward.

The REQUIRES BASE ITEM tag means that it's a style variant and in order to unlock it you need to obtain the main outfit first.

Note: You can level up the Battle Pass over level 100 if you purchase it but there are no rewards for any levels above 100. If you do not purchase the Battle Pass, you can not level over 100.

Level up the Battle Pass

You can level up your Battle Pass in a few ways:

• Gaining experience (XP) through earning medals during a match
• Completing challenges
• Leveling up your season level
• And other in-game actions

You can purchase levels by following these steps:

Note: Each level costs 150 V-Bucks.

• Click the Battle Pass tab at the top of the screen.
• Click the Battle Pass level to be purchased up to.
• Click the Purchase # Rewards.
  • Note: This will take you to a new screen where you can adjust the number of rewards you wish to purchase.
• Click and holdPurchase to complete the purchase.
  • Note: If you do not have enough V-Bucks, the purchase button will state Get V-bucks, and you will have a chance to purchase more V-Bucks.

Note: No levels can be purchased after level 100.

You can only earn Battle Stars for the first 200 levels in the season.

Service Stability Issues

Ongoing Optimizations

60 FPS on Console

West Coast (US) / Brazilian Servers

Matchmaking Improvements

Art

Gameplay

• Improved building controls on console
• Team Communication outside of voice chat
• Ability to re-queue from the death screen
• Ability to preemptively hold down the search button while approaching a searchable object
• Display of how much ammo is loaded into a gun on the weapon widget
• Larger map w/ zoom

Quickbar Improvements

Social

Limited Time Modes

• Blitz Mode (shorter matches!)
• Drop into the first circle
• Generally less time between circles
• Team sizes in between 50v50 and squads
• 50v50 v2
  • Closer to the 50v50 Trailer experience
  • Split to start
  • Converge on Battle
  • Bus for each team
  • See all your squadmates on the map
  • More supply drops

Custom Matches

Audio

Battle Pass Season 3