After a long wait, Fortnite‘s Chapter 2, Season 2 is finally here, as the 12.00 update goes live on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices on Thursday, February 20.

Season 1 was the longest in the game’s history, but the popular battle royale title finally is finally introducing a major update to Fortnite as it enters the second season of its second chapter. While in previous seasons the developers had released a new update every week, new additions were few and far between in Season 1, so fans will be delighted to have some new locations, items, and cosmetics to sink their teeth into.

After days of teasers, including strange advertising boards and phone numbers appearing around the world alongside strange images on social media, the update is finally live, and there’s a lot for Fortnite fans to get excited about.

What’s New?

Top Secret

The theme of Fortnite’s Chapter 2, Season 2 is ‘Top Secret,’ with players who purchase the Battle Pass not only gaining a host of new skins and V-Bucks, but the ability to take part in special Missions to unlock special skin variants for the characters.

On top of that, players will also be able to take part in Limited-Time Operations, which Epic Games claims will “change the fate of the island” forever.

Epic Games

Fortnite players will be able to embark on operations that will change the island forever.

Chapter 2, Season 2 Battle Pass

As always, a new season means a new Battle Pass, and players have plenty of new skins and cosmetics to rock with the release of this update. On top of the skins in the Pass, Fortnite fans can also unlock special variants by completing challenges and Missions, and will receive 1500 V-Bucks to spend on items from the in-game store.

New locations

While none of the game’s main locations received any major updates in Season 1, the 12.00 update has introduced two brand-new locations, giving players more options around where they drop to pick up loot.

The small island located at the center of the map, often known as “Eye-land,” has been completely revamped, with a massive building now sitting on top of this piece of land, complete with a helipad and plenty of rooms full of weapons and chests.

Elsewhere, an oil rig has also appeared in the south-west corner of the map, taking over the area next to Slurpy Swamp.

Deadpool joins the game

Marvel superhero Deadpool is the latest character to enter the fray, and brings with him a brand-new set of challenges that players can complete if they own the Season 2 Battle Pass.

Fortnite fans can also suit up as the masked vigilante too as they try to find victories in the game, although how the skin can be unlocked remains to be seen.

Shakedowns

Ever down an opponent but find yourself confused as to where their teammates could be hiding? Wonder no more, as Epic Games have introduced Shakedowns, which see players gain the ability to pick up their fallen nemesis and glean information from them.

After knocking an opponent, run over and intereact with their character to pick them up, and interrogate them for the locations of the squad. Once complete, red arrows will appear on your screen, allowing you to see their positions and prepare your team for combat.

Epic Games

Enemies will become marked if you perform a Shakedown on a fallen enemy.

Weapon Vaults and Unvaults

As always, a new season means an update to the game’s weapon pool, and Epic Games have introduced some massive changes, bringing back a host of classic weapons and sending some of Season 1’s more powerful items to the vault. The Suppressed Pistol, Suppressed Assault Rifle, and Suppressed Sniper Rifle are all back to help players complete their secret agent missions with stealth, while Drum Guns, C4, Grapplers, Heavy Snipers, and Boom Bows are also back.

Epic have also added some new items, with the Decoy Grenade and Creeping Cardboard also intrudced.

That does mean that some have to be removed from the game, with the Damage Trap gone along with the Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle, while certain rarities of the Rocket Launcher and Submachine Gun have also been sent to the vault for the time being. Remember though, just because Epic have removed them now, doesn’t mean they won’t return at some point in the future.

Other Changes

Vaults have also been added, with special keycards required to gain access, while NPC Agents are also in the game. Players can use toilets to travel through tubes to new locations, while consumables are now throwable items as well.

Bug Fixes

As always, a new update means Epic Games have a host of fixes for some of the most frustrating bugs that have been affecting the game, which will hopefully remove some pesky issues and improve the quality of life for fans of the game. The following fixes have been taken from the official Fortnite Trello board.

• Players no longer get stuck on loading screens after accepting an invite before selecting game mode.
• Players can now select traps with a controller when ‘Pick Up’ indicator is on-screen.
• Game will no longer crash when selecting controller settings menu that may result in a blank controller layout.
• Players will no longer pick up ‘down-but-not-out’ teammates when trying to switch to their Pickaxe.
• Players will no longer be temporarily unable to move or do any other action after Emoting.
• Fixed an issue where the “Could not join party” message was wrongly occurring.
• Removed the delay in movement after using a movement key to exit your inventory.